Newark Public Library announces December programs
November 21, 2008
Media only, please contact:
Dennis Papp at (973) 733-7798

Highlighting the December schedule of programs for the Newark Public Library is the event on Saturday, December 13, entitled Let’s All Make Books, which will be a fun afternoon for adults and children alike. It is in conjunction with the More Than Words exhibition currently on view through January 4.

All of the library’s December programs are free and open to the public. For more information, patrons should call the number listed with the program description. Some additional details may be available at www.npl.org for adult programs and at www.npl.org/Pages/KidsPlace/calendar.html for children’s programs, or by visiting the library’s blog at www.nj.com/newark/npl.

Visitors of all ages are invited to drop in between the hours of 1pm and 4pm on Saturday, December 13 to learn and practice a variety of basic bookmaking and paper folding techniques. The program, Let’s All Make Books, is a hands-on experience at the end of which participants will be able to take home their creations, as well as instructions for making further books on their own. The event emphasizes bookmaking by hand as a fun, affordable, creative activity that requires nothing more technologically advanced than a pair of scissors or a glue stick.

Through activity stations, members of the Book Arts Roundtable will demonstrate different techniques and assist visitors in creating their own project. Participants also will have an opportunity to learn about the activities and resources available through the Book Arts Roundtable and view works created specifically for the occasion.

For more information on this program, which will be held in Centennial Hall, call Jared Ash, curator of the library’s exhibition, at 973-733-7745, or email him at jash@npl.org. Hooray for Children, the series that is fun for the entire family, will present TAINO: Caribbean Holiday on Saturday, December 6, beginning promptly at 2pm. Welcome winter and the holiday season with TAINO as they take the audience on a musical journey, visiting several Caribbean countries, sharing their holiday festivities with music, costumes, history, and culture. For more information call 973-733-7797.

The December program for the Frances E.W. Harper Literary Society, which is dedicated to discussing books on the African Diaspora, will be on Wednesday, December 3, in the Main Library’s James Brown African-American Room, beginning at 6:30pm. The book under discussion will be The Wanderer: The Last American Slave Ship and the Conspiracy that Set Its Sails, written by Erik Calonium. For more information call 973-733-5411.

The exhibition More Than Words: Artists’ Books and Book Art From the Special Collections of the Newark Public Library is installed on the third-floor gallery through January 4. It traces the trajectory of artists’ book and book art movements from their origins among European avant-garde factions in the early 20th century to the continued celebration today of the book as a medium for artistic experimentation and innovation.

More Than Words was curated by Jared Ash, librarian, Special Collections Division, and organized in conjunction with RESISTANCE!, the Fourteenth Annual New Jersey Book Arts Exhibition and Symposium, held at the John Cotton Dana Library at Rutgers University in Newark on November 7.

For more information about the exhibition or related events, please call Jared Ash at 973-733-7745, or email him at jash@npl.org.

The fourth-floor display on the Pulaski Skyway continues through December. Entitled Pulaski Skyway - NJ Treasure, the past and present of this remarkable structure is detailed in four exhibition cases. Covered are the construction, history, awards won, and special features of the cantilevered bridge, which opened in 1932, that spans the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers, connecting Newark and Jersey City. The exhibition was co-curated by reference librarian Deirdre Schmidel, of the library’s Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center, and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Division of Project Development & Bureau of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Solutions. For more information call Ms. Schmidel at 973-733-7776.

The library concludes its Hispanic Heritage 2008 celebration with the closing of the exhibition, entitled Reel Diversity: Film in the Hispanic World, on December 20. The show, on view on the second-floor gallery, explores film as both an agent and a reflection of change in the Hispanic world. It focuses on five national cinemas: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Ina Rimpau curated the show in collaboration with Ingrid Betancourt and Juan E. Cintrón. For more information call 973-733-7772.

Free computer classes—in English and Spanish—are being held in the Technology Training Center, which is located on the third floor of the Main Library. Class size is limited to ten participants. Some classes are designed for first-time computer users (Mouse Clinic, Typing), while others are for those with more computer literacy (Word Processing, Email, Blogging, Internet, Creating a Résumé). For more information on the calendar of classes for the month, please call 973-733-3603, or visit www.npl.org/Pages/Computers/.

Following is the December list for the initiative, Programs at the Branches. This entertaining and educational series is designed for children and their families and is funded by a grant from the Newark Public Schools.

Thursday, December 11, 4pm
Holiday Glassmaking Workshop
Branch Brook Branch Library, 235 Clifton Avenue, 973-733-6388
Join one of the glassmakers from Glassroots, as they teach you how to create your own piece of holiday glass art.

Friday, December 12, 4pm
Holiday Glassmaking Workshop
Springfield Branch Library, 50 Hayes Street, 973-733-7736
Join one of the glassmakers from Glassroots, as they teach you how to create your own piece of holiday glass art.

Monday, December 15, 4pm
Holiday Glassmaking Workshop
Vailsburg Branch Library, 75 Alexander Street, 973-733-7755
Join one of the glassmakers from Glassroots, as they teach you how to create your own piece of holiday glass art.

Wednesday, December 17, 3:30pm
Happy Holidays Around the World with Beth and Scott
Clinton Branch Library, 739 Bergen Street, 973-733-7754
Celebrate the holiday season with Beth and Scott Bierko as they sing songs and tell stories of holiday traditions around the world. This joyous program is the perfect way to put a spark in the winter season and celebrate family, tradition, love, and respect for all.

Wednesday, December 17, 4pm
The Magic of Wintertime with Mark Wurst
Weequahic Branch Library, 355 Osborne Terrace, 973-733-7752
Join magician Mark Wurst as we explore the magic of wintertime. There will be magic tricks, funny stories and lots of holiday winter fun.

Saturday, December 20, 11am
The Magic of Wintertime with Mark Wurst
First Avenue Branch Library, 282 First Avenue, 973-733-8091
Join magician Mark Wurst as we explore the magic of wintertime. There will be magic tricks, funny stories and lots of holiday winter fun.

Saturday, December 20, 11am
Rick Adam presents The Holiday Parade
North End Branch Library, 722 Summer Avenue, 973-733-7683
Join in the celebration as Rick Adam presents a one-man winter treat filled with original seasonal songs of sleds and snow, juggling, magic, comedy, and music. Presented by Encore Performing Arts, Inc.

Saturday, December 20, 11am
Happy Holidays Around the World with Beth and Scott
Van Buren Branch Library, 140 Van Buren Street, 973-733-7750
Celebrate the holiday season with Beth and Scott Bierko as they sing songs and tell stories of holiday traditions around the world. This joyous program is the perfect way to put a spark in the winter season and celebrate family, tradition, love, and respect for all.

The following are additional library programs.

The Weequahic Branch Library, 355 Osborne Terrace, 973-733-7751, will hold four events: on Friday, December 5 at 3:30pm, there will be an arts & crafts celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa; on Wednesday, December 10, there will be a Teen Movie Day at 3pm at which teens select the movie to be viewed; and on Friday, December 12th, there will be a Holiday Storytime suitable for all ages.

The Van Buren Branch Library, 140 Van Buren Street, 973-733-3897, will present a number of programs: every Monday at 4pm, there will be winter-holiday silly stories, fairytales, and more; every Tuesday at 4pm, there will be all types of board games; on Wednesday, December 10 at 4pm, children are invited to design their own holiday cards; on Friday, December 26 at 4pm, children under 5 will make snowflakes and listen to themed stories; on Thursday, December 4, 11th, and 18 at 3:30pm, there will be a Holiday Movie Marathon; on Friday, December 26, Monday, December 29, and Tuesday, December 30, at 11am, children are invited to stay warm playing Snowflake Bingo; and on Saturday, December 13 at 10:30am, there will be a multimedia presentation for all ages, entitled East Ironbound Cooks: The Real Cooking Show, on the foods shared in the neighborhood.

The Vailsburg Branch Library, 75 Alexander Street, 973-733-7755, will have a surprise movie at 4pm on Wednesday, December 3, 10, and 17; on Friday, December 5 and 19 at 4pm, there will be cooking lessons with Chef Adam in the Children’s Room; on Friday the 12th, there will be a holiday arts & crafts at 4pm.

The Springfield Branch Library, 50 Hayes Street, 973-733-7736, will hold another year of college preparatory classes on most Wednesdays, from 5pm to 7pm, and most Saturdays, from 11am to 1pm. High school juniors and seniors are invited to attend these free sessions for assistance with completing college, SAT and scholarship applications, college admission essays, financial aid assistance, and SAT prep sessions. On Wednesday, December 3 at 5pm, high school seniors are invited to a College Fair at which they will meet recruiters from more than a dozen colleges and register for SATs and more. On Wednesday the 17 at 3:45pm, children will decorate gingerbread men for their homes. On Thursday the 18 at 3:45pm, children will make a Mkeka for Kwanzaa.

The North End Branch Library, 722 Summer Avenue, 973-733-7683, will hold several holiday-themed programs: on Wednesday, December 3 at 3:30pm, there will be a Tree Decorating Party; an arts & crafts to create decorations for a tree will take place on Friday, December 5 at 3:30pm; movies will be shown on Friday, December 12th and 19 at 3:30pm; a Visit With Santa will be held on Wednesday, December 17 at 3:30pm; and teens can trim the tree on the balcony, beginning 3:30pm on Wednesday, December 3.

The Main Library Children’s Room, 5 Washington Street, 973-733-7797, invites children aged 2 to 4 to play, sing and listen to stories on Wednesday, December 3, 10, and 17, from 9:30am to 10:15am. Their parents or caregivers will get tips on how to prepare their youngsters for the wonderful world of reading. On Monday, December 8 at 3pm, students will learn how to conduct research by using the resources the library has to offer, including many electronic databases. On Monday, December 22, the first night of Chanukah, at 3pm, children will play Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.

The Madison Branch Library, 790 Clinton Avenue, 973-733-8090, will hold a story hour for children aged 4 to 8 on the five Tuesdays in the month and on Thursday the 4, 11th, and 18 at 10:30am. Youngsters will have fun learning how to use the on-line catalog and electronic databases to search materials for class assignments on Thursday, December 4, 11, and 18 at 4pm. Celebrate the season with Santa and the library staff on Friday the 19 at 3:30pm.

The Clinton Branch Library, 739 Bergen Street, 973-733-7754, will hold three children’s programs: on Friday, December 5 at 3pm, those in grades one through eight are invited to play bingo; make holiday cards and bookmarks on Friday, December 19 at 3pm; toddlers and preschoolers (daycare groups are asked to register at least one day beforehand) are invited for a Christmas storytime on Friday, December 19 at 10am.

The Branch Brook Branch Library, 235 Clifton Avenue, 973-733-6388, invites children for a holiday storytime on Monday, December 8 and 15 at 10:30am. On Wednesday, December 17, at 3:30pm, make a festive ornament during this holiday arts & crafts.