Another successful fashion show! Many thanks go to Tina Valentino of Mirror Mirror Studio (845-236-3073) and Candace Nicole of Plastered (free lance makeup artist (845-802-3365)). Thanks also to Angela Panzer from Adriance Library for helping out. The slideshow includes rare, never before seen backstage  and behind the scenes footage. Hope you like it.

Montage is best enjoyed with sound!

Miss Susan would like to thank Marlboro Police Officers Justin Pascale and Curt Fulton for taking time to visit her Babysitting Workshop. The officers spoke about safety and first aid and what to do in an emergency.

Reserve a time on Saturday morning, March 27 with Susan Tumminia who will be taking appointments for processing U.S. passport applications.  Call 236-7272, ext. 16.  The Library rarely offers this service on weekends but we are participating in this nationwide event.  Call the Library soon, as there are limited time slots available for this Saturday event.  Weekday appointments are widely available.

If you’re contemplating taking an international flight in the next 10 years, you might want to get a passport sooner than later.  On Feb. 9, the U.S. State Department published a “proposed rule” with 30 day public comment period which requests a 35% price hike although nothing is official as of this posting.  First time passport costs for adults would increase from $100 to $135; renewals from $75 to $110.  For minors, the costs goes up from $60 to $80 and passport cards would increase to $55 for adults and $45 for minors.  Adding extra visa pages to your passport book is now free.  The proposal calls for an $82 fee for this service. The Department of State performed an independent cost of service study and found that “the U.S. Government is not fully covering its costs for providing these services under the current fee structure,” according to the summary of the proposed rule.  The execution fee collected by the Library would remain static.

Libraries in New York don’t have high-powered lobbyists with deep pockets to advocate on our behalf (our PAC  is new and has shallow pockets).  We rely on committed citizens to defend against funding cuts by contacting legislators directly.  On Tuesday, March 2, you are invited to join library advocates taking a bus to Albany to meet our local state legislators in their offices at the state capital.  The more people that turn out, the stronger our impact will be. The bus and appointments are all arranged by the New York Library Association (NYLA).  I have a few free bus tickets donated by the Friends of the Marlboro Free Library.  The bus will be leaving Thruway Exit 18 parking lot at 8:30 a.m. 

If you are interested in getting involved in politics at the grassroots level, please contact me at director@marlborolibrary.org and reserve a seat. If you are unable to attend, there are other things you can do:

1) On March 2, call or email Assemblyman Frank Skartados and Senator William J. Larkin, Jr.

2) If you’re not the advocate type, tell a friend who is.  Yes, librarians for once are looking for people who can make some noise!

3) Write a letter to the editor or an op-ed piece  for you local newspaper explaining how important libraries are to you.

Together we can keep the politicians from taking the heart out of our community.