Guilderland Library Notes for Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Senator George Amedore and Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple will partner with Catholic Charities Care Coordination Services to host an educational heroin forum on Monday, May 18, at the Guilderland Public Library.

Beginning at 6:30 p.m., attendees will have the opportunity to tour the Albany County Sheriff’s mobile education center to learn about various factors and dangers surrounding drug addiction, ending with incarceration. The unique feature of the mobile education center is that it comes fully equipped with a functioning jail cell.

 At 7 p.m., a presentation on opiate overdose prevention and response will be given by representatives from Catholic Charities’ Project Safe Point program. Participants will learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose, understand the risk factors associated with overdose, and learn how to reverse the effects of an overdose with the drug naloxone (narcan). Trained attendees will be given a kit containing naloxone.

“We need to do everything we can to combat the heroin epidemic that is devastating our communities, including that as many people as possible are trained and prepared to help if a family member, friend, or loved one is overdosing. A dose of narcan can be the difference between life and death for those who are battling a heroin or opiate addiction. I want to thank Catholic Charities Care Coordination Services and Albany County Sheriff Apple for partnering with my office on this important community event,” said Senator George Amedore

 “We believe our mobile education center drives home the point that if you want to experiment or use drugs as you travel through life, you may end up in a jail cell, or worse, another fatality at the hands of drugs. Albany County Sheriff’s deputies and EMS personnel have all been trained to administer and now carry narcan kits, which is an opioid-reversal drug which helps save heroin and opioid users from death by overdose. It’s just another tool in our toolbox to help battle the heroin epidemic plaguing our communities,” said Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple, Sr.

 “We’re proud to partner with Senator Amedore and Sheriff Apple for this educational forum, as this is an example of how community organizations and elected officials can work together to address this very serious issue. If you or someone you care about uses heroin and/or prescription opiates, this training and the information available could be the difference between life and death,” said Keith Brown, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Care Coordination Services .

 “We are very pleased to be able to host this event,” said Guilderland Public Library Director Tim Wiles. “Overdoses have become such a problem, and it’s vital that the community knows there’s a way to combat their effects.”

Please respond to Senator Amedore’s office at amedore@nysenate.gov if you plan on attending.

Public comment session

GPL’s board of trustees invites the public to come to the library’s Tawasentha Room on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m., to comment on the library’s proposed 2015-16 budget.  Information on the budget is available online at www.guilpl.org/budget, and in the library newsletter you received in the mail.   

Following the public comment session, the board will hold its regular bimonthly business meeting at 7:30 p.m., in the Tawasentha Room. The public is encouraged to attend.

History of Grant Cottage

Learn the fascinating and sometimes-heartbreaking history of Grant Cottage at GPL on Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m., when Tim Welch, president of the board of trustees of Grant Cottage, will discuss Ulysses S. Grant's final days there.

It was in this Adirondack cottage where Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885. He had arrived at the cottage from New York City on June 16, 1885, with his family, servants, and doctors; he went to the cottage to complete his memoirs thus assuring the financial security of his family.

Today, the cottage remains essentially the same as during the Grant family's stay. Visitors can tour the downstairs of the cottage, viewing the original furnishings, decorations, and personal items belonging to Grant, including the bed where he died, and floral arrangements that remain from Grant's funeral.

The Cottage itself is remarkable in it’s one of few New York State historic sites operating without a State Parks employee present. Its small staff is complemented by a strong, dedicated volunteer base that keeps the Cottage running throughout the season.

Documentary

Join Union College Anthropologist George Gmelch at GPL on Monday, May 18, at 7 p.m., as he discusses his new book, “Irish Travelers”, and shows his 2012 documentary film, “Unsettled: From Tinkers to Travellers.”

Holiday schedule

 GPL will be closed for the Memorial Day Weekend: Saturday, May 23, Sunday, May 24, and Monday, May 25.

About GPL

 The Guilderland Public Library is located at 2228 Western Ave. in Guilderland. Visit the library's website at www.guilpl.org. to get more information on these and other upcoming programs, and to register online via the homepage’s “Events & Registration Calendar.”Check out the unofficial library updates at facebook.com/Guilderland.Library and follow the library on Twitter (@GuilderlandLib).