Wilton Library Association Newsletter
January 2005
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in this issue
-- Poetry Bonanza
-- Expansion News
-- Art Receptions in January
-- Winter Story Times
-- Alert: Book Sale Help Needed!
-- Seminars on Keeping Your Family Safe
-- Kids, Kids, Kids!
-- Book Discussions in January
-- "Town Hall Meeting" on January 13th
-- Learning Opportunities!
-- Special Thanks
Happy New Year!
According to Chase's 2005 Calendar of Events, January 1st is traditionally a time "of personal stocktaking, for making resolutions for the coming year and sometimes for recovering from the festivities of New Year's Eve." I prefer to think of it (less grimly) as a time of new beginnings, of new opportunities to grow and savor what life has to offer. Our Library calendar for the month is full of classes and gatherings of all sorts - please resolve to drop in and check us out!
Sincerely,
Kathy Leeds,
Director
Poetry
Bonanza
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| If you haven't yet had the opportunity to parse poems with Ben
Van Vechten, this January is the time to start! His loyal
fans pack the Community Room, so reserve your spot early and pick
up your poetry packet at the Library's front desk. Ben will examine
the work of several poets in this five-part series on Thursdays
from 10:30-noon (January 6, 13, 20, 27, and February 3rd).
We are most delighted to host a poetry chat with Ira Joe Fisher, the celebrated CBS reporter, who will show another side of his personality and talent. He will read and discuss his own poetry as well as that of two other poets - and he'll have books to sign and sell. Join us from 2-3:30 pm on Sunday, January 23rd for this very special celebrity seminar. Advance registration is suggested. |
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Expansion
News
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For those of you who were watching during December, our two-story
addition grew like a mushroom in the rain! Overnight, steel sprouted and
joined together to give us all the first true inkling of the shape and
mass of our new space... in the words of one of our young customers, "it's
awesome!" The tremendous crane used to erect the steel girders has now
departed and we will reclaim part of the parking lot that was temporarily
lost to equipment.
Not so fun or exciting was the discovery that the ceiling in the magazine area needed shoring up before demolition of the end wall could begin... and we are now graced with a total of four giant scaffolds in our biography, magazine and newspaper sections. Thanks to all who have weathered the noise and dust of this latest phase in our transformation.
Another "behind the scenes" construction feat was the demolition of our existing basement. After the relocation of eight staff members and almost all of the materials stored there, walls, floor and ceiling were torn up to make way for two new mechanical rooms that will serve the expanded building. Kudos to Turner Construction and especially our wonderful superintendent, George Preininger, for pulling this all off with as little fuss as possible. Kudos, too, to our patient and flexible staff who are now packed to bursting on the main floor. Thank heavens we can all gaze out the window and envision the future! It's a great morale booster.
Watch the progress... Art
Receptions in January
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We have three wonderful opening receptions this month and you are
all invited to join us. Remember - 20% of all art sales benefit the Library,
so plan on shopping for a good cause when you come.
- A Group Show of Two will feature the work of Patrick Cooke (exciting large-scale animal illustrations) and Bobbi Mullen (beautiful landscapes). The reception will be held on Sunday, January 9th from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Artwork will remain on the walls for your viewing and purchasing pleasure through Friday, January 28th.
- Mid-month, on January 14th from 6-8 pm, the Wilton PTA Council will hold an opening reception for the annual Reflections exhibit that features the art, music, photography and literature works of students in grades K-12. The exhibit will run through Friday, January 28th, on the walls of Children's Services.
- At the end of the month, Lawrence Murphy will show more than 50 of his photographic prints in an exhibit entitled Altered States that will run through Saturday, February 26th. Join us at his opening reception on Sunday, January 30th from 11:30 am to 1 pm.
- Digital Photography: Using Your New Digital Camera will be the topic for that popular duo, Michael & Mary Anne Franco, on Saturday, January 8th from 11-12:30 pm. You'll learn how to "frame" your pictures and make adjustments that enhance the photos you take.
- The True Story of Sacajawea will be told by Wilton resident and recent Lewis & Clark trail guide, George Lowell, from 7-8:30 pm on Wednesday, January 12th. Learn more about this interesting woman and her role in the exploration of America's West.
- Exploring Business Ownership Through Franchises will be the topic for Tim Stubbs of The Entrepreneur's Source in a seminar co-sponsored by the Wilton Chamber of Commerce from 9:30-11 am on Friday, January 14th at the Library. Tim will talk about misconceptions about business ownership, franchise basics, and how to approach a change in career. Advance registration (call the Chamber office at 762-0567 or the Library at 762-3950) is required and there is a fee of $30/$25 Chamber member for the session.
- Carl Rotenberg, M.D., will discuss Defining and Dealing with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder from 7-8 pm on Tuesday, January 25th. Learn how to recognize this syndrome in yourself and others - and perhaps more importantly, how to treat it.
- Thanks to all who gave in loving memory of Honorary Trustee John Curran to support our teen programs. The generous fund established in his name will allow Teen Librarian Susan Lauricella to continue to provide innovative programs in coming months - and years.
- Thanks to more than thirty-five people who purchased Giving Tree items for the Library's collection. What a wonderful way to honor or memorialize loved ones - or simply to make sure that terrific books and videos are available on the Library's shelves!
- Thanks to Tracy Flannery for her years of dedicated service on the Library's Board of Trustees (Tracy has gone on to become President of the Wilton Family Y Board).
- Thanks to Bob and Carol Russell for the donation of six Baby Einstein videos in celebration of their granddaughter Lily's birth.
- Thanks to Rick Donegan and Stop & Shop for providing holiday wreaths to all the Wilton Library construction workers.
- Thanks to Jan Peterson and Stewart Flowers for their weekly deliveries of beautiful arrangements to brighten our Circulation Desk.
- Thanks to the Wilton Garden Club for our lovely holiday courtyard wreath and to Joan Faulkner for her annual pointsettia donation.
- Thanks to everyone who managed to find parking spaces while the crane and other construction equipment took over part of our new parking lot!
Winter
Story Times
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In this season of gift-giving, the most important gift you can
give your children is an early love of reading and appreciation
of literature. Experts agree that there is no other single attribute
that better guarantees academic success than this sort of good
foundation. Join us once a week during the winter for reading fun!
Advance registration is required for our 8-week session of story-times for children 1-6 years of age. There is no charge for the program which starts on January 10th and concludes on March 3rd, with various times and days of the week available for different age groups. Please note that there will be no story time sessions on January 17th and February 21st because of holiday observance. Please call us in Children's Services (762-3950 extension #217) for more information and to register. |
Alert:
Book Sale Help Needed!
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In preparation for our annual book sale in April, chairwomen
Jan MacEwen and Jan Galletly organize teams of volunteers to sort through
all the paperback books that have been donated to the library. The books
have already been cleaned and weeded out, so the remaining task is to
sort them into categories for eventual pricing. And for the first time,
the job will take place inside a heated building with lots of space (our
temporary storage facility at Executive Campus down the road)!
Sorting is a most crucial step of the book sale process... and there is no prior experience or training required - it will be provided "on the job." Each team meets once a week for a couple of hours and the best part is you get first dibs on all the books you've been looking for! If you can give us a couple of hours a week during the months of January and February, please e-mail or call (227-8502) Jan MacEwen which day(s) you are available and whether morning (10am to noon) or afternoon (1-3pm) is best for you.
Seminars
on Keeping Your Family Safe
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| We have two very special programs planned for January that deal
with topics about which every parent should be aware:
On Thursday, January 13th from 7-8:30 pm, mothers and daughters are invited to join us in the Community Room for the first in a series of Wilton Library Women's Nights Out. This evening's presentation and discussion will be about the sobering topic of Dating Violence... and we particularly urge teenage girls and/or their moms to come hear the ways in which this sort of violence can be prevented. Don't miss this riveting seminar by representatives from the Domestic Violence Crisis Center. On the following Wednesday evening, January 19th from 7:30 to 9 pm, Wilton's own Police Officer Scott Sear will discuss Internet Safety. Officer Sear has put together a no-nonsense primer for parents who are concerned about their children's use of the Internet and the dangers it can pose. |
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Advance registration is suggested for both programs...
Kids,
Kids, Kids!
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In addition to the advent of our Winter Story Time schedule described
above, we have three terrific programs for kids (and their families!)
toward the end of the month:
On Friday night, January 21st, starting at 7 pm and continuing through Saturday morning at 9 am, Children's Librarian Sharrie Alechman will host our annual Lights Out at the Library for girls in grades 2-4. Games, food and fun are guaranteed. Space is limited, advance registration is required and a fee of $25 per child ($20 for Young Readers) helps us to defray the costs. |
On Saturday, January 22nd from 2-3 pm, the Wilton Bank will sponsor Norwalk Symphony's Not Just For Kids Concert and hands-on participation with percussion instruments. Kids ages 3-10 and their families are encouraged to attend. We'll roll back the books in the Picture Book Room to make space for audience, performers and instruments! Registration is suggested.
On Saturday, January 29th from 10 am- noon, Wilton High School's National Honor Society members will read stories, demonstrate crafts and serve refreshments to kids in kindergarten through second grade. Both big high school kids and the little kids they entertain love this annual session. Registration is suggested.
Book Discussions in January
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This month on January 12th from noon to 1 pm, our discussion guru, Susan Boyar, will lead a discussion of Jane Austen's Persuasion and The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. Bring your lunch and join Susan for an illuminating look at these works!
The Senior Center Book Discussion this month will be led by Bill Ziegler and take place on Tuesday, January 25th at the Senior Center on School Road at 11 am. Bill will talk about Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. The Library has several regular and large-print copies of the book available - call 762- 3950 or reserve online.
"Town Hall Meeting" on January 13th
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| The library is pleased to host Wilton's State legislators Senator
Judy Freedman and Representatives Toni Boucher and John Hetherington.
Start the new year by meeting these legislative leaders and letting
them know your priorities.
The meeting will be held from 6-8:30 pm on Thursday, January 13th in the Library's Picture Book Room and refreshments will be served. Registration is suggested, but not required. |
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Learning Opportunities!
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Information of all sorts is our business at the Library and we've invited several fascinating speakers to join us during the month:
Special Thanks
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| Although it is impossible to adequately thank all who donate
money, time and services to the Library each month, I'd like to
mention a few recent gifts:
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Contact Information
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email: library@wiltonlibrary.org
voice: 203-762-3950
web: http://www.wiltonlibrary.org
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