Children who attended Story Time on May 25 are shown sitting on a new sofa in the Elinor B. Preis Children’s Room. The sofa was purchased with memorial funds donated in memory of Helen Sprague who worked as library assistant at the Saranac Lake Free Library for 44 years. Among her many duties, Helen was in charge of the Story Time Program, arranging for the reader each week and organizing the Holiday Parties. She retired in 2011. (Photo provided — Pat Wiley)

The 2017 Mary MacIntyre Summer Reading Program will meet three Wednesday mornings, from 10 a.m. until noon, July 12, 19 and 26. The theme, “Build a Better World,” will feature many delightful stories, projects and activities for the free series.

Leaders of the three groups-preschool, first and second, and third and fourth grades-are planning many fun activities for their groups working with Youth Programs Coordinator Peggy Orman. Register by calling 518-891-4190 or by signing up at the library.

“Children have a great time coming to the program,” explains Orman, “and this is a fun way to encourage children to read over the summer.”

Story Time

Thank you to recent readers Hilde Hammond and Linda Grant. Story Time ended on June 8 with a small party and will resume in the fall.

Library Membership Campaign

Our 2017 Membership Campaign, which began on May 1, celebrates the 110 years of the Saranac Lake Free Library. Many people have already stepped forward to recognize the value of the library in the community by making a financial contribution. As of May 31, $27,680 had been donated. This represents 65.9% of the $45,000 membership goal. Thank you to all contributors for very generous support.

To request a membership envelope, call the library or ask at the circulation desk.

‘Race: The Power of Illusion’

The final meeting for those interested in exploring racism in America will be on Monday, June 12, at 2 p.m. to discuss “A Colony in a Nation” by Chris Hayes.

All reading groups and the film series will resume in September.

Adirondack Research Room News

Curator Michele Tucker reports that 130 maps have been catalogued and added to the Adirondack Collection, including a 1920 map of the Mt. Marcy Region by Arthur S. Hopkins, a 1912 Trails of the Adirondack High Peaks Region, and a 2012 Upper Saranac Lake Recreation Map.

Books Donations

end July 1

We are accepting books in clean, salable condition until Saturday, July 1. We do not accept textbooks (published before 2008), outdated medical (before 2010), National Geographic hardcovers, Time/Life Series, Reader’s Digest condensed books, paperback romance, computer software manuals, magazines, encyclopedias, VHS tapes, records and cassette tapes.

Come to the Fair, our popular summer event, will be held Aug. 8 to 10.

In appreciation

Twelve volunteers dusted, scrubbed and vacuumed throughout the library on May 23, contributing over 30 hours of deep cleaning for Volunteer Cleanup Morning. Thank you to these volunteers, and especially to Suzanne Miller, chair, and to Joy Harvey, hospitality.

Holiday

The library will be closed Tuesday, July 4.

May Acquisition Highlights

The following are among the 121 May acquisitions. Thank you to Jean Baltzly who maintains the Acquisitions List, available at the circulation desk.

Fiction: “Beartown” (Backman), “The Broken Road” (Evans), “The Thirst” (Nesbo), “Trajectory” (Russo)

Nonfiction: “American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business” (Rosenthal), “The Jersey Brothers” (Freeman), “Lincoln’s Lieutenants” (Sears)

Large print: “The Trophy Child” (Daly), “No Easy Target” (Johansen), “The Girl Who Knew Too Much” (Quick), “Golden Prey” (Sandford)

Young Adult: “North of Happy” (Alsaid), “Looking for Group” (Harrison), “The Freemason’s Daughter” (Sackier)

Juvenile fiction: “Posted” (Anderson), “Hazy Bloom and the Tomorrow Power” (Hamburg), “The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre” (Levine)

Picture books: “And Then Comes Summer” (Brenner), “Ready, Set…Baby!” (Rusch), “Things to Do with Dad” (Zuppardi)

CDs: “The Prisoner” (Berenson), “Vicious Circle” (Box), “Anything Is Possible” (Strout)

DVDs: “Back to the Future,” “Double Indemnity” and “The Corporation”