In Celebration of Black History Month: Black American Librarians

In celebration of Black History Month, we would like to highlight trailblazing Black American librarians. “Throughout their history, African-American librarians have been pioneers, visionaries, risk-takers, hard-workers, innovators, organizers, and achievers. Through dedication and persistence, they have developed library collections and archives in spite of limited resources. They have provided reference and information services, and their libraries have served as cultural centers for many blacks in all types of communities.”    -Alma Dawson Edward Christopher Williams – First Black-American Librarian Williams is known as the first professionally trained black librarian in the United States and was widely regarded as an expert on both library …

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Happy Groundhog Day!

When and What is Groundhog Day? February 2nd each year brings the most-watched weather forecast of the year—and the only one led by a rodent! As the story goes, if the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter; if not, there will be an early spring. The “first” Groundhog Day The first official Groundhog Day celebration took place on February 2, 1887, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It was the creation of local newspaper editor, Clymer Freas, who sold a group of businessmen and groundhog hunters (known as the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club”) on the idea. The men tramped through …

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February Events ~ 2020

Children’s Events ~ February 2020 Just letting you know some of the upcoming events in February. Story & Craft Time Tuesday, Feb. 18th & 25th We will have a story, songs and a craft at 10:00 am for preschoolers.   Free Movie night at the Gardiner Public Library Born in China Thursday, February 20th Movie starts at 6:00 pm Doors open at 5:30 pm Children must be accompanied by an adult. Hosted by the Gardiner Library Association.   Art @ the Library will be presented by Upstream Tuesday, Feb. 25th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. Paint a wooden fish for …

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Holidays – Any And All You May Celebrate!

Believe it or not, we are in the midst of the “Holiday” season. As humans, particularly American humans, we love to celebrate!  There are holidays every – yes, EVERY – day of the year.  From National Short Girl Appreciation Day (December 21, the shortest day of the year), and Cyber Monday and Cider Monday (both the Monday after Thanksgiving) to National Crossword Puzzle Day and National Bacon Day.  Each of these “holidays” are generally celebrated in December, so are part of the “Holiday Season”. Traditionally, we think of “The Holidays” as one of the big three – Christmas, Chanukah and …

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Wear A Crown Day

Several of the staff here at the Gardiner Public Library would like the world to know ~~~ The Saturday before Halloween shall be considered “Wear A Crown Day”! For anyone interested, some of us WILL be wearing our crowns this Saturday, October 26th.  We would love you to join us in solidarity! What type of crown? You might ask, well, that is completely up to you! Burger King Crowns would be fine, though I don’t know if BK still gives out crowns.  (I’m probably dating myself in even mentioning them). A jeweled crown would be lovely, but only if you …

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Memorial Day

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially …

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