Last Chance to Give for 2008

Tis the season to make a year-end, tax-deductible gift to Wood Library! We are just about $5,000 shy of our fundraising goal for 2008. Your gift of any amount will provide important financial support to help us maintain high-value library services and programs to everyone in our community. Date your check December 31 and mail it to 134 North Main Street, Canandaigua NY 14424. Thank you!

Gift of Reading

How do you celebrate the holidays? Food? Toys? Gifts galore? Frantic shopping sprees? How about--books and reading!

This morning National Public Radio aired a heart-warming story about making books and reading a holiday tradition for your family. Make this the year you give the gift of reading. Listen in.....

Make Wood Library your holiday book center. Drop in and borrow!

Libraries Provide Relief

Libraries are very popular during these economic hard times--we are a free source for borrowing books, DVDs, and magazines, plus information and programs. But the economic downturn is also costing libraries in lost funding. Watch a recent news report from MSNBC.

Ask a Librarian: Where to recycle batteries?

Today Adult Services Librarian Barbara Henry was on the Wood Library Reference Desk when someone called wanting to know if the library recycles household batteries. Sorry, we don't. We do collect and recycle cell phones and computer ink cartridges. Since Americans purchase over four billion dry cell batteries every year--this is an important question and we've got the answer.

You can get a printable Household Battery Fact Sheet from the NY Department of Environmental Conservation website. It tells how to dispose of different types of batteries. Several battery types can be disposed of in regular garbage. Others are hazardous and need to be recycled. For more information, contact Ontario County Recycling Manager, Ontario County Recycling Office, 3555 Post Farm Road, Stanley, NY 14561 or call (585) 526-4420.

The following stores recycle batteries - call first and ask. Check your local telephone directory or the company's website to find the store nearest you: Staples, Sears Hardware, Home Depot, Target, Walmart, Verizon Wireless and Cingular.

How to Protect Yourself from Holiday Scams

Not everyone is filled with goodwill during the holiday season! Find out how to protect yourself against holiday scams and frauds on Tuesday December 16 from 1:30 PM until 3:30 PM at Wood Library. Carlos Rodriguez, Rochester regional assistant attorney general and Robert O'Connor, Senior Consumer Fraud Representative, will present a consumer protection presentation especially for senior citizens that is free and open to the public. No registration required. Location: Community Room, 2nd Floor. Read a recent article about the workshop in the Daily Messenger.

Digital Camera--want to know!

What was number 1 in the top 10 tech searches on Yahoo in 2008? Digital Camera wins! Yahoo.com reports: "Never mind your iPods, your iPhones, and your gaggle of video game consoles, it's the humble, generic digital camera that was the top tech search term this year to date. Why? There's a lot of confusion over largely-undifferentiated camera brands, so consumers need a lot of help in figuring out which one to buy, so they search search search. Plus, cameras are relatively inexpensive now, making them good gifts and affordable for personal splurges, too."

For those of you who already have a digital camera, Wood Library offers frequent digital photography/camera classes led by local photographer Peter Blackwood. Our December 13 class is already full, but you can call the Main Floor Desk at 394-1381 to be put on the waiting list for the next class in 2009.

If you are in the market for a digital camera, ask for the Reference Librarian. We will help you track down consumer reviews and ratings so you can make an informed decision about which camera is right for you.

64 Years Overdue

We've all had a few overdue books in our lives. 20 cents here, a dollar or two there. Well, what would you do if you had a book out that is now overdue for more than a half century? Read the heart warming story about 11 year old John Orser who borrowed a book from Wood Library back in 1944. Things were different back then. A different war was being waged around the world. Wood Library was located at the Ontario County Historical Society at 55 Main Street. The Chinese Twins by Lucy Fitch Perkins was a favorite book among children. Over the years, Orser moved on and somehow never returned the book. Now 75, Orser recently decided to make things right. Read about it in this Messenger Post article.

Above: The book John Orser borrowed in 1944.

Regional Photo Exhibit

The Finger Lakes Photography Guild is presenting an exhibit of fine art photography at Wood Library. The exhibit will be on display in the Library’s Community Room from December 2, 2008 through January 12, 2009. The public is invited to a reception with refreshments on Thursday, December 4, from 7pm to 9pm. The Guild is a collaboration of regional photographers that create artistic images which reflect a wide range of photographic techniques, styles and subjects. Visit the exhibit to see how different photographers view and capture life. Peter Blackwood, Wood Library's Exhibit Coordinator, arranged for the showing in the Community Room, 2nd Floor. Call 394-1381 for the best viewing times, as the Community Room is used for other events.

Above: Robert Snyder of Clifton Springs captured the image (above) of the White House portico, “Path to Decision,” during a tour of the West Wing. The Rose Garden is visible at left.

Below Right: An early morning photo on the Delaware River, “Fishing the Mist.” Photographer Michael Linse.


Click here to read a recent Messenger Post article about the Finger Lakes Photography Guild and see more photographs from the exhibit.