The Annual Rebecca Eddy Memorial Writing Contest Underway Now

The 10th Annual Rebecca Eddy Memorial Writing Contest is coming back to the Canastota Public Library! This year's contest has an additional surprise! As well as being eligible to win 1st and 2nd place for each division, entrants who attend the awards ceremony in November will have the chance to win a laptop! Stop back soon to see the details on this great prize!

Entry forms should be available when school starts next week! Short stories and poems may be any style and/or subject and should be submitted to the library by October 31, 2010.
Entry requirements indicate that original poems should be 20 lines or fewer and original short stories should be between 500 – 5,000 words. Submissions should be made in only one category (poetry or short story) and will be judged by a panel of judges from the community. The following age divisions will be used in determining awards:
· Ages 10 and under

· Ages 11 – 14

· Ages 15 – 18
· Over Age 18
The contest was organized by Joan and Doug Eddy of Canastota as a memorial to their daughter, Rebecca Eddy.  Ms. Eddy was a graduate of  Canastota High School, as well as a graduate of  John Hopkins University.   She was an athlete, an artist, a thespian and a scholar. Eddy felt a passion towards writing and also towards her community.  Joan and Doug Eddy read each entry that is received into the contest.

The contest is free to enter and there are no residential requirements or limits. Entry Forms, available at the library, should be submitted with each entry.
An awards ceremony will be held in November (Date To Be Announced Soon) on the second floor of the library for all participants. All participants will receive a certificate for entering the competition. First and second place award winners in each age category will also receive a cash prize of $25 and $10, respectively.
The contest is coordinated each year by the Canastota Public Library at 102 W. Center Street in Canastota. For additional information, please contact the library at (315) 697-7030.

Biggest Book Sale EVER!

The Friends of the Canastota Library will be holding their Annual Book Sale on October 21, 22 and 23 in the entire lower level of the library.  Gently used paperbacks and hard cover books, VHS tapes, audio tapes and CDs will be available at great prices during the sale.  While the Friends have an ongoing book sale at this library, this book sale is where the Friends pull out all the stops!  There will be raffles and library commemorative items also on sale.

The hours for the sale are Thursday, October 21:  9am - 8pm; Friday, October 22:  9am - 5pm and Saturday, October 23 from 10am - 4pm.  The Friends of the Library group is a great help to the library, offering volunteer services, fundraising events and assistance at community programs on behalf of the library. 

Membership dues for Friends of the Library are available on an annual basis.  The memberships are reasonable at $3 per individual and $10 per family.  Both membership dues and profits from the annual book sale go towards the purchase of special library supplies and programs.  During past years, the Friends have purchased new window treatments for the Carnegie Room, a dishwasher for the library's Community Kitchen, a speaker's podium and a much needed bicycle rack and garden bench.  The Friends also made a donation to match the grant offered by the Gates Foundation to purchase laptops and desktop computers for public use. 

We hope that you might stop out to support the annual book sale!  We are sure you will find a few good books!

October brings back Storytime and Baby & Me Lap Sit

Happy October!  In October, we're very excited to see the babies and preschoolers come back to the library to enjoy fun library time!


Storytime with Mrs. Liz begins Thursday, October 7 at 10am. Habits begin at a young age and trips to the library to read is a very healthy habit. Your preschool child will enjoy stories, songs, a craft and a healthy snack at each session! No reservations are necessary...just come and have some fun! Storytime is held every Thursday from 10am until 11am beginning October 7 through December 16.
Miss Angela invites you and your baby to the fall/winter session of the Baby and Me Lapsit Program. The group of babies and caregivers meets each Wednesday at 10am in the Children's Area on the second floor of the library. The first session will be held on Wednesday, October 6 and for each Wednesday through December 15 at 10am. Bring your baby and come to learn about numbers, letters, colors, animals, and the farm! We promise lots of smiles and playtime with other babies. Baby and Me Lapsit is geared towards babies from birth through 24 months.
Hope you can start your child's life out right with countless trips to the Canastota Public Library.