It’s with very mixed feelings that I announce I’ll be leaving my position as director here at the Wallkill Public Library. Starting January 29, I’ll be the new director at Hyde Park Library.

While I love Wallkill, specifically my staff, board, and patrons, Hyde Park is an opportunity to work with a much larger service area in a different library system (Mid-Hudson).

I’ve been extraordinarily lucky, these past eight years, to work with such an amazing group of people. Wallkill’s staff work for small salaries and no benefits, and yet the service they provide the community is (I’m sure you’ll agree) stellar. What a kind, talented, and smart group of people. I envy the person who takes my place – this staff is a gift.

Likewise, the many library users I’ve gotten to know over the years are dear to my heart. Thank you for always supporting the library, be it through attending our programming, taking out our materials, coming out to vote during our elections, or all of the above.

The library trustees have had my back through any number of dramas that have taken place in the years I’ve been here, and I’ve truly appreciated the trust they’ve had in me even when things weren’t going as smoothly as we would have liked. Volunteers are a very rare breed, these days, and the nine people who comprise the board invest their time into the library without expecting anything in return except for a successful community center, which I think they’ve got.

-         Lisa Palmer

The new Saturday Morning Book Club will have their very first meeting at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 24!

They'll be discussing Nikki Erlick's The Measure. The group will be meeting in the library's reading room.

For those who may be at work or otherwise tied up when the library’s Fiction Club meets during the week, or for those who are voracious readers and want to discuss more than one book a month, this is your chance!

The adult fiction book club meets on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss their January selection Leon Uris' bestseller, Exodus.

Leon Uris portrays the birth of a new nation in the midst of enemies--the beginning of an earthshaking struggle for power that continues today, in his work of historical fiction, Exodus, written in 1958. 

Friday, January 26 from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.

If you and your child are interesting in learning more about the weekly Jewish day of rest called Shabbat, this special storytime is for you!

Join Nancy Gayle Judson, the PJ Library Coordinator of the Jewish Federation of Ulster County, for this January 26 program, which runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. She’ll read PJ Library stories and teach attendees about the rituals of Shabbat, while celebrating and reflecting on the week that has passed and making wishes for the week to come.

Because January 25 is also Tu BiShvat (a Jewish holiday that celebrates the trees and nature), Nancy will include a theme related to that.

This event is brought to you by the PJ Library program of Ulster County, and co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Ulster County. To register, visit the library’s website. 

The app many users have downloaded as a means of managing their library accounts, placing holds, and searching the library catalog is no longer available on either Google Play or the App Store.

Users who already had the RCLS Gateway app on their mobile devices may have noticed recently that the app wasn’t functioning correctly. When RCLS – the library system to which Wallkill Public Library belongs – looked into the matter, they were told the app was unexpectedly (and permanently) disabled.

Though currently there is no other app available that can manage your account, RCLS is working on a solution and hopes to have another product available by the end of January. Until then, it’s always a good idea to have your library cards with you when visiting the library. This will avoid the mistakes that have resulted in the past when two different users have the same name.

We appreciate your help and apologize for the inconvenience!

Holiday Ornaments!

It was a family affair with personalized ornaments made using recycled ribbon rolls and scrabble tiles created for everyone, including dogs and cats!

Home School Art makes a forest of tiny trees

Home School Art recycled toilet paper tubes into tiny electric tealight trees, just in time for holiday decorating.

Needle felting

Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like needle felted holiday squares used as ornaments and given as gifts!

Felting workshop attracts felters of all ages

The open felting program saw lots of creativity from seasoned felters and newbies alike!

Card-making workshop

Holiday card making, a yearly staple that never disappoints!

Workshop Wednesdays

Our Workshop Wednesday program this week featured tiny wooden snowmen to be painted and decorated. Super cute snow dudes!

Our Workshop Wednesday snow theme continues next week with pom pom snowmen. See below for info and a registration link!

Pom Pom Snowman

Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m.

Make your own pompoms and assemble a cute pompom snowman! Ages 8+.

Mahjong meet-ups

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) 2023 mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required.

Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!

Adult coloring club

Coloring pages are no longer just for children! Join us for this creative and relaxing hobby. Just drop in, registration not required. Bring your own materials or use ours.

Coloring Club meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:00-8:00 PM. No registration is required.

Adult crafting

Grab a project and come enjoy the craft of your choice, whether it's knitting, crocheting, diamond painting, coloring, embroidery, or cross stitch!

Adult Crafting meets on Thursday afternoons between 2:00-5:00 PM. No registration is required.

Happy New Year to everyone from the Children’s Room! We hope you all had a happy and healthy holiday season!

Borden, our Librarian on the Shelf, has returned to the North Pole. We received almost 100 raffle tickets from our young library friends listing his exact location on various days! Two winners were chosen at random to receive elf-themed gift baskets:

• Peyton T., who received the Buddy the Elf basket
• Luke G., who received the Elf on a Shelf basket

Thanks to everyone for helping us to find Borden - we hope he’ll visit us again next year!

MogaWorks - January 13

Susan Clark, for a MogaWorks pop-up program of yoga, music, and fun, on Saturday, January 13th at 11:00 a.m. (Registration is currently full but you can put your name on the waiting list in case there are any cancellations).

Read with Zoe - January 30 at 10:30 a.m.

Zoe the Therapy Dog, joins us for Storytime fun and doggy tricks, on Tuesday, January 30th at 10:30 a.m.

• Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
• Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
• Curbside delivery of pre-ordered items is available by request. Call the circulation desk at 845-895-3707 to make a pick-up appointment.
• Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
• Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
• Grab & GO projects with materials necessary for crafts available for pickup at the library.
• In-person programming, with appropriate social distancing.
• Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for Boscobel House and Gardens, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Empire Pass, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Hudson River Maritime Museum, Mohonk Preserve, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
• We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.