Hudson's Library: A Buzz of Activity
by Ginger Grab

One day when I was in fourth grade, my teacher took me aside to show me the small table of books that constituted our classroom library. She said I could take any one of these books to read whenever I had finished my desk work before the other children. I remember I chose The Secret Garden. What pleasure this reading experience brought me! I had found the key to an amazing, magical world where time dissolved and my imagination had free play. I even met a little girl my own age who felt lonely like I sometimes did. From that moment on, my life was transformed. I became interested in school and in learning, and the course of my life was set; I became a life-long -reader and lover of books.

Since then, I have also become a lover of our wonderful local libraries, and, in recent years, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tivoli Free Library. Seeing how our small library has become a vital center of learning and activity for the various members of our village and the surrounding area, I began to wonder about the challenges facing a larger library in an urban setting. I decided to visit the Hudson Area Library and see for myself the ways in which it serves the needs of a much larger and more diverse population.

The beautiful, almost 200-year-old stone building that houses the Hudson Area Library has a long history of serving the Hudson community. It was originally an almshouse, sheltering the very poor at a time when, by state law, towns and cities were expected to assume this responsibility. Since then, the building has functioned as an insane asylum, an academy for young women, a private residence, and a home for orphans and needy children. In 1957, this magnificent structure was donated to the local board of education and, in 1959, became the home for the Hudson Area Library.

At first, the inside of the large rambling building made me think of a rabbit warren, with rooms and hallways seemingly going off in all directions. This impression is reinforced by the buzz of activity in the various rooms. To the left of the entrance hallway is a computer room; both times I visited, this room was full of teenagers, with every computer in use. This space is also used for the very popular computer classes, including a basic beginners' program for seniors, taught by Laurie Quinn of "Technology 4 All." The computer in the large, comfortable and inviting children's room offers a variety of early literacy programs and math programs and is always in use. Greta Boeringer, the very friendly and helpful head librarian, told me she often sees parents at this computer along with little kids and teenagers. Funding for this early literacy workstation was provided through assistance from Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, who also found funding for the library's server, which keeps both staff and patron computers running.

As we walked into a large room to the right, Greta was greeted warmly by a young man seated at the computer next to the reception desk. This is the business computer and there are no time restrictions on its use; it is for conducting job searches, creating resumes, applying for on-line positions. In another corner, a young woman was using the on-line catalogue computer. Among several browsers, I noticed an elderly gentleman seated in a comfortable-looking armchair, reading a newspaper. When I commented to Greta on this atmosphere of busy activity, she assured me that the big rush—when the local schools let out— was yet to come.

The people I saw in the library seemed to represent not only a variety of ages but also a diversity of ethnic and racial groups. When I asked Greta about the challenges the library faced, she spoke of a number of programs designed to meet the needs of particular groups in a very diverse community. For example, the Hudson library partners with the strong, well-organized Haitian community in the Haitian Community Development Project. The library also serves the increasing Asian and Hispanic communities by providing space for and working with an English as a Second Language program. Greta also spoke of a very diversified population in terms of income. Many of the library's programs appeal to members of all economic groups, but some programs and activities are designed to address particular patron needs. For example, last year, when the school district received a grant for tutoring homeless children, the library provided space for the children and tutors to meet. A number of "latchkey" kids, says Greta, also find a warm welcome and fun activities at the library. One of Greta's pet projects for the immediate future is to find the resources within the Hudson community to develop a financial literacy program. She believes that many of the people she meets could benefit greatly by learning the skills of managing their money and of planning ahead.

Greta Boeringer brings many gifts to the Hudson Area Library and uses her energy to bring the library's gifts to the community. For example, last year the Hudson Area Library participated in "The Big Read" funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Greta made sure materials for this program, including the novel Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradury, reached such different constituencies as local prisons, special needs adults, the juvenile detention center, private and public schools, and the Hudson City Book Group of middle school kids and their parents. It seems as if almost everyone in the Hudson area was reading and talking about Farenheit 451.

What Greta most wishes everyone knew about the Hudson Area Library is how contemporary technology has transformed libraries. According to Greta, the wealth of the library lies in more than what is immediately apparent—the books, the varied programs, the many activities. The library no longer houses just its own collection but has immediate access, through the Mid-Hudson Library System, to the holdings of over 66 libraries. Also, through the Home Access program you can have absolutely free on-line access to over 8,000 current magazines—newspapers, general reference publications, health information, consumer reports, the last 365 days of the New York Times, all for free.

Our libraries have grown and changed since those long-ago school days when I availed myself of a handful of books on a tiny table. But the magic is still there. Any one of us can enter a whole new world of pleasure, of learning, of culture. The Hudson Area Library at 400 State Street in downtown Hudson, is well worth a visit.

New Germantown Public Library Now Open

Early this year the Germantown Public Library moved into its new building on Palatine Park Road, and in the next month or two construc-tion will begin on a new community room. The room will feature up-to-date technology including six public computers and a computer for kids. (Two other computers provide access to the holdings of the entire Mid-Hudson Library System.) Fundraising continues in support of the entire building.