After-School Activities Program (A.S.A.P.)
The After-School Activity Program is geared for children ages 9 – 14. Bancroft Library features Makerspace Mondays, LEGO Club (and board games) on Tuesdays, Wild Card Wednesdays include a variety of activities (indoors and outdoors), Thursdays is for Art Club, and Fridays are movies days. Please note, sometimes activities need to be rescheduled due to weather or other circumstances. The program will continue through the summer.
Pre-Health Pathway: Come learn about the steps to medical school with Dr. Hunter Southerland and med-student Audrey Roosevelt
| Date | Tuesday, July 15, 2025 |
| Time | 7:00 – 8:00 pm |
| Description | If you are interested in becoming a provider or supporting a pre-med student, join us for an informational and Q&A session outlining the process of entering the medical field. Join med student, Audrey Roosevelt, and Dr. Hunter Southerland for this program. We will be discussing: Rural health disparities and opportunities Health degree/profession options Medical school application timeline and components MD program options MCAT What is medical school like? The MATCH Financial Aid Options And more! Our rural communities deserve access to high quality care. Take the first step towards being in a position to provide it! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required. Please scan the QR code to register or call the library at 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
Journey to Indonesia: Drumming With World Awareness Children’s Museum
| Date | Friday, July 25, 2025 |
| Time | 3:00 – 4:00 pm |
| Description | Join Susie Barber and the World Awareness Children’s Museum for a fun, hands-on drumming workshop inspired by the rhythms of Balinese gamelan music! Participants ages 8+ will create music using traditional drums and everyday items like pots and pans in this playful, 60-minute session that sparks creativity and self-expression. Space is limited to 12—come make music and explore world culture through rhythm!” |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required. Children must be age 8 or older. There are only 12 spots for program |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Turkey Talk
| Date | Thursday, July 31, 2025 |
| Time | 6:00 – 7:30 pm |
| Description | This program is hosted by the Bancroft Bird Watchers Club and Southern Adirondack Audubon Society. Once extirpated from New York State, wild turkeys can now be found throughout the state, including New York City. NYS DEC wildlife biologist Michael Muthersbaugh will discuss this wildlife restoration success story, but how the numbers are decreasing again, and how you can help track turkeys while you are out and about this August. Speaker Bio: Mike Muthersbaugh is an Upland Game Bird Biologist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Mike began working with the NYSDEC in November 2023, and transitioned to working with upland game birds in May, 2024. Before joining the DEC, Mike earned a M.Sc. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Virginia Tech studying the seasonal activity patterns of bats in the central Appalachians and his Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University exploring the maternal behaviors and population dynamics of white-tailed deer in the Piedmont of South Carolina. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions or to register |
World, Weather, and Clothing: What Should I Wear?
| Date | Thursday, August 14, 2025 |
| Time | 3:00 – 4:00 pm |
| Description | World, Weather, & Clothing: What Should I Wear? A fun program that explores how people’s geographic location influences their choices in what to wear. There will be interactive stations, including clothing to try on, a matching game with international dolls, and an art project. Program is 60 minutes. Program is best suited for children ages 5 through 11 years old. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required. There are limited spots for this program! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
Learn Orienteering Skills with Merck Forest and Farmland Center
| Date | Saturday, August 16, 2025 |
| Time | 1:00 – 2:30 pm |
| Description | Learn the basics of using a compass with Merck Forest and Farmland Center here at Bancroft Library! Games and hands-on activities will explore basic compass skills including how to read a compass and get your bearings. Compasses will be provided but participants are encouraged to bring their own if they have them! Program is best suited for teens and adults or children age 9+ (with an adult to assist). |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required. There are limited spots for this program! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
USS Slater History Talk
| Date | Wednesday, August 27, 2025 |
| Time | 1:00 pm |
| Description | This presentation shares the history of USS SLATER and why she was chosen to become the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum. Stories will be shared about the history of Destroyer Escorts, SLATER’S involvement in WWII, her service in the Greek Navy, and her restoration transforming her into a world class museum. Presented by a SLATER volunteer you will get a first-hand look at the hard work that goes into keeping the “Old Girl” afloat. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is strongly suggested |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions or to register |
Bird Talk: Avian Research at the Albany Pine Bush
| Date | Postponed until the Fall |
| Time | |
| Description | Inland pine barrens are a rare yet important habitat for shrubland birds in the northeastern U.S. However, many of these ecosystems are limited to fragmented remnants in heavily urbanized landscapes. The 3,407-acre Albany Pine Bush Preserve protects the remnants of an inland pine barrens following decades of loss, fragmentation, and degradation due to human development, species invasions, and fire suppression. To understand the effects of their protection efforts, researchers have been monitoring the response of bird populations at the Pine Bush, conducting point counts, capturing birds to band and release, and documenting the territory fidelity of two target shrubland birds: the Prairie Warbler and the Eastern Whip-poor-will. Neil Gifford will provide a synopsis of the individual studies and conservation work being conducted there and share that their efforts have had a positive impact on the local shrubland bird community. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration is required. |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |