There are some changes ahead for the library. The library will be updating our staff-oriented library systems on August 1 through August 6. We're excited for the change, because it'll help us help our community better, but we ask you for your patience during the initial transition time as we navigate any challenges, expected and unexpected, during this change. Here are some dates to remember for these transitions. 

On August 1 through August 3 the library will be doing manual, handwritten and logged, check-ins and checkouts during these days. You will need your card during this time since we will not be able to look up your account while we are in transition.

The library will be closed to patrons on August 5 and August 6 to stress test the new system, resolve any initial growing pains, and conduct further staff training with our new system.

Please read this letter from our director, Dan Perkins, to learn more about the change, and how it will affect you.

Historic Huguenot Street

81 Huguenot Street, New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1660

Helping visitors understand the historical forces that shaped America

At the ten-acre National Historic Landmark District in New Paltz, New York, visitors experience over three hundred years of history across seven historic stone-house museums, a reconstructed 1717 French Church, the community’s original burying ground, and a replica Esopus Munsee wigwam. Period rooms and exhibits tell the stories of a French-speaking Protestant settlement as it evolved over time, and also reveal the history of the area’s Indigenous and enslaved African peoples and Dutch settlers.

Historic Huguenot Street envisions a nationally recognized historic site that will inspire guests to think in new ways about American history while also carrying forward the conversation about the relationship between past and present.

Our Historic Huguenot Street Tour Pass is good for one guided tour for two adults and two children (under age 13). For more information on tour times and hours of operation, please visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660 x 100.

The Wallkill Public Library will be offering two College Prep programs in August. These programs are intended for students of all ages on their way to college for the first time or going back to college after a long break. 

We look forward to seeing you, and helping you get on the right track before heading off to school!

College Research 101: Research Basics

Thursday, August 8 at 12:30 PM in the Reading Room

We'll be going over how to conduct smarter research, how to tell the differences between scholarly and popular materials, and how to best use Google Scholar in your research (as well as when not to).

College Research 102: Citations & Avoiding Plagiarism

Friday, August 9 at 12:30 PM in the Reading Room

We'll be going over best practices for citing sources to avoid plagiarism, learning about some free tools to help making citing sources a breeze, and uncovering some pitfalls to watch out for to ensure you're getting the most out of your efforts.

Small Places Close to Home:

A Virtual Tour of Val-Kill, Home of Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday, July 16 at 7:00 PM - Wallkill Public Library Reading Room

Join National Park Service Ranger Dani Massaro on a virtual walkthrough of Val-Kill, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt. We'll explore the rustic cottage in the woods that served as a retreat for Mrs. Roosevelt during her husband's lifetime and became her permanent home after FDR's death in 1945.

View this virtual tour on the big screen in the comfort of our air-conditioned reading room on Tuesday, July 16 at 7 PM. No registration required.

Give the gift of life

American Red Cross is hosting a Blood Drive on Saturday, July 13 from 9 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Wallkill Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 213 First Street, Wallkill NY 12589. To schedule your appointment please click here to sign up or call 800-Red-Cross.

When you come to give blood, platelets, or AB Elite plasma in July, you’ll receive a Fandango Movie Ticket by email. You can use it to see TWISTERS, on us! PLUS, when you hurry in to give July 1-14, you’ll also get an exclusive TWISTERS & American Red Cross umbrella, while supplies last.

Come on in, our air conditioners are on!

Summer's here, and with it comes those hot summer days. If you're looking for a place to cool down, swing by the library to relax in our AC. While you're here why not participate in one of our many great summer programs.

Summer reading… not just for kids!

Just read a book, ebook, magazine, listen to an audiobook, or participate in one of our great programs this summer. Each time you do, ask for a chance to win one of our amazing adult summer reading prizes. Prizes are on display now, and there will be more coming. Entering is fast and easy -- fill out your ticket with your name, phone number, and what you finished! And, the more books you read or programs you attend, the higher your chances are to win.

Adult summer reading is for readers ages 18+. Our program runs through the end of August. Winners will be announced Tuesday, September 3rd. Good luck and keep on reading!

The Saturday Morning Book Club will have their next meeting on Saturday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m. They'll be discussing Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist. – Goodreads

On Friday, July 26, at 3:00 p.m., the adult fiction book club will meet in our reading room to discuss The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray.

Textile Tuesdays

The Wallkill Quilter's Circle is sponsored by the Wallkill Public Library. The Circle meets for Textile Tuesdays in the Community Room at the Shawangunk Town Hall on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Bring your present project and your lunch and join us! No registration necessary.

Mahjong meet-ups

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

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

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 in our Reading Room. No registration is required.

Recycling made easy

Wondering what's the best way to get rid of those used batteries rolling around in your junk drawer?

The Library accepts used batteries and cell phones to be recycled! You will find the WeRecycle Battery Box located on our window seat. Please use a plastic baggie (found on the side of the box) to place your batteries or cell phones in before placing them in the battery recycle box. Quick, easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly!

Family Crafty Yarn Club

Mondays at 11 a.m.

Join us for our Family Crafty Yarn Club on Mondays at 11 a.m.! Bring your own project or learn the basics of crochet or knit. All levels of experience are welcome! This is a drop in style club - registration not required or needed. Great for homeschoolers! Age 8+. Contact Kim O'Sullivan with questions.

Start your summer reading adventure!

The 2024 Tween/Teen Summer Reading program is live! Swing by the library to pick up a Summer Reading Program adventure log sheet. (You have two choices: one focused on time spent reading, and the other has reading and activity challenges). Those who participate will be in the running for swag and raffle prizes. The more you participate, the more chances you get to win. Stop by the library to learn more!

Fun-gus among us!

Our first Workshop Wednesday of the summer... making paper mâché mushrooms!

Fairy and Gnome Doors

Fairy & gnome doors are very popular! These are from our first session. Our next workshop will be on August 14.

Our Summer Reading Program is in full swing!

If your child hasn't grabbed an orange reading challenge packet, please stop by the Children's Room to pick one up. You can also download the packet from our website by clicking here. This challenge runs through August 27th and is for children ages 12 and under; the more books they read, the more chances they have to win cool grand prizes like tickets to Splash Down, passes to Bounce, a Barnes & Noble gift card, and more!

We also have a lot of special programming going on this summer! Check out our brochure at the library or download one from our website here. To register for any of our amazing programs at the library, click on our calendar here.

We've been enjoying Summer Storytime and Summer Crafting Caboodles outdoors and will also be hosting Summer STEM outside, weather permitting.

 

Last week at our Wednesday special event, we welcomed Audrey Trossen, 4-H Youth Development Educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension. Audrey shared some amazing facts about the Hudson River and led the kids in hands-on activities to learn about water density and flow! 

This week at our Wednesday special event, we welcomed critters from Two-by-Two Animal Haven. Due to the heat, our petting zoo had to move indoors but we all enjoyed meeting and learning about their animal ambassadors, including a ball python snake, a bearded dragon, a tortoise and a hare (who are best friends!)... and a kangaroo! We also learned about some amazing animal traits, such as bearded dragons have a third eye under their skin to detect the shadows of birds of prey, like hawks, trying to catch them!

Storytime with Zoe - July 16

Zoe the Therapy Dog can’t wait to enjoy some stories with us out in the summer shade - she might even do some twirls and tricks! Click here to register for Zoe's next storytime visit on Tuesday, July 16 at 11:00 AM.

Storyteller Karen Pillsworth - July 17

At our next special event on Wednesday, July 17 at 4:00 PM, we welcome back Karen Pillsworth, the Storyteller Laureate of Kingston, NY, as she weaves fantastical stories for us on these hot summer days! Click here to register for a Basket of Stories.

MogaWorks - July 20

Susan Clark from MogaWorks returns on Saturday, July 20 at 11:00 AM to guide us through a summery youth-based program of yoga, music, movement... and most of all, fun! Click here to register for MogaWorks.

• 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 for all ages!
• Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for Empire Pass, Mohonk Preserve, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, 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.