Free concerts in September at the Bridgewater Library

The Bridgewater Library has something for every musical taste in September! Check out these FREE concerts.

Your Gentlemen, Friday, September 14, 7:30 pm
This home-grown New Jersey rock band features Matt Ryan, Frank Scerbo and Rich Varall. They started playing together in a basement and now play across the tri-state.

Sing-along with Jesse Rivera, Saturday, September 15, 10:00 am 
Celebrate Spanish Heritage Month with live music from an award-winning musician. You’ll want to sing along to your favorites.

Sonic Escape, Friday, September 28, 7:30 pm 
Shawn Wyckoff (flute), Maria Kaneko Millar (violin) and Michael Haas (cello) are graduates of The Juilliard School who perform classical music known worldwide.

Star Fish, Saturday, September 29, 11:00 am
This concert (for ages 3+) features a five piece band that will rock the whole family. Sing, dance, play air guitar in this family- friendly concert.

Everyone is invited to attend and no sign-up is needed. Patrons with further questions can call the Bridgewater Library at (908)526-4016 or visit the website at http://www.sclsnj.org . The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Warren Twp Library: Registration for Fall Adult Programs is Open

This is a list of our September free programs for adults.

How the Teenage Brain Works? Learn about Neurodevelopment: 7 PM, Monday September 10. When a child struggles to learn, it may indicate that all brain systems are not growing at the same rate (very common in teenagers). Learn about these systems and examples of how you (and your teenager) can work together to identify their 'learning profile' and develop a strategy for studying.  Speaker: Prof. Carol Landa from WHRHS.  This program is part of “Outside the Classroom – WHREA Community Lecture Series”, and it is open to teens and their parents.  Pre-registration required.

Healthy Vegetarian Lifestyle and "Holiday" Cooking Tips: 7 pm, Wednesday, September 12. Looking for more vitality, better health and an enhanced sense of well-being? Learn the many benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle and how easy it is to plan nutritious meals using plant based proteins. We'll look at the many plant based alternatives available and where to locate them in the grocery store. Sue Rose will share some vegetarian holiday recipes that will please your family and friends. Since the holidays can also be a high stress time of the year, we'll end with a meditation technique that can be practiced by young and old.  Pre-registration required.

Afternoon Book Club: 1:30 PM.  Thursday, September 13.  This month’s selection is “Girl in Hyacinth Blue” by Susan Vreeland.  Please call the Reference Desk at 908-754-5554 ext 32 for more information. New members are always welcome.  No registration required.

Evening Book Club:7:15 PM.  Monday, September 16.  This month’s selection is “State of Wonder” by Ann Patchett.  Please call the Reference Desk at 908-754-5554 ext 32 for additional information.  New members are always welcome and no registration is required.

Time Management with Jamie Novak: 2 PM, Saturday, September 22. Are you tired of going from task to task without much to show for all your exhausting efforts? Is your to-do list way too long? Do you get tripped up when trying to prioritize? If your current time management strategy is not working join Jamie Novak, expert organizer and author of '1,000 Best Time Saving Strategies'. She'll share simple solutions for getting your calendar under control and minimizing time-wasters. Learn how to make the most of your time so you can have more fun and get more done.  Pre-registration required.

Creating a Winter Garden:7 PM, Thursday, September 27. Ruth Claus, from the Master Gardeners of Somerset & Hunterdon, presents this timely program. Garden elements can enliven cold, gray winter days. The speaker will guide you to flowers that bloom months before the crocus, sculptural shrubs, plants with colorful twigs or bright fruits, and tree barks that peel in striking patterns.  Pre-registration required.

The Art of Ikebana, Japanese Flower Arranging: 1 PM, Saturday, September 29. Toshio Okimatsu, vice president of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of New Jersey, will provide a brief illustrated introduction to three styles of Ikebana arrangements.  The origin of Ikebana goes back 550 years in Kyoto, as a Buddhist floral offering. It has been passed down through generations and spread throughout Japan and the world. Mr. Okimatsu will create five arrangements, and one of them will be raffled at the end of the presentation.  Pre-registration required.

To register online:

please go to www.sclsnj.org/warren.htm,cClick on Adult Programs, or follow this link http://bit.ly/u5l2qF

. For additional information or assistance with registration, please call 908-754-5554 ext 64.  Warren Twp Library is located at 42 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, NJ 07059.

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

The Warren Twp Library is now in Facebook.  Like us at www.facebook.com/WarrenLibrary. Follow us on Twitter@warrenlibrarynj .

Lincoln Display at the Hillsborough Library!

For the entire month of September, the Hillsborough Public Library will host Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man For All Times, a traveling panel exhibition developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Lincoln exhibition includes high quality reproductions of documents and images that trace President Lincoln’s life and legacy. It also features excerpts from speeches and quotations and invites visitors to understand the challenges and accomplishments through President Lincoln’s own words. Stop by the library and check it out!

Hillsborough Library
379 South Branch Rd
Hillsborough, NJ
908-369-2200
www.sclsnj.org

Manville Public Library Completes Transition to Become Part of SCLS

When the doors open on Wednesday, September 5, the Manville Public Library will be a fully functioning member of the Somerset County Library System (SCLS).  Data conversion and staff training took place while the library closed for the last week in August.  Manville will be completely integrated into the SCLS system, utilizing the same website and catalog, available online at www.sclsnj.org, along with other internal processes.

Patrons with a Manville library card will be able to borrow materials at all SCLS libraries, and use its extensive collection of eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and licensed data.  SCLS library cards can now also be used to borrow materials directly from the Manville Public Library.

Positive changes to the library include a substantial increase in the budget for books and other materials.  Patrons will also see new faces, as SCLS enhances the staffing levels to provide better coverage and more programming opportunities.

“We are delighted to serve the residents of Manville,” said Brian Auger, SCLS director. “The transition has been smooth and I believe the residents of Manville will immediately benefit through the access to all the services that SCLS offers to its patrons.”

Changes are being made in the hours of operation, also effective Wednesday, September 5.  The library will be open to the public Monday through Thursday from 10 am – 8 pm, Friday through Saturday from 10 am – 5:30 pm.  The library will not have Sunday hours, although Bridgewater and Hillsborough libraries are open on Sunday, once again starting on September 9^th from 1 - 5 pm. 

Some additional changes in the library’s operations include how donations will now be handled.  Gifts of materials will be used for future book sales, as opposed to going into the collection, with proceeds to directly benefit Manville Public Library.  Monetary gifts will now also be used for special projects at the library.

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908) 526-4016 extension 128, Manville at (908) 722-9722 or visit the website at http://www.sclsnj.org for each branch’s hours. The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, Manville, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung. 

North Plainfield Library Named a Principles 4 Life Award Winner

The North Plainfield Library was recently named a Principles 4 Life Award winner by the Elizabeth-based The I Can Foundation (http://www.theicf3.org,) as a community partner.  The award was formally presented at the organization’s August 18 Annual Scholarship Banquet Dinner at the Mediterranean Manor in Newark.

The I Can Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides tutoring and mentoring for youth in Middlesex, Somerset and Union Counties, helping them to achieve their greatest potential.  An annual scholarship is presented to selected New Jersey high school graduates opting to go on to higher education.

The North Plainfield Library was selected as an award honoree this year due to immediately agreeing to work with The I Can Foundation.  This included space for tutoring sessions along with providing meeting space for the organization.  Lauren Ryan, director of the branch, worked to alert all schools within the district of the services available to the township’s children through the Foundation.  North Plainfield Library, along with the all of the SCLS branches, does provide meeting space without charge (and based upon availability) without charge to area non-profit organizations.

“We are very pleased to be singled out as a community partner in supporting the efforts of The I Can Foundation.  At the North Plainfield Library, we work hard to support the academic efforts of all students in town through their use of our services and materials,” noted Ryan.

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

SCLS Makes Changes to its Holds Policy in Effort to Better Serve Patrons

 Somerset Library County System (SCLS) is changing its hold policy as of September 4, 2012.  When a patron places a hold on a title, the catalog system will keep the hold active for 365 days.  After a year, the hold will expire and a cancellation notice will be sent.  Previous to this change in policy, there were no expiration dates on holds placed in the system.

This past March, My Wish Lists became an added feature of the SCLS on-line catalog.  Among its benefits is that items included in each patron’s lists will never be expire in terms of the length of time that an item is included on a list.  In addition, an unlimited number of items may be placed in each list whereas the hold queue only accommodates up to 50 titles maximum.

“This change in policy is a step for SCLS to better manage holds for all of our patrons.  My Wish Lists expands the number of titles patrons may tag in their personal records while also allowing the on-line catalog system to work more efficiently,” said Wendy Clarkson, system administrator.

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

Documentary Film: Not A Feather, But a Dot

Saturday, September 8, 2012

1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Meeting Rooms A,B,C

Bridgewater Library 

1 Vogt Drive

Bridgewater, NJ 08807

Teju Prasad is an independent film maker who has interests in documentary and short form storytelling. This is his second documentary film- a 60 minute film that examines the history, perceptions and evolution of the Indian-American community. There will be a Q&A following the film.

This program is free but you must register to attend this event.  Please register online at http://bit.ly/RS3AuO , by phone908-526-4016 x105 or at the Adult Reference Desk.

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