Reader Services
Welcome to the Reader Services Department:
Janine Walsh (Department Head), Christina Crocker, Aaron Berkowitz, Michael Realmuto, Susan Saskin, and Dalal Fatoush welcome you to the Reader Services Department Website of the EMPL web page. Our job is to provide you with books for the adult circulating collection, to keep the collection up-to-date, and to provide book discussions, working closely with the Public Relations Department. We publicize interesting aspects of the collection and just help to make EMPL the vital and exciting place it is!
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Want to know what the hottest new book releases will be? Check out Reader Services’ reviews of forthcoming books at our “Coming Soon to Our Library” blog and be the first to reserve these soon to be in demand titles!
In a reading rut? Want to broaden your book choices? Join the EMPL Reader Services 2025 Reading Challenge.
The reading challenge is a chance to shake up your reading habits and to explore all that The Reader Services Department offers by completing reading and non-reading challenges throughout the year. Those who participate will be invited to a party in January of 2026 where there will be prizes, refreshments, a book buzz, and a chance to share the titles read during the year. The Basic Reading Challenge consists of twelve, one for each month of the year. Complete the challenge within that month and get entered to win a prize. Unsure you can read a book a month? Don’t worry, there is a lot of flexibility in the challenge so you can participate no matter how much you read. Feeling ambitious? Complete our Extra Reading Challenges and/or our non-reading Bonus Challenges and increase your chance at winning our Grand Prize. You may read whatever you want as long as it meets the challenges. Not sure of what to read? We will have suggestions for you all through the year and a discussion forum online where you can get ideas or share what you are reading. Participate either online or by submitting your completed challenges in person at the library. Program is open to all with a Nassau Library Card.
Register now online or in the library. For more information and for a list of the challenges, click on this link.
INSTRUCTIONS ON SUBMITTING READING CHALLENGES AND COMPLETING NON-READING CHALLENGES
INSTRUCTIONS ON EDITING/MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR READING CHALLENGES/BOOK REVIEWS
To complete a challenge, please submit the title and author of book you read, the date completed, how it fits the challenge and rate the book on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. For nonreading challenges tell us the date completed and how you fulfilled the challenge.
READING CHALLENGE GOODREADS PAGE – This is the place to discuss the reading challenges. You can recommend books, ask for suggestions or discuss the book you are reading for the challenge. If you are not a member of Goodreads you must create an account at goodreads.com . After joining, you will receive an e-mail asking you to verify your e-mail address – please do so by clicking the link provided. After you log into Goodreads, click on this link – EMPL Reading Challenge Page and select Join Group. You can also find our page by clicking on Community at the top of the Goodreads page. Select Groups and type EMPL in the seach box. Select EMPL Reader Services Reading Challenge 2025 and click Join Group.
Enjoy Bonus Borrows more often! Bonus Borrows will be available the last seven days of each month. Choose from these select titles without using your monthly borrows! No borrows? No problem! Titles in hoopla’s Bonus Borrows program don’t count against your limit. Enjoy hoopla all month long! Click here for more information.
The library is open, but here is another way to get books!
Looking for eBook/audiobook suggestions? We’ve created some new and exciting lists to help you find your next read. From bestsellers to self-help, there’s a wide variety of topics to explore. Sign in to Nassau Digital Doorway by selecting East Meadow from the list of libraries and then log in using your East Meadow Library card barcode. Or you can sign in using your OverDrive account or with Facebook. Happy browsing!
Nassau Digital Doorway Now Has Magazines!
RBdigital Magazines have moved to OverDrive and can be accessed by using the Libby app. If you aren’t able to use Libby or libbyapp.com, you can use the library’s OverDrive website. Full-color digital magazines are available for anytime, anywhere reading on desktops, mobile devices, and apps. You can access over 3,000 digital magazines with a rolling 3 years of back issues (where available). There are no magazine checkout limits, so you can borrow as many as you like. This collection of popular digital magazines includes both new and backlist titles. Rolling Stone, Glamour, Vogue, Newsweek, and Esquire are just a few of the titles we have to offer.
A valid East Meadow Public Library card is required to access the digital magazines through OverDrive.
Please click here for information regarding the RBdigital transition to Libby.
Libby for Amazon Fire tablets – Libby is now available to download from the Amazon Appstore.
READER SERVICES PROGRAMS
IT’S A MYSTERY!
Mystery/Thriller Book Club
May 12, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
Registrations open at 9:30am Thursday, May 1, 2025. Register online by clicking on this link, or by calling 516-794-2570, option 3.
The eBook version of The Overnight Guest can be accessed through the Nassau Digital Doorway.
True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls–haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them
Discussion guide for Overnight Guest.
EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION
June 16, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
Registration details to be announced.
The eBook version of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot can be accessed through the Nassau Digital Doorway.
Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she’s dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital’s arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined. As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. They devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived–stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy.
Discussion guide for The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot.
READ ‘N SHARE – Read a good book recently?
Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2024
Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2023
Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2022
Read ‘n Share Titles – August 2021
Read ‘n Share Titles – February 2021
Read ‘n Share Titles – July 2020
Read ‘n Share Titles – April 2020
LUNCH ‘N BOOKS
TO BE ANNOUNCED
YOUR NEXT READ
Let the Reader Services Department along with the assistance of the library staff help you find your next book to read. Click here to fill out the online form with your preferences and we will build you a customized list of recommended titles.
If you read any of the recommended books or choose not to read them, please send us feedback by clicking here and completing the online form.
These are the books we have read and recommend. Look for new reviews monthly!
To check the Online Public Access Catalog for the current availability of these books, please click here. Once you have gotten into the catalog, limit your search to the East Meadow location.
EMPL’s Bookshelf: Click here to view all of our reviews. Click on book cover or title to see the full review.
Click here for the Women of the Supreme Court bibliography. All of these titles can be found on the Nassau Digital Doorway.
If you would like to recommend a title, please click here.
Have you tried NoveList, our online readers’ advisory tool? NoveList is a wonderful database to help you find fiction books based on your preferences. You can search the database by entering a title or author that you like, or you can even describe the type of book that you would like to read and NoveList will present you with a list of books that match your preferences.
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NASSAU DIGITAL DOORWAY
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ONLINE BOOK CLUB – TO BE ANNOUNCED |
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GOOD READS (Google Directory Readers Advisory Search) |
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IT’S A MYSTERY! MYSTERY/THRILLER BOOK CLUB Love a good mystery? Join our mystery/thriller book club as we delve into both the classics and latest releases of the genre. Click here to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our mystery/thriller series. |
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ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE Welcome to the East Meadow Public Library’s new Book Blog where you will find book reviews, new services, a calendar of our book programs and lots more. We’re looking forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions. Hope you enjoy reading what we’re writing! |
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ON YOUR MARK Every month, members of the Library staff pick three books that they loved, which are printed on their personal bookmarks. If you like their picks, you can look for their bookmarks next month. It’s one more way to match the right book with the right reader. On your mark, get set, go find your favorite read! |
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BEST SELLERS CLUB By joining our Best Sellers Club you will be automatically placed on the reserve list for the latest fiction by your favorite authors. Click here for more details regarding this esteemed program. |
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BOOK CLUB IN A BINDER Welcome to the Book Club in a Binder Program, brought to you by the East Meadow Public Library. Click here for more details regarding this exciting new program that will be coming soon. |
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LUNCH ‘N BOOKS Twice a year we offer a series of four books for discussion. Join us at 1:00 PM when expert leaders will discuss literary works of fiction and non-fiction. Click here for a listing of the books to be discussed and meeting dates. If you would like to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our Lunch ‘n Books series, please click here. |
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EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP The library has a book discussion group that meets at 7:00 PM. Book selections are made with the assistance of Reader Services librarian Donna Ballard, and copies of the book may be reserved at the Reference Desk. Anyone interested in joining the group can just come and join us, no registration is needed. If you have any questions, please call Donna Ballard at 794-2570, ext.1236. Click here for a listing of the books to be discussed and meeting dates. If you would like to see a complete list of all of the books that we have discussed in our Evening Book Discussion Group, please click here. |
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LARGE PRINT BOOKS Our library has one of the largest collections of large print books in the county. We are proud of our holdings and know that you will find exactly what you are looking for. If you don’t find the book you want, please have a librarian check our large basement holdings. Click here for a sample of some of our newest large print titles. |
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HOMEBOUND SERVICES Mary-Ellen Fosso, our Community Services Librarian, provides library services for homebound residents. For patrons physically unable to come to the library, we offer a homebound program to deliver books to you. If you are eligible (a doctor’s note will be required) please contact us for further information. |
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MAGAZINE COLLECTION We have over 100 circulating magazines in our Browsing Room collection, featuring popular titles such as People, Modern Bride, Time, and Entertainment Weekly. |
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NEW BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC, AND AUDIOBOOKS IN COLLECTION Check out the latest titles in the Reader Services 2024 book, movie, music, and audiobook collection. |
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BOOK LISTS BY SUBJECT Bibliographies prepared by the Reader Services Staff. |
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BOOKS AND READING LINKS Useful websites for book lovers. |
Contact our Reader Services Department at readers@eastmeadow.info.
