Blog Entries

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 million Americans p

Amanda Gorman, the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate, wrote: “Poetry is the lens we use to interrogate the history we stand on and the future we stand for. It is no coincidence that at the base of the Statue of Liberty, there is a poem.”  Her message that poetry transcends the boundaries of time and place is one of the reasons this literary form will always be an integral part of our lives and culture.

Hello Scarsdale Teens!  

Here's the February installment of our bite-sized writing exercise:  Post-it Prompts!

Our latest prompt for you was: 

What would your perfect day consist of ?

You wrote:

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.

Hello Scarsdale Teens!

Here's our January installment of our bite-sized writing exercise: Post-it-Prompts!

Our most recent prompt for you was:  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you travel?

You wrote:

• China
• Italy
• Dubai, Paris
• Italy and Ecuador
• Scotland
• Solomon Islands
• Japan, Tokyo
• Japan and Ireland
• Australia and South Korea

Our next Post-it-Prompt will launch in February

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!   

Hello Scarsdale Teens!

Here is the December installment of our bite-sized writing exercise: Post-it-Prompts!

Our latest prompt for you was: Would you rather live where it is always winter or always summer? 

You wrote:

• Always winter - not enjoyable but we can always add layers to get warm.
• WINTER
• BOTH (New York)
• Summer!

Our next Post-it Prompt is already up in the Teen Room - come take a look!

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.

Hello Scarsdale Teens!

This is your latest installment of our bite-sized writing exercise:  Post-it-Prompts!

Our latest prompt for you was: If you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life,what would the be?

You wrote:

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?

Hello Scarsdale Teens!

Here's our most recent bite-sized writing exercise:  Post-it Prompts!

Our October prompt for you was:  What was your favorite Halloween costume you dressed up in as a child?

You Wrote:

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