Canastota Library Gears Up For Annual Book Sale in November

The Friends of the Canastota Library will be holding their Annual Book Sale on November 5, 6 and 7 in the entire lower level at the library. This year, the group is offering some exceptional titles and prices on hard cover and paperback books as well as VHS Tapes. Gently used paperbacks and hard cover books, VHS tapes, audio tapes and CDs are all available at the sale. Raffle baskets will also be available and will go home with lucky winners after the sale.

Although the library has an ongoing book sale, this annual book sale offers shoppers a chance to meet with old friends and purchase from a great selection of items. Library commemorative items will also be on sale. Raffle baskets, designed by Friends of the Library, will be donated and sold. Ralston Supply Company will provide the tables that are needed to make this sale happen.

Hours of the Annual Book Sale are Nov. 5: 9 am until 8:30 pm; Nov. 6: 9 am until 5 pm; and Nov. 7: 10 am until 4 pm.

The Friends of the Library group is a great help to the library, offering volunteer services, fundraising events and assistance at community programs. Annual memberships are available year-round at $3 for adults and $10 for the entire family. Membership dues for Friends of the Library, and profits from the annual book sale go toward the purchase of special library supplies and programs. The money raised through this sale is always used to benefit the library’s programs, collection or to enhance the building and services that the library offers. Last year’s book sale revenues were used as a matching funds donation towards the four Gates Foundation laptop computers that the library received this past summer. Those computers are now part of the library’s larger bank of community accessible computers and will be used in group training programs. A portion of the funds raised during last year’s book sale was also donated by the Friends of the Library to the library’s endowment fund.
The event is operated and fully staffed by volunteers of the Friends of the Canastota Public Library. Volunteers make this event a special one for the library. The group is currently looking for volunteers to help with set-up for the event on Wednesday, November 4th and throughout the entire sale period. If you are interested in helping, please call the library at 697-7030.

Increase Use to Learn How to Reduce

By Liz Metzger, Director; Canastota Public Library

Aldous Huxley once said, "Most human beings have an infinite capacity for taking things for granted."  I am ashamed to admit this is sometimes true of me but my eyes were opened once again during my summer vacation.

At the beginning of August, I visited my college aged daughter in Spain after she had finished classes at the University of Barcelona.  We had a whirlwind week of 18 hour days, trying to cram in as much sightseeing as humanly possible in 95 degree heat.  We were surrounded by history, fabulous art and architecture, the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea, delicious food, great music and scads of people  (and their pet dogs!).  But, you couldn't drink the water!  Even the locals buy ALL their water in giant sized plastic bottles.  We found no working public drinking fountains and there were no water glasses at restaurants because you have to buy bottled water there, too!  And 16 ounces of water could cost as much as 3 Euros (about $4.50 in American money).

My daughter's host family asked her to limit shower length, not to shower daily and to reduce her dirty laundry and toilet flushes to conserve water.  Hotels and hostels had signage about doing the same.  I realized that I took fresh, potable water for granted.  I bet many of us in the United States do not consider water to be a scarce resource.  But, less than 1% of the world's fresh water (or about 0.007% of all water on earth) is readily accessible for direct human use.  An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the typical person living in a developing country's slum uses in a whole day.

So, now I am much more conscious of how I use water in my personal effort to waste less and appreciate more.  You can learn more about this and similar issues from books and from the internet. 

Visit us at the library.  We can help you find the resources to reduce your capacity for taking our resources for granted.

The Loomis Gang

As we get older, the past seems to become so important to us.  On a recent visit to my parent's home in West Virginia, I had the opportunity to talk to my cousin who has been working on the geneology of our family.  He told me that my father's maternal ancestors hailed from Holland.  My father's paternal ancestors can't be traced back much further than my great-grandfather.  On my mother's side, everyone was Irish!

On the wall in my bedroom hangs a Marriage License for Louis Loomis and Carrie Mumpton.  This beautiful piece of art was given to me from my grandmother-in-law soon after my husband and I married.  Louis and Carrie were her parents.  I always wondered if the surname Loomis was any relation to those famous horse theives who ruled Central New York in the early 1800s.  Gram never said.  If the subject came up, she would tactfully change gears to talk about something that happened at church or in the neighborhood.  Several years ago, when Gram went into a nursing home, I found a letter and application to the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Gram could trace her family back to Joseph Loomis of Hartford, CT.  When I found that letter, I quickly searched the internet for information on the CNY Loomis Gang.  My quick search told me that Gram was indeed a relative of the renown clan.

At the Canastota Public Library, we are pleased to present a talk on the Wednesday, October 21 at 7pm, the library will hold a special presentation on "The Loomis Gang." Learn about this notorius family of outlaws and horse thieves that operated in Central New York from local descendent, Robert Loomis. This event will be held on the second floor of the library.  I'm planning to be there to learn more about my husband's ancestors.  I hope that you will be able to attend as well.