Saratoga Springs Public Library

Description

The Saratoga Springs Public Library is chartered by the State of New York to serve the residents of the Saratoga Springs school district. It is governed by a five member Board of Trustees elected by voters within that district. Its mission is to inform, to inspire, and to entertain the community and to provide access to the universe of knowledge through a variety of materials, programs, and services. As a publicly supported institution, services are made available without charge. In addition to the 40,000 residents of the school district the library serves the surrounding area. Library initiated programming is primarily cultural or educational and is designed to supplement and promote the library’s diverse resources. Writers On Reading meets once per month under the direction of a guest writer who gives a short reading and then leads a book discussion. Support has come from the Literature Program of the New York State Council on the Arts since 1990.
The Saratoga Poetry Zone was started in 1995 by Jonathan Blumberg who wanted to create an egalitarian forum for all interested in writing, reading, and listening to poetry. Ideally it includes: accessibility to poets of all levels and backgrounds in the community, scheduled readings by identified poets to entertain and encourage other poets, regular open mics with opportunities for critique, and an atmosphere of communal respect. The November Local Authors Book Fair gives local authors the opportunity to meet the public and sell their wares. Started in 1998 this Sunday afternoon extravaganza is now a project of the Friends of the Library. The library Children’s Room invites a children’s author to the library each year to speak to all the third grade students in the school district plus others who are interested. The author is chosen for his rapport with children as well as his literary achievement. Six to eight sessions over two days connects the author with over six hundred eager readers. The New York State Council on the Arts contributes to this effort also. The library also holds selected readings, book talks, and signings during the year.