For information, contact YA services library Michelle Parker at [email protected] or call (574) 457-3022, ext. 2008. If you need assistance with registration, staff at the SPL can help you. Programs also have paper sign-up sheets at the upstairs circulation desk.
The Friends are partnering with the Knights of Columbus for a Bingo Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20, at Knights of Columbus Hall, 414 Sycamore St., Syracuse. Doors open at 5 p.m. with regular bingo starting at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $25 for a game packet. Food is available to purchase. Cash only. Must be 18 and older for admittance. Proceeds go to Friends of the Syracuse Library to support the library.
0 Comments
The seed library has returned to the Syracuse Public Library. Each family can “check out” up to 10 seed packets. While packets are checked out, there’s no need to return them. Those without library cards can also check out packets. This year’s seed library features several packets donated by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds out of Mansfield, Mo. There is a good variety of vegetables, melons, herbs and flowers to enjoy. Those who check out the seeds are encouraged to share photos of their garden with the library. Send them to SPL’s communications specialist, Sarah Wright, at [email protected], and she will share them on the library’s social media pages. 
Syracuse Public Library has added a new resource for parents and their preschool-aged children: TALK. TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten is a text messaging service. It sends developmentally leveled activity suggestions based on the five Every Child Ready to Read practices to parents and caregivers with children 5 and under. The more parents and caregivers talk and list to young children, the easier it is for them to learn to read and write when they start kindergarten. Simple activities, such as singing and play, can help children develop cognitive and language skills. Unfortunately, not all parents have time to develop learning activities for their little ones, creating a school readiness gap that impacts children from under-resourced families disproportionately. A text messaging service aims to change this, helping children learn through simple, everyday interactions. TALK: Text and Learn for Kindergarten sends two text messages each week suggesting activities that parents and caregivers can easily incorporate into daily routines with their children. The service also notifies parents of free activities and services at the library. TALK is available to parents and caregivers in Michigan and Indiana with children ages 5 and under, and officially launched in Syracuse in January 2024. Parents can sign up by texting TALK to 75547 or visiting www.textandlearn.org. 
The winners of Webster Community Library and Syracuse Public Library’s second annual Teen Art Contest were announced during the open house. Pictured from left are Julia Stover, grades eighth through nineth, third place; Allie Stahly, grades eighth through nineth, first place; Arabella Kitson, grades sixth through seventh, second place; and Evelyn Oest, grades sixth through seventh, first place.
Not pictured are Elynna Weaver, sixth through seventh, third; Elizabeth Iden, eighth through nineth, second; Annabelle Davis, 10th-12th, first; Grant Krull, 10th-12th, second; and Margot Sprankle, 10th-12th, third. (Photo by Sarah Wright)
North Webster Community Public Library and Syracuse Public Library hosted their second annual Teen Art Contest Open House on the evening of Friday, Jan. 26, recognizing the talents of 20 participating teen artists.
During the event, 106 visitors browsed artwork at the North Webster library while listening to SPL’s Rebekah Sceniak play violin and enjoying snacks provided by both North Webster’s and Syracuse’s Friends of the Library. Eleven volunteer judges, who are all local artists, reviewed each art piece and artist statement before casting their ballots to select winners in each of the three age brackets. Winners in grades sixth through seventh were Evelyn Oest, first; Arabella Kitson, second; and Elynna Weaver, third. In the grades eighth through nineth category, winners were Allie Stahly, first; Elizabeth Iden, second; and Julia Stover, third. For grades 10th-12th, winners were Annabelle Davis, first; Grant Krull, second; and Margot Sprankle, third. The People's Choice winner was Grant Krull with his Weldedhead Whopper sculpture. Winners received gift cards of varying increments, with first place each getting $100 gift cards. The second annual Teen Art Contest was sponsored by the North Webster Friends of the Library and Syracuse Friends of the Library and organized by Hanna Kunkel, NWCPL young adult librarian, and Michelle Parker, SPL assistant director. Art pieces will be displayed at North Webster Community Public Library from Jan. 27 through Feb. 10 and at the Syracuse Public Library from Feb. 12-24. All participants can pick up their art starting Feb. 26 at the library they marked as their “home library” on the entry form. 
With New Year's Eve just a few days away, be sure to pick up some new DVDs for a movie marathon or TV show binge! Titles bolded in red are brand new to Syracuse Public Library. Please note that some DVDs may become available later than their release dates; if you see a title you want, place a hold using the Evergreen Indiana app or ask a staff member to place one for you.
The library’s Board of Trustees welcomed Jeff Anglemyer, senior principal architect at Arkos Design of Mishawaka, to its Nov. 20 meeting. He shared a feasibility study for the Dolan Drive/Main Street property, which focused on how the lot might be used rather than presenting any official designs.
One of the library’s prime goals is to build a single-floor structure to capture both construction and long-term HVAC savings; improve accessibility; and lessen staffing challenges. The study presented by Anglemyer largely showed how that might be accomplished on the site. For right now, the library is waiting for the removal of a buried tank on the Dolan Drive property, which is expected to occur on Jan. 18 and 19 with the assistance of a grant from Michiana Area Council of Governments. Ownership of the property will not pass to the library until after the tank’s removal because of the grant. If all goes well, further design work will occur after the transfer of property ownership. We will keep everyone informed throughout this process. 
To wrap up the year, Syracuse Public Library has done a combined order of DVDs for November and December. Titles in red are brand-new to the library! Please remember that some titles will not become available until December.
By Kim Blaha | SPL Executive Director The Board of Trustees and I have been planning for our new library building. It has been a long, slow process so far, but we are making progress. The shortest amount of time after we acquire the property and approve architectural drawings to moving into the new building is 3 years if everything goes smoothly. Here are some things that have been or need to be done before we can start building. Obtain a building site: Almost completed
The Town of Syracuse has offered us the property at 705 N. Dolan Drive as the site for our new library building. A deed has been drawn up by the Town Attorney, Jay Rigdon, and is in the process of revision, according to the recommendation of the Library’s Attorney, Steve Snyder. Environmental Site Assessment Studies, Phase I & II: Done Possible site clean-up: In process Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) has provided us a grant to have two Environmental Site Assessment studies completed. Phase I, completed in February, involved research into the history of the property to determine the likelihood of soil and water contamination at the site. According to the report, “Past property uses included the Syracuse Fire Department, municipal water pump house, and the municipal wastewater treatment plant and lagoons. Operational equipment associated with these uses could indicate the ‘likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products’ as noted in the standard.” Phase II was completed in July. This study included soil boring and groundwater sampling. The report noted that some elevated levels of arsenic and lead in the groundwater were found, but nothing so drastic as to require action. There is a suspected underground storage tank on the property that will have to be removed if it is determined to be present. We are working with MACOG to see if there is any more funding for that process. The next steps will be choosing an architect and finding the funding for construction. We have been working with Arkos Design, who did our feasibility study, and they have provided some rudimentary drawings of possible building design and placements on the property. We will be working with Baker Tilly for building project funding advice and searching for grants and donations. After we move to the new building, we will sell the old library building, and use the funds to pay down the debt. 
Teens get ready for special October programs as part of TeenTober! These programs are in addition to monthly clubs. Also, don't forget to pick up a punch card to log your library/program visits for a chance to win an enormous bag of candy! Book TastingEnjoy a full course of great books during this special tasting from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Rosalyn Jones Room. ImprovDust off your acting skills for improv from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, in the downstairs meeting room. Bring some props for added fun! Scary StoriesBring a scary story to tell to the group or listen to a librarian share theirs from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, in the Rosalyn Jones Room. Sphero RoboticsPurdue Extension Office 4-H is coming from 4-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in the Rosalyn Jones Room to the library with Sphero robots. Teens will practice coding to direct them through a maze. Registration required. The program will not happen unless 5 or more teens sign up. DIY PinsCreate your own themed pins from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Rosalyn Jones Room. Registration required! Five Nights at Freddy's Escape RoomAll ages can sign up to solve SPL's "Five Nights at Freddy's" themed escape room. More information about the escape room can be found here. 
Do you have what it takes to solve SPL’s new “Five Nights at Freddy’s” themed escape room? Register to find out! Attendees will need to solve a series of puzzles in the Rosalyn Jones Room to unlock the master box to escape. T he library has four slots available for registration at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2; 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11; 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19; and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 (This last slot has been booked). Click the date you are interested in on the library’s online calendar, http://rb.gy/6udmk, and register digitally. If none of the time slots work, reach out to Michelle Parker to set up an alternative time for the escape room. Call her at (574) 457-3022, ext. 2008, or by email at [email protected].
|
Archives
October 2025
Categories
All
WowbraryNews From the Stacks |
RSS Feed
