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Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter is next Ottaway journalism professor

At a reception last week, journalism professor Robert Miraldi (right) announced that John Darnton will be the next James H. Ottaway Sr. Professor of Journalism.

New York Times reporter John Darnton, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for his daring reporting from Poland, has been named the fifth James H. Ottaway Sr. professor of journalism.

Darnton, now a senior editor at the Times, will join the journalism program staff this fall and teach a class, titled "The News Media Under Siege." He succeeds Roger Kahn, the bestselling author and sportswriter, who taught last year.

The Ottaway Professorship is named for the founder of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc., which is now a coast-to-coast group of 15 dailies, 13 Sunday and more than 18 weeklies and numerous specialty publications and Web sites in nine states. The flagship newspaper of the chain is The Times Herald-Record in Middletown.

Darnton, who has also written two best-selling novels, has worked for The New York Times for 38 years.

For more information about the James H. Ottaway Sr. Endowed Professorship, visit www.newpaltz.edu/ottaway.

Special preview day at STL used book sale

The Friends of the Sojourner Truth Library will hold a used book sale at the library from May 3-13. For the first time, a special preview day on Monday, May 2, will precede the sale . From 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., a much wider selection of books will be available. Hard covers will sell for $2 and paperbacks for $1 on the preview day.

The regular sale will begin on Tuesday, May 3, and will continue through May 13 during all library hours. Hard cover books will be $1, paperbacks 50 cents each. All proceeds benefit the library.

Books at the sale cover all subjects and additional books are added to the sale each day. All books sold have been donated to the Friends of the Library "Books for Books" program by college faculty, staff, students, alumni and by community members. Since 1998, "Books for Books" has raised nearly $25,000 for Sojourner Truth Library.

For more information about the book sale, about donating used books for future sales or about joining the Friends, please contact Barbara Petruzzelli, assistant library director, at x3677 or visit the Friends Web site at http://lib.newpaltz.edu/friends. The library is open Monday - Thursday from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 p.m.; on Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.; on Saturday from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; and on Sunday from 1 - 11:30 p.m.