Wilton Library Association Newsletter
April 2007
in this issue
-- Wilton Library Book Sale April 28th-May 1st
-- Concerts in April
-- Celebrate Poetry Month with Ben on April 1st
-- This Month's Computer Classes
-- Advanced Picture Editing - April 7th
-- Did You Know?
-- Critic's Choice Movie and Discussion
-- Upcoming Book Discussions
-- Earth Day at the Library on April 22nd
-- Hot Topic: Energy!
-- Art Exhibit and Reception: Ron & Judy Barron
-- No Child Left Inside: DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy
-- Library Closings
Hi! Spring IS in the air, though as I write this note, a particularly tenacious layer of leftover grimy snow covers most of our lawn here at home. The good news is that our flower beds are beginning to thaw and the very good news is that the lingering snow removes my guilt about not tending to them... yet! Instead, I can sit inside looking out and pour over seed catalogs, consult websites like those gathered on our Gardening page, and browse the Library's incredible collection of books and magazines about gardening and landscaping. I should note that our collection is particularly rich in this area due to the support of the Wilton Garden Club. I can even get thousands of full text magazine articles online from publications like Horticulture, Organic Gardening, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, and Mother Earth News via the Library's online magazines and newspapers. Happy (and thus far guilt-free and information rich) spring to us all,
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Wilton Library Book Sale April 28th-May 1st ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Our biggest fund-raising event of the year is fast approaching and hundreds of volunteers have been working hard in our Book Cellar (the Library's huge new basement) to sift, sort and price books for sale.
This year's sale will take place: As always, the Wilton Library book sale will feature new and gently used books and other materials in good condition in more than 50 categories, including mysteries, gardening, travel, and science fiction. The silent auction conducted Saturday and Sunday will include a large number of rare books. See our Book Sale webpage for further description of featured titles. Stop by for terrific values and to stock your bookshelves with wonderful volumes -- you might even find a gardening book or two! Bring the kids and note that our Wilton Rotary Club will have coffee and donuts, hot dogs, chips, and soda for sale for the benefit of the Library on Saturday during the sale! |
Concerts in April ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The Brubeck Room will be the setting for two lovely musical programs in April:
On Saturday, April 7th, from 2-3 pm, The Wilton Bank will again sponsor Norwalk Symphony's family program, (Not) Just for Kids. This session will concentrate on the brass instruments in the orchestra, so make sure any aspiring trumpet, trombone and sax players in your household are tuned in to what's in store. They can listen and participate in what has proven to be a tremendously popular family event - and we ask that you register in person, by phone or online in advance so that we save a chair for you. On Sunday, April 29th, from 4-5 pm, we'll host another in the exceptional classical music series featuring our area's considerable musical talent. The Errante/Cho Trio will perform Schumann Meets Brahms: A Program of Letters and Chamber Music. Musicians Richard Errante (violin), Lois Errante (cello), and Kyong Hee Cho (piano) will fill our Sunday afternoon with delightful music and undoubtedly all of the seats with an enthusiastic audience, so please register as soon as possible and encourage your friends to do the same. Admission will be granted to the first 150 registrants. Pre-registrants must arrive by 4 pm to be guaranteed a seat. After 4 pm and if space is available, waitlisted and walk-in registrants will be admitted. |
Celebrate Poetry Month with Ben on April 1st ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Poetry is on the menu throughout the year at the Wilton Library, but National Poetry Month (April) is an especially good time to enjoy it. Join our "poetry guru," Ben Van Vechten on Sunday, April 1st, from 2-3 pm, as he addresses the question, Is the Poet in the Poem? Participants will discuss several poems without authorial attribution and then reconsider them after learning each poet's identity. Materials for the program are available at the Circulation Desk and we suggest that you read the poems in advance of the program for optimal enjoyment.
Ben has a large and loyal following - come see why on April 1st! Please register in advance in person, by phone, or online. Ben will also lead a seminar entitled Boxing with Poetry that begins on Thursday, April 5th, from 10:30 am to noon. The five-part series (April 5, 12, 19, 26, and May 3) will explore various poets and their writing techniques. The poetry packet is available at our Circulation Desk for participants. Advance registration is required and you may register in person, by phone, or online. |
This Month's Computer Classes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mary Anne Franco will teach several classes this month and all will take place in our Computer Training Lab. Students must have basic keyboarding skills and familiarity with Microsoft Windows. Our class size is limited to ten students to insure a personalized hands-on experience.
Advance registration in person, by phone at 762-3950, or online is required and the cost of $25 or $20 for seniors and Friends of the Library will help support the Library's program budget. Tuesday, April 3rd, from noon to 1:30 pm Tuesday, April 3rd, from 7 to 8:30 pm Tuesday, April 17th, from 7 to 8:30 pm In addition, Mary Anne and guest instructor Lauren LaTulip will offer the following classes free of charge: Thursday, April 5th, from noon to 1:30 pm Monday, April 9th, from 7 to 8:15 pm Tuesday, April 17th, from noon to 1:30 pm |
Advanced Picture Editing - April 7th ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Mary Anne's husband, Michael Franco, will offer another in his popular series of digital photography classes on Saturday, April 7th, from 11 am to 1 pm - Advanced Picture Editing with Photoshop Elements.
Each student will work on the same picture (provided by the instructor) on a Library computer. The class will focus on extracting the main subject and changing the background using a variety of methods including the gradient tool and the render clouds tool and also pasting in a completely new background from another picture. Completed photos cannot be saved unless students bring a "jump drive" to offload the photo at the end of the session (drives are also available for sale at the Reference Desk for $10). Good computer skills are a pre-requisite for this class which is limited to ten students. Advance registration is required and the cost of $30 or $25 for seniors and Friends of the Library supports the Library's program fund. |
Did You Know? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Did you know that the Library is hoping to increase its open hours this year for the first time in over a decade? We have asked, and the Board of Selectmen has concurred, that our budget be increased by the amount of $26,000 to allow us to stay open one more hour each week day.
This long-overdue initiative is part of a three-year plan to increase open hours so that we may serve the community better and increase the return on its investment in our recently expanded facility. Currently, we are open fewer hours than any library in a 15- library radius, with the single exception of the Weston Library. We hope to implement the new schedule in July. The new hours would be: Monday & Friday ~~ 10am to 7pm |
Critic's Choice Movie and Discussion ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Kids in grades 4 and 5 are encouraged to read the C.S. Lewis classic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then come to see the movie on Thursday, April 12th from 5 to 6:30 pm. We'll hold a discussion of both two weeks later on Thursday, April 26th, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm, and our good friends at Tom-E-Toes will provide free pizza to participants. Register now for the movie and then for the discussion and pizza. |
Upcoming Book Discussions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The Wilton Library Readers with Susan Boyar will discuss Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky on Wednesday, April 11th, from noon to 1:30 pm. The Washington Post said of the book, "This extraordinary work of fiction about the German occupation of France is embedded in a real story as gripping and complex as the invented one. Composed in 1941-42 by an accomplished writer who had published several well-received novels, Suite Française, her last work, was written under the tremendous pressure of a constant danger that was to catch up with her and kill her before she had finished." All are welcome to come talk about this gripping and moving story, but please register for the discussion - and bring your lunch, if you like.
On Tuesday, April 24th, at 11 am, a discussion of Staying On, by Paul Scott, will take place at the Wilton Senior Center, led by Ben Van Vechten. Malcolm Muggeridge, in the New York Times Book Review wrote, "Staying On provides a sort of postscript to [Scott's] deservedly acclaimed The Raj Quartet. . . . He has, as it were, summoned up the Raj's ghost in Staying On. . . . It is the story of the living death, in retirement, and the final end of a walk-on character from the quartet. . . . Scott has completed the task of covering in the form of a fictional narrative the events leading up to India's partition and the achievement of independence in 1947. It is, on any showing, a creditable achievement." Book discussion participants are encouraged to stay for lunch, and should call the Senior Center to register in advance (834-6240). |
Earth Day at the Library on April 22nd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Be sure to visit the Library on Sunday, April 22nd, for a grand Earth Day celebration from 1 to 4 pm. Funded by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation and as part of the Wilton Library Environmental Initiative, the afternoon will include fun, entertainment, education - and the dedication of a new 20-foot maple tree in our parking lot (planted in honor of our Building Committee Chairman, Malcolm Whyte).
We'll have something to engage everyone, from toddlers to seniors, as we celebrate our planet. The day will include fun, hands-on activities, a hybrid car on display, and education revolving around Planet Earth. The Wilton Garden Club and other area environmental groups will stage demonstrations, and we'll host a children's environmental art project throughout the day. Please drop in at any time, but register for the following specific activities:
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Hot Topic: Energy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Are you fed up with your utility bills? Do you dislike our dependance on foreign oil? Do you want to have a less negative impact on our planet? Come to the next Hot Topic panel discussion about our energy alternatives, co-sponsored by the Wilton League of Women Voters and the Library.
On Thursday, April 12th, at 7:30 pm in the Brubeck Room, our panelists will speak and then respond to audience questions. Our panelists will include: Jim Motavalli, Editor of E-Magazine, a Norwalk-based independent national environmental bi-monthly and host of WPKN-FM public affairs and music biweekly show, Bob Wall, Director of the CT Clean Energy Fund, and Keri Enright, Program Coordinator of Smart Power. Please register in person, by phone, or online. |
Art Exhibit and Reception: Ron & Judy Barron ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 On Sunday, April 15th, from 11:30 am to 1 pm, we'll host a reception for the newest exhibit at the Library that is entitled, Ron and Judy Barron: Assemblages and Canvas Rugs. This unique and wonderful show is sure to capture your imagination and attention, so please stop by during the month to see what all the buzz is about! Works will be offered for sale and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Library's Art Fund for the purchase of artworks and books on art and art instruction. |
No Child Left Inside: DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 On Thursday, April 26th, from 7 to 8:30 pm, an unprecedented number of area organizations will join forces to sponsor the appearance of Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, Gina McCarthy. Wilton Land Conservation Trust, Weir Preserve, Weir Farm Art Center, Woodcock Nature Center, Wilton Garden Club, Wilton Conservation Commission, CT Earth Network, Norwalk River Watershed Association , Norwalk River Watershed Initiative, Ambler Farm, and Millstone Farm all join the Library in hoping you'll attend her inspiring talk designed to encourage the public to enjoy the outdoors by taking advantage of the recreational opportunities Connecticut state parks have to offer. This effort is also aimed at building the next generation of environmental stewards. Please register for No Child Left Inside in person, by phone, or online. |
Library Closings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The Wilton Library will be closed on Good Friday, April 6th, and Easter Sunday, April 8th. Please visit us around the calendar and around the clock at www.wiltonlibrary.org . |
Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 203-762-3950
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