THE KINDLE AND EBOOKS

Patrons who own a Kindle ereader can now download free ebooks from the Clarence Dillon Public Library. Most existing ebooks in our NJ Digital Library collection can be read on all Kindle devices or by using free Kindle apps for mobile devices. To get started go to http://www.clarencedilonpl.org/ and click on the NJ Digital Library icon on the homepage. The My Help wizard will help you get started. If you have any questions, please contact the reference desk at 908-234-2325 ext.111.

Fall Registrations at the Clarence Dillon Public Library

Registration for Fall Children's activities at the Clarence Dillon Public Library will open on September 19th. Special seasonal events include the Magic, Myth and Monsters Show, and Select and Decorate Your Pumpkin in the Children's Garden Patch. More information about these programs and the rest of the Fall schedule is available on the library website or by calling the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

Willie's Tavern, Bedminster municipal building images

Following up on the previous post, the images taken this year of Willie's Tavern and the demolished building on Hillside Avenue that housed Bedminster's municipal offices until the township moved to their present location. These images can be accessed on New Jersey Digital Highway through these links:
http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/search/results.php?key=NJDH&maxnum=10&orderby=relevance&query=Arthur+Merchant&rtype[]=

http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/search/results.php?key=NJDH&maxnum=10&orderby=relevance&query=Willie%27s+Tavern&rtype[]=

Tracking Somerset Hills history as it occurs

Here is an update about our ongoing effort to provide digital images of the rich history of the Somerset Hills area including Bedminster and Far Hills. Last year we unveiled our collection on the New Jersey Digital Highway website at http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/search/results.php?key=NJDH&orderby=relevance&format=&query=clarence+dillon+public+library . There are presently over 600 digitized photos from our library's historical collection that have been uploaded and the work continues.

But this effort encompasses more than scanning and uploading our remaining photo albums. Because "history" continues to occur every day including the present, we also aim to capture images of the Somerset Hills area landmarks before they literally become history. Two prime examples of this are Willie's Taverne and Bedminster Township's old municipal building located on Hillside Avenue: the former undergoing remodeling for life as a new establishment and the other soon to be demolished.

When we received word of the transitions these structures would undergo, photos were taken of each building while they still stood in their present condition. In February, one of our library patron supporters volunteered to go to Willie's during it's final days of operation and took extensive photos of the interior and exterior of the building capturing views of how long time residents and customers will remember the popular restaurant. Then in June, after the township determined the need to demolish the long vacant building on Hillside Avenue, I got the go ahead to take photos of the building exterior.

The full sets of these images will be uploaded to the New Jersey Digital Highway collection at a later date but in the meantime, here are images of each building from past years alongside the 2011 images. (Click on each set of photos to see enlarged images) -- posted by Arthur Merchant, Technical Services.

At top are a 1945 postcard of the Bedminster Inn which would become Willie's Taverne and an image taken February 2011.

Below are an undated photo of the building on Hillside Avenue when it housed the Bedminster Township municipal offices (likely taken in the 1960s) and a photo of the main entrance taken on June 29, 2011.

CHILDREN'S WORLD MUSIC PROGRAM

Jeanne DePodwin will present a musical "Journey Around the World" on Wednesday, July 20, 2011. The program will begin at 7:00 pm and is appropriate for ages 6 and up. Please register by calling the library at 908-234-2325 ext. 107. For more information please contact Mrs. Helen Petersen, Children's Librarian.

Summer Children's Programs at the Clarence Dillon Public Library

Children are invited to the following programs at the Clarence Dillon Public Library during July: Making African Masks on Tuesday, July 19th, at 1:30 p.m., and Children's World Music Program on Wednesday, July 20th, at 7:00 p.m. Children's Movies will also be held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. For more information or to register, please call the library at 908-234-2325 x107.

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The Clarence Dillon Public Library will present its FIFTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL during July and August. All screenings begin at 6:45 pm. The festival features new releases as well as classic films.

July 12 THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES
July 19 MOSTLY MARTHA
July 26 THE CLASS
August 2 THE BICYCLE THIEF
August 9 UNDER THE SAME MOON
August 16 APRES VOUS
August 23 CARAMEL
August 30 OF GODS AND MEN

A synopsis of each film can be found on the library’s website calendar at http://www.clarencedillonpl.org/. All screenings are suitable for adults and will be held in the downstairs meeting rooms of the library. Admission is free. No registration is required. For more information please call the library at 908-234-2325.