Library is Now Open

The Library is now open to the public. All library materials will be due on January 2nd.

We will be closed on January 28-30 and a grand reopening is scheduled for January 31st.

Closed December 1-14

The Monroe Library is beginning the final stages of its renovation project. While this work is being done the Library will be closed from Monday, December 1 through Sunday, December 14.

• The Library will reopen on Monday, December 15.
• All Library materials will be due on January 2, 2009.
• There will be NO fines charged during December.
• Please DO NOT return items while the Library is closed.
• If you would like to return your items at an earlier date, the Library staff would appreciate that you return these items after December 22.
• While the Library is closed holds cannot be placed on materials.
• Items previously placed on hold will be available for pickup after Tuesday, December 16.
• Please call the Library at 732-521-5000 for construction updates.
• The Library Bookmobile will be off the road during the month of December.
• Library cards for Monroe may be used in numerous libraries in New Jersey. The participating libraries in Middlesex County are:

Cranbury
609-655-0555

Old Bridge
(732) 721-5600, ext. 5024

Edison
(732) 287-2298

Perth Amboy
(732) 826-2600

Highland Park
(732) 572-2750

Piscataway
(732) 463-1633

Jamesburg
(732) 521-0440

Plainsboro
(609) 275-2897

Middlesex County College
732.906.2561

Sayreville
(732) 727-0212

Milltown
(732) 247-2270

South Amboy
(732) 721-6060

New Brunswick
(732) 745-5108

South Brunswick
(732) 329-4000, ext. 280

North Brunswick
(732) 246-3545

South River
(732) 254-2488

Spotswood
(732) 251-1515

Great Decisions Series Discussion Forum: Foreign Aid

Billionaire Warren Buffet's June 2007 pledge to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation prompted headlines about the size of the gift and the impact it could have on global education and health initiatives. Can private donors be more effective than governments in tackling world problems?

Saturday, December 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Sign up at the Circulation Desk

Coffee and a Book

7:30 p.m., Monday, December 29
10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 30
A discussion about The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Great Decisions: U.S.-China Trade Policy

10:30 a.m., Sat, November 22

Recent product safety scares have thrown
the spotlight on the enormous role China
plays in supplying products to the U.S.
Could the large and growing trade imbalance
with China have an adverse effect on the U.S. economy? What role
does the undervalued Chinese currency play?
Sign up at Circulation

 

Saturday Review Book Group

Award-winning Norwegian novelist Petterson renders the meditations of Trond Sander, a man nearing 70, dwelling in self-imposed exile at the eastern edge of Norway in a primitive cabin. Trond's peaceful existence is interrupted by a meeting with his only neighbor, who seems familiar. The meeting pries loose a memory from a summer day in 1948 when Trond's friend Jon suggests they go out and steal horses. That distant summer is transformative for Trond as he reflects on the fragility of life while discovering secrets about his father's wartime activities. The past also looms in the present: Trond realizes that his neighbor, Lars, is Jon's younger brother, who "pulls aside the fifty years with a lightness that seems almost indecent." Trond becomes immersed in his memory, recalling that summer that shaped the course of his life while, in the present, Trond and Lars prepare for the winter, allwing Petterson to dabble in parallels both bold and subtle.

Saturday, November 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Sign up & Reserve Your Copy at Circulation

Coffee & a Book

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Monday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 28 at 10:30 a.m.

• Sign up and reserve your copy of the book a month before each meeting.
• Refreshments will be served.
• Questions? Contact Reference Librarian Monica Teixera at (732) 521-5000

Saturday Review Book Group

Saturday Review Book Group World class athlete and seven-time winner of the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong tells his inspirational story about surviving cancer.

Saturday, October 25 at 10:30 a.m.
Sign Up & Reserve Your Copy at Circulation

Library Closings:

Monday, September 1: Labor Day

Great Decisions Discussion Group

10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 27. This monthly discussion forum will be on the topic of U.S. Defense Policy. The cold war is long over, but there are new threats to U.S. and world security. How should the U.S. structure its military to meet these new challenges? Sign up and reserve background information at Circulation.

Please Note: Due to construction, all programs meet in the Library’s back study lounge. All programs subject to cancellation. Please call to confirm or check our Website at www.monroetwplibrary.org for most up to date information.

All events are open to the public.

Saturday Review Book Group

10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 13. Discussion about Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Please Note: Due to construction, all programs meet in the Library’s back study lounge. All programs subject to cancellation. Please call to confirm or check our Website at www.monroetwplibrary.org for most up to date information.

All events are open to the public.

Coffee & a Book

7:30 p.m., Monday, August 25

10:30 a.m., Tuesday, August 26.

Discussion about The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Please Note: Due to construction, all programs meet in the Library’s back study lounge. All programs subject to cancellation. Please call to confirm or check our Website at www.monroetwplibrary.org for most up to date information.

All events are open to the public.

Great Decisions Discussion Group

10:30 a.m., Saturday, August 23.

This monthly discussion forum will be on the topic of Russia. During his two terms as president, Vladimir Putin has attempted to remake Russia into a major, independent world power. Some of his recent policies have provoked concern in the U.S. and Europe. What course will Russia take under its newly elected president, Dmitri A. Medvedev? Sign up and reserve background information at Circulation.

Please Note: Due to construction, all programs meet in the Library’s back study lounge. All programs subject to cancellation. Please call to confirm or check our Website at www.monroetwplibrary.org for most up to date information.

All events are open to the public.

Saturday Review Book Group

Saturday, August 9 at 10:30 a.m.
Sign Up & Reserve Your Copy at Circulation

The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America - majestic mountains, silent forests, sparkling lakes. If you're going to take a hike, it's probably the place to go - and Bill Bryson's is surely the most entertaining guide you'll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way - and a couple of bears.

Please Note: Due to construction, all programs meet in the Library’s back study lounge. All programs subject to cancellation. Please call to confirm or check our Website at www.monroetwplibrary.org for most up to date information.

All events are open to the public.

Book Reviews

Summer Schedule

You may have noticed a reduced number of programs for the summer. This is because of the ongoing construction project. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Great Decisions Discussion Group

10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 22. This monthly discussion forum will be on the topic of Blacklisting the Enemy. Agreement on how precisely to define “terrorism” remains elusive, leaving room for debate over who belongs or doesn’t on the U.S. State Department’s roster of rogues. How should the U.S. deal with countries like Cuba, North Korea, and Iran? What approach should the U.S. take with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah? Sign up at Circulation.

Saturday Review Book Group

10:30 a.m., Saturday, July 19. *NEW* A discussion about Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Friends of the Library Meeting

1:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 24.

Coffee & a Book

7:30 p.m., Monday, June 23

AND

10:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 24. Discussion about Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Free Walk-In Movies

2:00 p.m., Thursdays, June 5, 12, 26. View films with the theme “Time Warp”.

Library Closings:

Monday, May 26- Memorial Day

Sunday, May 18 is the last Sunday the Library will be open until September 7, 2008

Director’s Cut Book Group

7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 29

A discussion led by Library Director Irene Goldberg about The Terrorist by John Updike. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Friends of the Library Meeting

Friends of the Library Meeting

1:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 29

Free Walk in Movies

Free Walk-In Movies
2:00 p.m., Thursdays, May 8, 15, 29. View films featuring Matt Damon.

Friends of the Library Annual Book & Media Sale

When: Beginning Saturday, April 26, 2008 through Friday, May 2, 2008

Details: The Friends of the Monroe Township Library will hold its Annual Book & Media Sale April 26-May 2, where you can purchase gently used books and media at bargain prices! The book sale offers thousands of donated items sorted into fiction hardcover and paperbacks, non-fiction, children’s books, movies, music, and audiobooks. Gift books, better editions, and coffee-table books are offered at individual bargain prices.

Donation Guidelines:

Donations of clean, lightly used books and media are accepted at the main desk during Library hours. Due to limited storage space, up to two bags of donations can be accepted per visit. For a donation receipt, please leave name, address, and a count of hardcover, paperback, and media items in each bag. Donations should not be placed in the book return slots.

We regret that we cannot accept encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, or textbooks. Business, health, and computer books should not be more than five years old. Media must be in working condition and cannot be taped or downloaded due to copyright laws. Children’s books, newer fiction, timely non-fiction, history and biography are especially welcome. Donations will be accepted through April 20^th.

Book Sale Schedule:

Saturday, April 26: Preview Day, from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, with a $1.00 entry fee for all adults.

Sunday, April 27: Opening Day, from 1:00-4:00 pm

Monday, April 28: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Tuesday, April 29: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Wednesday, April 30: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Thursday, May 1: 10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Friday, May 2: 10:00 am to 3:00 pm...Friday is Bag Day – fill a bag for $1.00!

Pricing:

Hardcover books: $2.00 Trade paperbacks: $1.00

Mass-market paperbacks: 50 cents DVDs: $4.00

Videos and music CDs: $2.00 Audio books: $3.00

Children’s books: 50 cents

Special items in all categories will be priced as marked.

Cash and checks are accepted for payment at the Book Sale.

Magazine Sale: Concurrent with the Book Sale, back issues of magazines will be for sale across from the Circulation Desk during Library hours.

Friends of the Library Meeting

1:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 22

Great Decisions Discussion Group

10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 22. This monthly forum will be on the topic of European Integration: Looking Ahead. As the EU expands, is it becoming a stronger ally for the U.S., or a bigger competitor? Sign up at Circulation and inquire about background information available for checkout.

Knit Lit Book Group

12:00 p.m., Thursday, April 17. Bring your knitting project to work on while we discuss Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas. Sign up at Circulation.

Coffee & a Book

7:30 p.m., Monday, April 7

10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 8. A discussion about The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

Monday Morning Book Group

10:00 a.m., Monday, April 7. Sylvia Deutsch leads the discussion about Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins. Sign up and reserve your copy at Circulation.

March Artist of the Month

Monroe Township Schools:

Applegarth Middle School

Friends of the Library Meeting

Tuesday, March 21 at 1:00 p.m.

Free Walk-In Movies

Thursdays, March 13, 20, & 27

2:00 pm

View these films featuring Will Smith:

March 13: I-Robot (2004)

March 20: Hitch (2005)

March 27: Pursuit of Happyness (2007)

Knit Lit Knitting & Book Group

Thursday, March 20 at 12:00 pm

Bring your knitting project to work on while we discuss the latest selection, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

Sign up at Circulation.

Great Decisions Series Discussion

Tuesday, March 25 at 10:30am

This monthly forum returns for 2008 with the following featured topics Iraq end-game, European Union at 50, talking to our enemies, Russia, U.S. defense and security policies, Latin America, U.S.-China trade policy, and private philanthropy.

Join us for this month’s discussion about the Iraq end-game. A recurring question found in most public opinion polls and on the 2008 presidential campaign trail: What will be the end-game for the U.S. in Iraq? How will U.S. decisions about continued engagement affect Iraq itself, and the Middle East? Sign up at Circulation.

Scrapbooking with Alicia Somers

Thursdays, March 6, 13, & 27 at 7:00 pm

Novice to experienced scrapbookers can bring their photos to create 2-page layouts on various themes. Paper, punches, and paper trimmers provided. In addition to your photos, please bring markers for journaling and adhesives for your photos and embellishments. Sign up at Circulation.

Let’s Talk About It!: Jewish Lit Book Group

Sunday, March 2 at 1:30 pm

Join us for the final meeting of this group. The film, Enemies: A Love Story, based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer will be screened & refreshments will be served. Sign up at Circulation.