24 Chestnut Street, Spring Valley, NY 10977
Phone: (845) 352-5700
Fax: (845) 352-2319

Director: Bob Devino

Life Skills Center at the Library

America’s public libraries have, for many generations, been rightfully known as “the people’s university” because they have always provided working men and women with an opportunity for learning and self-improvement that they might not otherwise necessarily have access to through more traditional institutions of learning.

As the community we serve grows more diverse, and as the need for learning new skills in an ever-changing world grow more pressing, we see an ever-growing need for resources that will help our community members attain the knowledge they need.

With this in mind, we have started what we call a “Life Skills Center” which will be located on the library’s third floor, and which will bring together a variety of materials that will help people improve their language skills, prepare for a civil service test, create a winning job search strategy, or prepare for citizenship.


In the coming weeks and months, we will be gathering materials from the second floor non-fiction collection and relocating them to the new third floor locale. A “World Languages” section – bringing together both print materials and recorded books in 14 different languages – will be the first part of the “Life Skills Center” to be completed. In the near future civil service test guides, academic test materials (including GED, SAT, GRE, and many more), resume guides, citizenship materials, and much more will be found in one convenient location. Making this service more helpful will be the relocation of the first floor “Information Desk” to the new third floor center, where a reference librarian will be on hand to assist you in your work.

Existing Third Floor features like the quiet study tables, the Civil Service postings, and the Technology Center will remain where they are, complementing the area’s emphasis on education and self-improvement. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions about this new service, we look forward to speaking to you.

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