Betts Branch Library - Onondaga County Public Libraries

Do you ever get frustrated trying to get your child to read aloud to you? Are you mystified about what books your kindergartener-3rd grader should be reading? Then do your household a favor by joining the kind and knowledgeable folks from Book Buddies this Monday evening at Betts. You'll learn practical tips for getting your beginning reader going, an overview of frustration-free books, and leave with some helpful resources :)

Has your family enjoyed the awesome light table and magnatile toys in the Betts kids space? Spent time lining up the magnetic train cars or placing squeaky bees in and out of our soft beehive toy? Have you marveled at the plush stacking ring toy or other playthings we drag out at the end of lapsit storytimes? Well endless thanks to the Onondaga County Public Library Mini Grant program for these amazing additions to our library :)

Tomorrow morning is Miss Margaret’s Lapsit Storytime!🫂🤗

Babies, toddlers, siblings & guardians are invited to Betts Library @ 10:30 a.m. for music, rhymes, fingerplays, movement, and a short book with Miss Margaret!✨📚

ALERT:
We are currently experiencing some issues with our website.

Visiting https://onlib.org appears to be working for some, while https://www.onlib.org does not appear to be working.

You can also search our catalog directly at:
https://catalog.onlib.org/polaris/

Or access our ebooks/audiobooks and more here:
https://onlib.overdrive.com/

We apologize for the frustration and interruption and are actively working on the issue.

Art, learning, community building, and even some healthy competition😌♟️Here’s the highlights for this week at OCPL!✨ For more events, details, and information, check our online calendar👀

This past Saturday for our More Than Just Books segment on CNY Central, we showcased the array of cake pans that a person could check out at Maxwell Memorial Library.

A lot of various designs including Mickey Mouse, a princess, a football and so many more choices. Just pick one out and check it out with your library card.... then get to baking!

A few other libraries in the OCPL family also have cake pans as well.

Camillus library’s 'Library of things' lets patrons borrow cake pans in wild shapes If you need a cake pan you’ll probably only use once, the Maxwell Memorial Library has an option that doesn’t involve buying one.

Creativity flew high today at Petit Branch Library🐦‍⬛

Onondaga Audubon educator Anna Stunkel led a tutorial on bird sketching, and patrons got to socialize & sketch different feathered friends🪽✍️

Then, they got to spend some time outside birding!🔎🐦

🧵 Our new Basic Sewing Group is off to a wonderful start at Betts Branch Library! We’re learning sewing basics together in a friendly, supportive space—and beginners are always welcome.

Join us next time:
📅 Thursday, June 11
🕒 3–4:30 PM
📍 Betts Branch Library

Bring your own machine if you have one, or just bring your curiosity! ✂️🪡

We’ve seen the online buzz about Theo of Golden, but we’ve also witnessed its popularity in our libraries. With HUNDREDS of current holds on this Allen Levi novel, we curated a list of other must-reads to help with the wait.🕖 Or, if you’re simply hungry for another fascinating tale of converging stories, then this list is for you, too!

The books are:
⭐ This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page
⭐ The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
⭐ The Correspondent by Virgina Evans
⭐ Pack up the Moon by Kristan Higgins

The overarching theme in all of these novels is how stories can help people endure difficult times, and how deeply interconnected people’s lives can be. Shout-out to OCPL’s Desteny for the list & happy reading!📚✨

🌿 June is here at Betts Branch Library! 🌿

We’ve got a full month of opportunities to connect, learn, and enjoy time together at the library—books, creativity, music, conversation, and more.

From community favorites like Hooks & Needles and our book group to special summer programs for adults and families, there’s something for all kinds of interests this month.

📬 Check out our June newsletter for dates, details, and everything coming up at Betts.

We hope to see you at the library soon!

On Monday, Betts Library had the pleasure of hosting 1st grade classes from Rockwell Elementary School. What a blast we had with interactive read-alouds, book browsing and checkouts, coloring bookmarks, and playing with magnatiles!

You oughta know: The pop up library at the Redhouse is prepped for the upcoming Jagged Little Pill performances. We have some interesting books about not only Alanis, but amazing artists like Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.

Books are pre-checked. All you need to do is take a book home and drop it off at any branch when you are done. And, Thank U.

Are you a caregiver who knows your child should be reading to you, but you're not sure for how long per sitting, how to coach them through the process, or what books are best? Mark your calendars, because our friends at Book Buddies will be giving a talk on helping your beginning reader, minus the frustration. Full program description here: https://onlib-central.libcal.com/event/16633004

Pig and Elephant are in a podcast. Check It Out welcomed the cast members of the Mo Willems play to talk to Maggie and Tom and talk all things about Gerald and Piggie. The play is over the next three weekends (Saturday shows only) at the Gifford Family Theatre which is across the street from Soule Branch.

Meg and Killian play the main characters for the play and it was a blast to have them in studio. So, stop reading and Check It Out!

Check It Out: Killian Crowley (Gerald) and Meg Keough (Pig) on the Upcoming Gifford Family Theater Production |WCNY We have TWO MAJOR celebrities: Piggie and Elephant from the Mo Willems books are our guests this week's for Check It Out. Maggie and Tom talk to Killian Crowley (Gerald) and Meg Keough (Pig) about the Elephant and Piggie play going on at the Gifford Family Theater. We will learn about the play, how....

Thank you, Syracuse Stage Theatre for the Very Young for a wonderful, interactive performance of Tiny Martians, Big Emotions this afternoon! The kids and grown-ups had a blast!

Let's hear it for Florence and her grown-ups, who reached 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! What Betts book did they choose for Florence's commemorative bookplate? Let's just say it's dinotastic!

The Valley neighborhood is home to one of Syracuse’s architectural and historical treasures. Join Unity of Syracuse for their Sacred Site Open House on Saturday, May 16, from 10 AM–5 PM.

Built in 1885 by St. Paul’s M.E. congregation, this remarkable historic church features architecture by Archimedes Russell and stunning stained-glass windows by Henry Keck and Stanley Warden. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors can enjoy self-guided and guided tours, historical displays, informational materials, and conversations with trained docents throughout the day. At noon, Town of Onondaga historian Natalie Dadaris will present stories about life in “The Hollow” in the early 1900s.

A wonderful opportunity to explore local history, architecture, and community stories right here in the Valley. Free and open to the public.

Caregivers of children 5 and under, mark your calendars! Saturday, May 16, Syracuse Stage's Theatre for the Very Little will be bringing their interactive performance Tiny Martians, Big Emotions to Betts Library!