Upper Jay, NY, Jan 27, 2012 — An Adirondack community welcomes the return of its library this weekend, after months of repair work. The doors of the Wells Memorial Library in Upper Jay will reopen on Saturday as part of a day-long celebration. Five months ago, heavy flooding damaged the library after Hurricane Irene.

The library's board president, Marie-Anne Azar Ward, says flood waters ruined a majority of the library's books, and nearly all the children's collection was destroyed.

Azar Ward says the community rolled-up its collective sleeves and went to work repairing the 106-year old building. The re-opening celebration, with music and food, starts at 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon.  Go to full article

Plattsburgh, NY, Jan 25, 2012 — Libraries aren't just quiet places filled with books. In the North Country, libraries serve as social hubs and community centers. These days, they're scrambling to keep pace with the changing ways that we use information and technology.

But decreases in funding are making it harder for rural libraries to juggle their many missions. Sarah Harris has our story.  Go to full article

Chazy, NY, Jan 25, 2012 — These are tough times, as libraries grapple with changing technology and shrinking budgets. But librarians in Clinton County say their work is more important than ever. Sarah Harris talked with Stan Ransom, Frances Fairchild, Betsy Brooks, Eva Jankowska and Jacqueline Madison, all librarians in Clinton County.  Go to full article

Keene Valley, NY, Jul 21, 2010 — You're invited to take part in a marathon reading of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at the Keene Valley Library on Friday. Librarian Karen Glass says the day-long "Huck Finn Out Loud" event starts early in the morning and will feature 30 readers reading aloud for 30 minutes each. Twain spent the summer of 1901 on Lower Saranac Lake. Glass told Todd Moe it's part of a series of events this summer that celebrate Twain's connection to the Adirondacks.  Go to full article

Lake Placid, NY, Jun 30, 2009 — Authors, music and a parade are part of the 125th anniversary of the Lake Placid library this week. The celebration starts tonight at 7 with an Author Appreciation Night and continues through Saturday with a March of the Classics entry in the Fourth of July Parade. Todd Moe spoke with Dave Messner, Lake Placid Middle and High School principal and library board member, who says the original trustees put together the library's charter during one meeting back in 1884.  Go to full article

May 05, 2009 — Go to the Massena Public Library on the first and third Saturdays of any month, and you'll find teenagers dueling, Yu Gi Oh style. Yu Gi Oh is a trading card game based on Japanese anime cartoons. It's like a Dungeons and Dragons for a new generation. James Roscha sponsors the regular tournaments. He and one of his Yu Gi Oh proteges are the subjects of today's Heard Up North. Sarah Minor produced this story.  Go to full article

Dec 30, 2008 — Trained dogs can detect bombs and help the physically challenged. Now, some educators say they're helping youngsters learn to read. Teachers and librarians say even though reading is difficult for some children, reading out loud, especially to dogs, helps build confidence. A group of therapy dogs in the North Country has been visiting local libraries as part of the "Read to a Dog" program. The volunteer canine corps brings dogs to the Canton Free Library a couple of times a month so children can practice reading out loud in a non-threatening environment. Todd Moe has more.  Go to full article

Jan 04, 2006 — There is noise and congestion at Watertown's public library - but this time the librarians don't mind. The Flower Memorial Library - a landmark in Watertown - is undergoing renovation and restoration in the midst of its centennial year. Opened in 1905, the library was a gift to the city by Emma Flower Taylor, the daughter of ex-Governor Roswell P. Flower. Todd Moe reports.  Go to full article

Dec 07, 2005 — At an Assembly hearing on library aid, New York's education commissioner and librarians said public libraries are woefully under funded, and need more money to help New Yorker's compete in the global economy. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article

Nov 22, 2004 — When Governor Pataki vetoed portions of the state legislature's budget, he rejected extra aid to libraries around the state. Under a deal struck to avert an override vote, Pataki has promised that libraries located in Republican Assembly districts will get their funding, but libraries in districts represented by Democrats, won't. That has libraries, and some of their patrons, upset. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article