Princeton Public Library slates busy winter schedule

From reading therapy dogs to writing workshops for young people.

By: Jennifer Potash
   The Princeton Public Library is going to the dogs — reading therapy dogs.
   Dog Day Afternoons, a new reading therapy program that aims to help youngsters develop better reading skills, is one of the many new initiatives offered in the library’s winter program schedule.
   "We do want our programs to speak to all members of the community," said Susan Roth, reader services librarian.
   Reading therapy dog programs are growing across the country, said Ann Woodrow, a youth services librarian who is organizing the program. The first session, on Jan. 15, is geared toward parents and teachers so they may learn about how the dogs are selected and trained, Ms. Woodrow said. Additional workshops will be scheduled.
   The presence of the dog, which is trained to sit quietly next to the student, comforts the child who may struggle with reading, Ms. Woodrow said.
   "There’s no one there to criticize the child and the child just reads to the dog," she said. "It is a very positive experience."
   Another new offering, called Happy Baby, Healthy Baby, will provide parents and caregivers practical sessions on techniques and tactics, including infant massage, infant CPR and potty training. The program is co-sponsored with the Community Education Department of the Princeton HealthCare System. The sessions, which will begin on Monday, will be held Mondays at 10:30 a.m. in the third-floor story room. The snow date for all sessions is Feb. 14.
   Plenty of programs that appeal to adult readers and teenage patrons are on the schedules.
   The library also was selected to host the National Book Foundation’s Gold Medal Tour on Feb. 25. Winners of the foundation’s 2004 awards expected to attend are Kevin Boyle, Lily Tuck, Pete Hautman and Jean Valentine.
   The Carolyn Llewellyn Champlin Writers Talking series continues with Robert Scott at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 11. Mr. Scott, a former Princeton University sociology professor, will discuss his book "The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understating the Medieval Cathedral," which explores how and why medieval people built cathedrals and the political and social uses those buildings served, and the ideas of the divine that lay behind their creation.
   Another entry in the Writers Talking series is a discussion on Feb. 8 by Princeton-area resident Jean Hanff Korelitz, who will read from her new book, "The White Rose," which is an imaginative retelling of the Strauss’ opera "Der Rosenkavalier."
   The partnership with McCarter Theatre and the library continues with two events.
   On Monday, members of the Martha Graham Company will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the innovative dance company. Marvin Preston, executive director of the company and a Princeton resident, and members of the company will discuss touring and the restaging of such legendary works as "Appalachian Spring" and "The Cave of the Heart." The Martha Graham Company, which first performed in Princeton in the 1930s, returns to McCarter Theatre on Jan. 28.
   Patrons will have the opportunity to meet with performers and other principals of "The Bells," directed by McCarter Theatre Creative Director Emily Mann from the play by Theresa Rebeck, at a date to be announced. The drama is set in the waning years of the Alaska gold rush and follows the lives of a gregarious innkeeper, his rebellious daughter and the assorted drunks and misfits who populate a fading boomtown.
   On the technology front, the library will offer Spanish-language computer classes after a pilot program held last fall could not meet the demand for the classes.
   Assistant Library Director Elba Barzelatto said the six-week class, which began on Dec. 7 and runs until Jan. 18, offers the dozen students lessons on the basics of e-mail and using the Internet.
   The students in the first session, which ended around Thanksgiving, used their new skills to send e-mail to family members in their native countries, read Spanish-language newspapers and shop online, Ms. Barzelatto said.
   "They were very grateful and asked for more classes," said Ms. Barzelatto of the inaugural class, which had two men and 10 women.
   The efforts of Ms. Barzelatto to expand Spanish-language programs and materials has resulted in more and more Latino residents using the library, said Library Director Leslie Burger.
   "When I first came to the library (in 1999) not many members of the Latino community came into the library," she said. "They came as far as the front door but never came in."
   For film buffs, the library and The Arts Council of Princeton will co-sponsor the film series "Real Men/Reel Men: Beyond the Macho Myth" that will kick off on Jan. 12 with a showing of the 1970 film "I Never Sang For My Father." The series, a follow-up to 2003’s successful "Real Life/Reel Life: Women of a Certain Age," explores the lives of men and the many ways they are portrayed in film. The monthly series wraps up in June.
   Young writers will have the chance to improve their skills at two different workshops conduced by Princeton author Megan McCafferty, who wrote the coming-of-age novel "Sloppy Firsts," and a sequel, "Second Helpings."
   A single two-hour workshop for students in grades six through 12, who will participate in writing exercises, will be held Saturday.
   A three-session workshop, designed for more experienced writers, will focus on sharing works-in-progress and gaining feedback. It will be held Feb. 5, 12 and 26.
   Space is limited and interested people should call the library at (609) 924-9529, ext. 240, to register for the workshops.
   For more information on library programs, visit the library’s Web site at www.princetonlibrary.org.