Wilton Library Association Newsletter
September 2004
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in this issue
-- Ladies, Mark Your Calendars - Very Varied Vintage is on September 19th
--Expansion Update
--Book Discussions in September
--Computer Classes Return
--Business Briefs: Re-entering the Workforce
--Wilton Reads! To Kill a Mockingbird
--Special Thanks
--On Exhibit: A Group Show of One by Bill Logan
--Story Times Resume for the Fall
--Dinosaurs and Volcanoes in Connecticut!
--Feng Shui from an Expert
--Can You Help Us?
--Especially for Seniors
--Welcome Our New Staff Members
Hi!Welcome back, those of you who were on vacation, and good luck to students
starting a new grade in school. September always seems a time of new beginnings
to me and I hope we all approach the fall refreshed and invigorated.As you'll
see below, your Library has lots going on for you this month. Stop by - to
pick up a book, attend a lecture, hop on the Internet, or sit and read a magazine.
You'll be able to watch the progress as our expansion "unfolds" (such a gentle,
quiet word!) at the same time - an exciting beginning for us all.
-- Kathy Leeds, Director
Ladies,
Mark Your Calendars - Very Varied Vintage is on September 19th
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| On Sunday,
September 19th from 5:30-7:30 pm, the Library will
present its enormously successful ladies' soiree to raise
funds for technology and programs. This year, following on
the heels of Old Bag Night, Baubles, Bangles and Beads, That's
a Wrap! and Off the Wall, the theme will be Very Varied Vintage.
You'll not only get to catch up on conversation with friends
and neighbors, enjoy wine and terrific food from the kitchen
of Barcelona owner and chef, Andy Pforzheimer, but you'll
also have fun bidding on exquisite "vintage" items donated
by area shops and individuals.
With an admission price of only $25, it's a great opportunity to support our Library. Don't miss the fun! Stop by or call 762-3950 x405 to reserve your spot - advance registration is required. |
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Expansion
Update
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As you read this newsletter, we are well on our way to completing the initial site work on our expansion project. Extensive drainage work, clearing the site and first coat of paving took place on the west (Godfrey Place) parking area during July and early August. Now drainage work, reconfiguration, and paving is going on in our north (Old Ridgefield Road) lot and soon the final coat of asphalt will be laid to finish the job. The book drop box has been relocated to the west lot, but when the entire expansion and renovation is done, we'll have even more methods for book return and pickup with a second box in the north lot and a drive-up window on Godfrey Place where you can both return borrowed materials and pick up items that have been reserved ahead of time without leaving your car (a real boon in times of inclement weather).Excavation for the main two-story (plus basement) addition that will house our new Children's Library will begin later this month on the site of what is now our "old" Godfrey Place lot. With the exception of temporary walkways to and from parking to the front door, this phase of the construction will be confined to the site itself and is not expected to impact the current operation of the Library at all (oh, well, we may have a bit of noise and excitement as the digging and building take place), and the fall and winter months should be a relatively "business as usual" time for us all. We'll keep you up to date on the work on our construction photos page (http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/expansion/photos.asp) as the project proceeds and soon will post and maintain a schedule of what to expect in coming days and weeks in the lobby.Kathy Welling, President of the Library's Board of Trustees and its Capital Campaign Chairman, is most gratified - as are we all - by the generous contributions to date that will make the project possible. Almost $9.5 million has been raised (including a $500,000 grant from the State of CT and a bond for $4.8 million from the Town of Wilton approved by voters in May 2003). The increase in construction materials prices experienced around the world, however, has not found our project immune - we need almost $1 million to complete the full scope (including the northeast addition and furnishings) of work to be done. If you would like to consider a gift in any amount, please give Kathy a call or stop by the Library to pick up a pledge or donation form.
For those who are able and willing to make a major gift of $25,000 or more, several prime naming opportunities are still available (including the naming of the Library building itself for $2 million - a gift that would not only complete the project, but also establish a healthy endowment for operations). There are few charitable gifts that will have such lasting and broad impact on our community - please consider joining the hundreds of donors who have already given.
Book
Discussions in September
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At noon on Wednesday, September 8th at noon, Wilton Library Readers book guru Susan Boyar will lead a talk on The Known World, by Edward P. Jones. Bring your lunch, if you wish and join us for a conversation about this 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner that is guaranteed to open your eyes to the world of blacks who owned blacks in the antebellum South. "Impossible to rush through," says Publishers Weekly, "The Known World is a complex, beautifully written novel with a large cast of characters, rewarding the patient reader with unexpected connections, some reaching into the present day."Ann Martin, longtime popular lecturer for the Library, will launch a six-part series in September entitled "The Hues and Views of the World in Literature" celebrating cultural diversity. Her challenging and inspiring discussions will take place in the Community Room on Mondays (September 13, 20, 27 and October 4, 18, 25) from 10:30 am to noon and the Library has multiple copies of the books to be discussed (listed here in discussion order):
Reference Librarian Carolyn Benjamin, a familiar face to those of you who visit the Adult Services area of the Library, will lead a discussion at the Wilton Senior Center of Madame Secretary, by Madeleine Albright, U.N. Ambassador and Secretary of State during the Carter administration. Called "one of the most diverting political bios in recent memory" by Entertainment Weekly, the memoir "captures the disarmingly blunt purposefulness that made its author an irrepressible force in foreign affairs," according to Publishers Weekly. Join Carolyn at 11 am on September 28th at Comstock Community Center! |
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Computer
Classes Return
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Computer queen Mary Anne Franco has designed a new class for September
that will be given twice during the month on Tuesdays, the first at
lunchtime on September 21st from 12:30-2 pm and the
second in the evening on September 28th from 7-8:30 pm.
Presented demonstration style (not hands-on), the sessions will include
information on your computer's operating system, how to save and access
files, and how to organize those files into folders. There will be
no charge for these classes, but advance registration is strongly advised.
If you have just begun to use a computer or have been "computing" for
a while and have questions about file formats and locations, this hour
and a half with Mary Anne will be time well spent.
Business
Briefs: Re-entering the Workforce
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On Friday, September 10th from 9:30 to 11:30, the
Wilton Chamber of Commerce and the Library will co-sponsor another
in their extremely well-received Business Briefs series. Lisa Kohler
Chubinsky, co-owner of Staff Providers (http://www.staffproviders.com)
in Wilton, will present a seminar for those returning to the workforce
that will ease the transition from home to office and provide valuable
information on how to get from one to the other. Please call the Chamber
office (762-0567) or the Library (762-3950) to register, or do it online!
There is a fee of $25 for Chamber members/$30 for non-members for this
two-hour session.
Wilton
Reads! To Kill a Mockingbird
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 |
Starting
in September, and continuing throughout the fall, our community
will come together to read Harper Lee's classic novel, watch
the terrific movie made in 1962, and discuss the issues raised
by To Kill a Mockingbird that are relevant to our town
today.
Keep up to date on all the events planned, (including complimentary copies of the book and a visit by the actors who played Jem and Scout!) by clicking on the Wilton Reads! (http://www.wiltonlibrary.org/mockingbird.asp) link here on the Library's homepage often. Wilton Reads! is a continuation of the Library's Operation Respect program begun last spring. |
Special
Thanks
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In
this and upcoming newsletters, I'm planning to set aside just
a little bit of space to thank just a few of the donors (businesses,
individuals and foundations) who so justly deserve recognition.
Of course, the Library's Annual Report each year does this
job comprehensively in a way that never could be accomplished
in a newsletter. Still, acknowledging a few of the many donations
we receive each month will remind us all of the many ways in
which our community supports the Wilton Library.
|
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On Exhibit: A Group Show of One by Bill Logan
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From September 1st to the 28th, the Library will show the work of Bill Logan, a talented local artist. All are invited to stop by during the month to see Bill's work throughout the Lobby and in Adult Services and to purchase those pieces marked for sale. The Library receives a portion of every sale - funds which are then used to purchase books and videos about art, artists and art instruction. If you can, please join us as well on Sunday, September 12th, from 11:30 am to 1 pm for a reception in Bill Logan's honor.
Story Times Resume for the Fall
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Drop-in story times will resume toward the end of the month when schedules settle down after the start of school. From September 27th through November 18th, sessions will be held as follows:
- Ones (with an adult) Tu, Wed,Thu 10:15-10:45 am Twos (with an adult) Tu, Wed,Thu 11:15-11:45 am Threes/Fours M, Tu 1-1:30 pm
- Fives/Sixes M,Tu 2:15-3 pm
Children's Services staff members, Sharrie Alechman, Lesley Keogh, Barbara Jones and Laura Schwemm will be on hand to read aloud and engage our youngest customers, inspiring a lifelong love of literature and reading - please join them for these sessions - no registration or fee is required.
Dinosaurs and Volcanoes in Connecticut!
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| Visiting
author and publisher Brendan Hanrahan will take the whole family back
to find remnants of the Ice Age (among other elements of natural history)
in our State as he talks about 200 Years of Astonishing Discoveries
in Connecticut on Sunday, September 19th at 2 pm.
Kids and parents alike will be thrilled by evidence of continental
collisions, mountain building, volcanic eruptions and dinosaurs right
in our own backyard.
Find out how you and your family can plan outings to see these "finds" for yourselves - Brendan will have his popular series of books on Connecticut's past available for purchase and signing. See the Connecticut section of the August 22nd New York Times for a full page article on Brendan and his "day trip" books! |
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Feng Shui from an Expert
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On Tuesday night, September 21st from 7-8:30 pm, Certified Feng Shui consultant Ned Farrell will discuss Finding Your Hidden Energy with Feng Shui, the Ancient Chinese philosophy based on the belief that the positioning and physical characteristics of a dwelling or office affect the fortunes and general well-being of its owner. Ned specializes in improving the energy of a workspace, in order to promote a more cooperative work environment and increase productivity. He will lecture, answer your questions about the tradition, and present a slide show. Find out about this eastern art that has captured the imagination of the western world by joining us in the Community Room that evening.
Can You Help Us?
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The
Library has a very special wish this month - and we are hoping that
someone out there would like to make a very special contribution! We
are in immediate need of a pick up truck or van that can be used for
the next year or more to move used books and other items to offsite
storage on almost a daily basis. Beginning in November, we will lose
even the temporary storage space we had in our current basement - and
the "book barn" formerly used for books, tables and equipment is no
more, having been demolished to make way for the wonderful new Godfrey
Place parking lot. Although we have secured a storage space nearby
thanks to the generosity of the Juran Institute and Wilton Executive
Campus, the hundreds of books donated each week need a way to get to
their new home.
So - if you were thinking of trading
in or no longer have a need for that truck in your driveway or garage
and would like to make a tax deductible contribution, please let
me know right away at 762-3950 or |
Especially for Seniors
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In addition to the Senior Center book discussion mentioned above, we have several programs designed especially for seniors this month:
On Sunday, September 12th at 2 pm, Leon Najman, ambassador for Elderhostel, will show a video and discuss Elderhostel vacations. You'll want to stop by if you have heard from friends and acquaintances how enjoyable and instructional Elderhostel trips can be.
On Thursday, September 23rd from 7-9 pm, David Gutchen from the CT Office of Policy and Management will talk about long-term care planning. Thanks to Wilton's own Social Services Director, Suzanne Van Vechten, for helping us set up this important program! The Missing Link in Retirement Planning is sure to clear up a number of the questions you may have about securing your future.
Welcome Our New Staff Members
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Last month I introduced you to several who are new to the Library staff and this month there are a few more as our terrific student staffers head off to college. Jason Toris and Chris Falkner will return for holidays and vacations, we hope, but in the meantime, please join me in welcoming Ketti Muschler, Dylan Lupo and Matthew McCarty who have assumed part-time positions shelving and working at the Children's Services desk. Ketti is a sophomore at Wilton High School and Dylan and Matthew are juniors.
Contact Information
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email: library@wiltonlibrary.org
voice: 203-762-3950
web: http://www.wiltonlibrary.org
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