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"News from the Fletcher Free Library" Archives |
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| June, 2008 |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, June 12 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Doug Chamberlain Hangs Up the Mop, Joins Tech Services Team One of the Library's most beloved staffers is taking a new job. Luckily for us, though, long-time Library custodian Doug Chamberlain isn't moving far: just down the hall! Doug has been hired as a Library Assistant I in the Fletcher Free's Technical Services department. He is now helping with acquisition of new books and other materials, he produces the Library's payroll and statistical reports, and covers the Circulation Desk once a week. This is a good a time to thank Doug once again for the many years of love an care he has been pouring into the maintenance of the Library building and grounds. Doug was first hired as the building's custodian in 1980, and after six years left to attend college. His current tenure as custodian began in 2001. The beautiful plants we enjoy on every floor of the Library are all Doug's progeny-- he has grown many of them from seed or cutting. Over the years, Doug has hand-shoveled and snowblown literally tons of snow and ice from the Library's sidewalks; mowed the lawn 10 gazillion times, painted and repainted innumerable Library walls, mopped, waxed, buffed and vacuumed many miles of the Library's floors, and was instrumental as a volunteer in the rescue of books during the Library's fabled Wednesday Night Waterline Break of 1998! Thanks to Doug for a job always well done, and congratulation on a new career!
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Avoid Those Late Fees The Library is now sending email reminders to patrons a few days before their items are due. To benefit from this service, simply give your email address to staff at the Circulation Desk. we guarantee that we will not share your email address with anyone. If your email program has a junk mail filter, please set it to accept messages form our "system robot" email address, which is sirsi@unicorn.ci.burlington.vt.us. For more information, please contact the Circulation Desk at 863-3043, and choose option "0".
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For the latest information about this wonderful organization that supports the Fletcher Free Library, please pick up a copy of their Spring/Summer newsletter at the Library. (Friends members will be receiving it by mail in their BiblioFile newsletter.) Annual Summer Book Sale: Saturday, June 14! Bag some great books for summer reading! You can stock up on a wide selection at unbeatable prices. Come to the Summer Used Book Sale at Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, on Saturday, June 14 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Books will be sold individually or, for a real bargain, by the bag.
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Thanks to our Volunteer Gardener Bonnie Acker has once again loaded the raised planter and "telephone island" garden beds with tons of beautiful annual flowers that will grace the entrance to the Library this summer. Thanks again, Bonnie!
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Volunteer Luncheon a Delicious Success The Library's Annual Volunteer Luncheon was May 2, 2008. Staff thanked Volunteers for their past year of work with food (some prepared by the Library's famous chefs!) and raffle prizes donated by local businesses (see below). We were all entertained and enlightened by a fascinating talk by Unitarian Universalist Society minister and author Gary Kowalski about his new book, Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers. All Volunteers went home with plants grown by Library Building Maintenance Manager Doug Chamberlain. Many have volunteered at the Library for years, and we are so grateful for their loyal service. 87 volunteers donated over 9,000 hours of their time to the Library last year! By helping to make up for understaffing, Library volunteers enable the staff of the Library to maintain high standards of public service. In addition to contributing their time and expertise, these volunteers’ desire to help brings a spirit of community involvement to the Library, an important community resource and focal point. Here's a list of food, decoration and raffle prize donors-- please thank them if you get a chance!: Apple Mountain Click here for a sampling of photos from the event. |
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| May, 2008 |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, May 15 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Welcome New Circulation Staffer Emer Feeney! The Library staff is please to welcome Emer Pond Feeney, a wonderful new addition to the Library's Circulation Desk Staff. Emer lives in Burlington, has been a patron of the FFL since she was very young, and is presently studying to obtain her master's degree in Library Science from Syracuse University. Emer is currently reading 1491, a book about recent archaeological discoveries causing scientists to rethink previous theories about the Americas before 1492. She is looking forward to getting to know all of the Library's regular customers and sharing her love of learning and reading with all!
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10-Year Anniversary of First Children's Sing-Along Recording In May, 1998, FFL Outreach Librarian Robert Resnik and FFL Youth Services Librarian Carol Scrimgeour released a cassette and compact disc containing 40 children's songs. The Library staff hoped that sales of this recording would benefit the Library's meager youth programming budget. The project was called Like the Birdies Sing. Ten years and more than $25,000 in sales later, "Birdies" and the other two FFL sing-along CDs (A Little Bit Jumbled and Jivey, and Sweet Potatoes and Homegrown Tomatoes) have been sold by mail all over the world, have helped the Library in Burlington's sister city Moss Point, Mississippi rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, and are still one of the first choices for baby presents in Chittenden County! To celebrate the success of our sing-along CD projects, the 10th anniversary of our first recording and the 10th anniversary of Robert and Gigi's first performance together, Robert Resnik and Gigi Weisman will reunite with special guest Carol Scrimgeour for a performance in the main children's room of the Library on Saturday, May 24 at 2 pm. We hope to record this performance for a new sing-along CD and also for our first DVD! This musical party is free and open to all...We hope to see you there!
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Summer Reading Program Needs Volunteers The Fletcher Free Library is currently recruiting volunteers for our Summer Reading Program. This entails coming to the library for a set time (determined by you) each week. Here you run the "reporting station" where kids come in and tell you what they've been reading. You ask them questions, stamp their log, give out little prizes, and generally be friendly. We like to have two people at the station at a time, so it's a great project to do with a friend. This year's Summer Reading Program lasts from June 16 through August 6, and we will hold a training for new volunteers on Thursday, June 12 from 3:30-4:30pm. If you're interested in helping out, please contact Cara at 865-7228/ clovell@ci.burlington.vt.us or stop by the Youth Desk. Thank you!
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Summer Used Book Sale Coming Soon Mark your calendars for the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library's Annual Summer Used Book Sale: Saturday, June 14th.
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Volunteer Luncheon a Delicious Success The Library's Annual Volunteer Luncheon was May 2, 2008. Staff thanked Volunteers for their past year of work with food (some prepared by the Library's famous chefs!) and raffle prizes donated by local businesses (see below). We were all entertained and enlightened by a fascinating talk by Unitarian Universalist Society minister and author Gary Kowalski about his new book, Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers. All Volunteers went home with plants grown by Library Building Maintenance Manager Doug Chamberlain. Many have volunteered at the Library for years, and we are so grateful for their loyal service. 87 volunteers donated over 9,000 hours of their time to the Library last year! By helping to make up for understaffing, Library volunteers enable the staff of the Library to maintain high standards of public service. In addition to contributing their time and expertise, these volunteers’ desire to help brings a spirit of community involvement to the Library, an important community resource and focal point. Here's a list of food, decoration and raffle prize donors-- please thank them if you get a chance!: Apple Mountain Click here for a sampling of photos from the event. |
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| April, 2008 |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, April 10 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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ESL Computer Classes to Begin At the end of April, the Library will partner with local organizations to offer computer classes to new refugees and immigrants in Burlington. This program is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Vermont Public Library Foundation. Steve Yurasits, a former Fletcher Free Library AmeriCorps*VISTA, will be teaching the courses, and translators will be hired to provide additional assistance. The Library is looking for volunteers to assist with the courses. For more information, please call Amber Gaster at 865.7211. Thank you! |
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New French-English Conversation Group Join the Library's new French-English conversation group and meet members of your community with similar language interests. Participants will trade conversation in English for conversation in French. The group will consist of native French speakers who are learning English, native English speakers who are learning French, and individuals who are fluent in French and just want to converse with other French speakers! This is a great opportunity to help others learn your language while practicing with fluent speakers of the language you are learning. Fluency is not required, but a basic understanding of the language is suggested. This month, the group meets Sundays, April 6 & April 20, at 3:00 pm in the Pickering Room. For more information, please call Amber Gaster at 865.7211. Bienvenue et merci!!
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New Teen Book Group This month, Library VISTAs Cara Lovell and Amber Gaster will host the 1st meeting of a new Teen Book Group titled "Questions of Home: A Cultural Remix". The 4-part series focuses on the experience of past and present refugee and immigrant teens living in the United States. The first book of the series, Red Hot Salsa, is a collection of bilingual poems that focus on being young and Latino in the United States. Supported by a grant from the Paul Post Fund, this series will bring new teen library users to the Fletcher Free and will allow teens of diverse backgrounds to come together to foster greater understanding of culture. An organizational meeting will take place on April 7th, and the first book discussion will be on April 28th. At this first discussion we'll eat food from Roque's Restaurant, talk about the book, and play some games! Thanks to the Paul Post Fund and Roque's for their support! To sign up, contact Cara Lovell: 865-7228, clovell@ci.burlington.vt.us.
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Fletcher Free Finds Windfall, Plans Move to Sanibel Everyone's talking about the recent record-breaking prices of gold and silver, but who would have thought that library crockery would go out of sight, too? When an antique plate with an image of the Fletcher Free's Carnegie building sold recently at Christie's in London for 3.6 million pound (over 7 million dollars), the Library staff was shocked and amazed. "I don't get it", stammered co-director Robert Resnik. "We bought it for $11 in a junk shop in Pittsford, so all I can think is that two people must have both wanted it very badly!" After a hasty inventory of other Carnegie library knick-knacks, Resnik calculated the total value of the Library's historic crockery collection to be $32.6 million, exactly enough to take the Fletcher free off of its foundation, place it gently on a big flatbed truck, and move it to Sanibel Island, Florida. "Just imagine how much money we will save on heating bills and sidewalk salt!" beamed Library custodian Doug Chamberlain. "After this winter, if I never see another sleet storm it will be too soon!" When asked what plans the City might have for the big foundation hole that will be left after the Library heads south, Burlington officials were mum, although rumors about dropping Memorial Auditorium into the Hole to make an underground wave pool, art center and artificial caving park are making their way rapidly around town... (Happy April Fools Day!!)
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| March, 2008 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 for Town Meeting Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, March 13 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Fletcher Free Library Joins in the Call for State Library Funding In January, FFL Co-Director Robert Coleburn joined about 50 other librarians, library board members and interested citizens in Montpelier to urge legislators to include Vermont's public libraries in the state budget. Vermont is one of only 8 states that don't-- the others provide about 10% of public library operating expenses. Budgeting enough for book collections was an ever-unmet challenge when relying on local taxes and individual contributions. But even with the substantial donations of computer equipment from IBM, Gates, Freeman and other foundations, cyber upkeep and upgrades represent an additional, ongoing financial challenge for library administrators. Fletcher Free Library Board member Philip Baruth, addressing the goup, made an excellent case for state support of public libraries, pointing out that this would be an important part of Governor Jim Douglas's "E-State Initiative"-- that "by 2010 Vermont would be the first state to provide universal cellular and broadband coverage everywhere and anywhere within its borders". Even if these services were available all over Vermont, not everyone has the financial resources to have home computers and internet access. Libraries are already carrying the burden of bridging this "digital divide". It is that great community resource, the public library, Philip observes, that is keeping the "E" in "E-State" from standing for "Exclusive". Governor Douglas applauded the gathering and expressed some hope for including libraries in the 2010 state budget. Click here for The Vermont Public Library Association's Statement concerning state support. The complete text of Philip Baruth's remarks can be found on his blog, The Vermont Daily Briefing. |
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Grants for Teen Games! Teen gaming activities at the Library have been supported by a $500 grant awarded by the Young Adult Division of the American Library Association. Kudos to Cara, the Library's Teen Americorps*VISTA, for getting this grant and organizing the activities! The gaming equipment bought with this grant was used during the Gaming Tournament in February, and will be used again during Teen Tech Week, which is happening at libraries across the country March 2-8. The games, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Wii Sports, are all active games and popular amongst teens. Other equipment necessary for the project, a TV, more computer memory, and a computer projector, was bought with a generous grant from the Bergeron Family Foundation. The grant also supports an Internet searching contest: "Dig Beyond Google" that is running now through the next Gaming Tournament on March 7th. The many questions are challenging and fun, and help teens learn how to find good quality information on the web. The gaming tournaments are part of a series that will continue monthly at the Library. Please contact Cara Lovell for more information (865.7228, clovell@ci.burlington.vt.us).
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Computer Classes Are In Full Swing! The Library's computer workshops for beginning or out-of-practice computer users are still popular! Running through May 10th, the workshops are inexpensive (free!, with a $3 donation per class suggested). The topics covered include Introduction to Windows, Word, Excel, email and searching the internet. We are now offering a few intermediate level classes, too. Thanks to Library Volunteer Ted Horton, we are now offering Intermediate Excel. Ted, an IBM employee, also teaches the Intro to Windows and Intro to Excel classes. Sharing his patient teaching style and thorough knowledge of computers and software is a wonderful gift to the Library. Registration is required, on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, but many of the classes are repeated during the session. Go to the Computer Center page for a full schedule. For more information and to register, please contact the Reference Desk in person or by phone: 865.7217.
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| February, 2008 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2008 for President's Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, February 14 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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News From Youth Services Ten High School students viewed The Kite Runner on Jan. 16, thanks to the sponsorship of Merrill's Roxy Cinema and the Library. The film is an adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's 2004 novel. Discussing the film over pizza generously donated by Stone Soup, the teens thought The Kite Runner was a moving story that unfolded clearly, and they were glad that it ended with some hope and resolution. We hope to continue a "Books to the Big Screen" series for teens. The Teen Advisory Board is up and running, thanks to six new teen volunteers! They selected new books and magazines for the Library to order, gave feedback on game programs, and wrote recommendations for teen Library users. The Teen Advisory Board meets on the second and fourth Wednesday each month, and volunteers in grades 7 to 12 are always welcome to join in! For information about the "Books to the Big Screen" series or the Teen Advisory Board, please contact Cara by email at clovell@ci.burlington.vt.us or by calling 865.7228. |
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Lots of New Shelving! This month the Library is showing off some beautiful new shelving that was purchased with about $15,000 of "impact fees" allocated to the Library. (The City of Burlington levies Impact fees on new development projects that will put additional demands on City services.) The shelving increases the space available for Audio/Visual items in both the Adult and Youth sections of the library, adds a mobile unit for new Adult Biographies, and extra shelving for Young Adult graphic novels and paperbacks, backdated and local newspapers. In addition to shelving, the shipment included a stand-up station that will hold an additional Library catalog computer in the Teen area. Thanks to Library custodian Doug Chamberlain for unpacking all 85 boxes of shelving and doing all the assembly and set-up!
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Computer Classes Begin Again Another series of our popular computer workshops for beginning or out-of-practice computer users will run from February 16 through May 3 here at the Library. The workshops are inexpensive (free!, with a $3 donation per class suggested). The topics covered include Introduction to Windows, Word, Excel, email and searching the internet. We are now offering a few intermediate level classes, too. Registration is required, on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited, but many of the classes are repeated during the session. Go to the Computer Center page for a full schedule. For more information and to register, please contact the Reference Desk in person or by phone: 865-7217.
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| January, 2008 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Tuesday, January 1, 2008 for New Year's Day, and again on Monday, January 21 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, January 10 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Librarian Barbara Shatara to take Academic Leave of Absence Longtime FFL Outreach Librarian Barbara Shatara will be taking a short leave of absence from her duties at the Library to attend a series of computer technology courses at Champlain College. Barbara plans to study at Champlain from January through May, 2008. Stephanie Schott, a librarian who recently served as the Library's Youth Services Americorps*VISTA, will be substituting for Barbara both at the Reference Desk and on Outreach visits. See you in the Spring, Barbara! |
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A New Year, and a New Staff Member! The Library staff is pleased to welcome Megan Estey, a wonderful new addition to the Library's Youth Services team. Megan comes from Bristol, Vermont, and has worked previously at the Fletcher Free as a work-study student. She has also served as a library assistant at the Burnham Memorial Library in Colchester. Megan loves to read almost everything, but right now she's reading the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde, a series set in a dystopian English society in which certain people have the ability to jump physically into works of literature. She recently finished four years as the music director of "The Cat's Meow", an all-female a capella group at UVM, so hopefully we'll be hearing her sing in the Library sometime soon!
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| December, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Tuesday, December 25 for Christmas Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Wednesday, December 12 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News It's been a very busy and productive year for the Friends-- Here is a short list of some of the many ways that the Friends helped the Library in 2007:
The Friends work hard all year to make it possible for our wonderful library to be even better! For more information about becoming a Friend, please visit the Friends page on our web site, or call Jody at 658-0245. |
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Another Generous Summer Reading Program Grant Received! A $1,500 grant from Ben & Jerry's Community Action Team successfully completes the Youth Department's fundraising goals for the 2008 Summer Reading Program. Last year, 891 kids in Burlington participated in our program at 14 sites throughout the city. Our annual Summer Reading Program provides children with the chance to win prizes for reading, enjoy crafts, musical and cultural performances and attend an end-of-the-summer party with their families. We look forward to to more fun and learning during the Summer Reading Program in 2008, thanks to our generous sponsors!
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Those Wonderful AmeriCorps VISTAS! November marks the end of the Fletcher Free Library's Youth Services AmeriCorps VISTA year, which means that last month we bid a tender "au revoir" to Stephanie Schott, a talented librarian who has been our Youth VISTA worker for the past year. In addition to providing friendly and knowledgeable assistance at the Youth Library desk, Stephanie quietly wrote grants that raised over $11,000 to help fund the Summer Reading Program and Teen area renovations! The Library community welcomes Cara Lovell, our new Teen Services A*VISTA. Cara is a 2005 graduate of Middlebury College. She will specialize in providing library services to teenagers. In preparation for her new position, Cara has been reading lots of young adult literature and reports that her current favorite is Someone to Run With, an adventure novel by David Grossman. It is set in Jerusalem and features a high-spirited Labrador retriever and two teenagers on quests. It's great to have you on the Youth Services team, Cara!
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FFL Citizenship Classes to Begin This Month On December 5, the Fletcher Free Library will begin offering classes for individuals in the Burlington community who are working towards gaining US citizenship. Taught by Laura Donohue, a former AmeriCorps volunteer with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, the 75-minute classes will be held Wednesdays at 5:30 pm and will included English language training as well as information about US history and government. The series of classes is designed to prepare participants for the naturalization interview, and will run for eight weeks with a short break between sessions. Classes are free and open to the public, all levels are welcome, and no formal registration is required to attend. For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering to help teach the course, please call Library Outreach VISTA worker Amber Gaster at 865-7211.
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Library Support Information Now on our Website Check out the Support from our Community section on the About the Library page. Read about all the wonderful programs and services the Library provides in our most recent Annual Report, and suggestions for how you can get involved on the Support the Library page. For more information about Library Development activities, please call Amber Collins at 865-7214. |
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| November, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Monday, November 12 in observance of Veterans Day, and Thursday, November 22 for Thanksgiving Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, November 8 at 5:00 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News
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Help Wanted: The Library's Family Sing-A-Long Needs New Leaders! Are you looking for a fun and easy volunteer opportunity you can do with your children? Sing-A-Long leaders Shelley and Ingrid are moving on to other activities as their children get older, and they would love to train you in their last few months as leaders. Family Sing-A-Long meets most Monday mornings from 10 to 10:30. The leaders set their exact schedule based on family vacations, etc. We encourage pairs of friends to volunteer together for this upbeat, rewarding program. For more information, please contact the Youth Desk at 865-7216.
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Books for Children Gift Campaign Begins this Month Our popular Books for Children gift Campaign has been going strong since 1991. This year, it will begin November 12th and continue through December 9th. Purchase a picture book at a 20% discount at local bookstores, and the Library will deliver your gift book to Chittenden County Head Start, the VNA Family Room, the Sara Holbrook Center, or the King Street Youth Center. For more information or for a suggested booklist, please call Librarian Beth Wright at 965-7216. Thank you!
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The Many Ways to Love Your Library! If you are one of those generous people who donate money to support the Fletcher Free Library, we want to say "Thank you!" and make sure you are aware that there are a variety of ways that you can donate to the Library: Donations made to the "Fletcher Free Library" are allocated by the Library Board of Commissioners to help pay for Summer Reading and other programs, special projects such as the trip to Moss Point and fundraising. Alternatively, you can allocate your donation to buy new Adult, Large-Print or Youth Books or Audio-Visual items. Donations made to the "Fletcher Free Library Endowment Fund" are deposited in an account managed by the Vermont Community Foundation, and used solely for supplementing the book budget. Donations to the "Friends of the Fletcher Free Library" are allocated by this non-profit organization to help pay for programs, too, and also to fund special needs such as new carpeting and extra custodial help. Membership in the Friends offers opportunities to participate as a volunteer as well as a donor. Both the Board and the Friends consult with the Co-Directors about Library needs and advocate for the Library. However you choose to donate, it helps the Fletcher Free. Thank you!
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Grants Support Library Programs for New Refugees and Immigrants The Fletcher Free Library Outreach Department has recently received three grants to support programming at the Library for new refugees and immigrants:
The Federal government estimates that between 2003 and 2005 nearly 1,300 immigrants to the Burlington area were granted permanent residence assistance. The Library continues to fund programs to help these new arrivals through grants and donations, and we are extremely grateful for this generous support! |
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| October, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Monday, October 8 in observance of Columbus Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, October 11 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Annual Book Sale Another Success! The sale raised more than $8,600 to help the Friends continue their invaluable support of Library services and programs! Special thanks goes to longtime Library friend Fred G. Hill, who worked long hours organizing the sale, and to Library Custodian Doug Chamberlain, who sets up the shelving and does lots of heavy lifting every year to help make it all happen. As always, the Friends are seeking donations of quality books in good condition for our future book sales. To bring donated books to the Library, or to find out more about book donations, please leave a message for Fred Hill at the Library: 863.3403. Also, see below for Guidelines for Book Donations. |
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Youth Services Wish List The Youth Library is in need of new puppets and a colorful new rug for the picture book area. Can you help? Please contact Rebecca, Beth or Stephanie at 865-7216.
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New Conversation Group for Chinese and English The Library is hosting another group for those interested in conversing in more then one language, in addition to the German-English Conversation Group. If you are learning or brushing up on Chinese or English, this group is for you! Those interested in these languages will converse in Chinese for 1/2 hour, and English for 1/2 hour. Fluency is not required, but a basic understanding of the language is suggested. Meetings are every Sunday at 3:00 pm in the Library's Administrative Offices Conference Room. For more information, please contact Amber Gaster, in the Outreach Department at 865.7211.
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Computer Classes Begin! Another session of basic computer classes begins Saturday, October 13 and runs through December 15th, on Monday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Topics range from an introduction to Microsoft Windows (providing the basics for understanding other software programs) to setting up and using email accounts, surfing the internet, writing letters, creating spreadsheets and protecting your computer from viruses. The schedule is listed on the Computer Center Page. The instructors are Library Systems Administrator, Reference Librarian and new Co-Director Robert Coleburn, Systems Support Specialist Annie Morse, and IBM employee Ted Horton. We are very grateful to Ted for volunteering to share his computer expertise and excellent teaching abilities! Pre-registration is required--visit or call the Reference Desk (865.7217).
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Wanted: Teen Artists! Are you a teenager who loves arts & crafts? Do you know any teen artists? The Fletcher Free Library's Youth Services Department is looking for some great teen art to exhibit in the Paul Post Teen Room on the 2nd Floor of the Library. If you are between the ages of 12 and 18 years and are interested in displaying art or crafts in a fantastic public gallery, please contact Stephanie here at the Library: 865.7228, sschott@ci.burlington.vt.us. |
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| September, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Monday, September 3 in observance of Labor Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, September 20 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library Annual Book Sale Thursday, September 13, through Saturday, September 15 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Community Room (in the basement of the Library) Browse thousands of books, CDs, videos and more! Proceeds from the sale will help the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library support the Library. This year's Book Sale features a Silent Auction for special books on Thursday, September 13 in the Local History Room. As always, the Friends are seeking donations of quality books in good condition for our future book sales! To bring donated books to the Library, or to find out more about book donations, please leave a message for Fred Hill at the Library: 863-3403. Also, see below for Guidelines for Book Donations. |
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Burlington Book Festival at the Library The 3rd Annual Burlington Book Festival will take place from Friday September 14 through Sunday September 16. The Library will serve once more as a principal Festival space, featuring programs listed in the September Art Exhibits & Programs section on our web site's Programming & Events page. The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library also support the Festival.
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Booked for Lunch Series Begins The Booked for Lunch series is coming right up! Look for bookmarks with the schedule at the Circulation Desk. The events are in the Library's Fletcher Room, Thursdays at noon. You are welcome to bring a bag lunch; cookies and beverages are provided, donations appreciated! September 20, 2007 October 18, 2007 November 15, 2007 January 17, 2008 February 21, 2008 March 13, 2008 April 17, 2008 May 15, 2008
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Another Fantastic Year for FFL Summer Reading! As the book dust settles, librarians and readers alike are still smiling: Almost 900 readers signed up for the Fletcher Free Library's Summer Reading Program this year! We would like to give a heartfelt "thank-you!" to all of our dedicated volunteers who made our success possible. This year's Reading Club Heroes are: Kelly Cusson, Sophie Decher, Art Demarais, Claire Demarais, Pat DiSilvio, Lindsay Donnellon, Peggy Edgcomb, Milijana Erakovic, Jordan Farrar, Junie Huang, Liz Jaquette, Colin Kingston, Ben Lane, Jean Lincoln, Shannon McGowan, Ashley Orenberg, Vicki Robair, Jessica Roy, Amelia Schlossberg, Lillian Venner, Gigi Weisman, Clair White, Carol Wooster, and Sharon Wright. We truly love our volunteers!
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Generous Grant Helps the Future of the Summer Reading Program Just after wrapping up the successful 2007 Summer Reading Program the Youth Services Department learned they received a $5,000 grant from the Burlington-based company, Dwight Asset Management Group. This is extremely good news for our Library because this charitable donation will cover most of the expenses for next year's Summer Reading Program! Thanks to the hard work of our beloved A*VISTA Stephanie Schott and the generosity of Dwight Asset Management Group, our Youth Services librarians can already begin brainstorming plans for another spectacular summer of reading for children! |
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| August, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Thursday, August 16 in observance of Bennington Battle Day.
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Wanted! A Few Strong Backs This year's Book Sale set-up crew is looking for a few strong backs. From Aug 27 - Sept 8, setup requires a LOT of lifting and carrying. If you can lift a 50-pound carton from floor level and carry it a short distance, over and over again, your help is badly needed. If you then want to shelve the books in the cartons, neatly and in order by author or subject or size, so much the better. That's the fun part, but not forbidden. Call Fred Hill at 863-3403 (mornings only), or email him at fredg.hill@verizon.net Thanks!
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will not meet in August. The next monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, September 20 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Friends of the Library News Preparations are in process for this year's "fantabulous" line-up of lecturers for the Friends' 6th annual Booked for Lunch series. Watch for series flyers, which are scheduled to be available at the end of August. Our new Library Store, "The Book Stall", is located directly across from the Circulation Desk and features Library postcards, note cards, book bags, children's sing-along CDs, and high-quality second-hand hardbacks and paperbacks, priced individually. Another feature is a "silent auction" shelf where the careful shopper will find scarce and other "special" books. As always, the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are seeking donations of quality books in good condition for our future book sales! To bring donated books to the Library, or to find out more about book donations, please leave a message for Fred Hill at the Library: 863-3403.
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New Bike Rack for the Library On July 24, the Fletcher Free Library received more parking spaces for bike riders through the combined efforts of the Library and Burlington's Department of Public Works staff. For the past several summers the Library has gotten requests for an additional bike rack--the existing one near the sidewalk was often filled, especially on good-weather days. Thanks to work by Bicycle/Pedestrian/Environmental Planner Nicole Losch and the equipment maintenance crew at DPW, the Library acquired a new rack for only $50. The DPW equipment crew agreed to donate their labor to weld together and paint some existing meal plated U racks in exchange for coffee and bagels provided by the Library staff, saving the City the cost of a new bike rack (which would have totaled over $1,200!). We thank Nicole and the DPW maintenance crew for their creativity and generosity in making this project possible. This is just one of the many ways City departments work together for the benefit of our community. |
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Welcome to New Board Members The new fiscal year (starting July 1) has seen some major changes in the membership rolls of the Fletcher Free Library Board of Commissioners:
The Library Board of Commissioners works with the Mayor to set policy for the Library, and also serves as an important advocacy and fundraising organization for the Library. The staff has had representation on the Board since a City Charter change in 1991. See the Annual Report for more information on the Library Board of Commissioners. Thank you Board members, past and new!
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| July, 2007 |
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Library Closed for Holiday The Library will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 11 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Summer Book Sale Successful! Thanks to the many book lovers who visited our Summer Book Sale on the weekend of June 16th-- more than $1,100 worth of sales will help the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library pay for more things that help to make the Fletcher Free such a wonderful library!
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New Carpeting for the Teen Center This month the Paul Post Teen Area on the top floor of the Library's "new" addition became a whole lot snazzier. The addition of a new, colorful carpet marks the beginning of a series of improvements scheduled for the next few months in this section of the Library. The carpet was funded by the Lintilhac Foundation, the Bergeron Family Foundation, and the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library. Come take a look! |
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Robert Coleburn Named Co-Director Congratulations to Fletcher Free Library Systems and Reference Librarian Robert Coleburn, who has been recommended by the Library Commission and appointed by the Mayor to serve along with Amber Collins and Robert Resnik as one of the three Library Co-Directors. Robert C. is replacing FFL Librarian Anita Danigelis, who is stepping down after 15 years of serving as a Library Co-Director to return to her duties as a full-time cataloger and Reference Librarian. Robert earned his MLS at Columbia University, and has been at the FFL since 1992. He served as the staff representative on the Library Board from 2002 to 2005. The Library staff would like to give a special thanks to Anita for all of the time, energy and creativity she has brought to the Library during her years as one of the Fletcher Free Library's three original Co-Directors. One of Anita's specialties is being a detail person (she is, after all, a professional cataloger!) and her insistence on clarity and accuracy has always made her invaluable as the Library's statistician, ace proofreader and fact-finder during major grant-writing and long-range-planning processes.
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Downloadable Audio is Here! The Fletcher Free Library is pleased to announce that on July 1st it will be fhe first public library in Vermont to offer downloadable e-audio books (talking books) from Recorded Books & NetLibrary. This new service will make hundreds of digital audiobook titles available to Fletcher Free Library cardholders with the click of a mouse, including bestsellers, classics and the award-winning Pimsleur foreign language series. After setting up an account, FFL members can access this service from any computer, 24/7. Downloading is available without any special software, with either dial-up or high-speed internet access, to your computer or to many brands of portbale MP3 players. Because of licensing issues, however, this system does not work with iPods. Another feature of this resource is that there are no overdue fines on downloadable recorded books-- Unless they are renewed, titles cease to play after 21 days. Please call the Reference Desk at 865-7217 for more information.
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BiblioFile Mailing List Spring Cleaning BibliFile, the Library's monthly newsletter, is mailed to the generous folks who make financial or in-kind donations to the Fletcher Free Library, to members of the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, to public office holders who make decisions potentially affecting the Library, to media that help advertise our programs, and to places where the newsletter is posted to let those who cannot visit the Library regularly know what’s going on. If you are not in one of the categories above, or have not donated since January 1, 2006, you won’t be receiving BiblioFile by mail anymore unless we hear from you by August 1, 2007. Mailing and printing costs are such that we cannot afford to send BiblioFile to everyone! If you would like to reduce our costs, you can pick up a copy at the Circulation Desk, or, if you have internet access at home you can read the programming and news items in BiblioFile on the “Programming & Events” and “Library News” pages of our web site. Call or email Annie Morse, Fundraising Administrator if you’d like to be removed from the BiblioFile mailing list (865-7223, amorse@ci.burlington.vt.us). Donations to the Library are used for programs and services, and books and other circulated materials. Donors may allocate their donations to adult or youth programs or materials. For more information, please contact Amber Collins at 865-7214. The Fletcher Free Library would not be the valuable resource and vibrant community center that it is without your generous support. Thank you!!
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| June, 2007 |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 13 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Summer Book Sale Coming Right Up! The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will host another exciting Summer Book Sale, Saturday, June 16 from 9 - 4 pm. Don't miss the awesome selection and unbeatable prices! This year's sale will include hard cover books as well as paperbacks especially chosen for easy reading during the lazy days of summer. The sale will take place both under our brightly-colored canopy outside of the Library, and downstairs in the Community Room.
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Moss Point Video Online! CCTV employees Meghan
O'Rourke and Brent Harrewyn have worked many hours with FFL
Youth Services Librarian Rebecca Goldberg to edit
the video footage of the Fletcher Free's outreach trip to our sister city
library in Moss Point, Mississippi. The trip took place in November
and December, 2006. The 17-minute
documentary that tells the story is now complete, and available for
viewing online at: |
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Our Popular Summer Reading Program Begins It's that time again: Every June and July, the Library's Youth Services staff presents our Summer Reading Program. This year's program starts Monday, June 18 and the theme is "Get a Clue at Your Library"; the T-shirt artwork was created by FFL Youth Services Assistant Christine Demarais. Please see the Youth section of the Programs & Events page for the schedule. Library staff & volunteers sign up kindergarteners through 8th graders at the Library and at 14 outreach sites in Burlington, and help them set a reading goal. These young readers are then enticed with performances, activities and prizes to visit the Library every week to report on their progress. The program wraps up with a watermelon party featuring a raffle for bigger prizes, including a new bicycle! The program would not be possible without the support of volunteers, foundations, local businesses and the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library. Thank you!
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Annual Volunteer Luncheon is Another Rousing Success! Over 40 volunteers with their guests attended the Library’s annual Volunteer Luncheon. Staff cooks for this event to thank these generous members of the community for their many hours of service to the Library—about 10,000 hours worth last year! In addition, Doug Chamberlain, the Library’s Maintenance Director and resident green thumb, propagated the Library’s geraniums and other plants as gifts for everyone in attendance. The Burlington business
community showed its support for the Library and volunteers by donating
food, raffle prizes and decorations. Library Board Chair Deborah Lashman and Mayor Bob Kiss gave words of thanks, and Vermont author Chris Bohjalian treated us to a few entertaining stories about his work and how important Libraries are to communities. Thanks again to all of these wonderful volunteers and donors! |
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BiblioFile Mailing List Spring Cleaning BibliFile, the Library's monthly newsletter, is mailed to the generous folks who make financial or in-kind donations to the Fletcher Free Library, to members of the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, to public office holders who make decisions potentially affecting the Library, to media that help advertise our programs, and to places where the newsletter is posted to let those who cannot visit the Library regularly know what’s going on. If you are not in one of the categories above, or have not donated since January 1, 2006, you won’t be receiving BiblioFile by mail anymore unless we hear from you by August 1, 2007. Mailing and printing costs are such that we cannot afford to send BiblioFile to everyone! If you would like to reduce our costs, you can pick up a copy at the Circulation Desk, or, if you have internet access at home you can read the programming and news items in BiblioFile on the “Programming & Events” and “Library News” pages of our web site. Call or email Annie Morse, Fundraising Administrator if you’d like to be removed from the BiblioFile mailing list (865-7223, amorse@ci.burlington.vt.us). Donations to the Library are used for programs and services, and books and other circulated materials. Donors may allocate their donations to adult or youth programs or materials. For more information, please contact Amber Collins at 865-7214. The Fletcher Free Library would not be the valuable resource and vibrant community center that it is without your generous support. Thank you!!
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| May, 2007 |
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Library Closings The Library will be closed on Monday, May 28, 2007, for Memorial Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 9 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Just Right For Memorial Day: Remember the Ones You Love with a Gift to the Library For years, people have created lasting remembrances of loved ones by donating to the FFL Book Fund. In recognition of donations made in memory of or in honor of an individual, Library staff can install custom bookplates in new Library books. The donor may designate a specific genre of book if desired, and the number of books plated corresponds to the amount of the donation. When $500 or more is donated in memory of an individual, a brass nameplate is mounted on the red granite plaque displayed by the front entrance of the Library. This memorial plaque was initiated with donations from Charlotte & Herb Mandel & Family in memory of Nathaniel Lash. The Mandels are relatives of Nat's wife Millicent (also known as Penny), a lover of books and a long-time Library patron. Since July 2006, nameplates for Donald Newton, Mildred Ames, Grace N. & Jonathan C. Smith, and Eileen Galvin McGinley have been added to the Book Fun Memorial. For information about Book Fund donations or to reserve space on our Book Fund Memorial Plaque, please call Library Co-Director Amber Collins at 865.7214.
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Kids' Blog Stay up to date with everything in the Fletcher Free Library's Youth Services Department by checking out our Kids' Blog! Go to the Fletcher Free Library website Kids' page and click on "Kids' Blog" or go to www.fletcherkids.blogspot.com. A blog (short for "weblog") is essentially an online journal, where you can post pictures and text. The Youth Services Department is using the blog as a tool to post book reviews, information about special events, and photos. Stay tuned to this blog for information on the Summer Reading Program, which is coming up soon! We update the blog about once a week, so be sure to bookmark the URL on your home computer so you can view it easily. Don't forget to leave a comment, as we'd love to hear from you! Special thanks goes to Holly Klump, the FFL's wonderful Blog Princess, for the setup and updates. Many libraries around the world now use blogs as a way to communicate with their patrons, or simply to talk about books. You can find listings of them by visiting libdex.com. For more information about our blog, please ask at the FFL Youth Services Desk: 865.7216.
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Summer Reading Program Grants In March, the Youth Services Department was overjoyed to be given two generous grants to help fund the Library's annual Summer Reading Program. We received $250 from Price Chopper's Golub Foundation and a $3,000 Youth Literacy grant from Dollar General. This funding will go a long way to ensure the success of the Summer Reading Program, which serves over 1,000 children in the Burlington Area. We are extremely grateful to both organizations for helping us continue and expand our program this summer!
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JetBlue Donates Headphones for Youth Comptuers Thanks to JetBlue for donating 60 headphones for use with computers in the Youth Area! These new computers are now specially designated for older students to use Internet, check email, conduct research and complete homework assignments. Headphones are a much-needed gift for our Youth Computer Center.
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| April, 2007 |
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Library Closings The Library will be closed on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, for a Staff Inservice Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 11 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Help American Flatbread Support FFL Summer Reading Program You can support the Fletcher Free Library's Summer Reading program by buying pizza from American Flatbread (115 St. Paul Street, across from City Hall Park) on Tuesday, April 17th, from 5:00 until 1:00 pm. They will donate a percentage of sales (including take-out) during that time to the Library's Summer Reading Program. Robert and Gigi will be playing kids' favorites between 5:00 and 7:00. Come enjoy some food and fun, and support this program that is so helpful for augmenting childrens' reading skills.
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| March, 2007 |
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Library Closings The Library will be closed on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, for Town Meeting Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Ben & Jerry's Supports Summer Reading Program The Summer Reading Program is a staple of Burlington summers at the Fletcher Free Library. Each year, the Youth Services Department offers this wonderful program with the help of contributions from many local organizations. We were overjoyed to receive a generous grant of $1,000 from the Ben & Jerry's Community Action Team to support the 2007 Summer Reading Program! Last summer, over 1,000 children participated in our SRP, which is specifically designed to prevent summer reading loss in Burlington area students. The SRP also provides children and families the chance to enjoy crafts, musical and cultural performances, and an end-of-the-summer party. The Library continues to fund this popular and effective program through grants and donations, and we are extremely grateful to Ben & Jerry's for their support! |
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English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Volunteer Instructor Needed The Fletcher Free Library is seeking a volunteer instructor to teach English as a Second Language classes at the Library on Sundays. We would like someone who could commit to two hours a week of volunteer teaching, for at least several months. Instructors should have previous ESL teaching experience or be enrolled in St. Michael's College's MATESL program. They need to be flexible and ready to adapt to a spontaneous classroom (classes are free, ongoing for all levels, do not require registration, and involve a variety of refugees, immigrants and international students). Although this position is unpaid, it provides a great teaching experience for the instructor, and a valuable learning experience for the students. The Library's ESL classes have been very successful for several years now, and our teachers are greatly appreciated by Libray staff and patrons. For more information, please contact the Library's Americorps VISTA Outreach coordinator, Amber Gaster at 865.7221.
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Library's Spring Computer Workshop Session Starts in March! Another session of our popular computer workshops will run from March 3 through may 26, right here at the Library. The workshops are free, although a voluntary $3 donation is suggested to those who would like to support the cost of the program. Instructors are FFL Reference Librarian and Systems Administrator, Robert Coleburn and Computer Lab Monitor and Reference Assistant, Annie Morse. In addition, IBM employee Ted Horton has again offered to volunteer his time and awesome expertise! Topics covered are geared toward beginning or out-of-practice computer users: Introduction to Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word and the Internet, setting up a free email account, creating greeting cards, protecting your home computer against viruses and spyware, and Intermediate-level workshops in Word and the Internet. Those interested in attending need to register ahead of time-- there are eight openings for each workshop, and they fill up quickly, so sign up soon! The workshops are each meant to be taken once (or up to twice, for learners who benefit from repetition); signing up for one does not sign you up for the entire series. Most workshops are offered more than once, so if one is filled, you will be able to sign up for the same workshop on a different date. Please visit, call (865.7217) or email (reference@ci.burlington.vt.us) the Reference Desk for more information and to register.
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| February, 2007 |
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Library Closings The Library will be closed on Monday, February 19, 2007, for President's Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 14 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is welcome to attend.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News By popular demand, the Booked for Lunch series has returned to the Fletcher Room (2nd Floor of the Library's Carnegie Building, above the Youth Library). Holocaust scholar and associate professor of History at UVM Jonathan Heuner will give a presentation on Thursday, February 15 at noon. The lunch arrangements are: bring your own sandwich-- beverages, cookies, fruit and cheese will be provided courtesy of the Friends. Donations are gratefully accepted! For more information about Booked for Lunch, please contact Friends president Jody Kebabian at 658.0245. The Friends are responsible for the Library Store located directly across from the Library's Circulation Desk-- "The Book Stall" offers high-quality hardbacks and paperbacks for sale as well as a "silent auction" shelf that features special or collectible books. This is a project-in-progress...suggestions and ideas for other sale items are gratefully accepted! Jody is the person to call, too, if you are interested in getting involved in one of the many projects the Friends have under way. All proceeds from our programs are used to help fund Library programs and improvements. It's always a perfect time to get involved! As ever, the Friends are seeking donations of quality books in good condition for our future book sales. To bring donated books to the Library, or to find out more about book donations, see below, or leave a message for book sale organizer Fred Hill at the Library: 863.3403. |
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German-English Language Conversation Group Begins Whether you are trying to learn a new language or brush up on a language you learned years ago, there is a new group at the Fletcher Free Library for you! This month, join the Library's new German-English Conversation Group and meet members of your community with similar language interests. Groups will trade a half-hour of conversation in English for a half-hour of conversation in German and will consist of native German speakers who are learning English, native English speakers who are learning German, and individuals who are fluent in German who want to converse with other German speakers. Fluency is not required, but a basic understanding of the language is suggested. The first meeting will be held on Sunday, February 11 at 1:00 pm in the Pickering Room. For information about this group, or to start a language group of your own, please contact Library VISTA Amber Gaster at 802.865.7211.
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Library Sustainability Through Estate Planning The Library is always in need of financial support in addition to that provided by the City of Burlington. These contributions help us to make building and equipment improvements, produce programs and maintain our collection’s standard of excellence, all for the purpose of providing better services for our patrons—that’s you! Some of these donations come to us as bequests. Over the years, a few forward-thinking supporters have named the Library as a beneficiary in their wills, trusts, life insurance policies and mutual funds. Some of these generous individuals have given the Library Co-Directors and Board the freedom to decide which needs to meet with their bequests. Others have made contributions directly to the Library’s endowment, which is managed by the Vermont Community Foundation, and whose income is designated annually for either reinvestment or the acquisition of books and materials. Both of these methods of supporting the Library are exemplary of sustaining this valuable community resource. Currently, the Library’s Development Committee is working on choosing a name for a Fletcher Free Library Bequest Society, in order to highlight the generosity of these special people. (Of course, any donor can request to remain anonymous.) The spirit of private giving has nurtured the Library since it’s beginning in 1873, when Mrs. Mary L. Fletcher and her daughter, Miss Mary M. Fletcher gave $10,000 to purchase books, and an additional $10,000 to start the endowment. Your planned gifts will benefit the lives of a new generation of library patrons, supporting your community through your generosity to the Library.
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ReferenceUSA Now Available on FFL Website The Fletcher Free Library is extremely pleased to announce that it is now offering the ReferenceUSA database, a powerful online business research tool from infoUSA. It provides library cardholders instant access to accurate, in-depth information about 14 million businesses and 210 million consumers. ReferenceUSA enables small business owners to conduct powerful market research. "Sales people can use ReferenceUSA to create mailing lists or call lists of potential clients by targeting specific businesses by industry", said Robert Coleburn, FFL Reference Librarian. "Different variables such as sales volume, number of employees, SIC code, and geographical location can be used to refine the search. Crucial business information like estimated annual sales, credit rating score, and names of top executives are available, even for private companies." ReferenceUSA's business module is perfect for conducting job searches, locating out-of-town companies and tracking down addresses and phone numbers. The business information is gathered from a variety of reliable sources, such as yellow and white pages, annual reports, 10Ks, government data, business magazines, top newspapers, the U.S. Postal Service, the Internet, and the U.S. Census Bureau. In fact, 22 million phone calls are placed annually to businesses to verify the accuracy of data! The quality of the information is validated by the fact that infoUSA databases power the directory services of many of the top-traffic Internet sites. The Wall Street Journal proclaimed ReferenceUSA to be a "powerful market-research tool", crucial to small businesses (August 29, 2006 issue). The consumer information in ReferenceUSA is gathered primarily from the telephone white pages. "Think of it as a very accurate, very large national phonebook", Coleburn said. "ReferenceUSA is more accurate than other web-based phone directories, and is not cluttered with advertisements". Patrons will find it to be essential for planning family and class reunions and weddings, and finding neighbors, relatives or long-lost friends. Visit ReferenceUSA via the link on our web site's Database page. All you need is your Library card! (ReferenceUSA and infoUSA are registered trademarks of infoUSA Inc.)
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| January, 2007 |
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Library Closings The Library will be closed on New Year's Day, Monday, January 1, 2007, and again on Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King Day.
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Library Board Meeting |