Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Exploring New Jersey’s Turnpike


The New Jersey Turnpike is quite possibly America's most important road; it is certainly its most traveled. Learn more about it through a series of compelling, sometimes frightening and often humorous anecdotes told by Professor Angus Gillespie at Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 pm.

Based on his award-winning book, Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike, which he co-authored with Michael Aaron Rockland, Gillespie will talk about the Turnpike not only as a physical artifact, but as an emblem of American ideas and values. He’ll describe the physical characteristics of the road and convey the flavor of the massive turnpike—what is looks like, what it feels like, what it smells like, what it means, and how the engineers who built it, in the spirit of their time, were seeking efficiency at the expense of aesthetics and the environment. Built as economically as possible, with virtually no attention to aesthetics, the Turnpike is the embodiment of American pragmatism and of the triumph of function over form.

Dr. Gillespie is a professor of American Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. He is a Fulbright professor and a New York Times best-selling author. A Yale University graduate, he did his graduate work in American Civilization at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The author of several books and numerous articles, Dr. Gillespie has a keen interest in iconic works of civil engineering. His scholarship deals with the design and construction of the built environment including works such as bridges, roads, canals, dams, and building.

The program is funded by the Horizons Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/ and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Tips for Writing A Résumé

When you’re looking for a new job, little is more important than a résumé which accurately reflects the job seeker’s strengths and skills. Join Bernardsville Public Library’s Director Karen Brodsky on Thursday, May 6 at 11:00 am to learn tips for constructing a résumé that will land that coveted interview. During the program, Ms. Brodsky will discuss ways that listeners can identify the experiences, strengths and specific accomplishments that will help them get the job they want.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Developing a Marketing Plan for a Small Business

No matter how good a product or service, a venture cannot succeed without effective marketing. Gene Flematti, a retired marketing executive and current Chairperson of SCORE Chapter 14, will discuss the development of marketing plans for small businesses at Bernardsville Library on Tuesday, April 27 at 7:00 pm.

Mr. Flematti’s talk will cover all phases of a creating a marketing plan with special emphasis on strategies applicable to the new economic environment. Learn how to research, identify and evaluate markets within a service or product area; develop a coherent marketing plan for a targeted area, and the tactics to successfully reach business goals. Participants will leave with a good grasp of how to achieve a competitive advantage, identify trends, product differentiation edge, and meeting and maintaining customer satisfaction.

Central Jersey SCORE Chapter 14, formerly known as the Service Corps of Retired Executives and now billed as Counselors to America’s Small Business, is a resource of the U.S. Small Business Administration and is based at Raritan Valley Community College. Its volunteers offer free counseling to businesses in Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren and Middlesex counties.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Poetry Reading & Open Mic to Celebrate Poetry Month @ Bernardsville Library

Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to welcome David Messineo, publisher and poetry editor of Sensations Magazine, as our feature poet for National Poetry Month 2010. On Saturday, April 24 at 2:00 pm, Mr. Messineo will read poems from his hardcover collection of poetry in form, Formal, while attired in a tuxedo. Audience members are also encouraged to dress upscale for the occasion (preferred, but optional), and may share one short poem in free verse and one short poem in form (originals or personal favorites) as part of the library’s first "simply poetry" open mic that follows the feature program. (The open mic guidelines: no fiction, no comedy routines, no music, "family appropriate" language only.) Mr. Messineo will host the open mic portion and have copies of his book available for purchase and signing afterward.

Sensations Magazine (www.sensationsmag.com) has been in operation in New Jersey for 24 years, and is a rare three-consecutive-year winner in the national American Literary Magazine Awards. Mr. Messineo was recently one of 26 individuals statewide to receive a 2009 NJ State Jefferson Award for Public Service for his event planning, history research, and publishing activities. Contest submission requirements for upcoming Issue 48, "21st Century America" theme, will be handed out to interested attendees at the library event which begins at 2:00 pm with open mic sign-ups at 1:45 pm.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Internationally Celebrated Violinist To Perform at Bernardsville Library




Internationally celebrated violinist Yi-Jia Susanne Hou will perform in free solo concert at Bernardsville Public Library on Sunday, April 18 at 3:00 pm. The concert is part of the Sundays at Three series funded by the Friends of the Bernardsville Public Library. Doors open at 2:45 pm and light refreshments will be served at intermission. No sign-up is needed.

Ms. Hou is the first violinist ever to capture three gold medals with unanimous decisions at international violin competitions: Concours International Long-Thibaud (France, 1999), Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy, 1999), and Sarasate International Violin Competition (Spain, 1997). She has collaborated with world-renowned artists such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Alan Gilbert, Vladimir Spivakov, Cho Liang Lin, and Marcello Viotti, among many others. She can be heard performing the violin solos in the 2008 Atom Egoyan film "Adoration" which won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Festival de Cannes 2008, and she was the subject of Canadian Broadcasting’s “The National” documentary: "Shanghai Sensation," revisiting her childhood in Shanghai, with her father, Alec Hou, a renowned violin pedagogue in China.

Hou has traveled the world, touring in Canada with Debut Atlantic & Prairie Debut, and throughout the United States, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, China, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. She has made solo appearances with the best orchestras in the world.

Born into a musical family, Ms. Hou had music surrounding her all her life. Both her mother and father are violinists, and Hou began studying violin with her father, Alec Hou, at the age of four. Less than a year later, she gave her first public performance and was received with a standing ovation. At nine, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto invited her as a scholarship student. Since then, Hou has had scholarships and fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival for nine summers, as well as The Juilliard School where she received her Bachelor of Music as a student of Dorothy DeLay and Naoko Tanaka in 2000. She then went on to do a one-year Masters program and completed the highly acclaimed Artist Diploma Program in Juilliard with Cho Liang Lin and Naoko Tanaka.

Ms. Hou will perform on a new, very special violin: "Miss Mary," the violin (the 1735 Mary Portman Guarneri Del Gesu 'ex-Fritz Kreisler' violin).

Ms. Hou appears by arrangement with MTM Artists, http://www.mtmartists.com/. There is no charge to attend the concert at the library, and no sign-up is needed. For further information, call the library at 908-766-0118.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Food Drive During Library Week, April 11-17

"Communities thrive @ your library" is the theme for this year's National Library Week. In recognition, Bernardsville Library is holding a food drive to support members of our community in need. Non-perishable items are welcome. All donations will be given to the Community Soup Kitchen in Morristown.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

"No Sweat" Couch Potato Recovery Program

We all know that getting fit and staying fit is good for our long-term health. We also all know, or think we do, that getting and staying fit takes a lot of time and effort. But Far Hills resident Mike Schatzki begs to differ, and he will demonstrate how easy it can be with his “No Sweat” Couch Potato Recovery Program on Tuesday, April 13 at 7:00 pm at Bernardsville Public Library.

Mr. Schatzki, a self-described Recovering Couch Potato, will discuss simple ways to get into shape without working up a sweat or spending two hours in the gym three times a week. He will talk about the benefits of being in good shape and about myths of aging, and offer sensible advice for people of all ages to gradually attain a higher level of fitness. Each attendee will receive a free gift to help him or her onto the road to recovery.

Mike Schatzki has been speaking to audiences worldwide for over 25 years. He has been designated a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a distinction achieved by only 13% of the over 3,300 professional speakers in the National Speakers Association. He received his B.A., Magna Cum Laude, from Haverford College, and his MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University.

There is no charge to attend the program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at www.bernardsvillelibrary.org and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.