October programs abound at The Newark Public Library
September 21, 2007
Media only, please contact:
Dennis Papp at (973) 733-7798

The Newark Public Library, 5 Washington Street, will offer a number of free programs during the month of October. For more information, call the number listed with the program description, or visit the Library’s home page at www.npl.org for adult programs and kidsplace.npl.org/calendar.html for children’s programs.

Two exhibitions continue into October:

• The Art of Matching Picture to Text: An Exhibition to Celebrate the Art of Illustration is on view in the Main Library’s third-floor gallery through October 19. It comprises a number of memorable images from scores of great illustrators from the 19th century to today. For more information, please call William J. Dane at 973-733-7745.
• Ecuador Expocultura 2007: New Jersey showcases the cultural traditions and American experiences of the Ecuadorian community, as seen through its art, music, literature, news accounts and communications, and features information on immigration, festivals, civic organizations, and much more. It is installed in the second-floor gallery through November 3. For more information, please call 973-733-7772.

The Friends of the Newark Public Library will host a "Greater Newark Friends Gathering" on Wednesday, October 24 at 5:00 pm. This unique event is designed to give volunteers from New Jersey libraries the chance to meet and learn from each other. It features guest speaker Karen Avenick, trustee and friends coordinator for the New Jersey Library Association. For more information, please call 973-733-7793.

On October 27, the Hooray for Children program series kicks off a new year of presenting live performances by puppeteers, storytellers, magicians and theater groups. The event, entitled Discovering Columbus, features TAINO. Through story, song and theater, TAINO takes the audience on a journey with Christopher Columbus, exploring the world that Columbus encountered in his many voyages to America. It begins promptly at 10:30 am in the Main Library’s Centennial Hall. For more information, please call 973-733-7797.

The Frances E.W. Harper Literary Society, which hosts book discussions on the African Diaspora, will hold a discussion of Octavia E. Butler’s Fledgling on October 3, at 6:30 pm in the Main Library’s James Brown African-American room. The Society will hold a memorial on October 13 at 1:00 pm in Centennial Hall in recognition of the life, works and spirit of Newark’s Halim Suliman. For more information call 973-733-5411.

Kathleen P. Galop and Catharine Longendyck, authors of Branch Brook Park, will hold a book signing and discussion of the publication on Tuesday, October 2, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Main Library’s Centennial Hall. Established in 1895, Branch Brook Park is America’s first county park. It has been recognized nationally with its placement on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

The Library will have two further book signings in October: one is with Linda Mercadante, author of Bloomfield Avenue—A Jewish-Catholic Jersey Girl’s Spiritual Journey, on October 9 in Centennial Hall, beginning at 6:00 pm; the other is set for October 30 at 6:00 pm in Centennial Hall, and features New Jersey writer Stacey Patton, author of That Mean Old Yesterday. For information call 973-424-1831.

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, Internet, Creating a Résumé). For more information on the calendar of classes for October, please call 973-733-3603, or visit www.npl.org/Pages/Computers/.

The Springfield branch library, 50 Hayes Street, 973-733-7736, continues its free SAT Prep Classes on Wednesdays from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and on Saturdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, through May 8, 2008. The Charles E. Thenen Foundation provided funding for these classes.

The North End branch library, 722 Summer Street, 973-733-7766, will hold several programs during the month: Halloween Arts & Crafts on Wednesdays (October 3, 10, and 24) at 3:30 pm, for children in grades 2 to 6; "Hair-Raising" Movies on Fridays (October 5, 12, 19 and 26) at 3:30 pm for children in grades 2 to 6.

The Roseville branch library, 99 Fifth Street, 973-733-7770, will hold a Family Movie Hour on Wednesday, October 17, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Adults, teens, and children are invited to enjoy the movie, Freedom Writers, featuring Hilary Swank.

The Main Library Children’s Room, 5 Washington Street, 973-733-7797, will hold several programs in October: on Friday, October 5 and 19, children in grades 1 through 8 are invited to Bingo Time at 3:00 pm; on October 29 through the afternoon of October 31, children can guess the amount of candy corn in a jar, and the child who comes closest without going over will receive a paperback of his/her choice at 5:00 pm on October 31; and toddlers/preschoolers are invited for an hour of winter stories and crafts on Saturday, October 13, beginning at 11:00 am.

The Van Buren branch, 140 Van Buren Street, 973-733-7750, will present several October programs: children are invited to play Bingo on Wednesday, October 3 and 17, beginning at 5:00 pm, and win a prize; children aged 8 to 12 are invited to make a spooky mask for Halloween on Thursday, October 18 at 4:00 pm; for children 5 and older, stop by in costume on October 31 at 4:00 pm and listen to some scary stories; there will be a story hour every Monday in October for children aged 5 to 12, at 4:00 pm; and on Friday, October 19 at 2:00 pm, it will be Toddler Time for children aged 3 to 5, when there will be finger plays, arts & crafts, and a story time—space is limited, so parents must sign up by October 12.

The Branch Brook branch library, 235 Clifton Avenue, 973-733-6388, will hold four October programs: there will be a fun craft on Wednesday, October 3 at 3:30 pm to celebrate Columbus Day; children will learn about fire prevention via word games and puzzles on October 10, 11 and 12, from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm; a Halloween craft at which children will make a cute and creepy spider on Wednesday, October 24 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm; and children are invited to celebrate Halloween by wearing their favorite costume for trick-or-treating at the branch on October 31, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

The Library’s 2007 Hispanic Heritage Celebration, which focuses on the Ecuadorian community, concludes its programming with three October events:

• Thursday, October 11 – An Evening of Prose, Poetry and Music
  Enjoy a literary evening with Ecuadorian writers and poets Galo Vaca, José Saguay and Beto Otero, and a classical guitar recital by Los Hermanos Herrera. (Presented in Spanish.) Auditorium, 6:00 pm
• Saturday, October 20 – Three Aspects of the Musical Tradition of Ecuador
  Three-part program featuring: an exhibit and demonstration of over two-dozen indigenous Andean instruments by Pepe Santana, Ecuadorian-born musician, teacher and instrument-maker; a performance of traditional pre-Columbian and mestizo music by the group Inkhay; and a performance and dance workshop of folkloric dances from the Ecuadorian Andes presented by the group Ayazamana. Centennial Hall, 1:30 pm
• Saturday, October 27 – La Mitad del Mundo—Proyecto QuitsaTo y Música Académica Ecuatoriana
  A concert of classical Ecuadorian music provides the ideal framework for the screening of La Mitad del Mundo (The Middle of the World), a documentary on the true location of the “middle of the world” or equinoctial line. (In Spanish with English subtitles.) Auditorium, 2:00 pm

For more information on the Library’s Hispanic celebration, please call 973-733-7772.