SIGN UP FOR WINTER & SPRING PROGRAMS

The New Year is fast upon us and the Clarence Dillon Public Library is offering a new variety of programs in 2011. The first Sunday concert will be the very popular Lukens Trio on January 16, 2011 at 2pm. The Lukens Piano/Violin/Cello returns to our library with a rich and beautiful Romantic Era program. Don't miss some of the finest chamber music around! There is a $5 admission charge which is payable at the door. Please register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 or by email at ref@dillonlibrary.org or in person at the circulation desk.

Madeline Story Time

John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of the original author of the beloved children's "Madeline" books, has continued the series with "Madeline at the White House," his new book, that follows his earlier "Madeline and the Cats of Rome." At this parent and child event on Sunday, January 30 at 10:30 a.m., a Benefit for the library staged by The Friends of CDPL, John will read from his two books and recount some of Madeline's long and colorful history.

Admission will be $10 per adult, $5 per child to be paid at the door. Please register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

THE GENIUS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK

What makes Alfred Hitchcock’s movies so suspenseful and engrossing? Chris Messineo, independent movie director and producer, and head of the NJ Film School, will speak on the films of Alfred Hitchcock on Sunday, December 5, 2010. He will offer insight, anecdotes, and extensive film footage from Rear Window, Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds. The program will begin at 2:00 pm.

The program will take place in the downstairs meeting rooms of the library. Admission is $5.00 which is payable at the door. Registration is required. Please register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 or by email ref@dillonlibrary.org or in person at the circulation desk.

The library will also offer a free screening of the film Rear Window on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 6:45 pm as part of its Tuesday Night at the Movies Classic Film Series. No registration is required.

The Clarence Dillon Public Library (http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/) is located at 2336 Lamington Road in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Holiday Craft

Irene Mortko, the library's long-standing visiting crafter, will again offer a holiday craft for children ages 6 and up on Saturday, December 4th at 10:30 a.m. Children will paint wooden holiday stencils to be enjoyed by their families for the holidays. Registration for this special event is necessary -- please call the Library at 908-234-2325 x107 to reserve your spot.

GETTYSBURG LECTURE BY BILL CHEMERKA

Charismatic History Channel commentator Bill Chemerka will present a program on the Battle of Gettysburg on Sunday, November 7, 2010 at the Clarence Dillon Public Library. He will discuss this epic Civil War battle with precise period detail and a full discussion of events preceding and following the struggle. The program will begin at 2:00 pm.

The program will take place in the downstairs meeting rooms of the library. Admission is $5.00 which is payable at the door. Registration is required. Please register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 or by email ref@dillonlibrary.org or in person at the circulation desk.

The Clarence Dillon Public Library (http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/) is located at 2336 Lamington Road in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Upcoming Fall Children's Events

Come to the Children's Growing Garden on Saturday, October 30, at 1:15 p.m. to learn about the Chippewa Tribe's traditions, people and artifacts. Chippewa Bob will share native American and animal artifacts, including sculpture, beadwork and flutes and relay how the Chippewa people connect through nature and spirit.

On Friday, November 5 at 3:45 p.m., Loren Spiotta-DiMare, Children's Author, will visit the library to give an introductory talk about her love for animals and how she became an author while highlighting some of her children's books. She will also read Madeline's Miracle and answer questions from attendees.

Registration for both events is recommended by contacting the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

ANNE O'BRIEN LOCAL HISTORY ROOM

The Clarence Dillon Public Library is giving the Anne O'Brien Local History Room a makeover. Named in honor of the former Bedminster Historian, this room houses a local history collection primarily of Bedminster and Far Hills along with information on the Somerset Hills. The collection is being reorganized and the furnishings updated. One of the primary initiatives is the digitization of the photograph collection. Many of the photographs can now be viewed online at the New Jersey Digital Highway or by clicking on the link on the library homepage (http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/). These images can be viewed anywhere there is Internet access 24/7.

The photo shown here is of the Burnt Mill between 1903 and 1909. Among those pictured are: Mr. Erdley, the miller, dressed in white, his wife Anna standing in the doorway, and their daughter Mabel by the tree. The mill was built after the Civil War and stood on the south side of Lamington River just west of its confluence with the North Branch of the Raritan. The mill had a sideshot wheel. Part of the millrace remains. The old road passed in front of the mill. The bridge is to the left of the photo. Mr. Erdley left Burnt Mill in 1909 to purchase the Weston Mill which he ran for 11 years. William Eberbach operated the Burnt Mill mill from 1909 to 1911, then it stood idle for several years. Frank Reger ran the mill from 1915 until his death in 1923. From 1923 to 1927 the millers were Otto Eberbach and Abram Ten Eyck, who rented the mill from George Fields. The mill was torn down in 1928 by Kenneth B. Schley when he purchased Field Farm (now Lana Lobell Farm) and the nearby land at Burnt Mill. Photo from the collection of Robert J. Sutton. Information from Marie Eberbach and Robert J. Sutton.

STIEG LARSSON'S MILLENNIUM TRILOGY

Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy is the hottest book series around. The first volume, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, was published in Sweden in 2005 under the title, MEN WHO HATE WOMEN. It was awarded the prestigious Glass Key Award. The second and third entries are THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE and THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST. All three became immediate best sellers in the United States and have been filmed in Sweden.

The series revolves around Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker, who teams up with a Swedish journalist to solve the mystery of a young woman's disappearance. This being Swedish crime fiction, there are dark undertones of murder, sadism, and violence. Larsson fashioned the Lisbeth Salander character as a grown-up Pippi Longstocking. The Clarence Dillon Public Library has multiple copies of all three titles in regular print, large print, compact disc, and on the Kindle. The DVD is also available for THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (with English subtitles) and THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE will be available this fall.

Register Now for Fall Children's Programs

Registration for the fall children's programs at the Clarence Dillon Public Library begins on Sept. 20. Visit the library website to view a listing of events. Highlights include creating a mosaic picture frame, introduction to yoga, and an animal nature program. In addition, the Children's Growing Garden will be open on Tuesdays from 3 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. through October.

Turning up the volume: CDPL's music collection

Dillon Library is proving to be music to the ears of more and more patrons as they discover our diverse collection of albums on CD. Increased browsing through the collection has been observed and our Circulation desk reports dozens of music requests each month. Through efforts of the past two years to revitalize our music display and additional independent financing this summer specifically for music collection development we are now able to offer over 1,200 titles in all genres of music including classical, jazz, international, pop and rock.

Soundtracks have proven to be some of our strongest draws. The music of the hit TV series Glee and the Twilight movies alone have accounted for and average of 10 circulations per title during the few months they have been on our shelves. The latest from Lady Gaga, John Mayer and Alicia Keys are also out constantly. Music legends like James Taylor, Carole King, Cyndia Lauper, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow remain our most popular among our patrons. We continue to ensure the classics are represented with composers such as Tchaikovsky, Bach and Mozart performed by the current luminaries of classical music such as Andrea Bocelli, Jessye Norman and Yo Yo Ma. Our international section includes dozens of collections from the Putumayo series and also top our lists of most circulated titles.

The next time you visit Clarence Dillon Library, browse through our collection and feel free to ask our staff about any artists or titles you feel would enhance the collection and we will attempt to acquire through purchasing or inter-library loans. You can direct more specific collection development questions to Arthur in Technical Services.

Children End Summer with Beach Party Stories

On Aug. 31 at 11 a.m., Joseph Rizzolo from Youth Stages will teach a drama workshop in which children ages 6 and up will act out beach party stories at the library. Afterward, they will enjoy their brown bag lunches and dessert.
Thanks to all the children who participated in this summer's reading program, Make A Splash...Read!, and good luck in the new school year ahead.

REGISTER NOW FOR FALL PROGRAMS

Even though temperatures are soaring into the 90's, the Clarence Dillon Public Library is looking forward to the fall with many new and exciting programs for adults. Come and enjoy musical afternoons featuring such composers as Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Mozart. There will also be outstanding lectures on Spanish painters, the Battle of Gettysburg, and Alfred Hitchcock. There will be many instructional classes offered including computers, yoga, meditation, Latin dancing, and music appreciation. There are also bus trips to New York City and programs on golf, travel, cooking, and job searching. There is something for everyone at the library. To register call 908-234-2325 or email ref@dillonlibrary.org

LOOKING FOR A GOOD READ?

The lazy, hazy days of summer are here (and don't we know it by the thermometer!) and it's a great time to curl up with a good book. Whether you are at the beach, pool, or on the couch in the air conditioning, the Clarence Dillon Public Library is here to help. A great way to get book recommendations is by subscribing to NEXTREADS. NEXTREADS is a free email newsletter that provides book suggestions and reviews and includes new and forthcoming titles, gems from the shelves, and sleepers. There are 23 genres to choose from including Mystery, Thrillers, Biography, Armchair Travel, Fiction, and many more. There is a direct link from the newsletter to the library catalog so you can be at home in your slippers or taking a lunch break at the office while placing holds on the books you want. NEXTREADS will also deliver the New York Times Fiction and Nonfiction Bestsellers Lists to you the Wednesday before they appear in the Sunday paper. The Clarence Dillon Public Library Newsletter is also available through NEXTREADS. To subscribe to NEXTREADS go the library's home page at http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/ and click on the NEXTREADS icon. Happy Reading!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Like the nursery rhyme asks, "How does your garden grow?" Not with silver bells and cockle shells all in row but with lettuce, basil, zucchini and other scrumptious vegetables! To see this lush garden for yourself, visit the Clarence Dillon Library's Bierwirth Children's Growing Garden. Under the supervision of Therese Crowley, Paul Spatz and Library Director Sandy Putnam, community children are weeding, watering, planting and tending the garden while harvesting its produce every week. Children of all ages are invited to help and observe its progress on Tuesdays and Fridays through October from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., weather permitting. This garden is made possible through the generous support of the Bierworth Family.

International Film Festival Begins in July

The Clarence Dillon Public Library will be hosting its Fourth Annual International Film Festival beginning on Tuesday, July 6, 2010. The film festival will screen current and classic films every Tuesday evening during July and August. All screenings begin at 6:45 pm. The beautiful and talented Audrey Tautou (a CDPL favorite) begins the festival with COCO BEFORE CHANEL (7/6), a look at the early life of Coco Chanel. RUDO AND CURSI (7/13) is a comedy about a couple of soccer playing brothers. It is a perfect film for all of the World Cup fans. We are next screening a powerful and passionate Dutch film, THE BLACK BOOK (7/20)about a young Jewish woman working for the resistance during World War II. The dark English comedy DEATH AT A FUNERAL (7/27)winds up July. Penelope Cruz teams up again with Pedro Almodovar for the complex drama BROKEN EMBRACES (8/3)in August. For those Charles Boyer fans we are screening the 1936 MAYERLING (8/10) about the tragedy surrounding Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. Monica Ali's best-selling book, BRICK LANE (8/17), comes to life on the screen and portrays a Bangladeshi woman living in London. Our next film, PARIS, (8/24) is a love letter to the City of Lights and stars Juliette Binoche. Our final film of the festival is a gritty drama SIN NOMBRE. (8/31) This film is concerns a young Honduran woman trying to come to the United States. It is considered one of the best foreign films of 2009. The ratings and a synopsis of each film can be found on our website at http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/. Come to the library and beat the heat with a great lineup of films!

Make a Splash...READ!

(June 20, 2010) The time has come for all young readers to Make a Splash in the Clarence Dillon's Summer Reading Program. Add your bubbles to the bulletin board whale to mark your reading progress. Plan to join us on a Tromp through the Swamp, a musical interactive family program with Tom Sieling, on Saturday, June 26 at12:30 p.m. Don't be left out -- register at the Library beginning June 21 for these and other fun summer events!

The Anne O'Brien Historical collection is going digital!

by Arthur Merchant


A key centerpiece of Clarence Dillon Library's collection is the historical collection housed in the Anne O'Brien historical research room. Visitors who venture in can access shelves of historic books, journals from the past centuries and albums containing almost a thousand photographs that capture the rich history of Bedminster, Far Hills and the entire Somerset Hills area.

I am happy to say that now these photographic images will be accessible to patrons and the community at large regardless of whether the library is open or researchers are able to visit the library in person. This is thanks to an arrangement with the New Jersey Digital Highway (NJDH), a project overseen by Rutgers University which provides a platform for various New Jersey institutions including libraries, academia, museums and local historical societies to present their collections to wider audiences.

Just prior to my present position at Dillon Library, I had the pleasure of working as a Rutgers student employee for NJDH, cataloging and uploading countless images of photographs, maps and documents from collections detailing several chapters in New Jersey's rich history. Upon first seeing the rich heritage housed in the O'Brien room, the first thought was how important it was to open the collection to all professional and amateur historians throughout the state and country.

After over a year of preparation, scanning and uploading, 160 of our photos are available for viewing and with the help of dedicated staff and volunteers, many more will appear over the coming months. To access NJDH go to www.njdigitalhighway.org and then enter Clarence Dillon Public Library in the search field and the entire list of our images will appear. The URL to go directly to this list of images is: http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/search/results.php?key=NJDH&orderby=relevance&format=&query=clarence+dillon+public+library. You can also click the photo of the Vanderveer/Knox house at the top of our home page at www.clarencedillonpl.org.

In each record you are able to view each photo in one of multiple formats including JPEG and PDF. Just as importantly, all the important data connected with the image (dates, locations, people, subjects) is at your fingertips. Many of these keywords can likewise be searched so you can create new lists of images. Feel free to explore NJDH to explore Clarence Dillon Library's collection and when you're through explore other online collections from other participating institutions.

MYSTERY MOVIE MONTH BEGINNING IN JUNE

The Tuesday Night at the Movies Classic Film Series at the Clarence Dillon Public Library will screen five mystery/suspense films during the month of June. Our first movie on June 1 is a doozy - Sorry Wrong Number (1948) with Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster. Stanwyck is a bedridden woman who overhears a murder plot on her telephone and becomes terrified as she begins to suspect that she may be the intended victim. (Stanwyck received an Oscar nomination for this one. ) On June 8 we screen Foul Play (1978) which is a hilarious comedy/thriller with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. Dudley Moore steals this film with his portrayal of a lonely orchestra conductor. Come relive the '70s with lots of Barry Manilow music. On June 15 Alfred Hitchcock (an audience favorite) returns to our screen with Saboteur (1942) starring Robert Cummings. The sequence atop the Statue of Liberty is a classic and nobody does suspense like Hitchcock. Charlie Chan in London (1934) will screen on June 23. This film stars Warner Oland as the famous detective solving a mystery in a English county home. Our last mystery movie on June 29 is a classic film noir that is probably not widely seen. Humphrey Bogart stars in In a Lonely Place (1959) with Gloria Grahame. Bogey is a hot-headed Hollywood screenwriter who may or may not have committed a murder. Soda and popcorn are always available. All films begin at 6:45 and no registration is required. Stop in and enjoy the air conditioning and a cool classic film.

Take a Tromp through the Swamp

(May 16, 2010) And a Break by the Lake! Join us for a musical song-filled program that will engage the whole family featuring guitarist/banjoist Tom Seiling. This kick-off event in our summer children's program will be held at the Clarence Dillon Public Library on Saturday, June 26th at 12:30 p.m. Register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

New Jersey Libraries still face cuts; Librarians and supporters to rally

Libraries throughout New Jersey are facing unprecedented cuts in state aid and services that are relied on by our patrons are indeed at risk. Among the services facing elimination that would directly impact users of Clarence Dillon Public Library is the Interlibrary Loan service that enables us to have materials from other libraries throughout the state delivered to Dillon Library for our patrons. After June 30 this service may have to be discontinued completely. Also at risk are a number of the online journals and databases that our community including job seekers rely on for information.

Full details of the impact of the proposed budget can be found at http://www.savemynjlibrary.org/ Please considering helping librarians and supporters throughout the state take action by contacting your legislators to avoid these drastic reductions. On this Thursday, May 6, many librarians and supporters will take part in a rally in Trenton. Details are at http://savemynjlibrary.org/content/may-6th-rally-trenton

Support from our community has allowed the dedicated staff at Clarence Dillon Public Library to provide top notch, personalized service and with your continued support we hope to weather this threat to our quality of service and continue providing for the community.

WE HAVE THE KINDLE

(April 26, 2010) Readers today have so many choices. Books will always be with us but there are also many other ways to access reading material. Many patrons listen to books on CD, MP3, or downloadable audiobooks. Ebook Readers have been in the news lately and been touted as the NEXT BIG THING.
Due to the generosity of one of our patrons, the Clarence Dillon Public LIbrary has an Amazon Kindle which is available to be checked out. The Kindle comes preloaded with bestseller fiction and nonfiction titles and classics.
One of our patrons who is a voracious reader and loves curling up with a good book likes the Kindle for traveling (no heavy books to carry around).
If you are thinking of buying an Ebook Reader or just curious about the Kindle, check out ours. The Kindle has proven to be so popular that there is a waiting list.

Spring Craft

(April 18, 2010) Pre-teens will welcome spring by designing their own box handbag on Saturday, May 1st at 10:30 a.m. Irene Mortko will provide the materials required to create these unique stenciled handbags, a sure hit for Mother's Day. Registration is required. To reserve your place, contact the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

Greetings from Arthur Merchant, Cataloger

(April 13, 2010) First, thanks to Recorder Newspapers for providing blog space for Clarence Dillon Public Library to provide information about our programs and offerings and also insight into key topics that impact the library nationally and statewide. There will be several folks at Dillon Library who will be posting on a variety of topics and detailing their specific areas of expertise and programs. My name is Arthur Merchant and I am the Technical Service Librarian. While this title covers a wide variety of areas, in my case, I am in charge of scheduling the library's meeting facilities and am one of two catalogers. I'll focus on the latter job in this post.

If you are a regular patron and user of our library, you have probably logged onto our Web site and searched our online catalog to see if we have the latest novel by Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks or to find out how many biographies we have of the major figures of the day. Whenever a title appears in the results and you are able to view information about the work such as title, author, publication year, and subjects (e.g., Young women - Fiction; Cookery; Mystery fiction, etc.), it is all made possible by the catalogers who create what are known as MARC records. Most of the time, these MARC records are acquired from the Library of Congress, libraries in other communities or other sources. Upon acquiring the needed MARC record, myself or Joan MacPherson edit these records to tailor the data to our library's collection. And in a few instances we put together all of this information from scratch.

Our goal is to ensure that when you the patron seek out our holdings, you have all the information you need regarding subject matter, currency of work, genre, and format of work (large print, audio books, DVD, etc.). We do the information gathering and coding minutiae so you can find what you're looking for with as much ease as possible.

I, along with library director Sandy Putnam, reference librarian Marie Crenshaw and children's librarian Helen Petersen look forward to detailing other interesting and diverse programs that we are all involved in.

Thank you.

CASABLANCA - FEST

(April 5, 2010) Bogie , Bergman, plus all "the usual suspects" will be featured in "Casablanca" at the Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster on Tuesday, April 13, at 6:45 p.m. A free screening of the movie will be enhanced by engaging (and informative) pre-film comments by film historian and author Mark Gladstone.