Afternoon Activities Program
The Afternoon Activities Program is currently running on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Each afternoon from 2:30 – 4:00 we host a program suited for ages 5 – 12, though any age is welcome to attend. Programs include arts and craft projects, Lego challenges, games, outside activities and more! Tuesday and Fridays may be offered again soon as well.
Tai Chi with Lila Brown at Bancroft
| Date | Thursdays |
| Time | Thurs.: 3:15- 4:30 pm (ongoing) |
| Description | Instructor Lila Brown offers Tai Chi to the Salem community at the library, free of charge. We start with gentle, healing Qi Gong warm-ups and dip in to the beginning of the Yang Style Short Form. Improve your flexibility, balance, breathing, strength, and posture while developing focus, patience and awareness; mental, spiritual, and physical. Enjoy the flow of movement and mindfulness. Perfect for all ages and conditions. No previous experience necessary. Space generally limited to 8 participants. Drop-ins are welcome when space allows. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | To register for your spot, and for more information, contact Lila at LilaRBrown@gmail.com. |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
Voter Registration Information Table
| Date | Thursday, October 15, 2026, 3:30 – 6:00 pm |
| Time | see above |
| Description | Washington County Board of Elections will have an info table in Proudfit Hall on select days in September and October 2026. Stop by Proudfit to learn about absentee ballots, voter eligibility, and more! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall or outside |
| Registration | No registration needed. |
| Contact | Washington County Board of Elections for more information: 518-746-2180 |
Wellness Series: Part One – Setting a Wellness Vision
| Date | Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Description | A Wellness Vision is a compelling statement of who you want to be and what health-promoting, life-giving behaviors you want to do regularly. To create your wellness vision, you must look at your values, motivators, best past experiences, strengths, challenges, supports, approaches and confidence. This is part one of a series by Washington County Public Health. Come to one, two, or all three of these classes. Please register. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | mcarll@sals.edu or 518-854-7463 |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for questions |
Wellness Series: Part Two – Setting and Attaining Personal Goals
| Date | Thursday, October 15, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Description | We usually know more about “What” we want than about how we are going to get there. For effective behavior change, we need “Behavioral Goals” to help us change our behavior to reach our desired outcome, or vision. Using the “SMART” Goal process, you learn how to set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. This is part two of a series by Washington County Public Health. Come to one, two, or all three of these classes. Please register. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | mcarll@sals.edu or 518-854-7463 |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for questions |
Read with Bianca the Therapy Dog
| Date | Saturday, October 17, 2026 |
| Time | 10 am – 12 pm |
| Description | Salem Central School students are familiar with Bianca the Therapy Dog, and this October she is coming to Bancroft for a Saturday afternoon. Kids of any age are welcome to come and read a book to Bianca, or just sit and hang out with her for a while. Along with her owner, Kiki Perkins, Bianca stops by to spread joy, and reduce stress, and support kids. She especially loves reading with children and makes a wonderful, encouraging reading buddy! |
| Location | Bancroft Library Children’s Area |
| Registration | No registration necessary! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu |
Make Fun Felt Faces for Pumpkins: Mr. Pumpkin-Head Style!
| Date | Saturday, 17 October 2026 |
| Time | see above |
| Description | Drop in to this casual program at Bancroft. We will have felt and templates from which you can create your own ghoulish and fun Halloween faces for pumpkins (pumpkins are not provided – bring your own, or just make a felt face and take it home with you). Felt and other crafting materials are provided. Suited for all ages, no registration needed. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | No registration needed! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu |
Can You Spot Misinformation? A Program by the New York News Association
| Date | Sunday, October 18, 2026 |
| Time | 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm |
| Description | On Sunday, October 18, the Salem Bancroft Public Library will host Mary Miller, Education Services Director for the New York News Publishers Association, in an engaging and interactive FREE presentation designed to help folks navigate today’s fast-changing media landscape. The 50-minute presentation starts at 2 PM. This presentation was met with enthusiasm when it was held in Crandall Library (Glens Falls) in August. Attendees will learn how to independently find reliable news sources, spot misinformation, and better understand how journalists gather and report the news – whether in print or online. Among the questions that will be answered by Mary Miller in her presentation are: – How can I recognize trustworthy news sources? – What are the ways of spotting misinformation, scams, and online hoaxes? – What’s the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on news reporting and images? Additional questions will be answered during the Q&A portion of the event. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Please register! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for questions/registration |
Wellness Series: Part Three – Making Positive Behavior Changes
| Date | Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Description | It’s easier than you think! Stages of Change, formally known as the “transtheoretical model” of behavior change, gauges a person’s readiness to act on a new healthier behavior, and provides strategies, or processes of change to guide the person through the stages of change. That sounds hard, but once someone knows where they are in the stages, they have a better idea of how to move through to action. This is part three of a series by Washington County Public Health. Come to one, two, or all three of these classes. Please register. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | mcarll@sals.edu or 518-854-7463 |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for questions |
The Deadly World of Raptors: Secrets of the New York Grasslands (Presented by Grassland Bird Trust)
| Date | Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
| Time | 6:00 – 7:00 pm |
| Description | The Deadly World of Raptors: Secrets of the New York Grasslands: Forget everything you thought you knew about birds of prey – some of the most unusual, ingenious, and beautiful raptors live right here on the grasslands of Upstate New York. Meet the owl who hunts during the day, nests on the ground, and has the most peculiar courtship display. Learn about the hawk who hunts like a ghost, dances in the sky, and keeps a harem of females. See the world through the eyes of a tiny falcon who hovers like a helicopter, feasts on bugs, and can see in colors beyond human perception. Join Dr. Samantha Carouso Peck for a fascinating inside look at the secretive lives of the birds of prey in our backyard. Bio: Dr. Samantha Carouso Peck is an expert in bird communication and cognition, having lived on six different continents in search of interesting birds. She has studied tool use in crows, speech in African Grey Parrots, and vocal learning and development in songbirds. After focusing on Animal Behavior and Communication during her undergraduate studies at Williams College, her doctoral dissertation at Cornell University focused on how young birds use feedback from their parents and peers, in forms invisible to the human eye, to guide their song learning. Her work has been published in Current Biology, Philosophical Transactions, Animal Behaviour, and Scientific American. She is currently the Head Ornithologist and Educator of the Grassland Bird Trust, a non-profit conservation organization in Fort Edward, New York. |
| Location | Reading Room |
| Registration | Please register! |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu |
I Bird NY Challenge – Take out the Birding Backpack
| Date | Now – November 2026 |
| Time | Anytime! |
| Description | The annual I BIRD NY Challenge is back! Use your observation skills and take the Challenge by identifying any 10 bird species of your choosing in New York State. Participants who successfully complete this fun challenge will be awarded a commemorative patch, completion certificate, and be entered into a drawing for great birding prizes!* The challenge is open from March 1 through November 1, open to participants of all ages and abilities. Participants may also earn a bonus entry into the prize giveaway by submitting a photo documenting their experience completing the I BIRD NY Challenge. Please, check out the library’s birding backpack (at the circulation desk) to help you on your quest! The backpack was provided by Southern Adirondack Audubon Society. To participate in the I BIRD NY Challenge, complete a Challenge Log online or download the I BIRD NY Challenge form (PDF) See DEC website for more info: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/birding/i-bird-ny |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | No registration needed – FREE Program |
| Contact | mcarll@sals.edu or 518-854-7463 |