Hi!

It's hard to believe that the summer is half over. Even though we are in the midst of its dog days, we're certainly not "stagnating in sultry heat" at the Library! New hours (we're now open until 8 pm each night Monday through Thursday), a newly refurbished courtyard, and a new longer loan period on our recently purchased fiction books are just a few of the attractions that are drawing folks in for a visit. Concerts, art exhibits, fantastic programs for kids of all ages, comfortable seating and cool shelter from that heat and humidity make it a terrific summer-long destination. Stop by and leave the dog days behind!

See you soon - and often,
Kathy Leeds, Director

There is no charge for the program, but advance registration is required - and participation is limited, so please contact us soon to sign up!

Thursdays, August 2nd, 9th, and 16th
Drop in at any time to create a craft based on beasts and books - no registration is necessary and there will be lots of materials free for creating! These sessions are open to all ages.

Thursday, August 2nd, 9th, and 16th from 4 to 5 pm
Children entering fourth grade and up are invited to make a more involved craft based on incredible creatures. Again, there is no charge for the program, but advance registration is required:
sign up for August 2nd
sign up for August 9th
sign up for August 16th

No registration is necessary and you can be sure that photo opportunities will abound. Please join us!

for children 3-5 years old:
>Friday August 3rd, from 10:30 to 11:30 am ~~ Dora Summer Explorer
>Friday August 10th, from 10:30 to 11:30 am ~~ Thomas & Trusty Friends
>Friday August 17th, from 10:30 to 11:30 am ~~ Go Diego Go

for children 6 and up:
>Friday August 3rd, from 2 to 4 pm ~~ Night at the Museum
>Friday August 10th, from 2 to 4 pm ~~ Firehouse Dog
>Friday August 17th, from 2 to 4 pm ~~ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2007)

1-2 years with caregivers
~~ Tuesday, August 7th from 10:15 to10:45 am
~~ Tuesday, August 14th from 10:15 to 10:45 am

3-4 years
~~ Tuesday, August 7th from 11:15 to 11:45 am
~~ Tuesday, August 14th from 11:15 to 11:45 am

5-6 years with caregivers
~~ Tuesday, August 7th from 2 to 2:45 pm
~~ Tuesday, August 14th from 2 to 2:45 pm

In additon, on Tuesday, August 28th, from 10:30 to 11 am, we will hold a Life is a Beach drop-in story time sponsored by the Young Reader Round-up that is open to all children ages 1-5 (with their caregivers). Kids - bring your beach towels to the Library and drop in for some sandy, sunny stories and songs!

And finally, on Thursday, August 30, from 10:30 to 11:30 am, the Young Reader Round-up will sponsor a morning sleepy time story time. The big kids may have started school this week, but it will still be summer for the preschool crowd. There will be no need to get dressed -- kids can stay in their pajamas, bring a blanket and a lovie, and drop in for a very special, sleepy morning story time. The session is open to all children, ages 1 through 5, accompanied by a caregiver.

Music and refreshments are free, thanks to the Patricia and John Curran Teen Fund. Please call 762- 3950 for more information, but no registration is necessary.

This program was booked to capacity the first time it was held, so be sure to register soon to save a space! The session on August 14th, from 4 to 5 pm, is sure to be time well spent before the start of the new school year.

Please note that all children must be accompanied by caregivers and that admission will be strictly on a first-come, first-served basis. Our staff will begin registration at 1:30 pm at the door and the first 150 people to register will be seated. Thanks to our friends at Stop & Shop for sponsoring this afternoon of summer fun!

Robert's shows are designed to teach trust, courage, and gentleness. While set in a "long, long ago" world, they address the daily problems and challenges of young children. Robert's superb guitar work and interactive style punctuate the messages of these stories. Interestingly, Robert was trained as a lawyer and practiced as a criminal attorney for about five years... it is clear that his love of kids, music, and teaching are his true calling, however. Join us!

We know this new lending policy will prove popular with the hundreds of customers who avidly browse our new fiction on the special shelves just across from the Circulation Desk. As a matter of fact, with the exception of feature film DVDs and magazines, everything in the building will have a three-week loan period. We will be devoting more of our book budget to new fiction to make sure we have enough copies of new titles on hand to satisfy the demand, and I am very pleased to be able to give people more time to enjoy reading in a more leisurely manner.

In addition, we welcome new full-time Children's Library Assistant Emily Arsenault to the increasingly busy Childrens Department. Emily has recently returned to Connecticut from South Africa, where she worked in library development in rural schools as a Peace Corps volunteer. Previously, she worked as a high school English teacher and as an assistant editor at the Merriam-Webster Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College and received her Teaching Certification from St. Joseph College in West Hartford. Emily has already proven to be a terrific addition to the creative and productive Children's Library staff.

We are most fortunate to have these two young women on board. Please stop by and meet them next time you visit!

Hot and Cool: Jazz at the Brubeck Room is funded by the William and Karen Tell Foundation with special thanks to Ed and Catherine Romer. Advance registration is suggested and pre-registrants must arrive by 2:50 pm to be guaranteed seating. After 3 pm, and if space is available, waitlisted and walk-in registrants will be admitted. The suggested donation for this performance ($10 per person) will be used to fund future musical performances of all sorts at the Library.

A special note for jazz lovers: Triple Play will attend a reception to follow the performance in honor of jazz legend and fellow Wiltonian, Dave Brubeck. We are so pleased to have been chosen as a site for the University of the Pacific Library traveling multimedia exhibition entitled The Times of Dave Brubeck. This exhibit will be on view at the Library from Thursday, August 16th, through Sunday, September 16th alternately in the Brubeck Room and our entry Gallery and we urge you all to stop by to focus on Dave Brubeck's contributions to jazz and classical music, his involvement in civil rights issues, and his role in cultural ambassadorship programs that used jazz to improve relations between the United States and other countries. Thanks are due again to the William and Karen Tell Foundation for making the traveling exhibit's visit to Wilton possible.

And a " save the date" for you all: our next Hot and Cool Jazz event will take place on Sunday, September 9th, at 5 pm when famed singer-pianist Dena DeRose takes the stage with her singular style and compelling creativity. You should register now to save yourself a seat - she is simply remarkable!

New Young Readers will receive our hippo book bag and a special card that allows them to borrow children's DVDs for an extended 7-day period. Please call the Library at 762-3950, extension 216, for details.

• Thanks to Stewart Flowers who, week after week, provides us with beautiful arrangements for our Circulation Desk.
• Thanks to the Wilton Garden Club for their generous donation in support of our book and magazine collections about horticulture and landscaping.
• Thanks to the Wilton Land Conservation Trust for their continuing funding of materials on conservation and the environment.
• Thanks to all who gave in loving memory of longtime Library friends, Jane Muhlethaler, Alan Streusand, Bill Logan, and Sara Napoleon.
• Thanks to all donors who helped make the fabulous Blue Hill Troupe performance of Yeoman of the Guard possible, particularly our event sponsor, The Wilton Bank.
• Thanks to our friends at The Village Market for their continued funding of our Summer Music & More concerts - how nice it was to see them return to the big courtyard!
• Thanks to Michael Crystal, founder of the Grand Crew Wine Club, for the lovely wine served at our first two Summer Music & More concerts.
• Thanks to all who gave in honor of Ben Van Vechten and Ann Martin to keep their literature and poetry seminars coming in the future.
• Thanks to our friends at Gregory and Adams who each year give us the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory to add to our reference collection.
• Thanks to local restaurants, markets and stores for their kind donation of food and drink for various events: Luca Ristorante Italiano, Wilton Pizza & Pasta, Village Market, and Elmers All the Best Wines.
• Thanks to Stop & Shop for their generous contribution to our 2007 Summer Reading Program for kids.