"The Best and Worst Presidents": Dennis Gaffney at Friends of the APL annual meeting June 11

Writer Dennis Gaffney will lead a participatory exercise in trivia about things people may not know about the American presidency. What president liked to dance? What president avoided public speaking at all cost? Plus a whole lot more.

Dennis served as chairperson of the Albany Public Library Board of Trustees. He has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Mother Jones, and other publications, and is the author of three books. For fun, he plays basketball and the ukulele, neither of which he'll be bringing to his talk.

The Friends of Albany Public Library will have a brief business meeting on Wednesday, 11 June 2014, 7:00 pm in the auditorium, Albany Public Library—Main Library. Refreshments will be available, and the meeting, like the Friends;' monthly meetings, is open to the general public.

After reports by the officers, the main piece of business, will be the elections of members of the board.

For the Board, term ending in 2015:
Allan Schneider
For the Board, term ending in 2017:
Candace Deisley
Bill Dufur
Evelyn Dufur
Sonny Hausgaard
Anne Marfey

For officers:
President: Roger Green
Vice President: Paul Hacker
Corresponding Secretary: Judi Baum
Recording Secretary: Jonathan Skinner
Treasurer: Gene Damm

There will also be the presentation of the George Held Award, named for the late longtime secretary of the Friends board.

President Obama’s Inauguration Topic of Albany Public Library Program on March 17

Albany Journalists, Councilman to Recall Their Experiences

The historic inauguration of the United States’ 44th president is the focus of a March 17 program at the Albany Public Library (APL). "Relive the Historic Day: Reflections on the Inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States" takes place at 12:15 p.m. in the large auditorium of the Main Library at 161 Washington Avenue. The public is invited to this free event.

Local journalists Paul Grondahl and Dennis Gaffney, who is also president of the APL Board of Trustees, and Albany Councilman Corey Ellis will share their experiences from the January 20 inauguration of President Barack Obama. All three men attended the inauguration in Washington, DC, and have many stories to tell about their experiences. The program will include a video presentation, produced by Grondahl, about the historic event.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Albany Public Library and is part of the Friends weekly "Noon Talk" programs, which feature book reviews, panel discussions, and programs of current interest to the community.

The Albany Public Library (APL) operates six locations serving the residents of Albany. Each month, more than 55,000 people use the libraries to borrow materials, attend programs, access computers, and research information. More than 90,000 books, DVDs, and other materials are circulated each month. APL is creating five new branches to better serve customers.