DINOvember Scavenger Hunt
November 8 – December 31

Can you find all ten prehistoric pals hidden in SPD? No registration required – just grab a sheet! 

Onaje Benjamin: Photography
October 30 – January 7, 2025

Born in 1948, the same year that the Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, Onaje Benjamin was destined to be drawn into the turbulence of activism evolving out of the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 60s.  Being of African American and Caribbean descent & raised in Harlem provided a rich cultural foundation for Onaje to develop his creative framework.

Onaje pursued a career as a community organizer, activist and social worker, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in liberal arts and social work.  As a self-taught photographer, Onaje has sought to capture the complexity of lifestyles within the communities her resides and.  He chooses to create monochromatic representations of the world he interprets through the lens.

Defining himself as a documentary/humanist photographer, Onaje’s work has been well received.  He began his photographic work in the 80s working with film cameras.  Career demands required him to suspend his photography for a number of decades; only recently returning to the field upon retirement in 2015; which required a steep learning curve in the world of digital cameras and editing software.

Onaje’s work has been well received, with his work being exhibited in galleries in the Mid-Hudson Valley, New England and New York City; including a solo show at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum.  He has received numerous awards, including the Lelani Claire Award for Outstanding Achievement in Photography. He conducted artist talks at the Center for Photography in Woodstock.

Whether capturing the action of a women’s roller derby scrimmage or professional football game, or the intricate aspects of tattooing or political protest, Onaje’s photographs reflect the shifting cultural and political landscapes which make up the communities he resides within.

Discovery Science

Every month, the Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum will be visiting the Sadie Peterson Delaney Library Branch to create some amazing science experiments and talk about important people in the science world that not everyone has heard about. For kids grade 1-5.

Join us for coding with bots and learn some facts about the scientist Katherine Johnson.

Bilingual Family Story Time
Fridays: 10:30 – 11 AM

•  01/10/25
• 01/17/25
• 01/24/25
• 01/31/25
• 02/07/25
• 02/14/25

Join us for stories, music, and crafts in English and Spanish. For families with children ages 1 to 5.

Dan Slepian: The Sing Sing Files
Saturday, January 11, 3:30 – 5 PM
Registration required, click here. 

Award winning journalist and author, Dan Slepian will be discussing his book, The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dan Slepian is a journalist at NBC News and a veteran producer of its signature newsmagazine, Dateline. For nearly three decades at NBC, Slepian has spearheaded dozens of documentaries and hidden-camera investigations, and is known for his in-depth reporting about the criminal legal system and, specifically, wrongful convictions. He has received three Edward R. Murrow Awards, more than a dozen Emmy nominations, and has been recognized by multiple justice organizations across the country. Slepian was the host of Letters from Sing Sing, a podcast that hit #1 on Apple’s top charts and was a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting. Attendees will receive a free copy of The Sing Sing Files.

Rock and Mineral Collection of Kayleigh Hartnett

January 2 – 28

Celebrating the African Spirit exhibits in honor of Black History Month

February 1 – 28

About Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library:

The Family Partnership Center building was formerly Poughkeepsie High School and later Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School. The library occupies the same space that housed the schools’ libraries. The branch will have a particular focus on early literacy as an important developmental step for children. The original African Roots Library collection that occupied this space is curated through a partnership between the Library Action Committee and the Poughkeepsie Public Library District.

The branch is named in honor of Sadie Peterson Delaney, who attended Poughkeepsie High School and was active in the Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church. She went on to serve as Chief Librarian at the Veterans Administration Hospital Library in Tuskegee, Alabama, where her work in Bibliotherapy received international attention.

Learn more about Sadie Peterson Delaney via our Local History Blog or by visiting Dutchess County Historical Society‘s recording program about Sadie P. Delaney.