Blog Entries

Juneteenth, also known as the second Independence Day or Emancipation Day, is our eleventh and newest  federal  holiday. President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021, officially establishing June 19 as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.  Why June 19th? Because on that day in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops marched into Texas and announced that by executive decree more than 250,000 enslaved people were free. General Order No.

President Lyndon B. Johnson said: “This land flourished because it was fed from so many sources - because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.”  Johnson’s belief that this country’s strength is derived from its diversity is echoed in the annual celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a tribute to the enormous cultural and historical contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians  and Pacific Islanders to the diverse tapestry of  the United States.

There’s a lot to celebrate in May - spring flowers, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and, for the past 19 years, Jewish American Heritage Month.  Following a concerted effort by Jewish leaders to establish a national celebration acknowledging Jewish American contributions to the United States, the monthlong annual holiday was finally inaugurated in 2006 through the bi-partisan efforts of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) and the late Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and recognized by a Congressional Resolut

Over sixty years ago, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring sounded an alarm about the devastating impact of pesticides on the natural world.  Her book was the wake up call we all needed, the spark that ignited the modern environmental movement. Silent Spring not only  led to the 1972 banning of DDT but resulted in new government policies to safeguard our air and water and, ultimately, our health.  Eight years after the publication of Silent Spring, Earth Day was celebrated for the first time on April 22, 1970, by more than 20 milli

What do poetry and spring have in common? Poetry, like spring, is a source of inspiration and renewal, evoking themes of rebirth, optimism and the cyclical nature of life. So, it is no coincidence that National Poetry Month, now in  its 29th year, occurs in April. The commemoration was first launched by the American Academy of Poets in 1996.

On March 12, 1987, Congress passed  Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women’s History Month. Why was March chosen for the celebration?

February is Black History Month, an annual tribute to generations of African Americans whose invaluable contributions to this country were achieved in the face of tremendous adversity.  Originally a week-long observance created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson,  the celebration was expanded to a month in 1976  by President Gerald R.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and visionary civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., died on April 4, 1968, but it took 32 years for a government holiday in his honor to be recognized by all fifty states.  Dr. King’s birthday was signed into law as a federal holiday in 1983 and took effect three years later on January 20, 1986.  However, it was not until 2000 that  all fifty states officially observed the holiday.

At the end of the year we are all besieged by lists singling out the best in every genre - best movies, best books, best TV series, etc.  While suggestions from esteemed critics are certainly valid sources for recommendations, in our community of avid readers you can also find inspiration in the titles your neighbors have selected over the past year.  Listed below are some of the titles that have flown off our shelves most frequently in 2024.  Click on the book jacket to be taken to the link in our catalog. Happy reading!   

December may be the coldest, darkest month of the year but it is also the month most associated with illumination - holiday lights, glowing fireplaces, candlelight, the Winter Solstice with its promise of longer days - and, the enlightenment inherent in books!  Given the blustery weather, this final “chapter” of the year provides a built-in excuse to stay indoors, catch up on your reading, and reboot your psyche.  Check out some of the new titles to hit the Scarsdale Library shelves in recent months.  Click on the book jackets for catalog links.  Enjoy the jour

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated annually in November to honor the rich traditions, histories and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities. While the annual month-long celebration has been in existence for only 34 years, efforts to honor Native Americans go back more than a century to “American Indian Day,” which was declared a holiday by the Governor of New York State in 1916 and celebrated on the second Saturday in May.  Fast forward to 1986, when Congress declared the week of November 23-30 as “American Indian

Who doesn’t love October? The blazing fall foliage, the brisk weather, the brief, bright interlude between summer and winter - for many, October is the high point of the year.  Of course, October culminates with Halloween, notable for pranks, clanging door bells, costumes and too much candy. The holiday actually has ancient origins, dating back more than 2000 years to a Celtic observation called Samhain, when the ancients believed the shifting seasons opened a portal between the dead and the living.

America’s richness and strength stems from its diversity.

Timing is everything, in life and in sports.  The Paris Olympics, which run from July 26-August 11, are perfectly timed to provide diversion and inspiration at the midpoint of a summer that is beginning to feel too long and too hot.  Paris has previously hosted the Games twice, first  in 1900 and again in 1924.

Feeling a surge of wanderlust but unable to travel this summer? Or, would you like to be  inspired, motivated and energized about planning a future journey? Why not escape into a genre known as “armchair travel,” books that transport. No need for an airline ticket, passport or security clearance and, best of all, no glitches and no headaches.  Exotic locales are just a page away when you check out the titles below.  Click on the book jacket for a catalog link. Or, create your own armchair journey by consulting our extensive catalog.  Adventure awaits.