Congratulations to Cat Macera, the winner of April's contest.  Cat has won a signed copy of Susanna Newton's Questions Where Are You?

Merci

Thank you to Susanna Newton for being this month's featured local author.  She has generously donated a copy of Questions Where Are You?, her debut novel, for everyone to borrow from Basloe Library and a signed copy to give away!  I just saw the lending copy at Basloe this morning on the new books end cap, just waiting to be taken home and enjoyed!  And tomorrow, one blog reader will get to take home the signed copy!

I appreciate the time Ms. Newton took to answer questions and let you all know her book.

If you have read Questions Where Are You? please leave comments.

Also, please be patient while I line up May's local author.  I have been really busy working on the upcoming redistricting vote!

While we're waiting for Ms. Newton to answer some of the questions and we wrap up this month's contest (Drawing on May 1), I would like to share with you another way that Basloe Library has had an impact on my family.

Gabrielle

My daughter, Gabrielle, has always been a reader.  One of her sixth grade teachers, I think it was current library trustee Phil Kane's wife, once told her that she didn't have to read so much.  

That seems like a funny thing for a teacher to say, but you need to know the background.  For the summer before sixth grade, all of the kids had homework: to read SOME books and do a one page report on each. This was to start them on a contest to see who could read the most books.  On the first day of school, Gabrielle had already read close to, I think, 100 books, and continued to read so much that she was even reading on the playground.  She was clearly obsessed!  

(By the way, the teacher made the right decision because while reading is important, so is socializing and developing communication skills.)

In light of that, it's no wonder Gabrielle has always loved Basloe Library!  

So much so that as a young girl she volunteered for the library and last year she worked at Basloe.  

Last year she was thrilled to have had the opportunity to put back the genealogy research room after the renovations at Basloe.  

This summer she will be back at the library AND helping Deb West at the Herkimer County Museum behind the library.  

Her Career Choice was impacted by Basloe

She is finishing up her first year at SUNY Geneseo where she is double majoring in History and Art History.  She is planning on studying in museums in the UK for a semester. She has a whole plan mapped out once she finishes at Geneseo that involves her masters and PhD in museum studies. 

Her dream job is to work at either the National Archives or the Smithsonian, but knows that she has many options open to her such as working at any museum, historical society, the U.S. Parks Department-or even a librarian.

She once toyed with the idea of becoming a librarian, but she also loves history and wanted to find a way to combine her two great loves, so she decided on museum studies.  In her opinion, it's the best of both worlds.

Without frequent trips to Basloe and her involvement there over the years, I am not sure what she would have chosen for a career, but I am certain that Basloe and the people who work there have had a large impact on her life and continue to.

So, from one grateful parent, thank you Basloe Library for helping Gabrielle to find her passion!

     What's the library got that I can't get online?

     Just a little while ago my husband and I were talking about the upcoming library redistricting vote in Herkimer, NY.  He told me that the guys at his work tease me about how much I love the library. 

     I see the goodhearted teasing as a symptom of how some people my age and younger see public libraries.  With all of the technology that is available to virtually everyone, the question for a lot of people in our communities is "What's the library got that I can't get online?"

     Well, to answer that, this week I would like to share all the ways that I think that Basloe Library (and every public library) is important to me personally.  

Today, let me tell you about my son, Nick.

     All about Nick

     When Nick was in about 4th or 5th grade, Nancy Stowell ran a program in which kids of this age group (many of whom are still friends with Nick) read, improvised the scripts, rehearsed and put on fairy tale parody plays for the younger kids.  

I thought it would be good for Nick because he hated to read, but he loved to write and was quite imaginative.  I also still wanted to encourage him to read, but you know how it is as a parent-sometimes they will listen to others before they listen to you!  And what better place to learn to at least like reading than the library?

Lifelong Friendships and Experiences

Anyway, he absolutely loved that program and had a blast spending time creating with kids his age.  

A few years later, Nick went on to have many leads and supporting roles in high school theater.  So did the other kids that participated in Nancy's program.

Perhaps some of you may know Nick best for playing "Man in Chair" for the Footlighters production of The Drowsy Chaperone.  

He has played so many other roles in the Footlighters and Stage II productions, but even two years later, he still gets stopped on the street by strangers and is asked "Weren't you that kid in that really funny play?"  

He treasures that role, but he would like to move on.

Moving On  

Nick was one of 50 high school seniors to be chosen to attend RIT's special film production programs.  Come this fall, Nick will be studying all aspect of film with only 64 other students for the next four years.  His goal is to be a writer/editor of feature films.

Nick was also chosen by the Stanley Theater with other Mohawk Valley students to be a Youth Ambassador for this year's Broadway Theater productions.  In exchange for promoting the Stanley's productions using social media, Nick and the other students got to enjoy all of this year's productions and meet many of the cast members that traveled through our area.

He also had a film of his chosen to be in HCCC's first ever high school student film festival.  One of the girls that was in Nancy Stowell's drama program with Nick was one of the actresses in the film.  She's also been one of his best friends all these years!

You just don't get that kind of experience, sense of community or influence online! 

So when parents with younger children ask, "What can the library give me that I can't get online?"  

I tell them how one little program at Basloe Library (or any public library) could shape your child's entire future-it did for mine!

_______________________

Question for Ms. Newton:  You began your writing as a young girl.  Did a public library having any influence on your desire to become an author?

Earn extra entries to win!

Answer the following question in the comments and get two entries for the drawing of Susanna Newton's debut novel, but the deadline is Tuesday, April 23rd!

Question to Readers:  Where is this poster located?

Plus, you will receive another entry if you post a question or comment for Ms. Newton, author of Questions Where are You?

Question for Ms. Newton:  Can you fill us in on your personal and professional background?  

Xlibris and Ms. Newton

In the last post, Ms. Newton mentioned that she used Xlibris to publish her novel Questions Where Are You?  For those of you not familiar with Xlibris, it is an online self-publishing website.

Question to Ms. Newton:  Can you explain the process that Xlibris uses in order to  publish a novel?

     Cover Story

     In the April 8th blog post, Mohawk Valley Author Susanna Newton discusses the cover with commenter, Cat Macera.

Since their conversation seemed interesting, my next question to Ms. Newton is this:

Who is pictured on the front cover of your book?  You? Someone you know?  

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Readers, if you haven't already joined the conversation, please feel free to jump in with a comment or question at any time!

If you do, you will automatically be entered in the drawing to win a signed copy of Ms. Newton's debut book.