Black history month is a time to reflect on the contributions African Americans have made to our society. You may know who Frederick Douglas is but do you know who Henry Brown is? Everyone has heard of Sally Ride but have you heard of Mae Jemison? There are many wonderful books in the Continue reading
In Roald Dahl’s children’s classic story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, characters hunt for golden tickets that gain them entry to Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory. That was the inspiration for NOPL’s 2019 Golden Ticket Giveaway, happening throughout the month of January in all three locations – Brewerton, Cicero and North Syracuse. Tickets in the Continue reading
What 's been checked out the most during 2018? We were curious to know, so we picked 4 categories - fiction, nonfiction, DVDs and music CDs - and figured out the most popular items in each category. We' re weren 't very surprised to see James Patterson on the list numerous times for his fiction books, but it was interesting to see that he also made the non-fiction list a couple of times. With Kenny Chesney taking 3 of the top 15 spots in the music category, we can tell there are a lot of country fans in the area. What was surprising though is #3 on the music list, Now That' s What I Call the 80s Hits, is from 2011! Are the 80s making a comeback? You decide.... As for the movies, personally I 've only seen one this list, so I guess I have some catching up to do in 2019! Do you have some catching up to do too? We' ve linked all of these titles to the catalog so you can easily place a hold request for it. Happy reading, watching and listening! Top Fiction Continue reading
The Northern Onondaga Public Libraries (NOPL) have partnered once again with Assemblyman Al Stirpe to serve as drop off locations for his 4th annual Food Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Central New York. Red donation boxes will remain inside each library through January 3, 2019 to collect nonperishable and canned goods. Here are Continue reading
NOPL at Cicero is collecting scarves for Foster Care to Success 's Red Scarf Project. Bring in your red knit or crocheted scarves that adhere to the project' s guidelines (link below) and donate to this good cause! If you 're not familiar with knitting or crocheting, you' re welcomed to join the NOPL Knitters at any NOPL location. Just bring some yarn and needles or hooks and they'll be happy to help you get started! Links: Red Continue reading
You’ve heard of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and maybe read the book or seen the movie. But did you know that it’s just one (very popular) example of crime writing by a Scandinavian author? Also known as Nordic thrillers, these books form their own genre of mysteries. They rely on atmospheric settings, Continue reading
Eligibility to Vote Registered to vote by the Onondaga County Board of Elections Resident of the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) District 30 days prior to the vote 18 years of age or older A U.S. citizen View a map of the NOPL District (PDF) to find which NOPL location you should vote at. Absentee Continue reading
Creative Aging workshops are professionally run programs designed for adults age 50 and older to engage in visual, literary and performing arts for social engagement, skill mastery, and meaningful artistic expression. What is Encore? Encore! is NOPL 's branded Creative Aging program and was the first of its kind in Onondaga County. This season' s Encore! professional workshops will focus on: drawing basics at NOPL Cicero and choral singing and portrait sculpting at the NOPL N. Syracuse branch. All Encore Continue reading
This fall, NOPL North Syracuse Library will be hosting, "Serving" , a reading and discussion series sponsored by Humanities New York. During the 5-session program, the group will examine why we choose to serve and the impact that service has on our communities. The readings in this series - drawn from literature, philosophy, and religion Continue reading
Libby is the sister app to OverDrive and accesses the same catalog. However, some patrons find Libby’s simplistic design and app to be easier to use than OverDrive. To get started with Libby, all you need is your library card and pin number. If you don’t have a library card, or have forgotten your Continue reading
Explore Onondaga County with the 2018 Explore Outdoors Pass! Each NOPL location has two passes, available on a first-come, first-served basis. They can't be held, but you can check on the availability of the passes. The passes are good for free admission into the parks listed below. Fees for other programs or activities at Continue reading
How to Download E-books to you Kindle device You’ll begin by following the same instructions for finding and downloading an e-book using OverDrive. When it comes time to download the e-book, you will follow these steps to get it to your Kindle device, instead of in the OverDrive app: Borrowing and Downloading an E-book Continue reading
E-books are digital versions of print books that you can read right on your mobile device or tablet. You can use OverDrive to access our collection of e-books. E-books can be read within the OverDrive app or sent to a Kindle device for reading. In this article, we will cover how to find and Continue reading
OverDrive allows you to download mp3 audiobooks to the OverDrive app on your tablet or mobile device. I recommend connecting to WiFi before downloading audiobooks or e-books. You can also download using your phone’s 3G or 4G internet connection, but doing so will use data. In this article, we’ll cover how to find audiobooks Continue reading
Enjoy play-centered, child-led activities in the park each week! Community Playdate will be held Thursdays, June 28 – August 16 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Clay Central Park (map below). The library will provide materials to spark your child’s imagination. At the end of each event, kids will create a Play Story, Continue reading
How you ask? With the library's OverDrive service. Signing up for OverDrive on your computer or mobile device is a breeze -- all you need is your library card and pin number! If you don’t have a library card, or have forgotten your pin number, just stop by any NOPL branch and the friendly Continue reading
Held on Fridays July 13 - Aug. 31 from 10:30am - Noon For ages 7 & up Participants will learn basic survival and bushcraft skills. We will practice friction fires, water purification and decontamination, cordage construction, wild food identification and more. As a final project, we will construct our own fishing nets out of natural materials. Continue reading
NOPL Brewerton loans out fishing rods thanks to a partnership between the library and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The rods can be checked out for 1 week with 1 auto-renew; so it 's really for up to 2 weeks. You' ll get a rod and reel, sinker, 3 bobbers and 2 hooks. Instructions on casting a fishing rod are Continue reading
Curling has come to the United States in various forms, from exhibitions in hockey arenas to the televised sport of curling - it is a sport we see evolving every year. In our own backyard, Lake Placid holds the traditional bonspiel curling match, as do other clubs in New York State. This is a Continue reading
What kind of community do you want to live in? That’s a question that will be discussed in community conversations throughout North Syracuse, Cicero, Clay and Brewerton in the coming months. These conversations are an important component of a strategic planning process for the Northern Onondaga Public Library. Libraries contribute to thriving and successful Continue reading
It’s that time of year again. The time when news outlets remind us of all the stories that developed over the past year – political news, natural disasters, celebrities who passed away – you name it and they’ll probably recap it. It’s also a time when industries compile their “Best Of” lists – the Continue reading
What does it mean to be an American in the 21st century? What does a model American do, and what responsibilities do Americans have to their communities and each other? How have the answers to these questions changed over the history of the United States? NOPL North Syracuse Library is hosting a special HumanitiesNY Continue reading
Planning a week of meals was my time to relax and let go. I used to collect recipes through various websites, draw up a detailed shopping list, and spend countless minutes in the kitchen prepping. But one day, it all changed; when I had a new baby in the house. I had planned so Continue reading
We’re back from two weeks in Italy, but our trip really began last February – it was cold and the days were short ; we needed an escape to someplace warm...and sunny...and beautiful...so of course, we thought of Italy. The library is a starting point for all major projects! Within days the surfaces in Continue reading
The Double Bind has been chosen as this year 's CNY Reads One Book selection. Want to get involved? Join the community as we read one book together. There will be a flurry of activity throughout the community from January through March 2017 that will tie in with this year' s selection. NOPL is home to several of the events (listed below), and you can find even more events related to The Double Bind, such as film screenings, discussions, stage productions, and an author visit, by visiting cnyreads.org. Brewerton Book Discussions The NOPL at Brewerton Book Discussion Group will Continue reading
Fall is my favorite season. It's harvest time in the garden, the leaves are a sea of brilliant colors and crisp mornings get paired with hot coffee and down vests. There are also lots of great opportunities in the fall to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty of Central New York. I love Continue reading
Indie rock is an elusive genre. I love that it’s not part of the mainstream, but I hate that I can never find it anywhere. Every time I get in my car the radio is playing country music or top 40 hits, and I’ve pretty much given up checking local venues for alternative bands. Continue reading
Ahhh, NetFlix. They have movies, original shows and network TV shows. But you need your own subscription, right? Wrong! Did you know that you can access Netflix by simply borrowing a Roku from one of the NOPL libraries? A Roku is a device that will let you stream NetFlix (among lots of other channels too) Continue reading
The newest book-to-movie adaptation is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, set to be released in theaters June 3. Skip the long wait lines to read the hardcover edition and opt for a much shorter wait with an e-book. Get started with the sample below, and then head to OverDrive to place your hold on Continue reading
Do you wish you could easily keep track of the books you’ve read? Whether you enjoyed them or not? Learn about books similar to the ones you enjoyed? Access reviews written by readers just like you? With Goodreads, you can do all of this at once! I started using Goodreads in grad school to Continue reading
The Magicians Trilogy By: Lev Grossman Network: SyFy So, Hogwarts University is now a thing? Just kidding! Instead, if you crave the pull of a secret magical world once more, pick up The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. The three books take you to and beyond Brakebills, a University secretly nestled in Continue reading
As much as I strive to be fit and eat healthy, I really don’t care for going to the gym. I feel empowered to make this confession by remembering that I’m not alone – there are lots of people out there who try to eat right and be active, but who just don’t enjoy Continue reading
Within my Facebook news stream I came across an interesting post called 50 Ways Happier, Healthier, and More Successful People Live On Their Own Terms written by Benjamin Hardy from Medium.com, a life learning blog focused on “accelerated learning, tech, anti-fragility and definite optimism”. I go through book-borrowing phases, and my current one focuses Continue reading
Just like everyone else in the world, I decided my New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. But I’m not going the traditional route and signing up for a yearly gym membership or weight loss program. I’m taking a different angle. Advertisers have a large influence over what we do, buy, and even think Continue reading