Library Director’s Blog

If you are a magazine lover the Fairport Public Library is the place for you! The library has a collection of well over 200 magazines on a huge variety of topics. The most current issue of each title is for use in the library only, and you might want to try our comfortable new Reading Room. Most of the older issues can be checked out and taken home to read.

Here is just a small sampling of titles the library carries:

American Woodworker
Antiques and Collecting
Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel
Backpacker
Bird Talk
Bon Appetit
Brides
Coins
Creative Needle
Digital Photographer
Everton’s Genealogical Helper
Football Digest
Golf Magazine
Horse and Rider
Macworld
Model Railroader
Organic Gardening
PC World
Popular Science
Practical Home Schooling
Rubber Stamper
Sky and Telescope
Yoga Journal

And the list goes on and on. There are magazines for all ages and for a large variety of interests. So if you enjoy magazines, but hesitate to pay that news stand price, come in the library and explore the magazine collection.

We are in the process of starting a new service of publishing email newsletters on particular services and parts of our collection.  As we build this service the newsletters will be targeted so that you can sign up to receive the issues on topics that are of interest to you.

You can sign up for this service by visiting the Fairport Library webpage. You have the option of canceling the service with each newsletter you receive, so there is no reason to be concerned about being inundated with unwanted email.

Try out our email newsletter and learn about what the Library has to offer you, delivered right to your email box.

We have add some new titles from a terrific series of recorded books called “The Modern Scholar.”   This series consists of college level courses taught by highly respected professors on a variety of topics.

Here are some examples of what we have in the Fairport Library:

Classical Mythology: The Greeks taught by Peter Meineck of New York University

High Seas, High Stakes; Naval Battles that Changed History taught by Timothy B. Shutt of Kenyon College

World War I: The Great War and the World it Made taught by John Ramsden of Queen Mary University of London

Global warming : global threat by Michael B. McElroy of Harvard University

A History of Ancient Rome taught by Frances Titchener of Utah State University

Journeys of the great explorers : Columbus to Cook taught by Glyndwr Williams of the University of London

Communication Matters: “That’s Not What I Meant!”‘ taught by Deborah Tannen of Georgetown University

Rethinking our past : recognizing facts, fictions, and lies in American history taught by James W. Loewen of the University of Vermont

Walking Dragon:  the Emerging Chinese Economy and it’s Effect on the World taught by Peter Navarro of the University of California, Irvine

Winston Churchill: Man of the Century taught by John Ramsden of Queen Mary University of London

These titles are just a sample of what we have in the series.  They were purchased with a donation in memory of Earl and Audrey Pankratz, long time residents of this community and regular library users.  Come in, take a look at this series, and enjoy learning something new on your next road trip.

The Library has several copies of an audio walking tour of the Village that can be borrowed, complete with a cd player and headphones.  The tour, which takes less than 60 minutes, takes you on a short walk around the Village, with history and building descriptions from the files of the Town Historian.  The Fairport Village Partnership produced the tour.  Visit the Library’s Information Desk to borrow this tour.

National Public Radio did a piece the other day about the increase in use of public libraries during difficult economic times. A link to the story is available here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93041368

Here is an interesting blog I happened upon on the value of the public library. It is written by a writer living in New York City and is posted on a blog that focuses on saving money and investing wisely. It talks about how you can use your public library to save money.
http://www.myopenwallet.net/2008/07/guest-post-working-library-system.html

Besides saving money by using the services of the library, rather than buying that book or DVD, the library has plenty of information that can help you with financial decisions.

Here is just a sample of what we offer:

Morningstar.com
A subscription database available for use in the library. It is also available in print. Morningstar gives information on stocks and mutual funds.

Value Line
Another reference service - this one only in print. Value Line Investment Survey is a source of information and advice on approximately 1,700 stocks in 98 industries, the stock market, and the economy.

Books on Investing
Do we ever have books on investing! Here are just a few:

• The road to wealth : a comprehensive guide to your money : everything you need to know in good and bad times by Suze Orman
• The ultimate dividend playbook : income, insight, and independence for today’s investor by Josh Peters
• Grow your money! : 101 easy tips to plan, save and invest by Jonathan D. Pond
• The Bull and the bear : how stock markets work by Avelyn Davidson

And we have information on how to save money and spend money.

• Consumer Reports

We subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine, and you can use it over the internet through the database Ebscohost Masterfile Select. You can access this database through the Fairport Public Library webpage, by selecting Research Tools from the left hand column. You will need your library card number to use this product outside the library.

Books on saving money:

• A parent’s guide to money : raising financially savvy childrenby Alan & Gibora Feigenbaum.
• Expecting money : the essential financial plan for new and growing families by Erica Sandberg.
• Easy money : how to simplify your finances and get what you want out of life by Liz Pulliam Weston.
• Let’s get real about money : profit from the habits of the best personal finance managers by Eric Tyson.
• You’re broke because you want to be : how to stop getting by and start getting ahead by Larry Winget.

This list of what we have goes on and on. Drop by the library and see what we have that can help you with your financial planning and investing.

The Library has something for everyone to enhance your summer. There are summer reading clubs for all ages with cool prizes (thanks to the Friends of the Fairport Public Library) that go till the end of July. There are programs for all ages, including our Gazebo Concerts on thursday evenings at 7 pm. These concerts - cosponsored with the Perinton Recreation Department - have been running for 29 years. Watch our events calendar for more summer activities. http://evanced.info/fairport/evanced/eventcalendar.asp