Thursday, October 1, 2026
Retro videogames came to Sea Cliff Village Hall for children, teens and adults to enjoy. Saturday’s program was organized by the village library’s Program Coordinator Rosa Cella Sea Cliff resident Christopher Janusas.
“We’re happy to try to help programmers build up their resumé,” said Camille Purcell, library director.
The program featured video games and equipment starting from the early 1980s. Nintendo products like the 1985 Robotic Operating Buddy and Nintendo 64 with a Super Smash Brothers game as well as the Sony PlayStation 1 and Classiq N Console were among the collection. Participants were invited to handle the different consoles and play the games.
Purcell said that part of the goal was to show how libraries today are becoming more diverse, evolving and broadening their appeal.
“We’re not just about a static collection of books that may or may not get read,” she said, “but we’re also trying to present different programs, unexpected programs, to the community at large.”
The library held an event one week earlier in which children and young adults were invited to make patriotic dog toys for Paws of War, a Long-Island based organization that trains and places shelter dogs to serve and provide independence to veterans suffering from emotional effects of war. Purcell explained that diversifying program is part of the library’s overall mission right now. She added that there should be something for everyone among programming.
“I think it’s one of the goals to highlight the diversities of what we can bring and expanding people’s idea of what a library can offer,” Purcell said. “But the fallback is the traditional programs, just so that no one group feels that they’re being isolated or alienated.” She added that she would like to hold another similar program in the future.
Former Sea Cliff Mayor Ed Lieberman will give a presentation on Frida Kahlo at the library in the fall. This will be one of the library’s two events centered around Kahlo. Lieberman hosts presentations periodically at the library and elsewhere in the village. His last focused on the history of the United States to recognize the country’s 250th anniversary.
