FRIENDS OF THE APL PROGRAMS FOR TUESDAYS IN DECEMBER, 2015

161 Washington Avenue at noon

December 1—Book Review—The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck. Reviewer: Marggie Skinner of the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza.

December 8—Special Program—Gifts for Grandchildren: What’s New in Children’s Books. Moderator: Mary Beth Earley, MLS, Head of Youth Services, APL.

December 15— Book Review—Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947 by Bruce Hoffman. Reviewer: Gene Damm, treasurer & past president of the Friends of APL.

December 22—Holiday Concert by The Albany High School Choir, directed by Brendan Hoffman.

December 29— Book Review---In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides. Reviewer: Jonathan Skinner, PhD, retired statistician.

FRIENDS OF THE ALBANY PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAMS FOR TUESDAYS IN NOVEMBER 2015

161 Washington Avenue at noon

November 3—Book Review—Fallingwater: A Frank Lloyd Wright Country House by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. Reviewer: Harris A. Sanders, Albany architect.

November 10—Author Talk—Bruce W. Dearstyne discusses his book The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State’s History.

November 17—Book Review—Butcher’s Crossing, a novel by John Williams. Reviewer: Casey Seiler, Times Union state editor & columnist.

November 24—Book Review—Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations by Mary Beard. Reviewer: Sylvia Barnard, PhD, classicist retired from the University at Albany, SUNY.

Friends of the Albany Public Library November 2014 calendar

David Colchamiro reviews The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan July 8

Book reviews or author talks every Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. at the main branch of the Albany Public Library auditorium, first floor. Light refreshments served.

July 8—Book Review—The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 by Margaret MacMillan. Reviewer: David Colchamiro, retired transportation analyst & member of the board of the Friends of APL.

July 15— Book Review—Simpler: the Future of Government by Cass Sunstein. Reviewer: Bill Shapiro, attorney and lifelong student of international relations.

July 22— Book Review— The Age of Atheists: How We Have Sought to Live Since the Death of God by Peter Watson. Reviewer: Frank Robinson, JD, retired NYS administrative law judge, author, and self-described rational optimist.

July 29—Book Review—Thinking in Numbers: On Life, Love, Meaning, and Math by Daniel Tammet. Reviewer: Roger Green, librarian & member of the board of the Friends of APL.



August 5—Author Talk—The Opposite of Everything, a novel, by David Kalish, MFA, novelist, playwright, & screenwriter.

August 12— Book Review—The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper. Reviewer: Donald Hyman, writer & adjunct professor of American studies, College of St. Rose.

August 19— Book Review— Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington by Terry Teachout. Reviewer: Gene Damm, past president of the Friends of APL.

August 26— Book Review—A Free Life, a novel by Ha Jin. Reviewer: Denver Tang, doctoral candidate in Science & Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.



September 2—Book Review—Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 by Michio Kaku. Reviewer: David Guistina, Morning Edition anchor/senior producer, WAMC.

September 9— Book Review—Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis. Reviewer: Richard King, retired attorney.

September 16— Author Talk—A Succinct Analysis by Kwame Somburu, scientific socialist & activist.

September 23— Book Review— The Master and Margarita, a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov. Reviewer: Ronald Helfrich, PhD, SUNY Oneonta.

September 30— Book Review—The Broken Road: From the Iron Gates to Mount Athos by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Reviewer: Kevin Hickey, PhD, professor of English & Africana studies at Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.

Summer Reading Fun at the Albany Public Library

Kids Earn Rewards for Reading and Participating in Free Activities

   

School is out and summer reading is in at Albany Public Library! Kids and teens are rewarded for reading, and participating in fun and educational library programs, from June 28 to August 16. (Grownups can get in on the summer reading fun through Goodreads.com.)

The Summer Reading Program provides dozens of free activities every week at Albany's libraries.  Kids can stop by their neighborhood library to:

• Explore the world of science with hands-on experiments involving robotics, catapults, electricity, mirrors, sound, and more
• Meet animals including chickens, salamanders, owls, honey bees, falcons, and snakes
• Learn about such topics as dinosaurs, lightning, medieval machines, kitchen science, music production, pond ecology, and skyscrapers  
• Create and sample yummy snacks made from cookies, berries, marshmallows, yogurt, ice cream, and other foods
• Participate in games and building challenges using balloons, LEGOs, sticks, string, and tape
• Make art using t-shirts, paint, candy, crayons, homemade paper, sand and other materials

The full Summer Reading Program guide details all of the free activities. The guide is available online and at all library locations. The 2014 APL Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of Albany Public Library, Price Chopper, and Stewart's Shops.

 

Carl Strock reviews Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader July 1

Tuesday, July 1, 12:15 pm at the main branch of the Albany Public Library. Light refreshment served.

Book Review—Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader. Reviewer: Carl Strock, journalist & author.

Book review June 24, sponsored by the Friends of the APL

Join the Friends of APL every Tuesday at 12:15 pm for some lively and engaging book talks! The talks take place at the Main Library, in the large auditorium on the first floor, and are free and open to the public. Light refreshments are served too.



JUNE 24 — Book Review of “Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity” by Lester R. Brown

Susan Kayne, a television producer and research, reviews the book.

Friends of the APL book review June 17.

Join the Friends of APL every Tuesday at 12:15 pm for some lively and engaging book talks! The talks take place at the Main Library, in the large auditorium on the first floor, and are free and open to the public. Light refreshments are served too.

JUNE 17 — Book Review of “Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life” by Len Fisher

Union College History Professor Steven Sargent reviews the book.

"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.

Friends of the APL book review June 10

Join the Friends of APL every Tuesday at 12:15 pm for some lively and engaging book talks! The talks take place at the Main Library, in the large auditorium on the first floor, and are free and open to the public. Light refreshments are served too.



JUNE 10 — Book Review of “Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York” by Richard Zacks

Robert Knightly, a former police officer, criminal trial lawyer, and crime

Friends of the APL book review June 3

Join the Friends of APL every Tuesday at 12:15 pm for some lively and engaging book talks! The talks take place at the Main Library, in the large auditorium on the first floor, and are free and open to the public. Light refreshments are served too.



JUNE 3 — Book Review of “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Silvia Mejia, an associate professor at the College of St. Rose, reviews this novel.

Obituary of Jerome Flax, former Friends of the Albany Public Library president

Flax, Jerome ALBANY Jerome Flax, 91, of Albany passed away peacefully at his home on Sunday, March 2, 2014. Jerome has finally gone to meet his beloved Jessie Amanda. Son of the late Julius and Alice Flax, he was born in Newark, N.J. on March 17, 1922, and moved to Hudson, at the age of five.

He served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II for three years, and was awarded two Battle Stars. He was a 1949 graduate of Siena College, and earned a master's degree in 1950 from the State University of New York. From 1950 to 1965, he was an English teacher in Granville and East Islip, and then in Vernon-Verona, and Medina, where he also coached the debate team. From 1965 until his retirement in 1982, he was employed by the New York State Department of Education.

Jerome was an ardent supporter of many organizations that help others. He also was a member and past president of the Friends of Albany Public Library, and a member of the English Speaking Union, the Men's Garden Club, the Torch Club and the Torah Study Group at B'Nai Shalom Reform Congregation.

In addition to his parents and his wife, Jerome was predeceased by his siblings, Rose F. Seuss, Joseph Flax and Dorothea S. Schips. He is survived by his niece, Joann (Ed) Krawic and nephews, Marshall (Nancy) Suess and Mitchell (Michelle) Schips and his friend Fredda Peritz. Jerome loved to travel with Jessie and was a voracious reader, especially of non-fiction. He shared his love for books with his students and other children in his life. Jerome was the kindest of men. He believed that he had such a wonderful life and insisted on making contributions to those whose lot in life had not been so fortunate.

He was always grateful for Social Security, Medicare and the GI Bill, which he believed allowed him to meet Jessie, a fellow teacher, and share an incredible marriage. Jerome's life was filled with cherished friends, neighbors and the special "Ladies" (and a Gent) who cared for him until his last breath. We are especially thankful for the love, caring and generosity of Kathy and Joe Pingelski, Don Miller, Russell and Maria Greenman, Jeffrey Sullivan, Dr. Richard Propp, Rita Schachne, Oneika Miller, Barbara Davis, Maxine Lepak, Coleen Peart, Camille Johnson, Simone Foster, Dwayne Goldson and Maxine Maul. We are also grateful to Dr. Robert Kelleher for the special care and guidance he gave, and Community Hospice for their caring support.

Funeral services will be held in the Hans Funeral Home, 1088 Western Ave., Albany on Wednesday, March 5 at 3 p.m. Relatives and friends are invited, and may call at the funeral home Wednesday beginning 1 p.m. A Shiva minyan will be held at 7 p.m. at the home of Dr. Richard Propp, 13 Marion Ave., Albany. Interment will be held at a later date in Evergreen Cemetery in Fabius.

In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to the Friends of Albany Public Library, Inc., 161 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12210; or to B'Nai Shalom Reform Congregation, 420 Whitehall Road, Albany, NY 12208. To leave a message of condolence for the family, send a sympathy card, or obtain directions to the funeral home, please visit HansFuneralHome.com.

From Times Union obituary.

February 2014 Friends of the Albany Public Library calendar

Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis, UAlbany Professor and the 2013 winner of the Man Booker International Prize for Fiction, will be speaking at the Albany Public Library on Saturday, December 7.

Daisy Lin piano recital Sunday 11/24 at Albany Public Library

Friends of the APL Annual meeting May 22

Agenda for Friends annual meeting 22 May

The Friends of Albany Public Library, Inc.
Agenda for Wednesday, 22 May 2013, 7:00 pm
ANNUAL MEETING

Meeting in the Auditorium of the Albany Public Library--Main Library


Reports

President: Paul Hacker
Vice President: Bill Dufur
Corresponding Secretary: Judi Baum
Recording Secretary: Jonathan Skinner
Treasurer: Nancy Dover


Business
Election--Nominations for the Board:
For the term ending in 2016:
David L. Colchamiro
Robbie Halley
Janet Jones
Peter G. Sokaris
Willie Mae Spencer

For a term ending in 2014 (to replace L. Tucker):
Lois Parsons

For Honorary Membership:
Eleanor Billmyer
Leonard Tucker (promotion, leaving a vacancy)

George Held Award

Program
Speaker: Valerie Temple, Local Poet

Friends of the APL programs now on TV!

The time slot for the airing of Friends of Albany Public Library programs will be Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. The programs will be aired on Channel Albany, which is the Public Access channel. In the Albany area, it is channel 18.

Our first program, Brett Hartman's author talk of his book Cadillac Chronicles, will be shown this Wednesday, March 20, 2013.

New piano at Albany Public Library, thanks to Friends' bequest

As you may or may not know, The Friends of the Albany Library donated the money for a new piano for the Main Branch of the library. Recently, Sarah (introduced by Friends president Gene Damm) thanked us on behalf of the library by playing a brief piece by Chopin, which you can see (about 2 minutes) on YouTube or HERE.

The money came from a bequest to the Friends from the estate of Ethel K. Reineck Noiseux, a lifelong Albany resident, who died last May 13, at the age of 90. She graduated from Albany High School, and received her bachelors degree from Albany Teachers College, now UAlbany. She worked for the NYS Dept. of Civil Service for 40 years, and was a lifelong, faithful and very generous parishioner at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Albany.

IRS Automatic Revocation of Tax-Exempt Status

The IRS has published the first Automatic Revocation of Exemption List. It indicates approximately 275,000 nonprofits whose tax-exempt status has been revoked because they failed to file a Form 990, 990-N, 990-EZ, or 990-PF for three consecutive years; the list is available for downloading in both Excel and PDF form. Here's the PDF of the New York State list.

As GuideStar notes, if an organization appears on the list, it must now must file a federal income tax return and pay federal income taxes. If it previously could accept tax-deductible contributions, it no longer can do so. "If your organization is not on the list, technically you don't have to do anything. This a good time, however, to reach out to your donors, funders, and other constituents and assure them that you are in good standing with the IRS. You may also wish to suggest that your supporters consult the list to ensure that the other nonprofits they give to are still exempt."

I'm pleased to note that the Friends of the Albany Public Library is NOT on the list. So you may continue to make your tax-deductable contributions to the organization.