From left, Leg. Kara Hahn and Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant check out the selection of books in the new Little Free Library at Rocketship Park with a young reader. Photo by Kevin Redding
‘Today a reader, tomorrow a leader’ — Margaret Fuller
By Kevin Redding
Port Jefferson’s newest minilibrary has liftoff at Rocketship Park. In a partnership between the Port Jefferson Free Library and the village board, a Little Free Library was recently installed at the family-friendly park, where adults, teens and children alike can reach into the purple-painted wooden box to pick up or drop off a wide array of books. An official ribbon cutting was held last Thursday, Sept. 28.
The library, shaped like a tiny schoolhouse and currently stocked with children’s titles like “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” was built from a kit and installed by Stonegate Landscape. It stands as Port Jefferson Free Library’s second book exchange program, with the other unveiled in front of the William Miller House on North Country Road in Miller Place last month.
From left, PJFL Director Tom Donlon, Leg. Kara Hahn, Mayor Margot Garant and Chris Graf, president, Stonegate Landscape in East Setauket. Photo by Kevin Redding
Director of Port Jefferson Free Library Tom Donlon led elected officials, including Mayor Margot Garant and Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for what the mayor called a fantastic addition to the town.
“I’m so happy that we can provide some reading for our young children because I think reading a book goes a long way to helping educate them and bring them into the world,” Garant said with giant scissors in hand. “[It’ll make for] a true sense of community, and that’s what makes our village great.”
Donlon said when the park reopened in June, he and the library’s board members knew it was a perfect spot for book-sharing for all ages. “We have families that come here and while the kids are running around, mom or dad or the adult with them might want something to read,” he said. “Giving back to the community is our goal. And you never know what you’re going to find in there … and what adventures await.”
Rocketship Park is located in the Village of Port Jefferson on Maple Place between Mill Creek Road and Barnum Avenue, across from the tennis courts. For more information, call 631-473-0022.
The Smithtown Library. File photo by Rachel Shapiro
By Sara-Megan Walsh
In a technological era where some argue books are obsolete, The Smithtown Library is asking taxpayers for funding to expand its hours to meet patrons’ demands.
The Smithtown Library will hold a vote on its $14.6 million proposed 2018 budget Oct. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The proposed budget represents an overall $300,000 budget increase from 2017.
Robert Lusak, director of The Smithtown Library, said the proposed budget takes aim to increase the number of hours at its four branches, increase programming and maintain and improve its current facilities.
More than $10.7 million of the library’s annual budget is set aside to cover employees’ salaries and benefits with the proposed budget containing a $150,000 increase over 2017.
“With four buildings, we will have the largest staff. When you have an operating budget in a service-driven industry, the bulk of your budget is salaries.”
—Robert Lusak
“We are the largest library on Long Island,” Lusak said. “With four buildings, we will have the largest staff. When you have an operating budget in a service-driven industry, the bulk of your budget is salaries.”
The library district does have a policy of replacing retiring employees, or those leaving, with entry-level workers in efforts to reduce the impact on payroll, according to library treasurer Joanne Grove.
More staffing will be required next year if a new pilot program offering extended hours on Friday nights continues to be successful, according to Lusak. Since Labor Day, the Smithtown Branch has stayed open an additional three hours on Fridays, pushing back its closing time from 6 to 9 p.m.
“Each week we’ve stayed open beyond 6 p.m. on a Friday night, the number of visitors keeps climbing because of word-of-mouth and publicizing it on social media,” the director said.
Based on patrons’ response, Lusak and Grove said they are currently leaning toward making a recommendation to library board trustees that all the other three branches — Commack, Kings Park and
Nesconset — should stay open Friday nights starting in 2018.
This year, the library pushed its opening time to 9:30 a.m., previously doors unlocked at 10 a.m, to allow visitors to come by earlier.
Inside the Smithtown Library. File photo
The proposed budget includes an additional $68,000 funding increase, for a total of $344,000, toward equipment and capital outlays. The funds will go toward ensuring updated computers and equipment is available at the library, according toGrove.
“Our [computer] terminals are always full with patrons,” Grove said. “We also have 3D printers in each of our library buildings, which has generated a lot of interest from the public.”
To better serve guests, Lusak said the 2018 budget also includes funds to upgrade lighting and improve parking at the library’s four branches. The district also hopes to obtain a new generator as part of its emergency response plan.
If approved, the proposed 2018 budget would result in a $6.40 increase, or $313.47 per year, for the homeowner with an assessed property value of $5,500. Residents looking to calculate library taxes on their home should divide their assessed value by $1,000, take the resulting number and multiply it by 56.994. Further video instructions can be found on the library district’s website at www.smithlib.org.
On the ballot, residents can choose from four candidates running for three seats on the library’s board of trustees. The candidates are Brianna Baker-Stines of Smithtown, incumbent Louis Frontario of Fort Salonga, incumbent Rudy Zientarksi of Smithtown and incumbent William Zimmerman of St. James. A biography for each of these individuals can be found online at www.smithlib.org/library-board-candidates-2016.html.
Emma S. Clark Memorial Library. File photo by Michael Ruiz
By Rita J. Egan
Three Village’s approval was overwhelming.
The school district voted in favor of the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library’s $5,235,398 budget for 2018, with 503 “yes” votes to 75 “no.”
With the budget $36,037 more than 2017, the tax levy will increase by 0.69 percent.
“Thank you to the Three Village community for your overwhelming support of Emma S. Clark Memorial Library,” President of the library board of trustees Linda Josephs said. “The library board and staff will continue to strive to provide the highest quality library services at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.”
Library Director Ted Gutmann said future projects include renovation of the lower level public restrooms, and the possibility of a small café that would serve coffee and light snacks. The proposed refreshment area would include seating.
He said the library staff also looks forward to the continuation of classes and one-on-one help with technology. Among other services Emma Clark provides are volunteer opportunities for teens, resources for parents, and programs for infants, toddlers and school-aged children, including a summer reading program that brings in thousands of kids each year. Every other week a bus is available for senior residents who cannot drive, providing them with transportation to the library to socialize and participate in programs. The library’s Homebound Service delivers books and other materials to those who are unable to visit the library.
“I want to thank everyone who voted, either in person or through absentee ballots,” Gutmann said. “The library is 125 years old; its ongoing success is a testament to the residents who have treasured their library over these many years. It is a team effort between the administration, staff, and most importantly, the patrons of the Emma Clark Library. As I’ve said before, the library is still a thriving and vibrant place. As times have changed, the library has changed, too, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the great relationship we have with our community.”
The historic Terryville Union Hall is the latest recipient of a Little Free Library, thanks to Comsewogue Public Library Director Debra Engelhardt and the library, which stocked and funded the installation.
Pictured with Engelhardt are library staff members and local resident Angela DeRosalia, who hand-painted the kiosk, Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station), Northern Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Dzvonar and member Lisa Molinelli, who brought their children to ‘leave a book, take a book.’
Joining them is Terryville Road Elementary School Principal April Victor with supportive parents and students and Cumsewogue Historical Society President Jack Smith, Vice President Joan Nickeson, Treasurer Lou Antoniello and member Jackie Kirsch, who donated a collection of popular tween books.
Emma S. Clark Memorial Library recently received a grant to reimburse the cost of adding LED fixtures and bulbs in its building. Photo from Emma S. Clark Memorial Library
By Rita J. Egan
Three Village residents voting on the proposed Emma S. Clark Memorial Library 2018 budget will be voting “yes” or “no” on a slight increase over last year’s budget.
The proposed $5,235,398 budget for the library is $36,037 more than 2017 and would increase the tax levy by 0.69 percent.
President of the library board of trustees Linda Josephs credits Director Ted Gutmann and the library staff with keeping costs down for the Sept. 27 vote.
“We are able to consistently fulfill this responsibility due to the tireless efforts of our dedicated, professional director and staff,” Josephs said in an email. “Our very small budget increases over the past several years without any decrease in services is a result of their performance.”
The library provides an educational and cultural resource for all ages in the Three Village area. Photo from Emma S. Clark Memorial Library
Gutmann said the relatively low increase is due to a few factors, including the library no longer seeing an increase in their bills from the New York State & Local Retirement System as they did for several years. Approximately two-thirds of the staff is hourly or part-time, which reduces benefits costs. He said participating in the Partnership of Automated Libraries in Suffolk, a shared catalog/circulation system for Suffolk County libraries, has led to a savings of more than $20,000 a year. The library installed a new, energy-efficient boiler and HVAC units, which reduce utility costs, according to the director, and in the future lighting will be converted to LED, another cost saver.
Gutmann said contributions have also helped to offset operating budget costs. Donations in the last few years have included money left in 2014 by deceased Three Village social studies teacher and author Philip Groia to build the Global Studies collection, and late patron Helen Stein Shack’s family establishing an endowment used to fund an annual book award for teenagers.
The library recently received aid from state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), which has allowed the library to create a new technology center, also install a new carbon-monoxide detection and alarm system.
Gutmann said in addition to the library offering paper books and e-books, it provides classes, one-on-one technology training and programs, and volunteer opportunities. There are also senior bus and social programs for older residents.
The director said he believes it’s important for residents to vote and have a say in library decisions.
“The library is one of the few places left for the community to come together,” Gutmann said. “We are a place where our patrons can enhance their lives through books, programs, museum passes and online services. We are a unique educational and cultural resource that serves all ages in the Three Village community.”
The library budget vote will be held Wednesday, Sept. 27 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Periodicals Room in the historic section of the building. The library is located at 120 Main St. in Setauket. For detailed budget information, visit www.emmaclark.org.
More to come as next location is planned for Rocketship Park in Port Jefferson
Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society Vice President Antoinette Donato unveils the new Little Free Library in front of the William Miller house in Miller Place. Photo by Kevin Redding
Outside the oldest house in Miller Place sits the newest public library on the North Shore.
What might initially appear to be a newly installed, red-and-white mailbox in front of the William Miller House at 75 North Country Road is actually a Little Free Library, where residents of all ages are encouraged to pick up or drop off a book while on the go.
The mini library, which is shaped like a tiny schoolhouse and currently holds between 15 and 20 books ranging from “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to “Goodnight Moon,” stands as the most recent free book exchange program to sprout up on Long Island, with others installed at West Meadow Beach and Heritage Park in Mount Sinai last year.
Books inside the new Little Free Library in front of the WIlliam Miller House in Miller Place were donated by the Port Jefferson and Comsewogue libraries. Photo by Kevin Redding
The idea for the book-sharing movement, which has spanned more than 70 countries around the world since the first little library was built by Todd Bol of Wisconsin in tribute to his mother in 2009, is that with a quick turn of a wooden latch, it can increase book access for readers of all ages and backgrounds and to inspire a love of reading and community connection.
Members of the Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society unveiled their new addition Aug. 9 to a large crowd of smiling faces, which included residents, elected officials and representatives from Port Jefferson Free Library and Comsewogue Public Library. The two libraries partnered with the historical society to buy and sponsor it.
“I woke up this morning and I had the Mister Roger’s song in my head, ‘Oh what a beautiful day in the neighborhood,’” said Antoinette Donato, vice president of the historical society, during the ceremony. “This little library is symbolic of how our community comes together … and a community is strengthened when all the different organizations work well together. So when you reach into that box to put something in or take something out, please remember that you’re also reaching into your community. I hope it’s a very active library.”
Tom Donlon, director of Port Jefferson Free Library, said when he and Debbie Engelhardt, director of Comsewogue Public Library, decided to partner up to bring the program to the Miller Place community, they immediately knew the perfect place for it.
Jack Soldano, who has been selling his comic book collection this summer to raise money to help fix the historic William Miller House, was the first to add to the new Little Free Library’s collection. Photo by Kevin Redding
“Right away we thought of the historical society,” Donlon said. “The society really meshes with our libraries’ goals of education, entertainment, enlightenment and lifelong learning and investigation. We love that it’s here, it’s a great spot and I think it’s certainly going to serve the community very well.”
Engelhardt called little free libraries a beautiful concept.
“Anybody can use it as much as they want and it’s always a mystery when you open that box — you never know what you’ll find,” Engelhardt said. “There are no late fees, no guilt, no stress. If you want to keep a book, you can … we are pleased to partner with the historical society to bring this gem. The books inside will move you and teach you. We say that libraries change lives and, well, little free libraries can too.”
She added that these mini libraries have also proven to energize the spot they’re put in. For the historical society, whose William Miller House is nearly 300 years old and needs between $18,000 and $28,000 to renovate a collapsing roof and a total $100,000 for a full-house repair, any amount of attention to their cause is welcomed.
“What this does for us is it puts us in the limelight again, so that people are aware of us, they come and visit us and are sensitive to our needs,” Donato said.
Fittingly, although the box was stocked with books already donated by the libraries, the first batch of reading material from the public came from 12-year-old Jack Soldano, who spent the summer raising more than $1,000 for the historical society with his very own comic book stand.
Soldano contributed issues of Captain America, Star Wars and Power Rangers comics to join such titles as “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, “The Stranger” by Harlan Coben and the Grimm fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Over at Heritage Park, next to the Shack concession stand by the playground, the red-painted little free library currently contains more youth-oriented reads. Several books within “The Babysitters Club” series and Walt Disney’s “Fun-To-Learn Library” collection, as well as “Sable” by Karen Hesse, are available for the taking.
Manorville resident Megan Murray, who was at the park with her young daughter, said she’s been a fan of the initiative since a few popped up in her area.
“The concept is great because it’s for everybody, rich or poor,” Murray said. “It’s really sad that so many kids don’t have access to books and I think it’s wonderful.”
Currently there are plans for a little free library to be installed at Rocketship Park in Port Jefferson next month.
Local residents receive crochet circle instructions and create works of art to be displayed at Middle Country Public Library’s Centereach location this September as part of Carol Hummel’s global project. Photo from MCPL
By Jill Webb
This summer, the Middle Country Public Library is giving the community a chance to not only admire the beauty of nature but to create something new and exciting within it.
Artist Carol Hummel brought yarn-bombing to the Middle Country Public Library with her Crochet It! project, making circles that will be part of an installation on display in September. Photo from The Long Island Museum
Crochet It! is being hosted by the library as a community-driven art collective in which trees will be wrapped with thousands of colorful crocheted circles. This project will be creating two separate art installations to be displayed at the library for the public to enjoy.
Tracy LaStella, the library’s assistant director for youth services, beamed recalling the nearly 100 people who showed up for the June kick-off, where the library went through its first four boxes of macramé for the trees. Since then, she’s seen people of all ages and backgrounds become participants.
“This is our third drop-in, and they just keep on getting bigger and bigger,” LaStella said.
Carol Hummel, an artist well known for her large-scale installations and global projects, attended the Middle Country Public Library’s kick-off to offer two instructional workshops and will return in September to start the decorations she refers to as “artwork by the people, for the people.”
Since 2004, Hummel has been traveling to do community crocheting projects, also known as yarn-bombing. This is Hummel’s third time doing an installation on Long Island — her first was in Oyster Bay, and thesecond was at Stony Brook’s Long Island Museum after being noticed at a gallery showing in the area.
After the installation at The Long Island Museum, Hummel said the staff told her that they still get 10 people a day, at least, that stop and come to The Long Island Museum to look at the trees. “And then they get exposed to the place,” Hummel said.
Participants not only get pleasure from creating the pieces but also get to enjoy themafter they are installed.
“It exposes people to a kind of art — contemporary art — that is different than going into a museum and looking at a painting on a wall,” Hummel said.
Local residents receive crochet circle instructions and create works of art to be displayed at Middle Country Public Library’s Centereach location this September as part of Carol Hummel’s global project. Photo from MCPL
Hummel’s role in Crochet It! is planning, designing and figuring out logistics, like how much of each yarn color is needed. Then, the project is turned over to the library’s volunteers to produce pieces, which Hummel and her team will put together in September.
The artist said she enjoys working with Long Islanders, saying that they get many people involved.
Participants have the choice to work individually or attend the drop-in crochet sessions hosted at the library. The Crochet Socials Drop-in Sessions will have instructors present and will be taking place until September.
Instructor Corin LaCicero, 38, walked around the July 12 session, offering assistance to anyone who needed help.
“It’s fun to see them learn, and when they get it they get really excited,” LaCicero said of the participants. She explained that after a few weeks they’re learning how to create things like chains and circles.
LaCicero was taught to crochet by her mother and grandmother at 8 years old. Having the hobby passed down leads her to emphasize the benefits of group sessions.
“Some people might have different techniques than others,” she said. “You might have someone come who’s left-handed and it’s hard to teach, and someone else can help with that.”
Local residents receive crochet circle instructions and create works of art to be displayed at Middle Country Public Library’s Centereach location this September as part of Carol Hummel’s global project. Photo from MCPL
The trees will be adorned with orange, blue, yellow and purple yarn in the Nature Explorium at the library’s Centereach building, where the drop-in sessions are held. “We must have over a thousand circles done already, and we need thousands because we’re doing two large trees on the property here,” LaStella said. “My office is just filled with the circles.”
Marianne Ramos-Cody, of Selden, sat in on a drop-in session July 12 for the first time with her two young children nearby.
“I’ve crocheted before, but nothing like this,” Ramos-Cody said as she demonstrates the circular pattern of the crocheting with her son by her side. “He wants to learn, but I gotta learn first to show him.
The library is offering Crochet It! kits to be picked up for any participants to start their work. The kit includes all of the materials necessary for making the circles.
The Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, has given the necessary funds for the project to take off. The Huntington Arts Council administers the project, which will integrate nature and art into the community.
Community involvement is one of the beneficial aspects of the project, and drop-in crochet sessions will be Aug. 9 and 22 and Sept. 6 and 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Centereach location at 101 Eastwood Blvd.
“It’s always nice to experience something that’s so inspirational to everybody who’s working on it,” Hummel said.
She’s excited to be one of the first artists to go viral with yarn-bombing.
“People always say ‘aren’t you afraid people are going to copy you?’ I want them to copy me — I think it’s great,” Hummel said. “Spread joy and art around the world — that’s the best thing you can expect.”
Keynote speaker Isabel Vincent. Photo by Zandy Mangold
Readers of all ages can meet the authors and illustrators of thrillers, short stories, poetry, nonfiction and children’s books and hear about their newest books at the Port Jefferson Free Library’s 3rd Annual Friends of the Library Local Author Fair on Saturday, May 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to all.
The keynote speaker this year will be author Isabel Vincent who will talk about her newest book, “Dinner with Edward,” at 2:30 p.m. The book is scheduled to be produced into a film version by Donald Rosenfeld, the producer behind “Remains of the Day” and, more recently, “The Tree of Life” and “Effie Gray.”
Vincent is an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Post and the author of four books, including “Gilded Lily: Lily Safra, The Making of One of the World’s Wealthiest Widows.” The book is the unauthorized biography of the international philanthropist, whose fourth husband, the banker Edmond Safra, died in a mysterious fire in Monaco. Vincent spent several years researching her subject in Brazil, where the book has been banned by a local court.
Vincent is also the author of the award-winning “Bodies and Souls,” which tells the story of impoverished Jewish women from the shtetls of Russia and Poland who were forced into prostitution in South America. Vincent won the National Jewish Book Award (Canada) for her work on “Bodies and Souls,” which has become a primer for activists fighting against sex trafficking around the world today.
Her book on Swiss banks and dormant accounts in the Nazi era — “Hitler’s Silent Partners” — was the recipient of the Yad Vashem Award for Holocaust History, and her first book, “See No Evil,” goes behind the scenes in one of Latin America’s biggest kidnapping cases.
Marketing and outreach librarian at the Port Jefferson Free Library Salvatore Filosa said, “The library strives to provide open access to literature in many forms, one being a showcase of local authors whose works inspire so many people. Keynote Speaker Isabel Vincent’s newest book is truly a beautiful story that has a wide appeal to readers of many genres. Now is your chance to meet the author and gain insight into what it took to write the story. Readers of all ages are invited to find their next favorite book.”
The Port Jefferson Free Library is located at 100 Thompson Street in Port Jefferson. For more information, call 631-473-0022.
North Shore Public Library’s 2017-18 budget passed with 341 votes for and 62 against. File photo
Shoreham-Wading River and Rocky Point residents know what they’re looking for.
With 341 votes in favor and 62 against, The North Shore Public Library’s approximate $3.5 million budget proposal was passed. The 2017-18 budget, in compliance with a state-mandated cap on property tax levy increases, resulted in a zero percent increase from last year. In total, the budget is around $259 less than last year’s.
Community members in the district also re-elected longtime library trustees Terry Cipriani, who is returning as vice president, and Virginia Ryan.
“I am so excited that the people of the community love their library so much,” North Shore Public Library Director Laura Hawrey said. “Everybody participates and attends our programs and has different interests and reasons for being here. We want to continue to be an active community center for all ages and meet everybody’s needs — we do our best to provide everything without any big tax increases.”
Hawrey said while a majority of the budget is devoted to salary and employee benefits, the money will also help continue and expand the library’s ongoing services and programs, like its weekend concert series and active children’s department.
It will also help maintain the library’s wide variety of bestselling movies, music and books, and allow for continued free access to online media and resources.
Cipriani, who received 284 votes, has been on the board of trustees for two five-year terms, and will be entering her third.
Ryan, who received 297 votes, has previously served on the Friends of the Library and has also been a treasurer on the board.
Cipriani said she and Ryan love the library and have been avid participants since before they were members of the board. She said she wants to see all the great services continue.
“That’s what it’s all about to me,” Cipriani said, “keeping the library going for the public.”
This version corrects the spelling of Terry Cipriani’s last name.
Harborfields Public Library passed their budget with 220 yes votes. File photo
Huntington
Huntington Public Library’s budget passed with 307 yes votes to 80 no votes, and Kimberly Hawkins was chosen to serve another term as the library’s trustee. The $8,984,918 budget is a 0.75 percent increase from last year’s budget or an increase of about $66,000. The biggest expenses include personnel services and salaries, and maintenance of facilities.
“As we continue to offer our many and varied programs and services, I’d like you to know how much I appreciate the support that you, our patrons, continue to give us,” Joanne Adam, library director, said on their website. Hawkins beat out newcomer Paul Ehrlich, and in her candidate questionnaire said her experience already being involved as a trustee was more valuable to residents than fresh blood.
“I have a great depth of knowledge from being a trustee for more than five years,” she said. “I feel a deep commitment to the library and feel strongly that my experience as a trustee, board president, member of multiple committees and chief negotiator of the collective bargaining agreement makes me extremely qualified for the position. Having a trustee with this level of experience is in the best interests of our community.”
Harborfields
Harborfields Public Library passed its 2017-18 budget with 220 yes votes to 37 no votes. The $4.9 million budget is less than a $100,000 increase or a 1.7 percent increase from last year’s budget, with the biggest increases in health insurance, retirement, workers compensation, computer equipment, accounting fees and transfer for debt services. The tax increase comes to 1.92 percent or about $91,000 more raised in taxes compared to last year’s budget.
In a letter to residents, library director Carol Albano talked about some of the projects the library worked on with grants they applied for from New York State.
“Our role as the community center continues to evolve,” she said. “Over the past few years we have recognized the need for more quiet space, technology training and for an expansion to our teen area. Our new training room is used as an additional quiet space that can transform into a technology training room when needed. Both the existing quiet room and the training room received new furniture, carpeting, LED lighting and electrical outlets for plugging in and charging all of the latest technology. Whether you have an exam to study for, are working from home, or just need a space to do some research, you’ll find a quiet spot in the library!”
As for the new area for young adults, many modern updates were made.
“Our new area for young adults, Teen’Scape, offers books, computers, comfortable seating, study areas, a Maker Space and plenty of outlets – everything that a modern teen needs,” Albano said. “Teen’Scape combines the best of traditional library resources with cutting-edge technology. It is the go-to place for Harborfields teens to not only read and study but to also learn, create and explore many interests, and of course meet up with friends.”
Northport-East Northport
With 436 yes votes and 61 no votes the Northport-East Northport Public Library was able to pass their 2017-18 budget. The $9.9 million budget expects about $20,000 less in revenue from the year before, and the tax increase from last year is about $100,000 more. The biggest cost increases come from health insurance for employees, library materials including books and electronic costs and computer hardware and software. Judith Bensimon was also elected as a first-time library trustee.
Cold Spring Harbor
With the smallest number of total votes, the Cold Spring Harbor Public Library passed their budget with 101 yes votes to 33 no votes.
Elwood
At Elwood Public Library, the budget passed with 237 yes votes to 45 no votes and Nadine Araoz-Beuka was elected as a trustee. The 2017-18 budget includes a 1.49 percent tax increase and comes to a total of $1,564,533, an about $20,000 increase from the previous year. The budget includes a $2,000 increase in tax revenue, and the biggest costs include programming and museum passes, and building and office operations.
Soldano contributed issues of Captain America, Star Wars and Power Rangers comics to join such titles as “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, “The Stranger” by Harlan Coben and the Grimm fairy tale “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
Vincent is an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Post and the author of four books, including “Gilded Lily: Lily Safra, The Making of One of the World’s Wealthiest Widows.” The book is the unauthorized biography of the international philanthropist, whose fourth husband, the banker Edmond Safra, died in a mysterious fire in Monaco. Vincent spent several years researching her subject in Brazil, where the book has been banned by a local court.
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