The Library Spotlight

Travel is more than a destination. It is a journey, a trip down the road with pleasures to be discovered along the way. Please join Rhona Koretzky to explore the Iron Roads, the railroad tracks that will take you to new places and vistas. We will look at train travel that spans six continents: across the plains and prairies, through mountain passes, along stunning coastlines and more. Everything from our local Saratoga to North Creek Amtrak journey to the Trans Siberian Railroad will be open to us as armchair travelers – for now. Registration is required. Please register online through this link.

This online program uses the Zoom live streaming platform. It will require access to a computer or mobile device with the Zoom app installed, or a phone for audio-only access. Registration with an email is required in order to receive information on how to connect. The email will be sent three hours prior to the scheduled start time of the program.

Mariel Baron, a local Registered Dietitian, will explore how to confidently handle Halloween candy and other sweets so that your child can enjoy them, not fixate on them. She will discuss why restriction of sweets backfires, whether or not strategies like the "Switch Witch" are recommended, and how to handle candy on Halloween and in the days and weeks that follow. Please register online through this link.

This online program uses the Zoom live streaming platform. It will require access to a computer, mobile device with the Zoom app installed, and/or a phone for audio-only access.

Registration with an email is required in order to receive information on how to connect. The email will be sent three (3) hours prior to the scheduled start time of the program.

Mindfulness meditation is a refuge that provides grounding, clarity, and calm that are so vital for navigating these challenging times. This series meets Mondays at noon during the months of September and October (Sept. 13-Oct. 25) and provides practical instruction and inspiration for your meditation practice, as well as connection with a supportive and welcoming community of meditators. Each session will address a different topic relevant to mindfulness meditation. You will receive support for cultivating mindfulness skills both "on and off the cushion" and applying those skills to meeting life’s challenges, to respond wisely instead of reactively. You’ll learn strategies to awaken to mindfulness and compassion when you’re in the thick of difficulty and to dramatically shift the experience of your life, the people in it, and the world itself. 

Each class will include instruction, a guided practice exercise, Q&A/discussion, and follow-up resources. Please register online through this link.

During the month of October, join us to honor Indigenous Peoples Day by reading, listening, learning, and discussing topics in the history of Native American communities since 1800. Each week we will focus on a historical topic by reading articles, listening to podcasts, or watching videos before meeting to discuss what we've learned. Please register online through this link.

• Week 1: Removal Policies. Please read "The Indian Removal Act Was Used by the U.S. Government to Commit Ethnic Cleansing" and "Uprooted: The 1950s Plan to Erase Indian Country"
• Week 2: Education. Please read "Death by Civilization" and "How America is Failing Native Students"
• Week 3: The Missing. Please read "A Well of Grief" and "Fed Up With Deaths, Native Americans Want to Run Their Own Health Care."
• Week 4: Being Native Today. Please watch the short documentary "Lakota in America" and the documentary Urban Rez.

This online program uses the Zoom livestreaming platform. It will require access to a computer, mobile device with the Zoom app installed, and/or a phone for audio-only access.

Registration with an email is required in order to receive information on how to connect. The email will be sent three (3) hours prior to the scheduled start time of the program.

The Lost Family explores the rapidly evolving phenomenon of home DNA testing, its implications for how we think about family and ourselves, and its ramifications for American culture broadly. The Wall Street Journal says it’s “a fascinating account of lives dramatically affected by genetic sleuthing.” The New York Times writes, “Before You Spit in That Vial, Read This Book.” The Washington Post says The Lost Family “reads like an Agatha Christie mystery” and “wrestles with some of the biggest questions in life: Who are we? What is family? Are we defined by nature, nurture or both?” Join author, Libby Copeland for a presentation about her book and home DNA testing, followed by a question and answer session. Please register online through this link.

Libby Copeland is an award-winning journalist who has written for the Washington Post, New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and many other publications. She specializes in the intersection of science and culture. Copeland was a reporter and editor at the Post for eleven years, has been a media fellow and guest lecturer, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio.

This online program uses the Zoom live streaming platform. It will require access to a computer, mobile device with the Zoom app installed, and/or a phone for audio-only access.

Registration with an email is required in order to receive information on how to connect. The email will be sent three (3) hours prior to the scheduled start time of the program.