South Orange Hosts Black Maria Film Festival

SOPL hosts 32nd annual Black Maria Film Festival

South Orange Public Library hosts the 32nd annual Black Maria Film Festival at the South Orange Public Library on Tuesday evening, April 16, at 7 p.m. The program will consist of award-winning works selected from this year’s festival by some of the nation’s most prominent cutting-edge filmmakers, including the wonderful works of local filmmakers, Gerard Amsellem, Phil Weisman, and Emily Hubley. Some films to be shown are: Surf and Turf – This film examines contemporary ambiguities in the lives of Syrian Orthodox Jews (before Hurricane Sandy hit) and how the local culture is changing with a continuing tide of newer immigrants in the New Jersey shore town of Deal.  Assimilation is an issue. The look is secular, the lifestyle capitalist and …

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Thursday: Pathmark Shoppers Can Donate to Library for Free

The South Orange Public Library will receive funds when shoppers sign up

Attention, Pathmark shoppers!  There is a new way to donate to the South Orange Public Library, by linking shopper loyalty cards to escrip, which donates one percent of each purchase to the library. Volunteers will be at Pathmark on Thursday, April 4, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., encouraging shoppers and showing them how to set up their cards for donation. Purchases made that day and for all future orders will benefit the library. Volunteer Jillian Stone, who will be on hand at Pathmark, encourages locals to participate. "In this way, individuals can show support for the library without having to reach into their own pockets."

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Photo of the Day: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

The South Orange Public LIbrary will celebrate in style.

Find a hat and dress in red for Dr. Seuss's birthday at the South Orange Public Library on Saturday! Events are listed on the poster.

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South Orange Library Launches American Dream

The library won a grant as part of “The American Dream Starts @ Your Library” literacy project.

The South Orange Public Library, in coordination with two other Essex County libraries, has been awarded a $15,000 grant as part of “The American Dream Starts @ Your Library” literacy project. This initiative is targeted toward adult English language learners and their families, and is funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the American Library Association (ALA), and its Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. The public libraries in South Orange, Bloomfield, and Montclair are partnering with the Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) to provide publicity and space for volunteer training, conversation groups, and individual/small group tutoring in order to provide literacy assistance to all Essex County residents. The libraries…

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South Orange Library Will Host Bestselling Authors

David Lubar and Wendy Mass will speak at the South Orange library on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m.

Acclaimed authors for young readers, David Lubar and Wendy Mass, will discuss their books and their love of reading on Sunday, Feb. 10th, at 2 p.m. at the South Orange Public Library.  The event will be open to the entire family and will be sponsored by the Friends of the South Orange Public Library and Sparkhouse. David Lubar is an author of numerous books for teens.  He is also an electronic game programmer, who programmed Super Breakout for the Nintendo Game Boy, and Frogger for both the SNES and Game Boy.  As a game designer, he designed the game Frogger2: Swampy’s Revenge for the Nintendo Game Boy Color.  His works include the novel, ” Dunk”, a favorite check out at the library.  It is about a young man at the Jersey shore, where …

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Photo of the Day: Library Sees Civil War

The Lego Club at the South Orange Public Library is the place to build.

The South Orange Public Library has activities galore to beat those winter blues. Kids gather on Mondays at 3:30 p.m. to build with Legos™. The Civil War is pictured here, in Lego™ form. More info is here: See the online calendar for details. 65 Scotland Road South Orange NJ 07079 librarian@sopl.org

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Readers and Dreamers are Welcome at the Library

From dinosaurs to mess-making to story time, there will be no shortage of things to do at your local library this summer.

Both the South Orange and Maplewood Public Libraries are doing their best to keep you and your kids busy this summer with a variety of education clubs and events – even dinosaurs. Sign-ups for the Summer Reading Programs at the Maplewood Libraries are going on now. Both the Main Library and the Hilton Branch are offering prizes for reading or attending summer programs. Sign-ups for the South Orange Library have begun, and readers can join at any time. According to Halliday, 1,000 kids signed up last summer and together they read 9,550 books. “The goal this summer is to reach 10,000,” said Halliday. “We have so many things going on [this summer],” she said, that it is difficult to pick just one thing she is most excited about. Among the …

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South Orange Public Library's Winter Film Series Concludes on Tuesday

Babette’s Feast is the last film in the "Food For Thought" series.

The South Orange Public Library’s winter film series continues on Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. with a screening of the Danish film, “Babette’s Feast”.  This Oscar-winning film, from a short story by “Out of Africa’s  Isak Dinesen, is  a wonderful exploration of the meaning of artistry, generosity, loyalty and grace. This film is sure to prompt much conversation, and the library has announced that Philip Weisman, filmmaker and Associate Professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, will lead a discussion afterwards. The theme of the winter series is “Food for Thought.”  Each film will use food and its various effects on people as a central theme.   All are welcome and refreshments will be served.  For further information please …

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South Orange Public Library Announces Winter Film Series

This winter's theme will be movies based around food.

The South Orange Public Library has announced their winter film series, starting at 7 p.m. on January 31.  The 3-part Tuesday evening series will have a theme of “Food for Thought.”  Each film will use food and its various effects on people as a central theme.  Each screening will be followed by a discussion led by Philip Weisman, filmmaker and Associate Professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. The first film in the series will be Chocolat, shown on Tuesday, January 31.  The film, directed by Lasse Halstrom and starring Juliet Binoche and Johnny Depp, is a charming and whimsical tale of a woman who opens a chocolate shop in a small French town and offends the rigid morality of the villagers.  The second film, on February 28…

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About Town

Solving Sibling Rivalry

Parenting Center program to get to the heart of sibling conflict; Library supports LEGO building

When it comes to siblings fighting, how much is too much? How do you know when it's normal sibling rivalry or when you've got a problem on your hands? At a workshop hosted by The Parenting Center tonight, parents can explore how sibling conflict occurs, how their actions can contribute to that conflict, and how to help siblings overcome difficult tensions. Lewis Epstein, author of Coaching for Fatherhood and a licensed social worker in South Orange, will lead the workshop that give parents advice on what kind of adult guidance works best and what kind of rules, expectations and routines help to alleviate conflict. The workshop is free and begins at 7:30 p.m. at Marshall School at 262 Grove Road. Library's LEGO Club builds community Thanks …

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