Horicon Free Public Library

The library began as a home-based reading center to which Mrs. Emily Heintzelman gave many books. The land for the original building was deeded to the trustees of the Heintzelman Library by Laura A. and Scott Barton. In 1907 the stone and wood building which first housed the Horicon Free Public Library was completed and inscribed as the Heintzelman Library. Twenty-five years later, the town of Horicon assumed responsibility and to the present year, the library has been tax supported. In 2001, the Town built a Community Center, including a larger library. This enabled us to meet state standards, and to accommodate the increasing needs of the community.

Contact Information

Horicon Free Library
6604 State Route 8
P.O. Box 185
Brant Lake, NY 12815
Phone: (518) 494-4189
Fax: (518) 494-3852
Director — Linda Hoyt

The library is a member of the Southern Adirondack Library System.

Library Hours

The library hours are:
Monday: 2:00-8:00PM Tuesday: 12:00-5:00PM
Thursday: 2:00-8:00PM Saturday: 10:00AM-1:00PM
The library will be closed for the following holidays in 2009-2010 through February:
Thursday, January 1, 2009 New Year’s Day
Monday, January 19, 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday
Monday, May 26, 2009 Memorial Day
Saturday, July 4, 2009 Independence Day
Monday, September 7, 2009 Labor Day
Monday, October 12, 2009 Columbus Day
Thursday, December 26, 2009 Christmas Eve
Thursday, December 31, 2009 New Year’s Eve
Monday, January 18, 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday
Monday, February 16, 2010 President’s Day

Membership

All residents of the area are entitled to be borrowers. Proof of residency is required. You
do not have to live here year-round to be a borrower. Non-residents who do not have
valid SALS/MVLS cards may obtain cards by presenting a current valid library card from
almost any other public library along with a current valid ID with name and address.

Loan Policy

Print items and books on CDs or cassette tapes have a loan period of two weeks unless
otherwise stated. The loan period for DVDs and VHS tapes (videos) is seven days, with a
limit of three per visit. Most items are renewable. When renewing materials it is preferred
that you bring them to the library for renewal. If you renew by phone, please have your
library card and the items for renewal with you at the phone. A book drop is available for
off-hours returns.

Reserves and Interlibrary Loans

Materials owned by the Horicon Free Library that are not currently available may be
reserved at the circulation desk. If the library does not own the item you want, we will try
to locate it for you and order it through Interlibrary Loan. Subject requests beyond our
resources may be handled by the central reference library, Crandall Library in Glens
Falls.

Memorials and Gifts

Relatives and friends of deceased persons are encouraged to contribute monetary
donations for special book purchases. Those books will carry memorial name plates, to
your specification, and make meaningful additions to the collection.

Donations of books and other items, whether useful to the collection or sellable at the
library's book sales, are welcome. We request you consult with the librarian prior to
bringing donated items to the library. All items must be clean and in good condition. We
do not accept encyclopedias or textbooks.

Services from the Southern Adirondack Library System

The Horicon Free Library is a member of the Southern Adirondack Library System ("SALS"). Our membership provides the Horicon Free Library and the prople living in the Town of Horicon with many benefits, including the following:

Cost-saving business practices: Centralized ordering stretches our budget.
Easy and efficient resource sharing: the Interlibrary Loan service is invaluable.
Access to electronic technologies: Our library could never afford to hire someone with the expertise of SALS' computer system managers
Participation in innovative projects and programs: It is nice to have SALS write a grant application for us.
Leadership and Advocacy: Librarians' meetings and conferences help our library because they are forums for sharing ideas, experiences and information among libraries across a wide geographic area.

Computer Services

Computer-based library catalog available in the library or online at http://catalog.sals.edu
Free Internet Access
Multi-media computer with educational software for children and adults
WiFi capability
Five public computers for word processing use
Research databases at http://research.sals.edu/brl

Other Services

Fiction and non-fiction books
Large type books
Books on CD and tape
Adirondack hisory collection, including local history
DVDs and VHS videocassettes
Magazines
Photocopying

Friends of the Horicon Free Library

What follows is an update for 2009 of the free special programs, workshops and classes
(partial listing) provided by the Friends of the Horicon Free Library in affiliation with the
Horicon Free Public Library

The Horicon Free Public Library Spring-Summer Newsletter, due out in June, will have more
details on the upcoming programs.

Read a Book and Pass it On ― in conjunction with North Warren Central School, the
teachers bring the students in grades K through 6 and Head Start into the library and
choose the book they want; and then pass it along to another child to read.
May 3 2009, 11AM ― CREATING GARDEN STEPPING STONES to take place
behind the Horicon Town Hall. Children are invited to take part in making and
embellishing concrete garden stepping-stones. The program is for children ages five and
up who are accompanied by an adult. Advance registration is required and class size is
limited so call Barbara Blum at 494-3357 to sign up.
June 6 2009, 2:00PM — FANCY NANCY TEA. Girls between the ages of five and
eight will be invited to attend a Fancy Nancy Tea. High tea and fancy deserts will be
served. Girls should wear their fanciest dress and either buy or make a hat for the
occasion. Beautiful prize baskets are awarded for the best hat in each category. Each
participant will receive a book from the Fancy Nancy Book Series. Registration is
required prior to May 20, so that personal invitations can be mailed. Call Sal Joiner at
518-260-0043 to register.
July-August ― BEDTIME STORES AND TREAT is focused on encouraging
parents and children to begin to read with preschoolers. This program is held
every Thursday night in the library beginning at 6:30PM.
July 11 2009 ― TEDDY BEAR PICNIC for preschool aged children. There will be a
picnic lunch, games, songs and stories and a hunt for teddy bears. (Time to be
announced).
August 15 2009 ― THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN for boys between the ages
of five and nine. Kids come dressed as pirates and ready for water balloon cannon ball
fights, walking the plank, a treasure hunt and other games. There will be lunch, and dads
are invited to take part in the cannon ball fight.
September 2009 ― STUDY OF THE LIFECYCLE OF THE MONARCH
BUTTERFLY. This annual event is one of our most popular programs. The children
will hunt for caterpillars and will make butterfly houses to take home their specimens.
October 2009 ― (date to be announced) for fall pumpkin and painting projects.
November 2009 ― THANKSGIVING CENTERPIECES.
December 2009 ― CHRISTMAS IN BRANT LAKE. Over 100 children and their
families attended the 2008 event.

ALL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN SPONSORED BY THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THEY ARE WELL PLANNED AND
SUPERVISED AND OFFER EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINING EVENTS.

Other activities that planned are:

Creative Writing Classes ― Henry Denker (author of books, plays and television series),
Diane Dryer (who works in the motion picture industry), and David Yosevoli (poet and
teacher of Language Arts at Plattsburg University) have agreed to help us offer free
classes in creative writing. We have not worked out the details, but having such a great
team of instructors is a good start in the planning process.

For more information about the Friends of the Library, please call 518-260-0043.

Directions

Take Exit 25 from I-87. Turn right and follow Route 8 east into Brant Lake (about 2 miles). The library is in the southwest end of the Town of Horicon Community Center, at 6604 State Route 8.

6604 NYS Route 8 • P.O. Box 90 • Brant Lake, NY 12815
Tel: (518) 494-3647 • Fax: (518) 494-7721 •