Lifetime Achievement Award
Vicki Cobb
Sometimes referred to as the "Julia Child of hands-on-science," Vicki Cobb is the highly regarded author of more than eighty-five nonfiction books for children. Since 1972, when HarperCollins first published Science Experiments You Can Eat, Cobb's playful-yet scientifically-sophisticated books-have challenged young people to engage in science, inviting both girls and boys in grades K-8 into the "kitchen laboratory" and encouraging them to think critically and creatively about how science works in the real world. She has written for the youngest children, providing science guidance for their parents, and has addressed older readers through experiment books, biographies, and informational text on fascinating topics such as "supersuits" and extreme climates. Her recent titles include: the Body Battles series from Millbrook Press; Marie Curie: A Photographic Story of a Life from DK Books; and We Dare You! Hundreds of Fun Science Bets, Challenges and Experiments You Can Do At Home; What’s the BIG Idea? Amazing Science Questions for the Curious Kid, and See for Yourself: More Than 100 Amazing Experiments for Science Fairs and School Projects from Skyhorse Publishing.

AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books Winners Announced

The Greenburgh Town Board has released its 2012 adopted budget. The newly released budget includes a cut of $250,000 on top of the original $320,000 cut imposed on the Library in the tentative budget published on October 31, 2011. These drastic cost-cutting measures translate to an 18% reduction in the Town’s 2012 appropriation to the Greenburgh Public Library, as compared to the 2011 appropriation.

The Greenburgh Public Library Board of Trustees has decided to maintain a schedule of six days per week. Consequently the budget for books, DVDs, music CDs, audio books, newspapers, and magazines was eliminated. In addition, three part-time employees were laid off. The very popular online service used by students, Tutor.com, was cancelled. These painful decisions were based on the Trustees’ commitment to maintaining the current schedule of providing six-days per week service rather than further reducing our schedule to five days per week.

As recently as 2009 the Library was open seven days a week. Further reducing hours jeopardizes the Library’s charter, as the New York State standard minimum hours are not being met. Furthermore, the Library Trustees recognize the evolving role of libraries in the community as a place to meet, learn, study and explore.

The Greenburgh Public Library Trustees are working with the Friends of the Greenburgh Library and the Greenburgh Public Library Foundation to establish a book-buying campaign in order to fill the library shelves with new materials.

The adopted budget as published by the Town does not reflect the changes to the particular budget lines mentioned in this press release.

Greenburgh Public Library's Revised Budget

The Greenburgh Public Library Foundation announces the 3rd annual Westchester County Amateur Photo Contest. The contest is juried and offers prizes:
Adult category - $500 first prize, $200 second prize, $100 third prize (2);
High School Student category: $150 first prize, $100 second prize, $50 third prize.

The contest is only open to amateur photographers who are residents of Westchester County.
There is a $10 contest fee for photos selected for the competition. No entry fee is charged for high school students.
Photographs accepted into the competition will be on exhibit in the Howard and Ruth Jacobs Family Gallery at the Greenburgh Public Library from May 2, 2012 through June 14, 2012.
Prizes will be awarded at a reception at the Library on Saturday, May 12, 2012.
Photographs must be submitted digitally between March 15 - March 31, 2012 and should be sent as jpeg attachments to: photocontest@greenburghlibrary.org. Submissions must be made in accordance with the contest rules as certain restrictions do apply. Complete contest rules and guidelines for submissions are available HERE

Some Library Statistics (Based on the 2010 Westchester Library System statistics)

Cost per transaction - $6.74
(Based on total operating expenses of $2,965,027 with 439,861 items circulated)
The average cost per transaction for the 38 Westchester County libraries is $7.28.

Average cost per employee (including benefits) - $66,456
(Based on FTEs of 32.57 with personnel costs equaling $2,164,474)
This cost translates to 73% of GPLs operating budget. The average personnel cost for Westchester libraries is 71.98%.
(Please note that the Town of Greenburgh negotiates salaries for the 18 full-time CSEA employees at the Library.)

Circulation Turnover Rate - 2.4
The circulation turnover rate is based on “how often each item in the collection was lent.”
The County average is 1.73. In 2009, the Queens Public Library had the highest circulation in the country. There turnover rate was 3.07.

Circulation per employee - 13,505
The average circulation per employee in Westchester is 12,100.

In 2010, the Library’s material budget was $104,199, the 15th highest in the county. However, GPL ranked 5th highest in circulation transactions.
(In 2005, the materials budget was $389,639 when GPL ranked 2nd in circulation. In 2005, the materials budget was the 3rd highest in the County.)

Do you want to get your GED? Need HELP with
Math? Writing? Understanding what's on the test?
Starting tonight and continuing on Wednesdays from 5:30-8:30 p.m at the library; no appointment is necessary. Tutors are available to help you prepare for the exam. For more information call Robin Osborne, Westchester Library System, 914-231-3237; rosborne@wlsmail.org.

In order to fill a mid-term vacancy, the Greenburgh Public Library Board of Trustees is seeking a resident of unincorporated Greenburgh to serve until December 31, 2014. For more information regarding this vacancy please click HERE