• Closed Memorial Day Weekend

  Phillips Free Library will be closed Saturday, May 25 and Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day.

• Toddler Story Time

  Wednesday, May 22

  Toddler Storytime with Miss Ashley is for children from infants through pre-school.  Join us for stories, songs, fingerplays and more.  If Homer Schools are closed due to weather storytime will not meet. The program on Wednesday, May 22nd at 10:30 am, will be all about Sheep!

• Rockin' Readers

  Wednesday, May 22nd

  Join us for Rockin' Readers!  New activities, new stories, new crafts and a whole bunch of fun!  Rockin' Readers is for K-2nd grade
   students and meets from 3:25 - 4:15 pm.  If Homer schools are closed Rockin' Readers will not meet. Our theme this week is Sheep!

• Tea Time at the Library

  A Podcast

  Welcome to Tea Time!  Where avid readers come together to discuss topics of interest related to literature.  You can find all of the episodes here.  

• Teen Tech Help

  NEW TIME

  Are you having trouble downloading ebooks? Want to know how to use your new iPad? We've got a team of  teens who can help! Our teen techs will be available on Fridays 3:30-5:00 pm and Saturdays 1:00-2:00 pm.  Bring your device or just your questions; our teen techs are here to help!

• Visit our Teen Writers Showcase

  Christmas Dog Poems

  Check out the Teen Writers Showcase here. Some teens, and some not-so-teenlike anymore have written Christmas dog poems. If you need a little holiday joy, read them! 

• What's a Library for?

  
  
  
  Check out our patrons' library memories and stories.  You'll find more, like this one: 
  One of the first things I remember after moving to Homer is my mother taking us to the library to get library cards...

• Verizon Hotspot

  Did you know the library has a Hot Spot for patrons to borrow? A Hot Spot is for people who don't have internet access but do have Verizon cell phone coverage. The Hot Spot will allow internet access free of charge to you for a 1 week borrowing period. Stop at the library for more information.

Library Funding

Voting is Tuesday, May 21st

Phillips Free Library is chartered by the state of NY to serve residents of the Homer School District. In the past the library has been funded by the Town and the Village of Homer, as well through the Homer School ballot. Funding through towns and villages is often at risk due to state cuts impacting their budgets. This year library funding from the town has been cut in half and village funding has been cut in the past. The State Library is encouraging NYS libraries to secure funding through school ballots, as it is more stable and secure (it can never go down) and offers voters of the district to have a say in library funding. The Phillips Free Library Board of Trustees has, therefore, decided to switch all our library funding to the school ballot.
This School Ballot funding request of $195,165 includes an increase of $82,000, which covers $64,500 we will no longer be receiving through town and village taxes and an additional $17,500 to cover new initiatives like our Math Homework Help Center which will be starting in the Fall. This is an increase from $14/$100,000 assessment (on average) to $24.89/$100,000. For less than an $11.00 a year increase the library can be fully funded to continue to bring great educational programs and materials to the community. That’s less than one cup of coffee a month at Dunkin’ Donuts or one movie ticket a year.
In 2018 Phillips Free Library held 389 programs, with over 3,190 people attending. We had 31,545 visits to the library, over 16,000 people logging onto our WiFi, and more than 400 non-library uses of our space, most of those by tutors meeting students. Imagine, just one trip to the library a year to check out a book, or DVD, our wifi hotspot, or just stream one movie at home with your library card and you will have recouped a full year’s funding of the library.
Please feel free to call Priscilla at the library with any questions 749-4616.
 

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This Week at the Library

For the Week of May 20

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Summer Book Club Registration!

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Coding K-2nd Grade

Wednesday, May 15 & 22

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Fiction, Food & Flick

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Worth a Read

Last year, the library hosted author Hena Khan here at the library. Hena is the author of several picture books and middle grade novels, including Amina’s Voice.  As a librarian, I’ve had the privilege of meeting and hosting many authors. It’s truly one of the perks of being a small town librarian. Hena, who is a generous and warm person, is definitely one of my favorites. While speaking at the library and schools, she shared about her life growing up as a Muslim in the United States, her culture, and her talents as an author. Here’s a link to a recent essay she had in the Washington Post that’s definitely worth reading.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/04/09/teaching-my-son-all-parents-stand-up-against-muslim-hatred/?fbclid=IwAR3NNT8h1UQG3lmFq3D5MiN0OXOhKlBy9MRLKfzciIllD2YpjlmgHzYoCNU&utm_term=.cbfdbdcc3e67

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Library Funding

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Library Funding Information

Want to learn more about library funding

To make library funding more secure and sustainable the Phillips Free Library Board of Trustees is working to switch funding from multiple sources to one source, funding through the school ballot. For more information click here.

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Fiction, Food & Flick

What's Coming in March, April, May and June!

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Hoopla

Movies, Music, eBooks and more

We are excited to announce a new digital service that will allow you to watch movies, read books, listen to music and more.  You need to have a library card and internet access to use this new service.  Each card holder is able to borrow 3 items each month.  After 3 items have been checked out you will have to wait until the next month to borrow more.  Please check out the site - have your library card handy to make an account with Hoopla.

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Children's e-Books

Check out this growing collection

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