Blog Entries

On March 12, 1987, Congress passed  Public Law 100-9, designating March as National Women’s History Month. Each year, the President issues a special proclamation to acknowledge the enormous contributions of women to American life, history and culture.

February is Black History Month, an annual tribute to generations of African Americans whose invaluable contributions to this country were often achieved in the face of tremendous adversity.  Originally a week-long observance created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, the event is celebrated in February to acknowledge the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  In 1976, the celebration was expanded to a month by President Gerald R.

International Holocaust Memorial Day is observed annually on January 27th.

At the end of each year we are all besieged by lists singling out the best in every genre - best movies, best books, best TV series, etc.  While these suggestions 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 books that have flown off our library shelves most frequently in 2023.  Click on the book jacket to be taken to the link. Happy New Year and happy reading!   

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.

January is synonymous with resolutions. In the spirit of the new year, who has not, with the best intentions, committed to a better life, a better self, a better world?  Change can be daunting but you don’t have to go it alone - there are countless books to both inspire and guide you. Is the proliferation of self-help books a response to the complexity and anxiety of our current times? Possibly; but, believe it or not, the very first self-help book, conveniently and obviously titled Self-Help,  was written in 1859 by Scottish author Samuel Smiles.

December can be daunting - holidays, family gatherings, cooking and decorating are exhilarating but they can also result in exhaustion and sensory overload.  Add on the psychological impact of early sunsets and you have a perfect storm for stress.  How to decompress? Escape into a good book,  the ideal way to reboot your psyche and re-center your soul.  What to read?

November is Native American Heritage Month, aka American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.  While the annual month-long celebration has been in existence for only 33 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 th

Now that we are looking in the rear view mirror at the summer of ‘23, we can finally set our sights on the pleasures of early fall. In addition to the renewed energy brought on by sweater weather and the thrill of fall foliage and cool weather comfort foods, October culminates with Halloween, an occasion for costumes, candy and scary stories.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which is observed from September 15 to October 15, is an annual tribute to the history, cultural contributions and continuing vibrant presence of Hispanic-Americans, those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.  Formerly known as Hispanic Heritage Week, the celebration began under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and was expanded to a 30-day event by President Reagan in 1988.

What do you think was the first example of artificial intelligence? Was it the chatbot ELIZA in the 1960s? When IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated a chess grandmaster in the 1990s? Perhaps it was when the program Watson competitively played Jeopardy! in 2011 or when Boston Dynamics unveiled its dexterous dog-like robot Spot in 2016. Just this year, you might have engaged with the strikingly lucid writings of ChatGPT or the elaborate artistic creations of Midjourney.

August is an auspicious month for our canine companions.  The “Dog Days,” of summer, which officially begin on July 3 and end on August 11, coincide with Sirius, the Dog Star, rising and setting with the sun. Known as the Dog Star because it is part of the constellation Canis Major, Latin for “Greater Dog,” Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky at this time.

There’s no better vacation - or staycation - companion than a good book, a real page turner that you absolutely cannot put down. The books pictured below encompass a wide variety of styles and themes; the one thing they have in common is their ability to transport.  Click on a book jacket to be taken to a link in our catalog.  

“One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” Jeannette Walls

The Fourth of July, aka Independence Day, is America’s most iconic holiday and undoubtedly its favorite as well.  Who doesn’t love a day featuring parades, fireworks, barbecues, baseball and family reunions?  A bit of background: on July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of the independence of the colonies from Great Britain. Two days later, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

Welcome to Scarsdale's Summer Reading Program! Not just for kids, summer reading is a wonderful opportunity for self-discovery and delight. Come join us in reading a book (or ten) and sharing some of your favorite moments along the way. Keep cool, uncover something new, and get the chance to win some prizes along the way!