Assistant Library Manager Danielle Bertolini said Sorrell will be talking about her book, “We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know,” “This is an author who is coming to Chautauqua [Institution], is participating in their young readers program and talking to kids there and we were able to also have her come here, speak about her book. She’s going to be doing a reading, she’s going to be doing a Q and A session, so it’s a really great chance to get kids involved and for them to kind of see behind the scenes what it is to write a book and to really be able to interact with a published author in an exciting way.”

The free event takes place from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the library.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Assistant Library Manager Danielle Bertolini about the Prendergast Library‘s Summer Reading Program that kicks off June 25, 2022.

The program for young children through adults runs through August 20.

Assistant Library Manager Danielle Bertolini said a bike rodeo with Pearl City Cycle from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. will kick-off the reading program this Saturday, “It’s really great for kids who are just learning to ride a bike or want to improve their biking and safety skills. They’ll have cones and an obstacle course. And I believe we’ll have JPD here as well to kind of talk about bike safety. And we’ll have a helmet decorating station, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. And then also on Saturday the 25th, we have our teen summer reading kick off which is a tie-dye and pizza party which is happening from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.”

Bertolini said kids can track minutes read on reading logs, “Basically, when they turn in their reading logs they’ll get entries for the grand prize drawing. We’re also doing a ‘Read for Beads’ program this year. So at the beginning of summer when kids start the summer reading program, they’ll get a lanyard and a little tag on it. And throughout the summer when they turn in their reading logs, they’ll get beads and charms as incentives for reading. So throughout the summer they can fill up a whole necklace, or maybe even a few necklaces.”

She said there also will be bingo sheet with literacy exercises. Kids prizes include lego sets, magna-tiles and pop-its. Prizes for teens include a 3D printing pen, light box, and lego set. The prizes for adults include at $50 gift card to Dots and a $25 gift card to the Good Neighbor Bookstore.

The library also will be bringing the reading program to Jamestown Schools‘ Summer LEAP program as well as the City’s Summer Playground Program.

The Summer Reading Program is free and folks can sign up at the Prendergast Library or find more information online at prendergastlibrary.org/summer-reading-program/

Telehealth Unit at Prendergast Library

A telehealth unit is now available for virtual healthcare appointments at the Prendergast Library.

Librarian and Digital Health Navigator Danielle Bertolini said the unit is located in a private space at the back of the library, “We have a screen over it so that people have more privacy when they’re in telehealth meetings. Inside, we have a table, we have lights, we have a ventilation system, some chairs, and we also have a laptop that we can help get people set up on for their telehealth appointments. That includes headset, microphone, mouse, all of that.”

She said a staff member also is available to help assist users. Bertolini said people interested in using the unit may call the library, go online, or stop in to make an appointment, “We have a meeting room application just like we do for other meeting room uses in the library. And we can schedule people, the times that we’re open are Wednesdays from 9:30 to 3:30, Fridays from 10:30 to 4:30. That’s when we have a staff member available to help with those appointments.”

The telehealth unit service is free to the community. It was funded through a grant from the National Library of Medicine and developed by the Western New York Library Resources Council.