Science, Industry and Business Library Announces Fall 2004 Public Programs Series

Financial Planning and Career Development Workshops, The Subway at 100, and the Art of New York's Manhole Covers Among This Season's Offerings

New York, NY, August 13, 2004 -- Things are looking up -- and down -- at The New York Public Library's Science, Industry and Business Library this fall, with a new roster of public programs on living longer, working smarter, and investing better, along with a continuation of the Library's centennial celebration of the New York City subway system and other informative and fascinating lectures and workshops. The fall program series begins September 14. Unless otherwise noted, all programs will be held in Room 018, Conference Center, Lower Level, at the Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue at 34th Street, and are free to the public on a first-come basis. For further information, call 212.592.7000.

Several programs will complement the exhibition The Subway at 100: General William Barclay Parsons and the Birth of the NYC Subway, which remains on view through December 31 in the Library's Healy Hall. These include a presentation by engineering historian Joseph Cunningham on the development and orchestration of the diverse collateral systems, services, and equipment needed to first get subway service under way; a discussion with author Stan Fischler on the effects of the subway system on the City's growth, prosperity, and popular culture; and a talk by transit historian Peter Derrick focusing on the seminal 1913 Dual System of Rapid Transit stage of subway expansion. Slightly closer to the surface, the often overlooked art of New York City's manhole covers will be displayed and discussed in a slide lecture by author/photographer/historian Diana Stuart. National Financial Planning Week will be observed in three invaluable programs, on choosing the right financial advisor, setting and reaching financial goals, and managing finances for retirement. A variety of career and business workshops led by experts in their fields will help build the best résumé, develop an efficient bookkeeping system, succeed in running a small business, and improve professional communication. And science writer Stephen S. Hall will share the latest developments in the science of life extension.



Tuesday, September 14, 5:30 p.m.
Five Common Mistakes Made on Wills
A presentation by Vivienne Gilbert, Esq., CFP, Chase.
This program is sponsored by the Financial Planning Association.


Tuesday, September 21, 5:30 p.m.
The Fine Art of Advertising: Irreverent, Irrepressible, Irresistibly Ironic
Barry Hoffman, author and a Managing Partner and Executive Creative Director at Young & Rubicam, who has written numerous award-winning ads and television commercials, will discuss his book about the relationship between art and advertising. This program is presented in honor of the first Advertising Week in New York City, September 20-24, inaugurated by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA).


Wednesday, September 22, 5:30 p.m.
Résumé and Communication Basics: What Do I Say, How Do I Say It, and How Do I Write It
Independent career management consultant Ruth L. Brodsky leads a workshop on developing job-seeking skills that will stand out in the crowd. Brodsky has extensive experience working with downsized employees, those in career transition, recent graduates, and college students.


Thursday, September 23, 5:30 p.m.
Equipment for the Vision: Making Subway Service a Reality
New York's first subway was an unprecedented civil engineering achievement. Nonetheless, public service required corollary programs without which the tunnels and stations would have been only idle curiosities. Those efforts included car development, electric power supply, signaling, maintenance, and passenger services. Furthermore, the subway was among the first large-scale projects in which diverse expertise had to be integrated into a cohesive whole prior to initiation of operation. In this lecture, engineering historian Joseph Cunningham explains how these various components were successfully established and orchestrated to get the subway system under way.

Reservations are required for this program. Please call 212.592.7000 for reservations, starting September 9.


Wednesday, September 29, 5:30 p.m.
How to Set Up a Winning Bookkeeping System
In this workshop, Arlette Beauchamps, founder and CEO of Booksweepers, Inc., guides participants through the process of establishing good record-keeping habits and setting up a bookkeeping system that an accountant would applaud. Booksweepers, Inc. is a financial company whose services include bookkeeping, analysis, and budgeting for the small to medium-sized business.

Reservations are required for this program. Please call 212.592.7000 for reservations, starting September 15. Because this program will be filmed, attendees will be asked to sign a photography consent form.


Thursday, September 30, 5:30 p.m.
The Subway and the City
Author Stan Fischler will discuss his new book, The Subway and the City, about how New York City grew and prospered as a result of the extensive subway system. He will also talk about oral histories, his observations on the growth of major league baseball in New York, the subway series, art, movies, and the rolling stock.

Reservations are required for this program. Please call 212.592.7000, starting September 16.


Tuesday, October 5, 5:30 p.m.
Financial Planner, Broker, or Money Manager -- Choosing Your Financial Advisor
First of three consecutive-day lectures on personal finance strategies during National Financial Planning Week.

Wednesday, October 6, 5:30 p.m.
Financial Goals and Investing -- Smart Ways to Make Them Work

Thursday, October 7, 5:30 p.m.
Retirement -- 10 Years Out and Counting


Tuesday, October 19, 5:30 p.m.
Surviving and Thriving: Tips for Growing Your Business.
Senior staff from the Metro New York Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission will present tips for business owners and managers drawn from the new BBB booklet Good Business Practices for Entrepreneurs, which was prepared in cooperation with the FTC and The Bank of New York. The program will cover important issues such as accessing capital and managing cash flow; sources of professional, often free, advice and assistance; typical scams targeted at small businesses and ways to avoid them; and tips for getting and keeping good customers.

Reservations are required for this program. Please call 212.592.7000 for reservations, starting October 5. Because this program will be filmed, attendees will be asked to sign a photography consent form.


Wednesday, October 20, 5:30 p.m.
Designs Underfoot: The Art of Manhole Covers in New York City
Author, photographer, and New York historian Diana Stuart will present a slide lecture about New York's manhole covers as cast-iron art that has been overlooked for two centuries. Stuart will discuss the evolution of their intricate designs and styles and the history of the city's foundries that produced them. She will also talk about her efforts with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to get landmark designation for these irreplaceable underfoot treasures. Part of the series New York City Underfoot.


Wednesday, November 3, 5:30 p.m.
Improving American Speech for Professionals with Foreign or Regional Accents
In this workshop, licensed speech-language pathologist Elizabeth Peterson will offer techniques for developing the standard American pronunciation and speech patterns that make for more clearer, more effective verbal communication and presentation. Peterson has many years experience working with adults and children in a variety of areas related to speech and language.


Tuesday, November 30, 5:30 p.m.
Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension
Science writer and genome project expert Stephen S. Hall will discuss his book about the science behind life extension, embryonic stem cells, research cloning, and regenerative medicine; the major players and entrepreneurs in the field; and the ethical and ideological questions and concerns associated with these new developments and possibilities.


Thursday, December 16, 5:30 p.m.
The Development of the New York City Subway System
Transit historian Peter Derrick will discuss why New York City needed an extensive rapid transit system, the political and financial difficulties in getting new lines built, and the impact the subways had on the growth of the city and well-being of its population. The focus will be on the largest stage of subway expansion, the 1913 Dual System of Rapid Transit, under which most of the existing IRT and BMT lines were constructed.

Reservations are required for this program. Please call 212.592.7000 for reservations, starting December 2.


The Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL), one of the four research libraries of The New York Public Library, is the nation's largest public information center devoted solely to science and business. Its circulating and non-circulating collections are enhanced by service and electronic resources geared to the needs of science and business users for quick, efficient access to accurate, up-to-date information. An Electronic Information Center (EIC), with 73 workstations, connects users to hundreds of internal and external electronic information resources. SIBL also offers a circulating library of approximately 40,000 titles, and a non-circulating research collection of 1.3 million volumes.

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Contacts: Lindy Regan or Herb Scher at 212.704.8600.