A WORLD OF TRAVEL RESOURCES AT THE SYOSSET PUBLIC LIBRARY

With summer just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about vacation plans.  The Syosset Public Library has a wealth of resources to help you plan your vacation from start to finish.  Be it foreign or domestic travel, the Syosset Public Library is a great place to start exploring your next travel destination.

Please join us on Monday, May 9th at 7:30 p.m. in conference room B/C for an informative session regarding all things travel.   The discussion, led by Librarian’s Marianne Malagon and Lisa Jones, will include :

• Travel Books & Magazines
• Travel Videos
• Language Learning Products
• Online Databases
• Travel Websites
• Memoirs

 This program is free and no registration is required.

All are welcome!

- posted by Lisa J., Readers’ Services Librarian

GLOBAL ROAD WARRIOR…

…A FIRST-CLASS TICKET TO SEE WORLD!

The Syosset Public Library has acquired Global Road Warrior, a world-class e-content database offering country-by-country information on 175 nations and territories, as a free service to patrons.

The database features information segregated into over 90 categories from business to travel essentials, embassies/consulates and health and medical, and includes over 6,500 color photos and 1,575 maps. Topics include country facts, society and culture, money and banking, business culture, communications and more. Created by an international team of researchers, cartographers and writers, the database is continually updated.

Global Road Warrior is proving valuable to multiple educational disciplines and promotes cross-cultural understanding through comparative studies. Business people engaged in international trade, students researching country reports and patrons planning international travel all will find what they need within this site.

With Global Road Warrior, you can find accurate world data and become a roving globetrotter without leaving your desk. Using this database is like getting a ticket for a trip around the world. Our library is proud to offer this rich, colorful content.  To grab your boarding pass, visit the library website  or contact the Reference Services Department at 516-921-7161 x217.

- posted by Marianne, Reference Services

5 for Road Trips

Although you cringe when the first question from the backseat comes as you turn out of the driveway: “are we there yet?,” road trips are a great experience.  As summer approaches, it is time to start planning:

For a leisurely read about places Off the Beaten Track read the book with that title presented by Readers Digest. This is a wonderful resource arranged state-by-state with maps, listings of seasonal events and brief descriptions of “undervisited” sites. If you want a local jaunt or a more extensive trip, this is a great place to start.

Road Trip USA by Jaimie Jensen, subtitled “cross-country adventures on America’s two-lane highways” offers color-coded and cross-indexed maps and itineraries.  Illustrated with vintage postcards and filled with useful information resource for anyone serious about exploring off-the-interstate America.

Interested in road trips with wonderful scenery? American Back Roads and Byways by Ron Fisher spotlights six areas of the U.S. with spectacular views. The book is filled with tempting National Geographic pictures depicting the areas around Grand Staircase-Escalante (pictured), Cajun country, the Snowbelt, Heart of the Cumberland, Sand Hills and Prairies, and the Olympic Peninsula.

Eating at local restaurants beats out fast food and chains any day. Use Guy Fieri as your guide with his More Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. This updates his earlier book, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Both list interesting local eateries and include signature recipes.

If the price of gas deters you from an actual trip, or if you want to have a visual tease for what you might see, try the video series, America’s Most Scenic Drives.

Okay. So this is number six. But I can never miss an opportunity to plug a history book, especially one that is readable.  Before the interstate highway system  and even before there were decent back roads, a caravan of military motor vehicles traveled across the US —300 men traveled in 81 vehicles journeying over road, mud and rock for more than 3200 miles. This was known as the First Transcontinental Motor Train; it was sponsored by the government to call attention to the need for good roads.  Peter Davies tells this adventure story in American Road.  This group of travelers did not have access to the now maligned service areas on the interstates and  there were no souvenir stands!

AND if you have the urge to pick up some souvenirs, check out Roadside Attractions: Cool Cafes, Souvenir Stands, Route 66 Relics, and Other Roadside Fun by Brian and Sarah  Butko.

Have fun and please drive safely!!

- posted by Brenda, Reference Services

New museum pass available

The Syosset Public Library is pleased to announced that we have added the Morgan Library & Museum to its Museum Pass Program.  The Morgan Library & Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue in New York City.  Founded by financier Pierpont Morgan, the Morgan houses one of the worlds greatest collections of artistic, literary & musical works from Ancient Times to the Medieval & Renaissance periods to the present day.

For more information regarding the Morgan please visit their website. The Museum pass for the Morgan admits 2 adults and 2 children age 18 and under.  To reserve your pass to this museum or any other museums available through our Museum Pass Program, please contact the Readers Services Dept. at (516) 921-7161 ext. 239 or stop by the Readers Services desk on the 2nd floor.”

- posted by Lisa J.,  Readers Services

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. A film by Ken Burns.

Ken Burns’ films have long been recognized as some of the best documentaries of the American experience. But the forthcoming series on America’s National Parks have received more buzz than ever, it seems. I saw the one hour preview on PBS a few weeks ago, and the cinematography is breathtaking. Burns and crew have captured the essence of these national treasures through the history and storytelling, as well as the amazing vistas seen today. They have documented the experiences of historical figures such as presidents, artists and conservationists, as well as the anecdotes of park rangers and travelers like us. This fantastic series should be an inspiration to us all, to stop and appreciate these beautiful landscapes, whether from our couches or our campers. The six part series can be seen on PBS stations, beginning Sunday Sept 27. For more information about the series, visit one of these websites: http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/, http://www.thirteen.org, http://www.wliw.org/, or for information about the National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/index.htm.

If you would like to learn more about travelling to our National Parks, or just enjoy the scenery through our books or video collections, call or stop by the library. The Syosset Library has the companion book to the series: The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. Or you can pick up one of our many other books or videos about America’s National Parks. You’ll find many of these items on our National Parks book display on the third floor. If you prefer a good read, take an adventure in mystery fiction, set in the national parks, with a book by Nevada Barr, along with a bookmark for the PBS series. When you’re done, you can soak it and plant it to grow wildflowers of your own! And if you enjoy the series, and you’d like to check out some of Ken Burns’ past works, you can find some additional items in our collection.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments, or a personal memory, about the National Parks here on our blog. My favorite National Park is Yosemite. What’s yours?

- posted by Marianne L., Reference Services

Free in DC — A book lover’s paradise!

Hear your favorite authors talk about and read from the books you love!  The 9^th Annual National Book Festival will be held on September 26, 2009.  I attended this event in 2004 and 2005 and LOVED it!  Surrounded by the grandeur of the monuments and Smithsonian on the Mall in DC, it was really fun to hear the authors speak about their books in their own voices.  Meg Cabot cast a spell over hundreds of tween princess-wanna-bes, and the buzz from Clive Cussler’s tent was so electric, I felt it two tents away! Dana Stabenow and Azar Nafisi were thrilling story tellers – you could hang on their every word.  When you’re done, bring home an autographed copy of your favorite author’s latest book.

There’s something for everyone there, including Children  and Teens.  Adult genres include Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller, History & Biography, Poetry & Prose.  Sadly, I will miss the Home & Family area, (where I heard Heloise and Arthur Frommer), not on the 2009 list.  (Maybe it will be back next year).  Hint: Go with a friend who reads different styles than you, so you can expose each other to the books and authors you like.

Planning notes:  Both times I was there, it was a beautiful day.  The event is outdoors, but in tents, so I’m not sure how it works out if it’s a very rainy day.  But the nearby Smithsonian museums are free too, so you can run inside for a bit, if it drizzles.  Also, seating is limited.  Many popular authors fill up to standing room only, so plan to get to those early.

If you have the time to get to Washington, I highly recommend this fantastic free event to booklovers of all ages.  A must.  And put it on the calendar for next year too!

~ posted by Marianne, Reference Services