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Reserve a recent book, cd, video or DVD. We have one of the finest collections
in the southeastern New York State metropolitan area. Renew books
online too. If you still need what you're reading, you can get
an extension online unless someone is waiting. This is so much
better than a late fee.
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If we don’t have it, let us try to
get it for you from another library--we handle several hundred
requests each month! In 2005, almost 700,000 books, CDs, videos,
DVDs and audiobooks were loaned out.
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Ask a question on any topic. Over 5,000
reference questions are answered each month--in person and by
telephone and email.
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Take a free computer course. We offer
a wide selection of courses in our computer lab: Microsoft Windows,
Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.
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Surf the Internet using our computers
with high-speed cable Internet connections. Or, bring your own
computer and use and free high-speed WIRELESS internet connection.
- Get
a free family weekend pass to many first class museums including
the American Museum of Natural History, the Intrepid Museum, the
New York Botanical Gardens, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum.
- Come
to our free movies series on Wednesdays and Thursdays. We even supply
free popcorn!
- Learn how to use the Internet
more effectively by attending one of our free Internet classes on
email, web searching, or Internet basics. You may be surprised by
what you don’t know...even if you've been using the web for years!
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Get your child started on the habit
of reading. Ask a librarian to recommend some great books. Reading
teaches children cognitive and analytical skills that will be
important throughout their lives! Turn off the TV!
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Bring your children to our popular
storytimes—toddler times, family storytimes
and storybook times and watch your child's eyes light up!
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We live in a wonderful multicultural
community. Check out books in more than 18 languages! Learn a
new language on tape or CD!
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Check our “quick picks.” We have a
special growing collection of traditional Jewish contemporary
books and a special growing collection of books by African
American authors,
- Do research for papers, or simply to
satisfy your own curiosity. We offer databases of articles from
publications that ordinarily charge money to read their archives,
and you can access these by typing in your library card number and
PIN.
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Pick up a book on tape or cd and listen to it in your car as you drive home or
take your next vacation trip. Make your trip a joy!
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Lower your taxes. Take advantage of
free tax help provided by AARP’s tax volunteers at the library.
Get the tax forms and tax filing information you need.
- Download best selling audio and print
books 24/7 to your PC at home, in the office or from anywhere in
the world. Your library never closes!
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Spend a couple of nostalgic hours looking
at back issues of local newspapers (we have some going back to
the nineteenth century). Remember when Route 59 had just two traffic
lights? What was life like in East Ramapo before the Tappan Zee
Bridge? Read all about it.
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Search for library books,
cds, and dvds
and do many other things from home using our library website: http://finkelsteinlibrary.org.
Reserve items, use our full-text databases, check
your personal borrowing record and many other features for your
convenience.
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Become a literacy tutor. Help others
in our community to learn to speak English. We have a long waiting
list of people needing help. No teaching experience is necessary.
Meet here at the Library at a time convenient for you.
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Use our free computers to type a report,
prepare a spreadsheet or produce a brochure and print it. We have
a wide range of software for many applications.
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Prepare for a job interview—look at
sample resumes, job listings, review internet career websites,
attend free job training workshops, etc.
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Read a large-type bestseller without
wearing your glasses!
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Does your child need homework help?
The Children’s department can help--for grades 1-5. We also
have older children who volunteer to meet at the library to help
younger ones with math skills, etc.
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Check out the latest jazz CDs. We have
a large and eclectic music collection—from klezmer
to reggae.
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Spruce up the house with the latest
books, videos and magazines on interior design.
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Get a schedule of classes for local
colleges or find out if you qualify for financial aid or scholarships.
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Discuss what you've read in our book
discussion groups and make new friends while expanding your horizons.
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Attend a free Sunday afternoon concert–
from Bach to Rock. We have programs throughout the year.
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Plan your next vacation. The Library
has a wide variety of travel books, videos, and recommended websites
to help get you started. Planning the fun is half the fun!
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Find out about our library services
for the homebound. This important program brings the library to
our seniors and disabled members of our community. Perhaps you
know someone who could benefit.
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Look up your doctor’s credentials in
a medical directory or from librarian-recommended internet websites.
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Review ratings of the best doctors
in New York.
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Find out what was happening in Spring
Valley in 1940 or in Rockland during the American Revolution.
Do you know how “Monsey” got its name?
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Check out a legal question in the "New
York Code Annotated." Perhaps you need to know the law to
dispute a traffic ticket.
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Find out where to send a consumer complaint
in Rockland County. There are at least three
agencies that can help you.
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Review our Holocaust studies collection,
one of the finest in the region.
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Learn how to plan a drought-resistant
garden. We have gardening workshops, videos and many books.
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Travel to another planet in a Sci-Fi
novel.
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Get into the mind of a great author
by re-exploring the classics. We have recommended lists we can
provide you with.
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Scare yourself with a good mystery.
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Learn how to clean ink stains from
a marble counter.
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Call the Reference Desk to find out
who said "To err is human, to forgive divine." Did you
think it was Shakespeare? It wasn't. We answer more than 5,000
questions a month. (Answer: Alexander Pope).
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Get information about potential new
customers for your business. We can give you a list of almost
every business in Rockland County. Did you know there are almost
100 pizza restaurants and almost 300 automotive repair and parts
shops in Rockland County? We can give you a short profile of each
and thousands more.
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Decide which DVD player to buy with
the help of consumer guides and websites.
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Check new and used car prices with
the help of consumer guides. Everything is negotiable! Having
the right information makes a big difference.
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Check the financial standing of your
local bank or S&L.
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Borrow a set of audiotapes or cds that teach you how to speak French, Spanish, Yiddish
or practically anything else!
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Enjoy changing art exhibits by local
artists.
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Take home Bach, Beethoven and Brahms
cds.
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Entertain your preschooler with a book
and a read-along audiocassette.
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Join others for a "Brown-bag Lunch"
and hear a stimulating speaker.
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Find a quiet place to study for an
upcoming exam.
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Learn who won the America's Cup in 1901.
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Let the children choose an armload
of read-aloud stories. We are fortunate to have a community that
loves to read!
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Get a list of materials that help gain
reading skills.
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Make photocopies of all your important
documents.
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Enroll your child in our library's
Summer Reading Program.
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Learn to play the piano or guitar with
a video, tape or book-- or all three!
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Check on the credentials an out-of-town
lawyer.
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Ask a staff member to give a talk to
your service organization.
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Look in "Standard & Poor's,"
"Moody's" or “Value Line” Directories for information
on potential investments.
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Check out a video on boating safety.
- Attend
our award-winning international and independent film festivals.
- Learn a new software program step-by-step
by using an interactive cd-rom.
- Learn to fix your leaky faucet by referring
to a book or video on plumbing repairs.
- Learn how to fix your car using one
of our manuals or online automotive sources. If you prefer, learn
how to pinpoint a problem and refer it to your mechanic.
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