Extended Hours at SCLS!

Bridgewater, NJ.  June 15, 2012. – The Somerset County Library System (SCLS) is adding hours this summer and fall.  The library system will maintain the same operating hours on Saturday now throughout the year, including the summer months.  And all libraries will remain open on two State holidays for the first time this fall. 

During past summers, each of the nine branches of SCLS chose whether or not to move to a shortened schedule on Saturdays.  This summer, operating hours at each branch on Saturday will remain constant throughout the rest of the year.

On past Columbus Day and Veterans Day holidays, only the Bridgewater Library remained open at SCLS and from 9 am – 5 pm.  This year, all library branches will remain open regular hours on those two holidays, giving patrons additional access to the facilities.

“We are always looking at how we can better meet patron needs.  With some cost savings in other areas of our budget, SCLS is now pleased to expand our operating hours in the summer and add two additional days in the fall,” according to SCLS library director, Brian Auger.

“In this vein, SCLS will now be open system-wide on Lincoln’s Birthday and Good Friday, starting in 2013.  Again, it is with the purpose of providing more operating hours for our patrons without costing tax payers anything additional,” added Keith McCoy, SCLS assistant director.

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908) 526-4016 or visit http://www.sclsnj.org.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.  Manville will be joining the System on July 1.

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The Princeton Festival and the Mary Jacobs Library are proud to present: Visions of Hell in Poetry - Putting Words in Their Mouths

Presented by Nancy Goldsmith, Fletcher Opera Institute, UNCSA at the Mary Jacobs Library located at 64 Washington Street in Rocky Hill, NJ.

The use of supertitles has become essential to every opera performance.  Using the plot and the libretto as a starting point, the emotional content of the music, the conceptual intentions of the music and the staging enter into the wording of supertitles.

The creation of the supertitles for 'Gianni Schicchi' and 'Francesca da Rimini' will be contrasted with each other and with the original translations of Dante into Italian and Russian.

Registration is required for this program. To register, visit us at 64 Washington Street in Rocky Hill, call 609-924-7073 ext 4 or click http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=mjp&lmx=254519.

The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Donate to ‘BOBO Friday’ & Support Curbing Hunger Month

News from the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders

June 11, 2012

The next “Buy One, Bring One” (BOBO) collection of food and personal-care items for Somerset County families in need will be held Friday, June 15, as part of the 18th annual Curbing Hunger Month.

“During Curbing Hunger month, we ask residents to put canned food donations in plastic bags at the curb on their recycling days in June,” said Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh. “Employees and visitors to our various county locations also can donate by dropping off non-perishables in any of the blue BOBO Fridays bins.”

Look for the blue BOBO Fridays bins at these public locations:

• Somerset County Administration Building, 20 Grove St., Somerville
• Somerset County/Bridgewater Library, North Bridge Street & Vogt Drive, Bridgewater
• Park Commission Headquarters, 355 Milltown Road, Bridgewater
• Environmental Education Center, 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge
• Lord Stirling Stable, 256 S. Maple Ave., Basking Ridge

Also, the following towns have BOBO Fridays bins in their municipal buildings: Bedminster, Franklin, Green Brook, North Plainfield and Raritan. In Rocky Hill, donations may be dropped off at the Mary Jacobs Library.

Canned or boxed food items are accepted. Personal-care items, including bath soap, deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo and toilet paper, also are collected since these items are not covered by food stamps.

Although the targeted collection schedule is the third Friday of every month, the bins are available every day, so donations may be dropped off at any time during regular business hours at all locations.

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2012 Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders
Patricia L. Walsh, Freeholder Director Ÿ Peter S. Palmer, Freeholder Deputy Director
Robert Zaborowski, Freeholder Ÿ Patrick Scaglione, Freeholder Ÿ Mark Caliguire, Freeholder

Asian Tea Experience

Saturday, June 16 at 2:00 pm
Bound Brook Library
402 E. High St.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 356-0043
Directions: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm

Tea in China and Japan is enjoyed in many forms from a simple bowl of tea to the beautiful and intricate tea ceremony. Learn about everyday tea drinking, the Chinese tea ceremony, gong fu cha, and the Japanese tea ceremony, cha-no-yu. there will be a tea-making demonstration, and a selection of Asian tea implements will be on display.

Presented by Judith Krall-Russo.

This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is requested.  Call (732) 356-0043 to sign up or click on http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=jbp&lmx=244431&v=3 to register online.

Patrons with further questions can call the Bound Brook Library at (732) 356-0043 or enter the website at http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Understanding Municipal Bonds

Tuesday, June 19 at 7:00 pm
Bound Brook Library
402 E. High St.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 356-0043
Directions: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm

• What is a tax-free municipal bond?
• Why do bonds exist?
• Why are municipal bonds exempt from taxes?
• What types of municipal bonds are there?
• What are the benefits of owning municipal bonds?

John Felice, an Investment Counselor for David Lerner Associates, Inc. will discuss these and other questions during this educational presentation.

This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is requested.  Call (732) 356-0043 to sign up or click on http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=jbp&lmx=263334&v=3 to register online.

Patrons with further questions can call the Bound Brook Library at (732) 356-0043 or enter the website at http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Titanic 100th Anniversary and more @ Warren Twp Library

Warren Twp Library
42 Mountain Blvd
Warren, NJ 07059
Phone: 908-754-5554

Upcoming programs at the Warren Library:

Titanic! 100th Anniversary: 1 PM, Saturday, June 9. Titanic expert Charles Haas will present a comprehensive program about the history of the famous ship, recent expeditions to the wreck, scientific discoveries, etc. Mr. Haas, one of the featured lecturers aboard the 100th anniversary cruise which crossed the Atlantic back in April, will share his experiences and anecdotes about this voyage. This engaging and knowledgeable speaker will be back at the Warren library for another fascinating Titanic talk. Pre-registration required.

Online Shopping: 7 PM, Monday, June 11. Familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of online shopping. Discover eBay, Etsy, Paypal, Amazon, Overstock and many other online shopping sites. Learn the tips to becoming a savvy online shopper with Reference Librarian Cathy DeBerry. Privacy and safety will be discussed to protect against identity theft. Also, find out how to track down those elusive online coupons to your favorite stores. This class is designed for the beginner Internet user. Pre-registration required.

From Heartbreak to Happiness: 7 PM, Tuesday, June 12. In the midst of grief, we often wonder if there really will be a tomorrow. Meet grief counselor Debra Morrison, and learn how to reduce the grieving time, which Time magazine reported to take 5-8 years, to mere months using the Peace Method. Analyze the many causes of heartbreak: divorce, break up of a relationship, job loss, death, etc. Go over the five stages of Grief. Learn how to make it through the Holidays. Ponder how grief blocks love and how to journey through to the other side. Pre-registration required.

To register online go to http://libraryinsight.net/calendarmv.asp?nMonth=6&nYear=2012 . Or call 908-754-5554 ext 64 for more information and assistance with registration.

The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Job Search for the Age 40+ Worker

Thursday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m.

Bound Brook Library
402 E. High St.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
(732) 356-0043
Directions: http://www.somerset.lib.nj.us/boundbrook.htm

This highly interactive training focuses on:
*resume preparation
* interviewing
* networking
* career assessment

This class includes tips on recognizing the changes to the career change/job search process. Special attention is paid to the recent changes in social networking including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Presented by Nancy Anderson of Blackbird Training Associates LLC, a local training consulting organization.  Nancy has over 25 years experience working in the training and human resources departments of Fortune 100 Companies.

This program is free and open to the public.  Registration is requested.   Call (732) 356-0043 to sign up or click on http://www.libraryinsight.net/eventdetails.asp?jx=jbp&lmx=244144&v=3 to register online.

Patrons with further questions can call the Bound Brook Library at (732) 356-0043 or enter the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.