Coudersport Public Library

Our preschool story time program will begin on Tuesday, October 11 and be held each Tuesday morning at 10am through December 11.  The program is designed for children ages 3-6 and their caregivers.  Each week we have a 45 minute session consisting of stories, music, games, and crafts.  The program is free and open to all.  We hope you’ll join us!

The Coudersport Public Library will welcome both Gale Largey and Paul Heimel on Saturday, October 1, from 9:30am-11:00am, for a joint book signing.  Both Dr. Largey and Mr. Heimel have recently published nonfiction works about the Austin Flood of 1911. Dr. Largey will be selling and signing copies of his newest work, The Austin Disaster, 1911: As Reported in the Media before Radio, Television, and the Internet .  In The Austin Disaster, 1911, Largey uses contemporary newspaper accounts of the Austin flood from around the globe to illustrate the way that early 20th century news media reported about the disaster.  It is a hardcover coffee table book with 272 pages of fascinating articles, photographs, and artistic renderings from various newspapers, from the local Potter Enterprise, Roulette Recorder, and Wellsboro Gazette to the international New York Times, Times of London, Hong Kong Telegraph, and Mexican Herald. Largey, born and raised in St. Marys, PA, was a professor of sociology at Mansfield University for 35 years.  He has written many books on the history of northern Pennsylvania and he has also produced several documentary films, including The Austin Disaster 1911: A Chronicle of Human Character. He and his wife live in Wellsboro.  Mountain Home magazine recently described Largey as “a Ken Burns of the backwoods, a filmmaker and scholar with a storyteller’s love for the people and land where he grew up and has lived most of his adult life.”  For more information, visit Dr. Largey’s website and read the recent article profiling Dr. Largey and his work in Mountain Home magazine.

Coudersport’s own Paul W.  Heimel will be selling and signing copies of his most recent work, 1911: The Austin Flood (Knox Books, 2011), which tells the story of the flood from start to finish- why the dam broke, who’s to blame, and what lessons were learned.  There are tales of heroism and villainy, of blind faith and wishful thinking. There’s a review of engineers’ discoveries and a retrospective on the aftermath of one of the worst floods of the 20th century.  A special bonus section titled “They Were There,” includes poignant first-hand accounts from more than a dozen people who witnessed the flood of 1911 and lived to tell about it.  Heimel grew up less than a dozen miles from the Austin Dam and has spent his life in Potter County, Pennsylvania. A former journalist and corporate communications professional, he now serves as a member of the Potter County Board of Commissioners. He is the author of five history books, including the critically acclaimed “Eliot Ness: The Real Story” (Cumberland House Publishing Inc., 2000), which is considered the authoritative biography of the famous Chicago crimefighter. Heimel has written dozens of magazine articles and has appeared on numerous television documentaries and interview programs.  Find out more about Mr. Heimel and his work at the Knox Books website.

The Coudersport Public Library would like to thank the Stoltz Family of Dealerships for their donation of $1,000.  The library was one of the winners of the Stoltz 25th Anniversary Charity Giveaway.  Thank you to all who voted for us and thank you to Stoltz for investing in our community!

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011, the directors of the Coudersport Public Library will host the twenty-sixth annual Books Unlimited charity fundraiser at the Coudersport Consistory.  The evening will start off with elegant music for browsing, socializing, and cocktails.  It will continue with heavy hors d’oeuvres and delicious desserts, intermingled with our usual door prizes and fundraising events of auctions and raffles.  Tickets for the Gala will be available from members of the Library Board, Friends, or at the library.  We are very confident that the evening will be as enjoyable as it has been in the past.

We are now asking for contributions for this fundraising effort.  We are looking for items of good quality that we may offer for auction, raffles, and/or door prizes.  These may be gift certificates, arts and crafts, antiques, or any usable modern merchandise.  Monetary donations are also greatly appreciated, no matter the amount.

If you would like to make a donation, contact the library at 814.274.9382 to arrange for pickup, if necessary.  We are asking that the donations be in by Friday, Oct. 21, so they can be listed in our program booklet.