WILTON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
137 Old Ridgefield Road
Wilton, CT 06897
Tel: 203-762-3950
  • Hours:
  • Mon-Thurs: 10-8
  • Fri: 10-6
  • Sat: 10-5
  • Sun: 1-5 (Sept-June)


Contact Information
email: library@wiltonlibrary.org
voice: 203-762-3950
web: www.wiltonlibrary.org


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Wilton Library Association Newsletter
May 2004
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in this issue
-- Expansion News
-- Operation Respect: A Town Against Intolerance
-- FAPA Art Exhibit and Opening Reception (May 3rd)
-- Aly Dunne Workshops for Kids and Teens
-- Check Mates - Recreational Chess for Kids
-- More Programs for Kids...
-- Information from the Experts
-- Cadeaux to Benefit the Library on May 13th and 14th!
-- May's Book and Short Story Discussions
-- New in Large Print

Greetings!

...and a special welcome to those of you new to the monthly e-newsletter from the Wilton Library!

I hope you'll enjoy my roundup of what's coming up at the library. I will keep you posted each month on everything from new services to programs for all ages and interests, from new books and movies to the latest word on the expansion.

Please let me know how you like librarEnews and help us build our subscriber list by recommending it to your friends and family! It's a great way to keep on top of all that's happening in the heart of the community at your library.

-- Kathy Leeds, Director

Expansion News
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All of our planning and hard work on the expansion of the Wilton Library will begin to pay off in coming weeks as construction begins. June 13th, the date of our Annual Meeting, will mark our groundbreaking ceremony - and you are all invited and encouraged to come and join in the celebration at the Library from 4 to 6 p.m., truly one that everyone in Wilton and quite a few beyond our town borders have helped make possible.

Our schedule calls for site work and new parking lot construction to take place during the summer, then the two story addition to begin just about when schools start at summer's end. You'll be able to watch the progress on our new entry and the magnificent Brubeck Community Room as well during the winter of 2005, with the final bit of construction, the closing in of our large courtyard, taking place soon afterwards. Turner Construction will oversee the renovation of our existing structure during much of 2005, and we hope to finish the project in January of 2006.

We plan to keep the Library open during the entire process and will work closely with Turner to minimize any inconvenience to our customers and patrons.

See more about the project...

Operation Respect: A Town Against Intolerance
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The Library is honored to present an exceptional series of films and discussions centered on issues recently highlighted in Wilton for us all. We urge you to join us for any or all sessions (note that all begin at 7 pm in the Library Community Room) of this important program is sponsored in part by Wilton PTA Council, Wilton Education Foundation, and the Wilton Chamber of Commerce. Refreshments will be served and advance registration is strongly suggested.

  • Wednesday, May 5th - Board of Education member, Troy Ellen Dixon, will show Not in Our Town, a "straightforward and inspirational documentary" about a city (Billings, Montana) "that comes together to fight hate crimes and in the process learns of the incredible power of people united for peace and tolerance."
  • Tuesday, May llth - Board of Finance Member, Andy Mais, will show People Like Us, a film that shows how social class can determine opportunity as much as race or ethnicity and raises the question, "Are all Americans created equal - or are some more equal than others?"
  • Thursday, May 20th - Fire Commissioner Hesham El-Abd will lead a discussion following the showing of Brothers and Others: The Impact of September 11th on Arabs, Muslims and South Asians in America which focuses on the heightened climate of hate, FBI and INS investigations and economic hardships these groups have encountered.
  • Wednesday, May 26th - Rector Mary Grace Williams of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church will discuss The Laramie Project, "a dramatization of a town forced to confront itself in the reflective glare of the national spotlight, responding with love, anger, sympathy, support, and defiance" following the homophobic murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.
  • Wednesday, June 2nd - Rabbi Leah Cohen and Louis Haber of Temple B'nai Chaim will show clips from the classic "Gentleman's Agreement," starring Gregory Peck, a film about a writer assigned to do a magazine series on anti-Semitism who decides to pose as a Jew, and soon discovers what it is like to be a victim of religious intolerance.
  • Monday, June 7th - Dean Patrick Chang from Middlebrook School and Bill Howe, Educational Consultant for Multicultural Education and Gender Equity from the State Department of Education will join director Lee Mun Wah in discussing his Last Chance for Eden, a documentary that "examines the impact of society's stereotypes" on the workplace, on personal relationships and on community interactions.

FAPA Art Exhibit and Opening Reception (May 3rd)
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Monday, May 3rd will mark the start of the annual Fine and Performing Arts Exhibit at the Wilton Library. Please come for the fabulous opening reception from 6- 8 pm that evening or stop in throughout the month to see the more than 400 works of art on display that were created by Wilton students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Aly Dunne Workshops for Kids and Teens
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Former professional model Aly Dunne will offer three workshops for us in May. Addressing the concerns of several different ages and stages, these sessions are sure to build poise and confidence when it is most needed. Get your registration in early - the workshops are sure to fill up quickly. And don't forget to tell your friends!

  • Sunday, May 2, 3-4 pm
    How to Walk into a Room Full of Strangers with Confidence (high school students)
  • Monday, May 10, 3-4 pm
    Runway (girls in grades 3-5)
  • Monday, May 10, 4-5 pm
    Body Image (students in grades 6-8)

Check Mates - Recreational Chess for Kids
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Following up on our tremendously successful Chess Club Classes sponsored by Fleet Bank (the May sessions are already filled to capacity with those who couldn't get into our March debut sessions!), the Library will set up chess tables in the lobby by the fireplace on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3- 5 pm and on the weekends from 1-4.

Those who wish to play can check out a board and pieces from the desk in Children's Services. If weather allows, we may even take over tables in the courtyard for recreational play. Please note that no instruction or close supervision will be available, so parents may choose to stay close by to help with playing tips!

More Programs for Kids...
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On Friday, May 14th from 7-9 pm, Teen Librarian Susan Lauricella has a Library "Survivor" Night lined up for kids from 10 to 12 years old. We'll have our own version of the reality TV show while kids discover all kinds of things around the library and make "survival" items with their findings! Sponsored by Fleet Bank, this program is free, but advance registration is required.

On Saturday, May 22nd, the American Red Cross will hold another of its extremely popular 10am-3:30 pm Babysitting Training classes. The cost is $50 per child payable in advance and the class is designed for kids 11-15 years old. Register early - previous sessions have been sold out!

Information from the Experts
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The Library will host several seminars with co-sponsors during the month on a number of important, life enhancing issues:

  • Wednesday, May 5th (10-11:30 am) - Merrill Lynch's Julia Strayer and Cathy Tanzilli will talk about preserving your assets and Laurie Klein will demonstrate preserving family milestones through photography.
  • Thursday, May 13th (7 pm) - Investment consultant Barry Steelman will discuss principles of asset allocation and weathering the stormy investment market.
  • Friday, May 21st (9:30-11 am) - Veronica Holz and the Chamber of Commerce will present a session on improving communication and enhancing relationships.*
  • Wednesday, May 26th (10-11:30 am) - Merrill Lynch's Julia Strayer and Cathy Tanzilli will cover the best ways to provide funds for children and grandchildren and a panel of genealogists and historians including Pamela Bochinsky, Madge Hurtuk and Wilton's own Carol Russell will talk about beginning your own genealogy project.

*There will be a charge for this program only: $25 for Chamber members and $30 for all others. Call the Chamber office to register.


Cadeaux to Benefit the Library on May 13th and 14th!
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When you shop for women's, children's and home accessories at the WEPCO Complex on New Canaan Road this spring, your $3 admission fee will go directly to support the Library's building fund. The event will go on from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm on Thursday, May 13th and Friday, May 14th. For more information on the sorts of wonderful shopping you can do, please call Cadeaux at 762-9493.


May's Book and Short Story Discussions
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Wilton Library Readers, under the expert guidance of Susan Boyar, will discuss Penelope Lively's Moon Tiger from 12-1 pm on Wednesday, May 12th.

Seniors will join Barbara Jones at the Senior Center on Tuesday, May 25th, to discuss Bharati Mukherjee's Desirable Daughters. Call 834-6240 to register.

Ben Van Vechten will begin a 5-part seminar on short stories on May 6th (sessions are from 10:30-12 on Thursdays May 6, 13, 20, 27 and June 3rd). Please stop by to pick up a binder of stories to be discussed and to register for this popular program ($5 rental fee).


Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: library@wiltonlibrary.org
voice: 203-762-3950
web: http://www.wiltonlibrary.org
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