Summer library tour!

The Suffolk County Public Libraries Summer Tour is underway.

The tour, which includes the Center Moriches Free Public Library, allows library-goers to visit libraries across Suffolk County.

How does the program work?

Those who participate are given a free Suffolk Summer Tour booklet allowing them to take a trip and visit various public libraries. After making a destination visit, any time between July 1 and Aug. 31, library-goers get their booklet stamped.

During their visits, they get to see new sights, learn fun facts, and even be entered into a raffle. Raffle prizes include Barnes & Noble gift cards and a grand prize of a Nook eReader.

Receive a stamp from five libraries: one entry into a raffle for $50 Barnes & Noble gift card

Receive a stamp from 15 libraries: one entry into a raffle for $100 Barnes & Noble gift card

Receive a stamp from 25 libraries: one entry into a raffle for a Nook and $25 Barnes & Noble gift card

Once you hit each of the above milestones, show it to a library staff member and they will give you a raffle ticket to fill out. To be included in the raffles, you must show your stamps at any library by Aug. 31. All raffles will be drawn on Friday, Sept. 8. Booklets can be picked up in the Children’s Department.

“It’s a fun and exciting activity to do with friends or with your family,” said CMFPL library director Marcie Litjens. “Suffolk County libraries have so many resources available and each library is unique, offering a variety of services for the community they serve. It’s also a great opportunity to explore a new town.”

The Suffolk County Public Library Tour was funded through New York State’s Love Your Library fund. This fund is supported by the taxpayers of New York who checked a box when filing their annual taxes. These donations helped to create the fund, which is dedicated to running summer programming at New York libraries.

According to Derek Ivie, Suffolk County Library System’s youth services coordinator, this is the first year of this program.

“Inspired by other systems in the state that have run similar tours in the past, the Youth Services Department (my colleague Darla Salva Cruz and myself) at the Suffolk Cooperative Library System came up with this booklet and stamp version of the tour for the county,” he explained. “With this year’s Summer Reading theme being “All Together Now,” we knew this was the perfect time for all of the libraries to offer something altogether… now! Everything was designed in-house by SCLS’s marketing coordinator, Noah Reed.”

The booklets were then printed by a local printer on recycled paper.

“The idea was fully supported by the member libraries in the county, which was truly exciting!” he added.

Three weeks into the program, he said, they have already received hundreds of raffle tickets from Suffolk County library patrons. Also, they received their first completed 25-stamp raffle ticket the first week.

“It’s been wonderful hearing stories from the library staff members in the county about how many people are visiting to receive their stamps,” he continued. “Recently, my colleague and I were visiting the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport and a family was stopping in from western Suffolk. They were spending their day traveling the North Fork collecting library stamps! Nothing beats seeing patrons of all ages visit libraries they may have never seen before!”

For more information visit: https://www.livebrary.com/SummerTour.

Other library events this august

Coffee With a Cop & Operation
Medicine Cabinet

Thursday, Aug. 17 from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Join Suffolk County Police COPE officers from the 7th Precinct for an informal meet and greet to express concerns. They will also be able to accept any expired or unwanted prescription drugs. All are welcome.

Blood Drive

The Center Moriches Free Public Library will be hosting a blood drive on Thursday, Aug. 31, between the hours of 12:30 - 6:30 p.m. Your donation will help to save up to three lives.

• Bring NY Blood Center or alternate ID with name and photo.

• Minimum weight 110 lbs.

• Age 16 – 75 (16-year-olds must have parental permission). Age 76 and over (need doctor’s note).

• Eat well (low fat) and drink fluids.

• No tattoos for the past three months. For additional guidelines or questions concerning medical eligibility/ information, or to make an appointment, call 1-800-933-2566 or call the library at 631-878- 0940 ext 5.