Wilton Library Association Newsletter
July 2004
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in this issue
-- Construction Zone!
-- Summer Music & More Concert Series
-- Summer Book Sale: Tantalizing Titles and Tastes Under the Tents
-- Pasadena's Lineage Dance to Perform!
-- Wilton Library's 60th Annual Summer Art Exhibition
-- Kids, Kids, Kids!
-- Welcome 2004/2005 Wilton Library Trustees!
-- Thanks to Our Corporate Partner, GE!
-- Wishlist
-- July Holdays
-- Farewells
Hello!
Welcome to you all and particularly to those friends who are receiving Wilton Library's librarEmail for the first time. Reactions I have gotten from newly subscribed friends have been uniformly positive, but should you wish to unsubscribe at any time from my monthly update, please feel free to email me at kcleeds@wiltonlibrary.org or use the directions for unsubscribing at the end of each newsletter.
We now have over 1,100 subscribers and I am hoping to triple that number within the next year, so please encourage anyone you know who might like to keep up with what's happening at the Library to sign up on our homepage (www.wiltonlibrary .org) or by emailing me a subscription request.
-- Kathy Leeds, Director
Construction
Zone!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Construction is beginning in our back yard! Stop by and watch
its progress throughout the summer as we take the very first steps
in our expansion process by increasing that incredibly important commodity: PARKING.
During July and August we will work first on the Godfrey Place lot and then on the area between the Library and Fleet Bank to add significantly to our current 55 or so spaces. Even when we dig up our current lot in the rear of the building for the two-story addition, we will end up with almost 100 spaces - what a good thing that will be!
Turner Construction will be overseeing the project and you can look for updates posted in the Library about the timing of each phase. As you know, we plan to stay open throughout the project (now scheduled to be completed in spring 2006) and with Turner's help will keep inconvenience to our customers to a minimum.
For more expansion information... Summer
Music & More Concert Series
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks once again to the folks at The Village Market, the Library will fill Wilton Center with music and serve great free refreshments on Thursday afternoons in July. The lineup is awesome and we urge you to stop by the courtyard each week from 5 to 6:30 for a true happening for all ages at the heart of our town.
This year's concerts bring back several popular performers and feature a few new ones. If you've come to the concerts in the past, you know just how very special they are. If you've never been - please join us! I'm sure you'll pencil the concerts in on your calendar from that point forward as a "must."
- July 1 Chance Browne and his blues band
- July 8 Bob Riccio and the Dixieland Beatniks Band
- July 15 The Wingnuts
- July 22 Teen bands: Flooded and Cherry Revision<
- July 29 Cynthia McCorkindale
Additional thanks go to Michael Crystal and The Grand Crew for liquid refreshments and to Country Living Associates for their special sponsorship of The Wingnuts.
Summer
Book Sale: Tantalizing Titles and Tastes Under the Tents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to stop by for your "beach books" on Thursday and Friday, July 8th and 9th from 10 am to 4pm! We will be selling hundreds of hardcover fiction and non-fiction, paperbacks and children's books at fantastic prices. This increasingly popular sale draws crowds, so come early for your pick of this crop of summer reading.
The Wilton Kiwanis Club and the folks at Stop & Shop are holding an "Ice Cream Social" from 11-3 pm both days to benefit the Library, too, so make sure you stop by to fill your bookshelves and tummies!
Pasadena's
Lineage Dance to Perform!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Friday, July 30th at 7:30 pm, we are in for a very special treat. Coming all the way from Pasadena, California, the Lineage Dance Company will stage a performance in the Library's Picture Book Room. Their story-based modern dance program will thrill all ages.
Tickets (available at the Library's front desk) cost $25 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Families are definitely welcome, and this performance will benefit the Library. Space is limited, and it is sure to be an intimate and enthralling evening.
Wilton
Library's 60th Annual Summer Art Exhibition
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throughout July and August, the work of some of our favorite artists will hang throughout the Library in what has become an annual celebration of the tremendous talent in this town. Stop by on Friday, July 9th from 6:30 to 8 for a reception in their honor and to find which of your neighbors and friends is a budding Rembrandt, Picasso or Monet. I am in awe every year as this artwork goes up - for good reason, it is one of our highest selling shows.
The Library uses 20% of the proceeds of every sale to add to its collection of books and films about art and art instruction, so bring your wallets - there's surely a spot somewhere on your walls that one or two of these works will brighten or enhance!
Kids,
Kids, Kids!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer is for kids at the Library and we have several terrific programs lined up with help from Rick Donegan and Stop & Shop, sponsors of our Summer Reading Program.
- Drop-In Story Times will be held on Tuesdays throughout July. No registration is required, but stop by to see the schedule of sessions or give us a call at 762-3950 x217 in Children's Services to find out when to come.
- Wonderful Wednesdays will feature live entertainment at
2 pm in the Picture Book Room. We had over 100 participants at our
Jugglers show in June, so make sure you register to reserve a spot!:
- July 7 Washboard Slim & His Musical Story=20 Times
- July 14 Big Animal Blast
- July 21 Sing Me a Story with Susan Mirwis
- July 28 Magic of Reading with Bryan Flint
- Construction Craft Thursdays Feature crafts for ages 3-6 and 7-10 in the Community Room. Call or register soon - these sessions ($5/$4 Young Readers materials fee) fill up quickly.
- Monday Yoga for Tots! On July 12, 19, 26 and August 2, certified
instructor Samantha Alechman will teach yoga for ages 2-3 (children
must be accompanied by an adult), building minds and bodies. There
is a fee of $5/$4 Young Readers per child per session.
Shakespeare on the Sound for Families
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have
you ever taken advantage of the summer Shakespeare performance
in Rowayton? I heartily recommend that you pack your picnic and
take the whole family to see a free performance of A Winter's
Tale this summer! But before you go, come to the Wilton Library
to hear Tom Lee tell the story for kids in grades 3-8 and their
families. On Thursday, June 24th from 7-8 pm, Tom will
perform Shakespeare's tale in a way that will make the play more
understood - and enjoyed - by those of all ages. The play itself runs June 17th through July 4th and you can call Shakespeare on the Sound at 203.299.1300 for more information.
Welcome 2004/2005 Wilton Library Trustees!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the 109th Annual Meeting of the Wilton Library Association last month, our new Trustees and officers were approved. The following individuals have agreed to serve in their respective classes:
Class of 2005
Kevin Black, Nicki Brown, Charles P. Flynn, Karen Kachadoorian, Margaret Reeves, Robert H. Russell, Jim Saxe
Class of 2006
Virginia M. Benin, Frank Duemmler, Ellen Essman, Tracy B. Flannery, Thomas Galante, John E. Kennard, C. Andy Pforzheimer, Katharine H. Welling
Class of 2007
David F. Clune, Elizabeth Harleman, Louise Herot, Judith F. Higby, Pamela Hovland, Greg Jansen, Colleen Kellman, Malcolm S. WhyteOur officers for the 2004/05 year are:
- President Kathy Welling
- Vice President Dave Clune
- Treasurer Gini Benin
- Secretary Judy Higby
Unfortunately, we will lose the services of Donna Conway, Jim Cooper, Tom Fleming, Ed Hyde, Jane Lee, Erik Wilterding and Joan Waldie. We will miss them and thank them for their years of service.
Last Call for Computer Classes!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Computer guru Mary Anne Franco will take the summer off from classes, so those anxious to take her hands-on morning (8:30-10 am) classes should register immediately. Class size is limited to 10 students and the fee per student is $20 or $15 for Friends of the Library (those who have made a donation to the Wilton Library within the last year).
Classes scheduled for June:
- Wednesday, June 2 - Basic PowerPoint
- Thursday, June 3 - Intermediate Excel
- Wednesday, June 16 - Intermediate Word
- Thursday, June 17 - Intermediate PowerPoint
Thanks to Our Corporate Partner, GE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judy Higby (left), outgoing President of the Wilton Library Association and Lauren McLaughlin (right), Assistant Library Director, recently received a check from August Serra, Manager-Communication and Community Relations for General Electric Company for $29,130. The grant is from the GE Foundation matching contributions made by GE employees and retirees in 2003 and will be used to support Wilton Library's Building Fund.
Company matches are a wonderful way to maximize contributions to the Library - please check with your place of employment to see if your company, like GE, will support your charitable giving.
Wishlist
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the last few years, we have highlighted a few items as things we would really like to buy but can't afford. Virtually everything we have listed in our paper "snail mail" newsletter in this way has subsequently been contributed by a generous donor. We've been able to purchase books, reference materials, DVDs, videos, and audiobooks for all ages - and have even acquired equipment like a snowblower and supplies like firewood on occasion.
This month we are asking for $35 to purchase Historical Atlas of Islam, by Malise Ruthven and Azim Nanji, director of London's Institute of Ismaili Studies. This work will serve to add significantly to our knowledge of Islam and Muslim culture - its richly illustrated text traces the historical development and geographical expansion of Islamic civilization from Muhammad's birth to 2003. If you would like to make a contribution, please drop off a check at the front desk or send it in to me at 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT 06897. Be sure to tell us if you would like to donate in honor or memory of a loved one - we'll be glad to place a book plate with your inscription inside the front cover.
July Holidays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Library will be closed Sundays during the summer and on Monday, July 5th to observe Independence Day.
Our regular hours are:
- Monday and Friday 10-6Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10-7Saturday 10-5
- Sunday 1-5 (September-June)
Farewells
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This month and last we have bid farewell to several staff members. Shelvers Lillian Gourley, Joyce Ackerman and Vickie Moffitt (whom you may also know from the Circulation Desk) are all moving away from Wilton and we wish them well - we will certainly miss them all.Shirley Robbins, who has worked at the Circulation Desk and behind the scenes for 14 years, is retiring - but she has assured us that she will continue her incredibly valuable work on our book sales as a volunteer. Thank you, Shirley!
We are in the process of filling staff positions and I will introduce our newest employees to you all next month. I continue to be impressed by the incredible credentials, work ethic and customer focus of all those who come to work at the Wilton Library - the standard is set high, yet we continue to draw talented people who measure up.