The Collections
The Pember Museum collections are a wonderful example of the biodiversity of the area 100 years ago, and also include specimens from around the world.
There are over 7,000 objects in the collections of the Pember Museum, covering a wide variety of natural history subjects. Nearly 80% of the collections are on display. Specimens include vertebrate (birds, mammals, and reptiles) and invertebrate animals (insects, arachnids and sea life), rocks and minerals, fossils, some anthropological and historical materials, and a herbarium (dried plant specimens).
NEWS
Holiday Hours
Regular hours 12/19 – 12/21 and 12/26-12/28 for both the library and museum
Closed 12/24, 12/25, 12/31 and 1/1.
We will be back to a normal schedule beginning January 2.
Have a safe and joyous holiday season!
Live Owls Coming in January!
Trish Marki with Silent Wings Raptors Rehab and Education, a program of the Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York will be presenting live owls at the Pember Library on January 25 from 11:00am to 12:00pm. Come learn about the owls of our area and some that may not be residents.
Following the program, Museum Educator Bernie will hold a pellet dissecting class from 12-12:45. Registration is required for the class as space is limited. Call 518-642-1515 to reserve your spot in the class.
Closed 11/9/24
Young Explorers
Join us for our after-school program featuring the flora and fauna of the Pember Nature Preserve. Participants, 1st grade and up will enjoy hands-on learning, playing educational games and/or crafting.
Registration is required prior to each class by calling the Museum at 518-642-1515, Facebook messaging or email Pember_edu@roadrunner.com.
The class will run from September 26 through December 12 with no class on November 28. We’ll meet in the library from 3:30-4:30pm.
Preserve Programs
For upcoming programs, you can check on the Nature Preserves page – Nature Programs 2024.
Upcoming Preserve Programs
Friday, June 28 – 10-11:30am – FLOWER WALK
Meet at the historic Porter Schoolhouse (our Nature Center), 6937 State Route 22, Hebron. We’ll take a short walk discussing how to use a wildflower guide to identify wildflowers. Crafts will follow. There are paper flowers, flower bookmarks and clay flowers to make. The clay is air dry which will cure at your home. If you don’t have paint, you’re more than welcome to come back to the preserve when we are open to paint. Registration is not necessary. Be sure to dress accordingly and spray for ticks.
Friday, July 5 – 10:00-11:00am – 5th of FERNS
Meet at the South Grimes Hill Road entrance to the preserve for a fern identification walk down the Woodland Loop trail and North Marsh. If you would like, bring a folding stool. Registration is not necessary. Be sure to dress accordingly and spray for ticks.
More programs to come!
Closed Saturday
Support Your Library
From: The Pember Board
Most of you have received the flyer from the school addressing the budget, elections and propositions that are coming before you. This year there is a new one. A process was created by the State to assist public libraries pursuant to Section 509 of New York State Education Law The Granville School District Board of Education has been authorized to place a proposition before the voters at the May 21, 2024 School District Election. We would like to share with you how this will work and how important it is to the library. Other libraries throughout the area that utilize this collection method are Greenwich, Salem and Argyle.
The Pember, like everyone, is having a hard time with sustainable funding. Attempting to run the library primarily on donations, especially in a time when people everywhere are experiencing difficulties, is not allowing us to provide quality, consistent programing or to hire people at a living wage to perform the programing and other tasks involved in running the library day to day. To be respectful of the current economic climate, we worked out a rate that would be approximately $30-40 dollars per household, less than the cost of two hard cover books, which will result in raising $100,000 annually, from the Granville School District households. These monies will appear on your school tax bill and the funds will be collected by the school. They will account for this levy separately from their own and it will be paid in full to the Pember. This is totally separate and apart from the annual school budget. If it is modified in the future, it will be done through another vote.
It is the goal of the Pember to continue to provide and perhaps enhance library service to all residents of our school district, which parallels our service area.
In addition to the basic library services, we have computers for use in the library or to borrow and take home with you. There are numerous reading-based programs for preschoolers through adults, movie nights, game nights, art shows, lectures, and music. We also participate in a program called “farm 2 library” that shares the excess produce of local growers with families for free at their local library. This consists of dairy products, fruits and vegetables along with pastas and beans provided through our “Friends of the Library” group. Internet access is always important and that is free to the public as well through the Pember’s system.
We hope this gives insight into how important this is to the Pember and to our surrounding communities. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me an email at maryj.pember@gmail.com.
We thank you for your consideration of this important proposition and hope you will understand the importance of our request.
Libraries will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no libraries. (Anne Herbert)
Thank you in advance from the Pember Library and Museum Board of Directors.