Previous Programs and Projects

Tech Lab: Google Search | Wednesday, April 15, 2026

In this Lab, discover smart search techniques to find what you need faster online.

Don’t Get Ticked, Columbia County | Monday, March 30, 2026

Avoiding Lyme and other tick-borne diseases requires avoiding a tick bite! Join Cornell Integrated Pest Management Program’s Joellen Lampman as she talks about the different ticks in New York and their biology, the diseases they carry, and how to protect yourself from being bitten.

Tech Lab: Social Media | Wednesday, March 25, 2026

In this lab we will look at various social media platforms and the risks and benefits of using and understanding your digital footprint.

Tech Lab: Computer Security & Internet Scams | Wednesday, March 11, 2026

These days, with cyber attacks intensifying, it’s even more important to protect yourself by keeping safe on the Internet. In this Lab, learn about cyber security and how you can protect yourself from hackers and online scams, avoid falling prey to viruses and phishing emails, manage your passwords, secure your data, and understand security attacks! There are many ways to protect yourself online. Stay safe online with tips to recognize scams, protect your accounts, and secure your digital presence.

Webinar: Identifying & Managing Invasive Plants | Monday, March 9, 2026

Invasive species are plants, insects, or microorganisms that are not native to a particular ecosystem and whose introduction can cause economic harm, environmental damage, or risks to human health. Because they often lack natural predators, they can spread rapidly, outcompete native plants, trees and insects, disrupt ecological balance, and damage agriculture, infrastructure, and natural resources. Much of the responsibility for managing invasive species falls on landowners and farmers. In New York State, the Department of Environmental Conservation works in partnership with Cornell and other state agencies through the Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs), which focus on identifying and responding to new invasions to minimize the impacts of existing invasive species across the state. Join Master Gardener Volunteer Frieda Pearce from the Columbia-Greene Cooperative Extension to learn how to identify and manage invasive plants.

Tech Lab: Google Drive

In need of some tech pointers? The Columbia County Libraries Association presents a series of six online Tech Labs designed for those seeking help managing basic to moderate functions like online searches, Google Drive, avoiding scams, and more. All labs will be presented by our resident tech guru, Pam Doran, on Zoom. In this Lab, learn how to organize, store, and share files seamlessly with Google Drive while mastering collaboration features. We will learn about Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Webinar: Gardening in a Changing Climate

Rapidly warming temperatures mean that native species will move hundreds of miles in the coming decades just to support their environment. Our gardens can help native species shift their ranges and adapt to climate change. Plants that grow in a new environment can also develop invasive characteristics. Insect and plant life can make our current plant life vulnerable as they are not adapted to the invading species. Native plantings today seed ecosystems of the future.

Join Master Gardener Volunteer Mary Ann Iaccino from the Columbia-Greene Cooperative Extension to learn about how our changing climate will impact our gardening.

Changing Climate Handout

This webinar is sponsored by the Columbia County Libraries Association.

History Webinar: FDR: Hyde Park Hobbyist

Join us for the final webinar in a series of history programs on FDR, presented by Jeff Urbin, educator from the Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park.
FDR was a man with many interests and the means to pursue them. He loved to hunt, fish, plant trees, and sail and he collected stamps, books and birds. This session explores some of the activities pursued by Franklin Roosevelt. What do these hobbies and collections say about FDR? What skills or lessons might these hobbies have taught him that he then applied to his actions as governor or president? What are your interests and hobbies and what do you gain from them? Why are hobbies important?

This program is sponsored by the Columbia County Libraries Association.

Smith joins us to discuss her most recent book, Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, which received the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award for 2022. Open for all ages.

For more information on the Columbia County Community Read program, go to https://columbiacountylibraries.org/programs/columbia-county-community-read/

History Webinar: Baseball and the Presidency

Join us for the third in a series of history programs on FDR, presented by Jeff Urbin, educator from the Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park.

In the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, FDR received a letter from baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Landis concerning the propriety of proceeding with the 1942 baseball season. FDR promptly responded to Landis’s inquiry expressing the value of baseball in time of war. This session highlights the relationship of various presidents and America’s favorite pastime. Why is baseball so important that the President of the United States was asked to weigh in on its continuation during war? Why do Presidents typically throw out the first pitch to open baseball season?

Public Historian Heather Bruegl: Science vs. Tradition | April 1, 2025

The Western scientific approach often focuses on measurements, predictions, and technologies to mitigate environmental damage. While this has value, in Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer emphasizes that Indigenous knowledge brings something deeper: a relational understanding of the land. Traditional Ecological Knowledge teaches us that the health of ecosystems depends on balance, respect, and unity. “the Earth doesn’t need us to dominate her,” Kimmerer explains. “She needs us to listen, learn and act as humble partners.”

Heather Bruegl is an Oneida Nation of Wisconsin citizen and first-line descendent Stockbridge Munsee. She is a graduate of Madonna University in Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in U.S. History. Her research comprises numerous topics related to American history, legacies of colonization and Indigeneity, the history of American Boarding Schools, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (#MMIW). Heather has presented her work at academic institutions, including the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bard College, Vassar College, and Brooklyn Law School.

Heather is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she studies First Nations

Education, focusing on how institutions can support BIPOC museum and cultural workers. Heather is a public historian, activist, and independent consultant who works with institutions and organizations for Indigenous sovereignty and collective liberation.

Presented as part of the 2025 Community Read by the Columbia County Libraries Association.

Keeping Columbia County History Alive

Join Ghent Town Historian Gregg Berninger for this Zoom program to learn about the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s support of historic preservation and education in Columbia County. Special guests include Germantown Historian Tom Shannon, Hendrick Hudson Chapter DAR Regent Virginia Martin, Edgar Masters and Deb Cohen of the Copake Iron Works, and Austerlitz Town Historian Emeritus Tom Moreland. Come along to learn about the people and places of our county’s past and how they live on thanks to the Pomeroy Foundation.