| "News from the Fletcher Free Library" Archives | ||
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| March, 2009 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of
Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, March 12, at
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Help
the Library Save $$$ and Go Green: Would you like to receive the BiblioFile, the Library's monthly newsletter, in your e-mail inbox every month? The Library is going green, and that means we are doing everything we can to cut down on the amount of paper we use. Please help us save paper and mailing costs! To sign up for e-BiblioFile, click on the “Sign Up Here” link above. All we need is your e-mail address! If you would like to continue receiving the print version of BiblioFile via the U.S. Postal Service please contact Library co-director Robert Resnik by phone or by e-mail at 865-7222 or rresnik@ci.burlington.vt.us. We will be happy to keep mailing Bibliofile to you, but recipients that do not contact us by Friday May 15th will be dropped from our mailing list. Thanks for helping us to conserve resources!
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| Friends of the Library News | ||
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The Harlem Quartet made their debut at Carnegie Hall and has also performed at New York's Apollo Theater. |
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Annual Support Reminder! To all those who have made a recent gift to Fletcher Free, we extend our deepest thanks. Your gift matters a great deal, and our entire community benefits from your generosity. For those of you who have yet to make a gift for 2009, please note that our fiscal year runs from July 1, 2008 through and including June 30, 2009. We would be most grateful for your support-- at any level-- by June 30th. Your gift ensures the continuation of the wide array of programs we offer our patrons - from youth programs to computer workshops to the Library’s many guest speakers.
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| It’s possible to double the impact of your gift by checking to see if your place of employment has a matching gift program. To start, please check to see if a matching gift program is offered. If so, ask for donation guidelines and their list of eligible charities, fill out the matching gift form, and watch your personal gift to the Fletcher Free grow! | ||
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Library Computer Classes Continue Through May The Computer Services Department at the Fletcher Free Library will continue their Spring series of computer skills workshops with topics ranging from e-mail basics and introduction to Microsoft Windows to advanced topics like Microsoft Excel and tips on exploring the Internet for experienced users. Registration is available on a first-come basis and space is limited, so sign up soon! Go to the Computer Center page to view the workshop schedule and descriptions. For more information or to sign up, please call the Fletcher Free Library's Reference Desk at 865-7217, or contact an FFL reference librarian by email: reference@ci.burlington.vt.us
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Book Review: The Various Flavors of Coffee, by Anthony Capella |
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In this sensuous novel, well-known foodie author Anthony Capella draws us into the sights and smells of Victorian London and juxtaposes those with the dust and spice of sub-Saharan Africa, tying everything together with the irresistible tang of rare coffee and all the lust that coffee money could buy during the heady days of imperial England. We follow Robert Wallis, a dissolute would-be poet, as he moves from the brothels of London to the leather booths of fledgling coffee emporiums fighting for “market share” in a tea-addicted country, to the forests of Africa that will be burned to make way for doomed coffee plantations, and finally back to London, where his platonic love for a “free-thinking” woman draws him into the fight for women’s suffrage. On this long journey Wallis changes from being a mildly annoying fop to an appealing protagonist, mirroring some of the conflicts facing British society during the late 19th century. Wallis loves to be in love and manages to fall hopelessly a number of times during the tale. His terrible timing combined with his complete inexperience when dealing with strong females guarantees failure, and his romantic suffering succeeds in making him both a more sympathetic character and a better poet. It’s quite a ride, and it will leave you desiring some delicious coffee while reading and afterwards! Robert Resnik, FFL Co-Director & Book Selector |
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Switching from Analog to Digital TV Help from the Federal Communications Commission: "DTV Transition Delay: What it Means to You": http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvdelay.pdf "Troubleshooting Guide for
Digital-to-analog Converter Boxes and Digital Televisions": "Antennas and Digital
Television": A lot of additional material is available at www.dtv.gov. |
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| February, 2009 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of
Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, February 12, at
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Friends of the Library The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library's popular Booked for Lunch series will continue this month on Thursday, February 19th. In honor of Black History Month, Jane Williamson, executive director of the Rokeby Museum, will speak about women in the abolition movement. 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, click here, or leave a message for Fred Hill at the Library: 863-3403. For more information about the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, including how to become a member, please contact Adrienne Donohue at 862.5153.
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| Library Receives Cultural Facilities Grant | ||
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Barbara Shatara shows off the “presentation check” in the Library’s Fletcher Room.
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New Series of FFL Computer Classes to Begin February 14th Beginning in mid-February and continuing straight through until early May, the Computer Services department at the Fletcher Free Library will be offering 15 different computer skills workshops with topics ranging from email basics and introduction to Microsoft Windows to advanced topics like Microsoft Excel and tips on exploring the Internet for experienced users. Workshops will be taught by our Library computer pros Annie Morse and Robert Coleburn. Ted Horton, a long-time Fletcher Free volunteer and IBM employee, will be teaching the Intro to Windows and Excel workshops. Ted is an excellent and experienced teacher, and we are very grateful for his participation in our workshop classes! Go to the Computer Center page to see the full workshop schedule and descriptions. All of the Library’s computer workshops will take place in the Community Room (ground floor of the Carnegie Building). Pre-registration is required and space is limited, so sign up soon! For more information or to sign up, please call the Reference Desk at 865.7217, or email a Reference Librarian: reference@ci.burlington.vt.us.
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Hannaford Provides Foundation Grant for Summer Reading The Hannaford Charitable Foundation has awarded the Fletcher Free Library Youth Department a grant in the amount of $3,000 to support the library's 2009 Summer Reading Program. The theme of this year’s Program is "Be Creative at Your Library," and this grant will cover the funding of book vouchers and books to encourage reading among Burlington's K-8th graders, and also provide funding for special performances this summer. Thanks to Youth Services Librarian Rebecca Goldberg for managing the grant application and to Hannaford’s for their generosity to our readers.
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Book Summary: Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispatches From America’s Class War by Joe Begeant |
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"After thirty years spent scratching
together a middle-class life out of a "dirt-poor" childhood, Joe
Bageant moved back to his hometown of Winchester, Virginia, where he
realized that his family and neighbors were the very people who carried
George W. Bush to victory. That was ironic, because Winchester, like
countless American small towns, is fast becoming the bedrock of a
permanent underclass. Two in five of the people in his old
neighborhood do not have high school diplomas. Nearly everyone over
fifty has serious health problems, and many have no health care.
Credit ratings are low or nonexistent, and alcohol, overeating, and Jesus
are the preferred avenues of escape. A raucous mix of storytelling
and political commentary, Deer Hunting with Jesus is Bageant's
report on what he learned by coming home." --BOOK JACKET |
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Book Review: Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D'Antonio |
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Kisses and the dreams built on them Review by Lisa Waddle Michael D'Antonio's new biography, Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams, is more than a rags-to-riches American success tale. D'Antonio, a Pulitzer Prize-winner for his Newsday work, does an excellent job of using the story of the 19th-century chocolate magnate's life to illustrate how business can be combined with visionary altruism, a welcome chronicle in today's age of corporate scandal and greed. The book goes beyond the dry facts of Hershey's life to sketch the larger social, political and economic forces that played into his success. Despite a great deal of luck and hard work, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Hershey. His first job at an ice-cream parlor sowed seeds for a life in sweets, but he soon endured a series of failures, including bankruptcy with two different candy companies, and a botched attempt at making cough drops, before he opened the Lancaster Caramel Company in Pennsylvania in the 1880s. Eventually, his highly successful strategy would be to offer Americans a nickel chocolate bar, a sweet alternative to the expensive European versions on the market. What sets Hershey's story apart from other top businessmen is what he chose to do with his wealth. With visions of a utopian community, he founded the town of Hershey in the cornfields of Pennsylvania as well as a residential school for needy children. Today, more than 13,000 residents live in this bucolic small town, where the downtown streetlights are shaped like giant Hershey's Kisses, and golf course fairways stretch out from the lawn of the chocolate factory. The hook of Hershey is the recent battle over how to manage the town and school 60 years after Hershey's death. A proposed sale of Hershey to gum giant Wrigley in 2002 was squashed by concerned residents, who feared what would happen to "Mr. Hershey's town" if an outsider took charge. Today, questions remain about how to move Hershey—company and town—forward, without the vision and personal leadership of the great man himself. Lisa Waddle is a writer and pastry baker in Nashville. © 2005, All rights reserved, BookPage |
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Switching from Analog to Digital TV Help from the Federal Communications Commission: "DTV Transition Delay: What it Means to You": http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/dtvdelay.pdf "Troubleshooting Guide for
Digital-to-analog Converter Boxes and Digital Televisions": "Antennas and Digital
Television": A lot of additional material is available at www.dtv.gov. |
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| January, 2009 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, January 8, at 5 pm in the Local History Room of the Carnegie Building. The public is welcome.
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Friends of the Library The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library's popular Booked for Lunch series will continue this month on Thursday, January 15th with a talk by Art Cohn, director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Mr. Cohn's talk will be timely, in that 2009 is the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival in Vermont. 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, click here, or leave a message for Fred Hill at the Library: 863-3403. For more information about the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, including how to become a member, please contact Adrienne Donohue at 862.5153.
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Our Special Friend Marcella When Marcella Chapman passed on at the age of 100 last October, she left us with much more than fond memories: Without her drive and dedication, the Library's ailing Carnegie building almost certainly would have been demolished in early 1974. Marcella and other library friends worked non-stop circulating petitions and writing letters until the building was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in August, 1974. We'll always be grateful to Marcella!
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Gift
Planning and the Fletcher Free Library: Particularly in uncertain economic times, the need for the Fletcher Free Library and the programs we offer could not be greater. What better way to support our mission than to consider a planned gift? The Library is deeply grateful to many loyal patrons who have already left their mark through planned gifts. There are several ways you can structure a planned gift so that it benefits both you and the Library-- create a charitable gift annuity, make distributions from you IRA, or leave money to the Library in your will or trust. Please consider a planned gift as your special way of creating your own legacy at the Fletcher Free Library. For more information, please contact Library Co-Director Amber Collins at 865.7214 or by email at acollins@ci.burlington.vt.us.
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Library Patrons Give the Gift of Reading The Library had a tremendously successful Books for Children Gift Campaign this year. Despite the challenging economy, the Library's Campaign to collect new picture books as holiday gifts for local preschoolers received 20% more books than in 2007! Some patrons indicated their families had chosen to spend part of their Christmas present funds on books for the Campaign instead of gifts for each other. In all there were 315 books donated to the Campaign, which allowed the Library to provide at least one book for every preschooler served by the VNA, the Sara Holbrook Center, the King Street Area Youth Center, and Head Start of Chittenden County. Many thanks to our participating bookstores, Crow Books and Hopkins Bookshop, and to our Library patrons who gave so generously to Burlington's next generation of readers. |
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| December, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, December 11, 5 pm in the Local History Room of the Carnegie Building. The public is welcome.
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Friends of the Library The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library's popular Booked for Lunch series will take a break for the month of December. Please join us Thursday, January 15th to hear Art Cohn, director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. His talk will be timely, in that 2009 is the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival in Vermont.
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Outreach Volunteers Needed! The Outreach Department is looking for volunteers to advise on its foreign language collections. The library currently has books in Arabic, Vietnamese, Japanese, Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian, Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Korean, Russian and Spanish, but other languages will be considered for this project as well. If you're looking for reading materials in a language that is either not represented or under-represented, here's your chance to speak up! To assist in identifying materials to add to the library's foreign language collection volunteers must be fluent (or nearly so) and literate in a non-English language. For more information, please contact VISTA Nicole Lavallee (865-7211).
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Welcome Rachel, the Library's New Youth Services Americorps*VISTA!! Rachel Dingfelder will be concentrating on expanding the Library's programs for local teenagers. She comes to us from Pittsburgh, where she attended college and where she intends to enroll in a Master's program in Library Science when her VISTA year is up. Rachel has many interests, including knitting, crafts and archaeology. She has spent some time excavating a site in northwest Scotland, where she found a yarn spinning whorl that was hundreds of years old! Rachel is currently reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, a critique of modern urban planning. Thanks for joining the Library's team, Rachel! |
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Books for Children Gift Campaign For the past 16 years, the Fletcher Free Library's Youth Services Department has sponsored a program that has provided thousands of books to needy Burlington children. Please help us make this Campaign a success again this year! It's easy: Purchase a picture book for the program at either Crow Bookshop on upper Church Street or Hopkins Bookshop in St. Paul's Cathedral on Cherry Street, and receive a a 20% discount! Library staff will collect the books from the book stores and deliver them to children at these youth organizations: Chittenden County Head Start, the VNA Family Room, the Sara Holbrook Center, and the King Street Youth Center. A list of suggested titles is available from the Youth Services staff. For more information, please contact Beth Wright Redford at 865-7216.
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| November, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, November 13, 5 pm in the Local History Room of the Carnegie Building. The public is welcome.
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Friends of the Library The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are always involved with money-raising projects to help the Library. Some of the things that Friends have supported during the past year include:
For more information, or to find out how YOU can become a Friend, please contact Jody Kebabian at 658-0245.
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Welcome to Nicole Lavallee, the Library's New Outreach Americorps*VISTA Nicole Lavallee began her year of service at the Library last month. She has a degree in linguistics from the University of New Hampshire and was first involved with the FFL as a volunteer teacher for our English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Nicole plans to spend this year making the Library more multilingual and more accessible for people who are interested in learning other languages. Presently you might find her on the top floor of the Carnegie building, reading all of the Library's ESL books to make sure that they're up to date. We're glad you're here, Nicole!
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Welcome George Bennis, the Library's New Custodian Greetings to Fletcher Free Library custodian George Bennis, who joined the staff last month. George was born in Pittsburgh, PA, grew up in NY state, and moved to the Burlington area 4 years ago to be closer to his son George II (age 22) and his daughter Virginia (age 23). He has a degree in sociology, and enjoys the outdoors, music, psychology, reading and spending time with his family. It's great to have you on the team, George! |
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Goodbye to Cara Lovell, our Wonderful Teen Services Americorps*VISTA November marks the end of Cara's contract with the FFL. She is the architect of all sorts of successful new services designed to attract teenagers to the Library. Over the past year, Cara has written many successful grants and designed and managed book discussion groups, gaming programs, author talks and special movie screenings for teens. Cara's future plans include teacher certification courses at an institute in Lebanon, NH. We all wish her the best!
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| October, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, October 9, 5 pm in the Local History Room of the Carnegie Building. The public is welcome.
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Friends of the Library The Annual Friends Book Sale was another rousing success, raising nearly $9,000 that will be used to support the Library! Many thanks to all the workers, especially Fred G. Hill, who keeps donated book sale merchandise organized year-round. Join us for the next Booked for Lunch presentation by Reeve Lindberg on Thursday, October 23. For the entire schedule, please click here.
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Encyclopedias for Sale The Library is selling our 2000 Millenium Edition World Book Encyclopedia set: 22 volumes for $100 or best offer. Please contact Rebecca in the Youth Services Department for more information: 865-7216, rgoldberg@ci.burlington.vt.us
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Special Program for Teens October brings several special programs to the Teen Area of the Library, all including book giveaways. Two authors will give presentations and take questions from readers. On October 15, Tanya Lee Stone will talk about sex in teen literature and her book A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl. Erik Esckilsen will talk about mascots (the good, the weird and the ugly) on October 30. This presentation will be related to his soccer book Offsides and his several other books for teen readers. Comic aficionados can find a forum to discuss Super Heroes and the New Mythology on October 11 and 25. Jay Gonyeau and Emma Goldberg will lead a program about Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Attendees will experience free copies of The Trinity, awesome art, incredible stories, amazing discussions, food and Wonder Woman in costume! For more information, please contact Cara at 865-7228. |
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Thank you DVD donors! In September, the Library received an anonymous gift of 15 Opera DVDs, and the Burlington Book Festival gave us a lovely documentary on the Canadian writer Alistair MacLeod, who appeared here last month. hank you!! Our small collection grows slowly due to loss and damage to these delicate discs, so gifts like these are important as well as generous. Our loyal patrons will often drop off some of their used popular movies which we can add if the condition is good, and our friends at Downtown Discs keep buffing our scratched discs to breathe more life into them. Thanks to all who handle our movies gently (DVD and VHS tape borrowers alike) and continue to support us. Thanks also to cataloger Anita Danigelis, who has devoted years to making sure that these films all look good on the shelves AND are entered in the on-line catalog with the information necessary for everyone to find them easily!
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Computer Classes Continue The Library's experienced teachers are offering classes to give beginner and intermediate computer users and introduction to the many interesting things one can do with Windows, Word, Excel and the Internet. The schedule is posted at the Library. Visit or call the reference Desk at 865-7217 for more information and to sign up. Pre-registration required. Free; $3 donation suggested.
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Letter from Gigi We received this letter from Gigi formerly of the "Robert and Gigi" sing-along series: "To My Dear Friends at the Fletcher Free Library, It's not everybody who gets to have a dream come true! I am one of the lucky people who have always loved my family, my job and being able to sing songs with the girls and boys and all the families at the Fletcher Free Library. Many of you have been asking why I stopped singing and playing violin for you. I will try to explain. In addition to singing and playing music, I am also a teacher of children who have autism spectrum disorder or other abilities and disabilities. Even though I love volunteering at the library and seeing all of you, I need to spend more time with my students. the great news is that I will come back and play for you again at the Library and I also hope you can come and sing with me at different places. sharing music is so much fun and I want to thank all of you who have been coming to listen to "Robert and Gigi" for all these years. Hope to Sing with you soon! Love, Sing-along recordings featuring Robert and Gigi can be purchased at the Circulation Desk-- see the collection with song titles (a link on the Kids' Page). |
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| September, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Thursday, September 11, 5 pm in the Local History Room of the Carnegie Building. The public is welcome.
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Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale The Annual Friends Book Sale will be held Thursday through Saturday, September 11, 12 and 13, 9 am to 4 pm, in the Community Room of the Library, 235 College St., Burlington. With over 12,000 items to choose from and low prices, there is something for everyone. The selection includes fiction and non-fiction books, oversized art books or coffee table books in nearly new condition, books for children of all ages, videos, CDs, DVDs, and tapes, all arranged in easy-to-find categories. Specially featured are “modern firsts” namely first editions, mostly of popular fiction, which will be sold for $2 per volume. The Friends also continue to sell some hundreds of rare and collectible books online at http://www.librarybooksales.org The proceeds are used by the Friends to benefit the Library. For more information about the Book Sale, or to find out how you can become a Friend of the Library, please contact Library Friend Adrienne Donohue at 862-5153. |
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Booked for Lunch Series Starts This Month
September brings the return of the popular
Booked for Lunch lecture series, presented by the Friends of the
Fletcher Free Library in the Fletcher Room of the Library, on the third
Thursday of the month from noon to one p.m. Topics range from
politics and history to music and popular culture.
The series begins on September 18 on
a political note. Vermont is now considered the most liberal and one of
the most Democratic states in the nation. For 100 years, though,
this state was the most Republican state in the nation. Chris
Graff, author of Dateline Vermont, details how Vermont
politics have changed in the past century and discusses this year's
political climate.
In October there will be a slight change
in schedule as Booked for Lunch moves to the fourth Thursday (October
23) when author Reeve Lindbergh will speak about her newest book Forward
From Here: Leaving Middle Age--And Other Unexpected Adventures.
Returning to the third Thursday, on
November 20, Nakki Goranin discusses her book American
Photobooth, an illustrated history of automatic picture-taking
machines.
As 2009 marks the 400th Anniversary of
Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in this region, to celebrate this
historic event, on January 15 there will be a talk by Art
Cohn, director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
On February 19, in honor of Black History
Month, Jane Williamson, executive director of the Rokeby Museum,
will speak about women in the abolition movement.
Presented in conjunction with the Lane
Series, The Harlem Quartet, a string ensemble will perform a
mini-concert on March 26. The acclaimed quartet made their debut
at Carnegie Hall and have also appeared at the Apollo Theater.
On April 16, local author Gary Kowalski,
will speak about his latest book Revolutionary Spirits: The
Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers.
Bringing the series to a close on May 21, Kathleen
Roberts, dealer in rare and antiquarian books, and Deb Barnum,
owner of Bygone Books, will speak on the art of collecting books.
All Booked for Lunch events are free; donations appreciated! You are welcome to bring a bag lunch; cookies and beverages are provided. Please contact Library Friend Adrienne Donohue at 862-5153 for more information.
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Children's Area New Carpet Almost Funded The Picture Book area of the Carnegie building is where many of our youngest patrons play when they visit the Library, and all that crawling around has worn out the carpet! With generous donations from the Bergeron Family Foundation, Lillian and Bruce Venner and Chris Tebbetts we are in the home stretch-- but we still need $1,000 to make up the balance. Can you help? For more information, please contact Rebecca or Beth in the Youth Department at 865-7216. Thank you!
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Summer Reading Program T-shirts Now On Sale! This year's "Catch the Reading Bug" Summer Reading Program T-shirts, designed by Vermont artist Harry Bliss, can now be purchased at the Library's Circulation Desk for only $5. We have Kids' medium and large sizes. Help support next year's important SRP by purchasing one of these beautiful shirts! For more information, or to reserve shirts, please contact the Circulation Desk at 863-3403, extension 0. |
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| August, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting There will be no Board of Commissioners meeting in August.
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Happy Birthday, Marcella! The Fletcher Free Library staff and patrons send our best wishes and congratulations to long-time Library friend and supporter Marcella Chapman, who celebrated her 100th birthday in July! Marcella's honored place in the history of the Fletcher Free Library was ensured in the 1970s, when she led the effort to have the Carnegie building declared a national historic structure in order to save it from destruction at a time when serious structural problems threatened its survival. We are overjoyed that Marcella still comes by to visit the beautiful building that she helped rescue, and that she often attends our special programs on local history topics. We all wish Marcella lots more good health and happy times to come!
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Friends of the Library Gearing up for Book Sale The Annual Friends Book Sale will be held September 11, 12 and 13. Thousands of books, DVDs, LPs and who-knows-what-else await eager shoppers and new owners. The proceeds are used by the Friends in so many ways to benefit the Library. Friends who are interested in helping to sort books in advance of the sale are invited to come to the Library on Thursday, September 4, 9-11 am. For more information about the Book Sale, or to find out how you can become a Friend of the Library, please contact Library Friend Adrienne Donohue at 862-5153.
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Booked for Lunch Series Starts in September The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library have announced the lineup for another season of their popular lecture series "Booked for Lunch". The speaker roster includes Vermont authors Reeve Lindbergh, Chris Graff, Nakki Goranin, and Gary Kowalski; museum directors Art Cohn (Lake Champlain Maritime Museum) and Jane Williamson (Rokeby Museum); and antiquarian book dealer Kathleen Roberts. In addition, the Friends team up once again with the UVM Lane Series to include a musical presentation: the award-winning Harlem Quartet. The first Booked for Lunch program this Fall will be held at noon on Thursday, September 18: Chris Graff will discuss his book Dateline Vermont. All Booked for Lunch events are free, and light refreshments are served. The full schedule will be posted in the Library later this month. Please contact Library Friend Adrienne Donohue at 862-5153 for more information.
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New Carpet Needed in the Picture Book Area The picture Book area of the Carnegie building is where many of our youngest patrons play when they visit the Library, and all crawling around has worn out the carpet! We have just received a generous donation of $2,500 from the Bergeron Family Foundation to cover half the cost of a new carpet, and we are seeking donations to make up the balance. For more information about how you can help, please contact Rebecca or Beth in the Youth Department at 865-7216. Thank you! |
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| July, 2008 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners will meet on Thursday, July 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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Summer Reading Program On Track for a Record Year The Fletcher Free Library's ever-popular Summer Reading Program seems to be even more popular than usual this year. During the first week, starting Monday, June 16th, more than 500 young readers joined up, including 222 children on the first day-- a single-day record! The sign-up period continues for another few weeks, so hundreds more summer readers are expected. In addition to the "central reporting station" in the Library's Youth Services Department, this year's Summer reading Program will be available at 15 outreach sites around town-- the largest number ever. For more information about summer at the Library for kids, please call 865-7216 or check out the Kids' Page on our website.
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Friends of the Library Thanks to everyone who participated in the Summer Paperback Book sale. We are looking forward to the Fall Book Sale, in September. The Friends are wrapping up the scheduling of the next Booked for Lunch series, and have just completed our annual membership drive-- thank you for the enthusiastic response! 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 have received it by mail in their BiblioFile newsletter.) Also, see the Friends page on the Library's web site. The Friends are always seeking new members-- meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month, and everyone is welcome!
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A Fond Farewell to Amber Gaster, the FFL's Outreach Americorps VISTA For the past two years, the Library has been very fortunate to have Amber Gaster as our Outreach A*VISTA. Amber has been in charge of organizing all Library programs designed to help newly-arrived refugees and immigrants and students studying English as a second language in the Burlington area. Amber's enthusiasm, energy and willingness to help have made her a success in every aspect of her job. Some of Amber's many accomplishments during the past two years are:
During Amber's short tenure at the Library, her department has served individuals representing 51 different countries. Thanks for doing an amazing job!
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New State Historic Marker Honors Mary Martha Fletcher The Vermont Division of Historic Preservation has installed a new roadside historic marker at 177 North Prospect Street in Burlington, the former home of Mary Martha Fletcher. It commemorates the lifer of the philanthropist responsible for the founding of both the Fletcher Free Library and the Mary Fletcher Hospital (now known as Fletcher Allen Health Care). An official unveiling ceremony was held on June 26th and was attended by Library staff, Fletcher Allen Health Care officials and local history buffs. Text of the Historical Marker: "Mary Fletcher, born in Jericho, Vermont, moved here with her family at age 20. Following her father's death, the family established the Fletcher Free Library (1873). Mary Fletcher continued her parents' benefactions. She founded Mary Fletcher Hospital (1879), the first general hospital in Vermont, and Training School for Nurses (1882). Mary Fletcher Hospital later became Fletcher Allen Health Care, Vermont's academic health center. Mary herself suffered ill health and lived simply and privately. She died of tuberculosis in the Hospital she founded. The Burlington Friends Meeting (Quakers) began to hold worship here in 1959." |
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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 The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 10 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 Our popular Booked for Lunch series will return in January to the Fletcher Room (2nd Floor of the Library's Carnegie Building, above the Youth Library). Food, travel and lifestyle columnist Marialisa Calta will give a presentation on Thursday, January 18 at noon. The lunch arrangements have changed: 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 863-4312. 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 books with that are in some way special. This is a project-in-progress...suggestions and ideas 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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Email Workshop Rescheduled Due to a temporary loss of our internet connection last month, the Email Workshop has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 13, 10-11:45 am. There are still a couple of spaces open if you'd like to join us! Pre-registration is required, and the workshop is free (there is a suggested donation of $3 to support the Library's workshop program). For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at 865-7217.
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Cultural Perspectives Lecture Series A new series of lectures funded by a grant from the Vermont Community Foundation will be presented Wednesdays, January 24 and 31 and February 7 at the Library. "Discovering Common Ground" features Maria Schumann from the Vermont Folklife Center and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, and Judy Scott from the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program. The experiences of refugees and immigrants living in Burlington will be viewed through the perspectives of both New Americans and the Burlington community. All lectures will be held in the Pickering Room (2nd floor of the Carnegie Building, above the Youth Library), starting at 7:00 pm. For more information, please contact the FFL Outreach Department Americorps VISTA, Amber Gaster at 802.865.7211.
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There and Back Again-- with Lots of Help! The Fletcher Free Library's 11-day road trip to help out the Ina Thompson Library in Moss Point, Mississippi took us through rain, wind and 3,600 miles on the highway, raised over $3,000 for the Moss Point library's AV collection, and made a lot of librarians, pre-schoolers and adults dance and sing with joy! Thanks to all of our generous sponsors, including Ben and Jerry's Foundation, Wayne Turiansky at Amalgamated Culture Works, the Northfield Savings Bank, the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, the Development Committee of the Library Board of Commissioners, Dave Simendinger at Wesco Oil Company, Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula, MS, and hotel managers at Sheraton Hotels in Cincinnati, OH, Harrisburg, PA, and New Orleans. Picture exhibits chronicling our visits to five library systems, a special Robert & Gigi performance to raise more money for Moss Point, and a documentary video of the project are all in the works. By the way, we are still gladly accepting donations to help the Ina Thompson Library-- for more information, give us a call at 865.7216, or send checks payable to "Friends of the Fletcher Free Library" to the Library (235 College Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401), noting that the donation is for the Moss Point Library. Thank you!
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Rosetta Stone Software for ESL Patrons Thanks to a generous grant from the Verizon Foundation, the Fletcher Free Library will purchase Rosetta Stone Language-Learning Software for use by the Library's English as a Second Language (ESL) patrons. The Rosetta Stone software allows students to move at their own pace, working on comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. It will be installed on two laptop computers that will be housed in the Library and available for patrons' use during Library hours. In addition to print ESL resources and weekly ESL classes already available at the Library, the software will provide an excellent resource for English language learners. Tutors and students are welcome to use the computers in the Library for tutoring sessions or for individual practice. Computers will be made available at the beginning of February. For more information, or to sign up or a free Rosetta Stone training session, please call Amber Gaster at 802.865.7211.
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| December, 2006 | ||
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Library Troubadours Blanket the Country with Their Songs! In addition to the
Burlington Free Press blog (link below), FFL Youth Services has just
launched Fletcher Kids, a blog for Kids' news, and it's full of
photos & stories about the trip to Moss Point!
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BREAKING
NEWS: Off
to Moss Point, Mississippi! November 30th-- and their off! Fletcher Free Library Youth Services librarian Rebecca Goldberg, Library Co-Director Robert Resnik and his Children's Sing-Along partner Gigi Weisman have left for their 10-day road trip in support of Burlington's Hurricane Katrina Sister City Moss Point, MS's Ina Thompson Library. For more information about the reasons behind this historic, philanthropic and community-connecting adventure, see this web site's Library News Archives, the Moss Point Library's web site: http://www.jgrls.org/vermont.htm and recent Burlington Free Press articles: Ramblings... (November 27, 2006) Librarians embark... (Thursday, November 30, 2006) BLOG:
Robert Resnik, Gigi Weisman and
Rebecca Goldberg will document their concert tour on a Free Press Blog, “On The Road,” that debuts today-- click
here! Thanks to CCTV Channel 17 for loaning us a video camera, and to Meghan O'Rourke for her video expertise- the trio plans to video their trip, and CCTV plans to create a documentary after they return. For more information about the trip, or to make donations to help out the Ina Thompson Library in Moss Point, please contact the FFL Youth Services Desk at 865.7216. Contributions to support the Ina Thompson Library can be mailed to Rebecca Goldberg, Youth Services Librarian, Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington, VT 05401. See our Kids' Page and Store Page for song lists and purchase information on our popular Children's Sing-Along CDs, featuring Robert Resnik, Carol Scrimgeour and Gigi Weisman.
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Library Closed for Christmas and New Year's Day The Library will be closed Monday, December 25th and Monday, January 1, 2007.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 13th 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 Our popular Booked for Lunch series will return in January to the Fletcher Room, 2nd Floor of the Library's Carnegie Building. Food, travel and lifestyle columnist Marialisa Calta will give a presentation on Thursday, January 18th at noon. As always, a light lunch will be served courtesy of the Friends, and donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information about Booked for Lunch, please contact Friends president Jody Kebabian at 863-4312. 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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New Computer Workshops continue through December There is still time to sign up for the last few computer workshops in December! See the Computer Center page for the schedule. Pre-registration is required, and the workshops are free (there is a suggested donation of $3 per workshop). For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at 865-7217.
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New Computer Program Increases Efficiency at Circulation Thanks to Outreach Volunteer Tom Corcoran for developing a program which allows staff at Circulation to continue to check materials in & out when the main system is down for service. Tom's new program debuted during the week of November 19th during a system upgrade, saving the Circulation staff hours of manual work. We a so grateful to have such a talented and dedicated volunteer-- Thank you Tom!
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Election Day Survey by UVM Statistics Class University of Vermont statistics professors Karla Karstens and Sheila Weaver sent their students into the field on Tuesday, November 7th to survey Burlington residents about the Library at polling places throughout the City. The surveys were designed to gather information from Burlington residents who are not regular users of the Fletcher Free Library, and are intended to help the Library provide better service for all residents of Burlington. Results are still being tabulated-- stay tuned for a summary in January! And thank you UVM!
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"Fletcher Free Library Day" at Barnes & Noble a Success! Fletcher Free Library supporters spent over $1,200 at Barnes & Noble on Sunday, November 19th, 15% of which was donated to the Library to support the foreign language collection. Children enjoyed a hilarious storytelling session hosted by Library Board's own Laban Hill, followed by a poetry and prose reading. Major Jackson, Laban Hill, Halan Wagg and Irma Valeriano (reading the poetry of Tina Escaja), Elizabeth Powell and Library board member Philip Baruth gave their time and talent for this part of the event. Thanks to Barnes & Noble, everyone who attended and all those who helped make this fundraiser a success, especially Library Americorps VISTA Amber Gaster, who organized it!
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| November, 2006 | ||
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Library Closed for Veterans and Thanksgiving Days The Library will be closed Friday, November 10th and Thursday, November 23.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 8th 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 "Books for Children Gift Campaign" Begins Share your love of books with Burlington area preschoolers this holiday season! Join the Fletcher Free Library's 16th annual "Books for Children Gift Campaign" and help provide Burlington preschoolers with new, quality books during the holiday season. Choose from our list or make your own selections, then purchase books at Borders Books and Music, Crow Book Shop, Everyday Book Shop or the Hopkins Book Shop at a discount. We distribute the books through the Sara Holbrook Center, the King Street Youth Center, the VNA Family Room, and Head Start of Chittenden County. For more information or for a booklist, please contact Youth Services Librarian Beth Wright at 865.7216, or by email at bethlibrarian@yahoo.com.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News Our popular Booked for Lunch series, which has been permanently relocated to the Library's Community Room, will present Library Commission chairman emeritus and world-renowned mountaineer Dr. Charles Houston on Thursday, November 16th at noon. As always, a light lunch will be served courtesy of the Friends, and donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information about Booked for Lunch, please contact Friends president Jody Kebabian at 863-4312. 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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Artists Wanted! To find out how you can display your art in some of the most highly visible galleries in town (right here!), please contact Barbara Shatara at 865.7211.
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New Computer Workshops continue through December There is still time to sign up for the last few computer workshops in December! See the Computer Center page for the schedule. Pre-registration is required, and the workshops are free (there is a suggested donation of $3 per workshop). For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at 865-7217.
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Off
to Moss Point, Mississippi! The FFL's Outreach motto, "We Deliver" takes on a brand new meaning this month: On November 30th, Fletcher Free Youth Services librarian Rebecca Goldberg, much-loved volunteer and kiddie songstress Gigi Weisman, and Library Co-Director Robert Resnik will take to the highway for a 10-day road trip. They will travel in the Library's Outreach van to libraries in New Orleans and Moss Point, two areas that were devastated by hurricane Katrina. Along the way, preschool singalongs are planned for libraries in Cincinnati, OH, Georgetown, KY, and Easley, SC, where FFL sing-along CDs will be offered for sale (see our Library Store page). In addition, we will give CDs to the Moss Point Library to sell. Proceeds will be used by the Moss Point Library to build a new collection of children's audio and video materials, while we spread our music along the way. Watch for more publicity in the local press. For more information about the trip or our popular FFL singalong CDs, or to make donations to help out the Ina Thompson Library in Moss Point, please contact Co-Director (and Library songbird) Robert Resnik at 865.7222.
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Barnes & Noble Book Fair to Support the Library If you've walked through the foreign language section of the Library, you may have noticed a slowly growing collection of books in Russian, Spanish, French, Bosnian and Japanese. This small collection has been serving Burlington's growing refugee and immigrant community, providing literature in our patrons' native languages. The Library's collection reflects this changing community, but with a limited budget for purchasing books, the Outreach Department has been unable to fill the growing need for new foreign language books. On Sunday, November 19th, the Library will be co-hosting a Book Fair with Barnes and Noble to raise money for the purchase of more foreign language books. We need your help! Present a Book Fair voucher any time on the 19th when making a purchase, and 15% of the sale will be donated to the Fletcher Free Library. Vouchers are available at the Circulation desk. To celebrate this event, author Laban Carrick Hill, who will be hosting a story hour at Barnes and Noble at 2:00 pm, reading folktales from around the world. At 3:30 there will be a poetry reading, of poetry from different cultures. For more information, please call Amber Gaster at 865.7211.
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| October, 2006 | ||
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Library Closed for Columbus Day The Library will be closed Monday, October 9th.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 11th 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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Difficult Book Club Begins The Difficult Book Club for Difficult People with Difficult Rules (you gotta read 'em, and attend all four monthly sessions) held its organizational dinner meeting last month, and surprisingly chose to begin with Deleuze and Guattari's A Thousand Plateaus rather than the fiction selections earlier under consideration. The idea is to read, together with a group of interesting folks, important books that might frighten away a solo reader. The club is still open to any who might like to engage this book (see Amazon.com reviews). Considered for the future: Gass's The Tunnel, Finnegan's Wake, Weiss's The Aesthetic of Resistance. Call Marc Estrin, 658-4562, or Peter Burns, 655-2501, for more information. Good desserts provided to smear on difficult pages!
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News We are pleased to report another very successful Fall Used Book Sale: This year the Friends raised over $8,700 that will be used to help fund Library events & services and purchase materials. Thanks to master organizer Fred Hill, who once again amazed us with hours of dedicated work setting up the sale, Library custodian Doug Chamberlain, who puts up (and takes down) the shelving every year, and to the many Friends who spent hours volunteering to make sure our sale was a success. We give special thanks to Joan Robinson and Suzi Wizowaty, Dr. and Mrs. Edward Kupic, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Methot, Sr., Linnea Taylor, Lynn Ocone and Sarah Dopp, all of whom have recentlly joined the Friends or renewed their membership. Thank you! |
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Welcome New Staff! The Library staff and community have the pleasure of welcoming three new faces at once to the Circulation staff: Toni Taginski worked for many years at the school library at C.P. Smith and was a veteran Outreach volunteer, helping Barbara Shatara select reading material for Outreach patrons. Chris Beneke is the new Page (shelver). He is a proofreader by trade and will focus his organizational skills and eagle eye on the adult book stacks. Amy Hurley comes to us from Dana Medical Library at UVM, where she worked for the past three years. Amy is an avid reader and is eager to share her love of books with our patrons. A special thanks to all the staff and volunteers who helped out at the understaffed Circulation Desk while the hiring process was underway. The Outreach Department welcomes AmeriCorps VISTA worker Amber Gaster, from Minnesota, where she just graduated with a degree in English Writing and Geology. Amber loves libraries and would eventually like to attend Library school. Greeting to all of our new workers!
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New Computer Workshops Begin in October The long summer's wait for more public Computer Workshops is over: A series of individual computer workshops will begin in mid-October and continue through mid-December here at the Library. Topics will include regular favorites like Internet Exploration and Email Basics, plus some new additions: Introduction to Microsoft Excel and Creating Greeting Cards with Microsoft Word. For the very new beginner: Introduction to Microsoft Windows. Pre-registration is required, and there is a suggested donation of $3 per workshop. For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at 865-7217.
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ESL Classes Start Again This Month Congratulations to Vicki, our ESL teacher here at the Library, on the birth of Lucas (a VERY cute boy) in August. Vicki is back, and her ESL classes will begin again on Wednesday night, October 11th. Please call Amber at 865-7211 for more information.
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| September, 2006 | ||
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Library Closed for Labor Day The Library will be closed Monday, September 4th.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13th 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 Homeschooler's Bake Sale The Homeschoolers bake sale to benefit COTS will be held Friday, September 15th, 10-2, in front of the Library's Main Entrance. They are some awesome bakers, so don't miss it!
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will help "staff" the 2006 Burlington Book Festival which is scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, September 16th. Please contact Jody Kebabian at 658-0245 if you'd like to volunteer. (See the Programming page for events taking place at the Library.) The Friends' biggest fundraising event of the year, the Annual Used Book Sale, is taking place Thursday-Saturday, September 14-16, 9-5 pm (sorry about the typo on last month's News page). Again, if you are interested in helping out, please contact Jody Kebabian at 658-0245. Donations of quality books in good condition are always welcome! To bring books to the Library, schedule a pick-up, or find out more about book donations, please leave a message for FFL Friend Fred Hill at the Library (863-3403). Also, see below for the Book Donation Guidelines. Janie Cohen, Director of the Robert Hull Fleming Museum kicks off the Booked for Lunch series this Fall on Thursday, September 21st, noon-1, in the Library's Fletcher Room. See the Programming page for each month's scheduled presentation, or click here for the entire season's schedule. |
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The 2nd Annual Burlington Book Festival Lineup Friday-Sunday, September 14-17 Burlington's second Book Festival takes place. The Fletcher Free Library is the main venue on Saturday, September 16th, and we will feature a full day of events: see our Programming page for the lineup. For more information, please call Librarian Barbara Shatara at 865-7211 or check the Festival web site: www.sevendaysvt.com/bookfest.html.
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Another Record Year for the Summer Reading Program! Just about all we can say is "Wow!" It's been our busiest and best year yet: Over 1,000 readers signed up for the Fletcher Free Library's Summer Reading Program. Another thing that we can certainly say is a heartfelt "Thank You!" to the dedicated volunteers who made our success possible this year. Our 2006 volunteer "Hall of Famers" are: Sheila Barton, Avery Cole, Alice Corvo, Claire Demarais, Pat DiSilvio, Peggy Edgcomb, Milijana Erakovic, Amanda Imig, Britta Hanewinkel, Liz Jaquette, Michael Kelly, Max Resnik, Ben Resnik, Alia Barbano-George, Jean Lincoln, Amelia Schlossberg, Elyse Stoller, Kelly Weaver, Gigi Weisman, and Carol Wooster. We literally could not have done it without you!!
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Giant Annual Fall Book Sale Coming Right Up! The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library proudly present another book sale, 9-5 on each of three days: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 14-16, in the Library's Community Room. Browse thousands of books, CDs, videos and more! Proceeds from the sale will help the Friends support their Library.
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New Bookmarks Donated by the Chittenden Bank! Thanks to the Chittenden Bank for a generous gift of our beautiful new Library bookmarks, available at all of the Library's public service desks. These handy place-markers list our hours, street address, phone and FAX numbers and website address.
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Farewell to Beloved Local Historian Lilian Baker Carlisle No one can hope to fill the gap left by the death of Lilian Baker Carlisle last month at the age of 94. She was the area's foremost expert on Chittenden County history, and in that regard a great resource for the Library's Reference Department. A long-time supporter of the Library and many Burlington area causes, Lilian's presence and energy will be greatly missed.
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| August, 2006 | ||
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Library Closed for Bennington Battle Day The Library will be closed Wednesday, August 16th.
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners will not meet during the month of August. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 13th 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 The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will help "staff" the 2006 Burlington Festival of the Book which is scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, September 16th. Please contact Jody Kebabian at 658-0245 if you'd like to volunteer. The Friends' biggest fundraising event of the year, the Annual Used Book Sale, is taking place September 16-17, as well. Again, if you are interested in helping out, please contact Jody Kebabian at 658-0245. Donations of quality books in good condition are always welcome! To bring books to the Library, schedule a pick-up or find out more about book donations, please leave a message for FFL Friend Fred Hill at the Library (863-3403). Also, see below for the Book Donation Guidelines. We are already looking forward to this Fall's Booked for Lunch series-- keep an eye out for the schedule, which should be available soon! |
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Circulation Veteran Bill Butler Retires The Fletcher Free Library will not feel the same without Bill, who retired last month after 25 years at the Circulation Desk. A respected local poet, he was responsible for building the Library's fine poetry collection. Born and raised in Burlington, Bill is well-versed in the history, tastes and personalities of our City. Many patrons counted on him to fill them in on local and sports news. We counted on his great memory for all things literary. We wish him many happy and healthy years to come!
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The Mysterious "M" (that does NOT mean "Main"!) The "M" button in the elevator stands for "Mezzanine" (defined as "a low-ceilinged story between two main stories of a building"-- Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). When the four-level addition to the three-level Carnegie Building was built in 1981, the Basement, First and Second floors of the old building lined up with floors of the same names in the addition, leaving a floor in between the 1st and 2nd floors, which was designated the Mezzanine. Lower balconies designated as mezzanines are commonly found in large theaters, but are rare in Chittenden County. Those of us who have lived in Burlington since the 1970s might remember taking one of Burlington's only escalators to JC Penney's mezzanine, when this store was located on the corner of Church and Cherry streets (where Borders Books and Music is now). The Library's Mezzanine houses the Large-Print, Biography, Mystery and Fiction collections. Because of its high visibility in our Main Reading Room, the side of the Library's Mezzanine is a popular display space for Art Exhibits.
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Thank You Donors!! The Fletcher Free Library is the grateful recipient of three recent, generous donations: Thomas E. Burns included the Library in his bequest plans through his former employer, IBM; his name has been added to the Book Fund Memorial on the wall in the Main Reading room. The Bergeron Family Foundation made a donation to the Youth Department in memory of their parents, who loved children and used the Fletcher Free Library all their lives. The Mervyn L. Brenner Foundation made a gift to the Youth Department to be used for computers and software. These donations help to give our collection and services the breadth and value that make the Library such a vital community resource, enjoyed by all.
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| July, 2006 | ||
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Library Closed for Independence Day The Library will be closed Tuesday, July 4th. (We will be open as usual Monday, July 3rd, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.)
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Library Board Meeting The Library Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 12th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room of the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Friends of the Fletcher Free Library News Last month's gala Paperback Book Sale was fun for all, and raised over $1,200. The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will use the money to help fund their contribution to the 2006 Burlington Festival of the Book which is scheduled for September 22-24. Thanks to the many Friends who worked long hours to insure the success of the sale, particularly staunch Friend and chief organizer Fred G. Hill, and to Library Custodian Doug Chamberlain. The Friends' biggest fundraising event of the year, the Fall Book Sale, is also taking place September 22-24. Donations of quality books in good condition are always welcome! To bring books to the Library, schedule a pick-up or find out more about book donations, please leave a message for FFL Friend Fred G. Hill at the Library (863-3403). Also, see below for the Book Donation Guidelines. We are already looking forward to this Fall's Booked for Lunch series-- keep an eye out for the schedule, which should be available next month. |
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Queen City Printers Donates Summer Book Club Flyers The Library's Youth Department is now well on its way to another successful Summer Reading Program, thanks to 3600 flyers generously donated by Queen City Printers. The you Department relies on grants and donations to fund the SRP, and we are extremely grateful to Queen City Printers for their support and generosity!
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iBistro Says: Garden Tools Are Hot! If you’re wondering what the most popular items in the Library are, the Library’s On-Line Catalog software, iBistro, keeps track: From a computer outside the Library, go to www.fletcherfree.org and click on “On-Line Catalog”— this will open the iBistro Search page, which is what you’ll see at the On-Line Public Access Catalog computers (OPACs) in the Library. Look below the Search box to “What Others Are Reading”, and see “Hottest Title”— lately this has been Garden Tools! Click on the light blue link to see what’s available. The Library has loaned tools for over 23 years! We purchase new tools annually, and accept donations, too. This year we’ve added Children’s Tools to the collection (click on “MORE” under “What Others Are Reading” to see full lists of Hottest Titles, then click on the link “Children’s Tools”). The loan period for all tools is 1 week, and like other items, you can renew 5 times as long as the item has no holds on it.
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Discover More iBistro ResourcesWhile you are viewing the iBistro Search page, take note of the new, easier-to-use Search window: type a search term in the white box, then click on the button below that corresponds to the category of term you used (Title, Author, etc.). This 1-step method replaces the need to click on a drop-down menu and then select a category from there. And if you are looking for a good book but haven’t a good idea for a title or author, peruse some of the linked lists under “Recommended Reading” and “Best Sellers” (all light-blue words are links) – iBistro is a wealth of resources for the hungry reader! If you are new to computer use and would like hands-on instruction for using the On-Line Catalog, please call the Reference Desk at 865-2717 and leave your name and phone number. Instruction sessions (with refreshments!) will be scheduled according to interest. Other sources of help for using the catalog:
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Flag Collection RefreshedAlthough it’s not in our Catalog, the Library has an extensive collection of flags from other countries (79 at last count!) The original collection was donated by The Vermont Council on World Affairs. One of the Library’s most treasured volunteers, Sybil Smith, was the Executive Director of this organization and she arranged for the donation. The flags were first flown in the Library from the Mezzanine balcony in 1981, when the new part of the Library was opened. Recently we have inventoried, reviewed and replaced worn or lost flags and bought new ones. The most frequent borrowers have been those celebrating UN Day, but they are available to all: schools, colleges, churches, those holding international events, individuals...If you are you a student giving an oral presentation about a country: there’s nothing so effective as an illustrated talk! Stop by or call the Circulation Desk to make arrangements for borrowing. (For a directory of flags and brief info about the countries or entities they represent, see www.flags.net.) |
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| June, 2006 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 14th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Paperback Book Sale! The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library will host another one of their ever-popular book sales on Saturday June 17th, 9-5pm, and Sunday June 18th, noon-5pm in the Library's Community Room (in the basement). This sale will feature thousands of paperbacks in fine condition and a wide selection of videos, children's books and CDs. Also note: proceeds up to $1,500 will be used to help support the Burlington Book Festival in September. Fill your summer with "light" reading, and help support the Library and community at the same time!
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New Additions to Book Fund Memorial Thank you to the family and friends of Lyn Rothwell and Elizabeth Fichman Lasman, who recently have made generous donations to the Library in their memory. Donations in memory of each of these individuals have exceeded $500, so they have been recognized by the addition of brass plates engraved with their names on the red marble Book Fund Memorial on the Main Reading Room wall near the Library's front door. The Book Fund Memorial was started by donations made by Charlotte & Herb Mandel & Family in memory of Nathaniel Lash, in honor of the fact that Nat's wife Millicent (Penny) Lash loves books. Donations made In Honor Of or In Memory Of an individual are additionally recognized by placement of bookplates in new books, showing that these items were purchased In Honor Of or In Memory Of that individual, and assuring a lasting remembrance of that special person. The donor may designate a genre of book, and the number of books plated corresponds to the amount of the donation. If you would like to make a donation to the Library In Honor Of or In Memory Of a loved one, please call Amber Collins for more information, at 865-7214, or just send your check to The Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington, Vermont, 05401. Thank you so much.
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Help for Home On-Line Catalog Users Since the Library moved it's card catalog to a computer-based system, some patrons who are not familiar with computers have had trouble finding the books and other materials they want on their own. iBistro, the on-line catalog software, has it's own Help document, but some have found this not user-friendly enough. Because we want all our patrons to have easy access to information about the Library's holdings, we have created a help document that we hope is more straightforward. To access step-by-step instructions to using the on-line catalog and logging in to your account, go to our web site (www.fletcherfree.org) and click on the link titled "How to Use the On-Line Catalog and Log In", directly beneath the first link on the home page ("On-Line Catalog"). Here you will discover how easy it is to find out if the Library has a title, and create a list of items by the same author or on the same topic. In addition, the help document describes how to log in to see what items you have currently borrowed and when they are due, what items you have on hold, and if you owe any fines. You can renew and place holds on items on-line, too. (You are still welcome to stop by or call (863-3403) the Circulation Desk to renew and place holds.) If you are interested in attending a short workshop to learn and practice hands-on catalog usage, please call Annie Morse at 865-7221, or email her at amorse@ci.burlington.vt.us.
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New Releases and Expected Arrivals for Spring and Summer 2006 Here is a list of just some of the new books on order: Julia Alvarez, Saving the World Linda Barnes, Heart of the World Linda Barnes, Heart of the World Lawrence Block, Hit Parade Dale Brown, Edge of Battle Sandra Brown, Outcry John Case, Ghost Dancer Lee Child, The Hard Way Harlan Coben, Promise Me Stephen Coonts, The Traitor Patricia Cornwell, At Risk Diane Mott Davidson, Dark Tort Jeffrey Deaver, Cold Moon Janet Evanovich, Twelve Sharp Joseph Finder, Killer Instinct Stephen Frey, Power Broker W.E.B. Griffin, The Saboteurs Tony Hillerman, Shape Shifter Kay Hooper, Sleeping With Father Linda Howard, Cover of Night Marian Keyes, Anybody Out There Dean Koontz, The Husband Philip Margolin, Proof Positive Larry McMurtry, Telegraph Days Marcia Muller, Vanishing Point Robert B. Parker, Blue Screen T. Jefferson Parker, The Fallen James Patterson, Beach Road Douglas Preston, Book of the Dead Anna Quindlen, Rise and Shine J.D. Robb, Born in Death Philip Roth, Everyman John Sandford, Dead Watch Sandra Scoppetone, Too Darn Hot Lisa Scotteline, Dirty Blonde Daniel Silva, The Messenger Danielle Steel, Coming Out Anne Tyler, Digging to America...and many more!! |
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More Database Links Available on FFL Website! The Reference Department is happy to announce valuable new additions to its many on-line resources: six new databases, with links on the Database page, most of them accessible from any computer with internet access by entering your Library Card Barcode Number. The databases cover a wide variety of subjects: Ebsco MasterFile Select is designed specifically for public libraries and provides access to full-text articles from nearly 800 magazines, including Consumer Reports, Time, Economist, and Smithsonian. Morningstar provides all of the mutual fund content that is available in their print edition. Reference USA is a huge database of 14 million businesses and 80 million households-- great for creating sales leads or for finding hard-to-get information on private companies. AllData Automotive provides access to the comprehensive diagnostic, repair and maintenance information that professional technicians have been using for over a decade. (Available in the Library, only.) Gale Contemporary Authors provides access to current biographical and literary criticism on more than 120,000 modern authors. Columbia Granger's World of Poetry offers 181,000 poems in full text with commentaries, biographies, critical histories and a glossary of terms for greater understanding of poetry. If you would like to get a Library card so you can use these resources, visit the Circulation Desk today! For help using the databases, call our Reference Desk at 865-7217. |
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| May, 2006 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 10th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Library Closed for Memorial Day The Fletcher Free Library will be closed on Monday, May 29th in honor of Memorial Day.
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Bicycle Donated to Summer Reading Program Raffle Two generous Burlington businesses, North Star Sports and Elder Care Law and Trust Group, have joined in donating a brand new Trek bicycle as one of the grand prizes for this year's Summer Reading Program! There is a Trek bike on display in the Youth area to tempt the kids, but the winner will be able to choose any Trek bike from the store for their own, complete with helmet!!
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Grants Help to Improve Youth Services In addition to the great bicycle donated to the Summer Reading Program raffle, the Library's Youth Department received several other significant rants and donations from local businesses and foundations. The Lintilhac Foundation of Shelburne gave us $1,000 for improvements to our new Teen Room. We will be using this generous grant to buy shelving, magazine subscriptions, and a large wall case for displaying local teens' artwork. The Brenner Foundation of Burlington also surprised us with an unsolicited donation of $2,200, which we plan to use to improve the computer center in the Youth area. We are very grateful to these organizations!
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BiblioFile Mailing List Undergoes Spring Cleanup In addition to the hundreds of the copies that are picked up in person at the Library's Circulation and Youth Services disks, we mail over 14,000 copies of BibliFile each year. The mailing list is comprised of: the generous folks who donate to the Fletcher Free, public office holders who potentially make decisions affecting the Library, media who help to advertise our programs, and places where it is posted to let those who cannot visit the Library regularly know what’s going on. Currently we updating our mailing list as we switch over to a "higher tech" method of managing it. If you are not in one of the categories above, or have not donated since January 1, 2005, you won’t be receiving BiblioFile by mail anymore unless we hear from you by July 1, 2006. You may call 863-3403 or email Annie Morse, Fundraising Assistant, at amorse@ci.burlington.vt.us for more information. Donations can be handed across the Circulation desk or mailed to the Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington, VT 05401. The Library spends thousands of dollars on printing, postage and bulk mailing fees each year to send BiblioFile-- please help us to do it as economically as possible! And Thank You!!
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| April, 2006 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 12th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Library Spelling Bee Team Place in Top Five The Fletcher Free "Alphabet Ninjas" place 4th out of a field of 42 teams of spellers in the 3rd annual Vermont Humanities Council Spelling Bee for Literacy. The Bee was held at St. Michaels College on April 9th, and this year's veteran team, Beth Wright and Robert and Max Resnik spelled their way to the finals once again before being defeated when trying to spell "culgee", which means "a jeweled plume on a turban". A jolly and B-a-r-n-m-e-s-q-u-e time was had by all!
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| March, 2006 | ||
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Library Closings in March The Library will be closed Tuesday, March 7th for Town Meeting Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 8th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Friends Continue to Maintain and Enhance the Beauty of our Library At their Annual Meeting in January, the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library decided on paint and carpeting to renovate the Fletcher and Pickering Rooms. The job was completed just in time to host a reception Feb. 24th for outstanding donors to the Library, The Vermont Public Library Foundation funded by the Freeman Foundation, IBM of Essex Junction, and The Friends themselves! With a fresh coat of paint administered by our multi-talented Building Maintenance Supervisor, Doug Chamberlain, followed by carpet squares installed by New England Floor Covering, these rooms, with their fireplaces helping to always retain the spirit of the original Carnegie Building, are now yet more tastefully-attired, comfortable spaces for presenting artwork, both on the walls and performed.
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Farewell to Mayor Clavelle We would like to wish good luck to our long-time boss Peter Clavelle, who is moving out of City Hall this month. Peter has gone on record to say that the Fletcher Free Library is "one of Burlington's most popular and well-run departments". We appreciate the compliment!
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Computer Workshops Continue Through April There is still room to sign up for free ($3 donation suggested) introductory Computer Workshops. Please see our Computer page for details.
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| February, 2006 | ||
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Library Closings in February The Library will be closed Monday, February 20th for Presidents' Day.
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 8th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Friends Help Send Librarian to ALA Conference The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library recently contributed substantially to FFL Youth Librarian Beth Wright's travel expenses, allowing her to attend the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Beth serves on the 2006 Best Books for Young Adults committee, and she helped to compile the ALA's "Top Books of the Year for Teenagers" list. With what she learned from this experience, she has already given a class to Burlington School District teachers on "What's New in Books for Young Adults". This is another great example of how the Friends and the Library combine their resources to make valuable contributions to our community. Thank you!
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Ways to Make Every Month "I Love to Read" Month Here are some reading recommendations from the Fletcher Free:
For more information, call the Reference Desk at 865-7217
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Outreach is All Around Town! Here are some of the many Outreach projects under way or in the planning phases:
For more information, call the Barbara Shatara at 865-7211
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FFL Long-timer Helen Coolidge Retires The Fletcher Free Library community bids farewell to Circulation veteran Helen Coolidge. After 32 years of checking out and checking in gazillions of books, inquiring after the health and welfare of thousands of local pets (and their Library patron owners!), and helping hundreds of patrons make the leap from the old card catalog to the On-Line Catalog, Helen Coolidge is retiring this month. We wish her many happy and healthy years to come, as well as lots of top-quality dark chocolate, and hope she'll visit the Library once in a while!
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| January, 2006 | ||
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Library Closings in January The Library will be closed Sunday, January 1st and Monday, January 2nd for New Year's, then on Monday, January 16th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Friends Annual Meeting The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library welcome all to their Annual Meeting, to be held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2006, in the Library Conference Room (2nd Floor Administrative Offices). They will be discussing how the Fletcher and Pickering Rooms could be improved (new paint? flooring?, lighting?), so bring your redecorating ideas!
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 14th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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New Year, New Desks and Furniture! The long-awaited improvements to the Fletcher Free's public service desks and Main Reading Room are finally here! Our new Circulation Desk, Reference Desk and Youth Services Desk, the new shelving for DVDs, videos, CDs, and recorded books, and the new furniture on the Library's 1st Floor were all purchased with a grant from the Vermont Public Library Foundation funded by the Freeman Foundation. Once again, we would like to applaud custodian Doug Chamberlain, who was instrumental in keeping all the projects "under control". Please keep an eye out for our official "Open House" next month when Library staff will conduct tours and show off our new improvements. Happy New Year! |
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Wireless Internet Access For Laptop Users You come to the Library to pick up books. You come to stock up on DVDs for the weekend. Now there's another great reason to come to ht Fletcher Free: the "Library Hotspot"! The Fletcher Free Library is one of the few places in Burlington to offer free Wireless Internet access. WiFi is available in the Library for users who own wireless-enabled laptop computers, tablet PCs or PDAs. The wireless hotspot covers the adult area of the Library and will soon include two of the three public meeting rooms. The network is available free of charge to all visitors. The Library hotspot was created in response to numerous patron requests. "This is the next logical step for the Library", says Robert Coleburn, FFL Systems Librarian; "the wireless hotspot is a natural extension of the services we provide in our very busy Public Access Computer Center." Our wireless hotspot is made possible by an Internet connection donated by Adelphia Communications of South Burlington. Additional wireless equipment was purchased through a grant from the Vermont Public Library Foundation funded by the Freeman Foundation. For more information, see the Public Wi-Fi Internet Use Agreement and Connection Help page, or contact the Library's Reference Desk by telephone (802.865.7217). |
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Echo Open Door Program Welcomes Library Card Holders at a Discount On Dec. 1, 2005, ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain announced its new "Open Door Program". This program offers libraries that serve the Lake Champlain Basin a one-year pass that is valid seven days a week for admission of up to two adults and three children to ECHO for a reduced rate of $2 per person. Library card holders can check this card out at the Fletcher Free's Youth Services Desk. The goal of ECHO's Open Door Program is to help us all be better stewards of Lake Champlain. For more information, please call Youth Services (865-7216). |
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| December, 2005 | ||
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Friends Annual Meeting The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library welcome all to their Annual Meeting, to be held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2006, in the Library Conference Room (2nd Floor Administrative Offices). They will be discussing how the Fletcher and Pickering Rooms could be improved (new paint? flooring?, lighting?), so bring your redecorating ideas!
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 14th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Library Closings in December The Library will be closed Sunday, December 25th and Monday, December 26th for Christmas.
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We Salute Our Americorps VISTA Workers! The Americorps VISTA program, run through the Center for Community and Neighborhoods at Burlington's CEDO office, has existed in Burlington since 1993. The program's goal is to develop sustainable initiatives that improve the lives of low-income Vermonters. A series of A*VISTA workers have been doing "behind the scenes" and "out on the street" work for the Fletcher Free Library's Outreach and Youth Services Departments for many years. Each A*VISTA comes to the Library with a wealth of different experiences and a wide range of skills to develop during their one-year contract period. Lindsay Donnellon and Tom Howard are this year's A*VISTAs at the Fletcher Free: Lindsay, the Library's Youth Services A*VISTA, grew up near the Jersey shore and graduated from UVM with degrees in anthropology and religion. She just joined us, and will be here until November, 2006. Her projects include the continued development of "Library Connections" a Library program that delivers FFL materials to libraries at BHS and Hunt Middle School; grant writing for funds to develop a pilot Library project at Hannaford's in the New North End; and organizational work on the Home Daycare Bookbag Program. In addition to all of this, Lindsay helps out at the Youth Services desk. Tom has been working in the Library's Outreach Department since August, and is focusing his efforts on strengthening Library connections with Burlington's immigrant populations; grant writing for new Outreach programming; and helping out with existing Outreach deliveries and programs. A Burlington native, Tom graduated from UVM in 2000 with degrees in history and Russian language & literature. In addition to being a dedicated runner and hiker, he is skilled with a dueling foil. Thanks to CEDO for making this program possible, and to our wonderful volunteers for choosing our Library for their work! |
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New Circulation Desk Welcomes You! On the day before Thanksgiving, the long wait finally ended with the unveiling of the Library's brand new Circulation desk and office. New features include a third checkout station, capacity for many more DVDs and CDs, lots more room for our busy Circulation staff to maneuver, and good quality materials that should last forever: green serpentine (a stone related to marble and quarried in Vermont) countertops and oak fixtures. Once again we salute our staff, architect Bob Duncan, FFL Building Maintenance Supervisor Doug Chamberlain, and FFL tech expert Robert Coleburn, all of whom worked many hours to make the transfer from the old desk to the new a triumph! We are grateful to have received a Freeman Foundation grant from the Vermont Public Library Foundation to pay for the renovation.
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Friends Host Programs, Seek Book Sale Donations The "Booked for Lunch" series takes a break until January, when it will present Harry Bliss, New Yorker cartoonist and children's book illustrator. See the Ongoing Announcements below for complete season listings of this and the other series the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are hosting: "First Friday Classics" and "First Wednesdays". The Friends are gratefully accepting donations of quality used books in good condition for future book sales. See the Guidelines for Book Donations below for more information.
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| November, 2005 | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 9th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Library Closings in November The Library will be closed Friday, November 11th for Veteran's Day, and Thursday, November 24th for Thanksgiving.
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"Books For Children" Campaign Begins Monday, Nov. 14th Once again the Fletcher Free Library is coordinating a "Books for Children Gift Campaign", the holiday donation program to provide new picture books to Burlington preschoolers from low-income families. Every year community members buy books for the campaign at participating Burlington bookstores. Fletcher Free staff members then collect these books and distribute them to Chittenden County Head Start, the King Street Youth Center, the Sara Holbrook Center and the VNA Family Room. We have distributed several thousand books to needy children over the past 14 years through this program, and we hope to have another great campaign this year. Call Beth Wright at 865-7216 for more details, or look for information about the Campaign at the Library and at participating book stores: Borders Books & Music, Crow Bookshop, the Everyday Bookshop, and the Hopkins Bookshop. |
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New Circulation Desk! After years of grant writing, planning and preparation, the Library's brand new Circulation Desk is finally on its way! Constructed with Freeman grant money from the Vermont Public Library Foundation, the new desk will feature:
Hats off to custodian Doug Chamberlain, Systems Administrator Robert Coleburn, and the entire Circulation staff, who have exhibited extreme grace under pressure in their successful design and implementation o f a temporary Circulation Desk in the Main Reading Room near the elevator. We hope to have the new desk up and running before the end of November. Other major construction projects scheduled for the next few months include a new Reference Desk, a new Youth Services Desk, and new shelving and furniture for the Library's reading room, all funded with grants.
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Temporary Outdoor Sculpture Kate Pond has installed her 2003 metal sculpture "Ode to Charlotte" on the lawn between the Carnegie Building and the newer part of the Library, where it is in view of Kate's "interlocking Fs" sculpture, "Kiss II", that was installed in the raised planter during the 1970s. The piece's title is a reference to the fossilized whale skeleton discovered near Charlotte in the 1840s. In place through November, it is part of a joint art show between Kate and Vermont artist Bonnie Acker. |
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| FROM OCTOBER, 2005: | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 12th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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FFL Computer Class Fall Session Introductory classes in Word, Yahoo! Mail, Internet Explorer and Protecting Your Computer, are scheduled through November 21st. In addition, free Open Labs will be hosted several times during this period, where participants can practice, use Tutorials, and ask questions. Pre-registration is required, donations suggested. Call, visit or email the Reference Desk to sign up (865-7217, reference@ci.burlington.vt.us).
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A New Broom Sweeps Clean! Thanks to Swish Maintenance Ltd., a Burlington distributor of cleaning products, for donating 10 different models of brooms to the Library as part of their Green Team contribution to keeping Burlington clean. The Burlington Green Team is a public/private partnership designed to remove graffiti, repaint surfaces, and clean up trash throughout the city of Burlington. The brooms will be added to our famous "tool lending library", and will become available to the public in the next few weeks. Thanks also to CEDO Assistant Director for Economic Development Bruce Seifer, who brokered the deal! |
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Friends News The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are pleased to report the results of another very successful Fall Used Book Sale: over $8,000 was raised to help fund Library events, services, and materials. Thank you for your donations and purchases! The popular Booked For Lunch series is in full swing, meeting the third Thursday of each month at noon (see the Programming page for the current month's presenter, or pick up a bookmark that lists the entire season at the Circulation Desk). In collaboration with classic literature buffs Marc Estrin and Peter Burns, the Friends are raising money to buy unabridged classics on CD for the Library. Come to the First Friday Classics to hear readings from some of those books (see the Programming page for the current month's presenter).
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Judith Janone Wins Contest Congratulations to FFL Cataloging Department mainstay (and BiblioFile book reviewer) Judith Janone, who recently won a writing contest on www.boldtype.com, a monthly email book review site. Judith reviewed an article in "O" Magazine about Sabriye Tenerken, a blind German woman who, at the age of 26, arrived in Tibet to establish a system of education for Tibet's large population of blind children. Judith's prize is a collection of new avante garde magazines-- well done! |
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| FROM SEPTEMBER, 2005: | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 5th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Used Book Sale The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are hosting their annual book sale, to be held in the Library's Community Room from Thursday, September 8 through the 11th. An irresistible assortment of books, videos and LPs, all meticulously organized by intrepid Friend, Fred G. Hill. Hours are 9-5 Thursday through Saturday and noon to 5 on Sunday.
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FFL Youth Services Librarian Appointed to Elite Literary Panel Congratulations to Beth Wright on her recent appointment to the Best Books for Young Adults Committee of the American Library Association. Beth, who is an expert on science fiction and fantasy books for young adults, has been a regular contributor of reviews for School Library Journal. She is also a member of the first Green Mountain Book Award committee, a group that chooses the reading list for Vermont's new Teen Choice Award, a brand new honor that will allow high school students to vote on their favorite new books. Beth will now be traveling to the ALA's 2006 Midwinter Conference in San Antonio to discuss and vote on the books that will make up the 2006 BBYA list. Beth also reports that as part of her Committee duties, she will be reading 121 books that are in the running for making the list between now and January 19th. We are so proud! |
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Summer Reading Program a Great Success The Library's 2005 Summer Reading Program ended on Wednesday, August 10th with our ever-popular watermelon and awards party. A total of 866 local kids took part in this year's Program, making 2005 our second-best year ever! In addition to giving thanks to the many local businesses whose generosity provided us with everything from prizes to watermelons, we would like to give special thanks to Summer Reading Outreach staffer Kalee O'Shaughnessy, whose tireless efforts made this year such a big success!
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| FROM AUGUST, 2005: | ||
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 10th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Used Book Sale The huge and exciting annual Used Book Sale will be held September 8-11 in the Community Room. Hours are 9-5 Thursday-Saturday and noon-5 on Sunday. The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library thank you for book donations. As of August 19th, we have run out of storage and display space, so we cannot accept any more donations. If you'd like to donate books for future sales, please see below for Updated Guidelines for Book Donation.
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Thanks Again to Bonnie Acker The beautiful flower gardens in front of the Library bloomed again this year, thanks to the horticultural efforts of our beloved volunteer Bonnie Acker, and our beloved custodian, Doug Chamberlain, who kept them watered!
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Caribbean Institute to be Held at FFL A one-day event to discuss issues pertaining to the Caribbean islands will be held at Burlington College, the Windham Hotel, and the Fletcher Free Library on Friday, August 26th. For more information, please call 657-4219.
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FFL Special Collections to Honor Big Joe's Memory Library Co-Director Amber Collins and Library Commission Collection Committee Chair Nina Parris met with Leon Burrell, the nephew of the late an much loved Burlington music icon big Joe Burrell, and with Big Joe's long-time friend Warren Palm to arrange for a permanent home for some of the awards and memorabilia that Big Joe accumulated during 60 years of performing. Much of this memorabilia will be cataloged and added to the Library's Local History Collection. In addition, a fund drive is underway to purchase a collection of jazz CDs and music books for the Library in memory of Big Joe. We are overjoyed that the Library was chosen to be the recipient of Big Joe's legacy, an important part of Burlington's cultural history. |
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FFL Gets Wi-Fi Access! Thanks to a donated connection from Adelphia Communications, the Library is able to provide a free wireless (Wi-Fi) Internet "hotspot" that is safe, convenient and easy for our patrons to use. The Fletcher Free joins more than 650 other libraries across the country that offer this service. Unlike wireless networks found in many coffee shops, airports and hotels, there is no charge for the Library's Wi-Fi access. A user can walk into the Fletcher Free, open up their laptop computer, log in to our Wi-Fi zone, and begin surfing the Web. To take advantage of the Library's Wi-Fi access, a user needs a laptop that has wireless connectivity. The Fletcher Free will continue to offer free Internet access at our Computer Center. Acquisition of equipment for the Library's new wireless service was made possible by a grant from the Vermont Public Library Foundation funded by the Freeman Foundation. For more information about how you can access the FFL hotspot, call the Library's Reference Desk at 865-7217, or stop in any time-- there is a Reference Librarian on duty whenever the Library is open.
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FROM JULY, 2005: |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 13th at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Paperback Book Sale a Success! The weather cooperated to make Saturday, June 4th a perfect day for many happy readers to support the Library by buying paperbacks at the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library Paperback Book Sale. Net profits were $820. The Friends are deeply grateful to Vermont Tent Company for generously donating a tent. If you'd like to donate books for future sales, please see below for Updated Guidelines for Book Donation. |
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Strong Start for the Summer Reading Program The Library's 2005 Summer Reading Program is off and running: 110 local kids signed up on the very first day! We would like to thank the many organizations that have given us their generous support, including:
The 2006 Summer Reading Program fund drive is well under way thanks to grants from the Ben & Jerry's Community Action Fund and the John LeClair Foundation.
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Fund Drive to Purchase Kate Pond Sculpture Vermont metal worker and sculptor Kate Pond created two versions of the famous interlocking letter F sculpture (which stands, of course, for "Fletcher Free") that sits proudly in the raised flower bed in front of the Library. This larger piece, entitled "Kiss II", was created in memory of Helen McAuliffe Robins, and was dedicated in 1981 to celebrate the opening of the new wing of the Fletcher Free. The smaller model, entitled "Kiss I", was constructed in 1981 also, and is currently on display in the Library's Main Reading Room. We are trying to raise funds to purchase this important piece of Fletcher Free history and give it a permanent indoor home here at the Library. For more information or details, please contact Library Co-Director Amber Collins by phone (865-7214) or email (acollins@ci.burlington.vt.us).
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Three Cheers for Bernie! Sander Champions Overhaul of Patriot Act On Wednesday, Jun 15th the United States House of Representatives voted 238-187 to prevent appropriated funds from being used secretly to obtain library patrons' and book shoppers' records, as allowed under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. The move to exempt library and bookstore records from Patriot Act scrutiny was authored by Vermont Representative Bernard Sanders and was supported by 38 Republicans and 199 Democrats in the House vote. Sanders' bill is the first successful attempt to roll back some of the Patriot Act regulations enacted after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks. The bill still faces a possible Presidential veto, but it represents a major victory for Sanders and for libraries and librarians everywhere. We also applaud and congratulate UVM librarian Trina Magi, who has been campaigning locally and nationally against the "library" portions of the Patriot Act since 2001! |
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Friends Looking For Volunteers The Friends would like help with making sandwiches for their monthly "Booked For Lunch" series. An occasional donation of 6 sandwiches, halved and wrapped, or one batch of cookies would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Jane Pearl, Friends Hospitality Chair, at 658-2480. Thank you! They would love new members, too! For more information about the Friends, check out their page on our web site, and see their new newsletter, available on a table under the big map of Vermont outside the Local History Room.
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Updated Guidelines For Book Donations The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are very appreciative of book donations to help provide inventory for future book sales to benefit the Library. Disposal of unsold books, though, costs us hundreds of dollars each year and gobbles up our profits. To minimize unsold books, we will be happy to accept donations of all books except the following:
**Please note that we accept Harlequin Romances for Barbara Shatara’s Outreach needs. She uses ONLY this type of Romance. Thanks! 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). Thank you for your generosity and cooperation! |
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FROM JUNE, 2005: |
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Library Board Meeting The Board of Commissioners' monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 8 at 5:15 pm in the Local History Room in the Fletcher's Carnegie Building. The public is invited to attend.
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Library Closing for Staff Training The Library will be closed on Thursday, June 9 for a Staff Inservice day.
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Library Honors Volunteers The annual Volunteer Luncheon was a rousing success, thanks to the generosity and culinary delights provided by staff, the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library, Mirabelles, Stone Soup, City Market and Hannafords at the Ethan Allen Shopping Center. Custodian Doug Chamberlain grew and distributed beautiful houseplants to the attending Volunteers this year. Thanks again to the many dedicated Volunteers who give generously of their time and talents to make our Library truly great!
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FFL Roof Fire Causes Little Damage, Big Hubbub The Library buzzed with excitement on the afternoon of Thursday, May 12th, when a fire was started on the roof by some workmen. The alarms went off, fire trucks came, and the building was evacuated for about an hour. Luckily only one sprinkler was activated, dousing the desk (and laptop computer) of Systems Administrator Robert Coleburn. Having just done a backup onto his USB port flash drive, Robert luckily avoided losing data!
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The Friends are Busy Supporting the Library-- Books Sales Coming! In addition to organizing and hosting the Booked for Lunch series (see the Programming page for the next event), the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are:
Funding for these projects is provided in part by book sale proceeds. Look for upcoming posting of dates for the September Book Sale. See Updated Guidelines for Book Donation, below, if you'd like to donate books for the sales. |
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Booked For Lunch Series Will Return in September The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are hard at work putting the finishing touches on plans for the next wonderful Booked For Lunch series. It will feature a brand new lineup of impressive speakers, to be enjoyed Thursday afternoons over lunch in the Fletcher Room. The schedule will be posted here as soon as it is available, and each event will be included in the Programming page each month.
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Summer Reading Program in Full Swing Attention all Burlington Elementary and Middle School students, AND your parents! Start the summer off right and catch a wave into the Fletcher Free for our 2005 Summer Reading Program, Surf Your Library! You'll get great free t-shirts, prizes, activities, and lots of personal encouragement to read all summer and get better grades in the fall. Come listen to live music, see a magician, make your own beach bag or flip flops, party with pirates or read with Vermont Expos professional baseball players! The Library's SRP is free, fun and proven to improve reading skills. Over 900 Elementary and Middle School students joined the 2004 SRP, and with your help we can break the record this year! Please call 865-7216 or come to the Library any time for more information.
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New Memorial Plate Honors Library Volunteer Many thanks to the family and friends of retired librarian and Fletcher Free volunteer Jane Schultz. Their generous contributions to the FFL book fund in her memory have accumulated to warrant installing a brass plate on the Book Fund Memorial, a granite plaque by the front entrance of the Library which was installed in November, 2000. For information about making donations to the book fund or reserving a plate on the Book Fund Memorial Plaque, please contact Library Co-Director Amber Collins at 865-7214. |
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| FROM MAY, 2005 AND BEFORE (Archives started June, 2005): | ||
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Library
Board Meeting
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Library
Closing for Staff Training
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FFL
Alphabet Ninjas Place 3rd in VHC Spelling Bee
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Congratulations,
Aimee: Another FFL Success Story!
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The
Friends are Busy Supporting the Library-- Books Sales Coming!
Funding for these projects is provided in part by book sale proceeds. Mark your calendars for the Summer Paperback Book Sale: Saturday, June 4th. See Guidelines for Book Donation, below, if you'd like to donate books for the sales.
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Friends
Looking For Volunteers |
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New
Databases Available!
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Library
Store Page Updated!
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Summer
Reading Gifts We also thank the Jack Ezra Keats Foundation for a grant that will fund a set of "grandparent bags", to be used in a new multi-generational program designed to provide a day of fun to be enjoyed by grandparents and grandchildren together. The bags will be available in the Youth Services area. For more information, please call 865-7216.
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Brautigan
Library Going Home to San Francisco Lockwood has negotiated with the San Francisco Public Library to arrange a permanent home for the Brautigan Library at the Presidio Branch of the SFPL, the exact location where Brautigan placed his fictional 24-hour-a-day library in The Abortion. The books have been carefully packed and prepared for their trip west, and the Fletcher Free Library is honored to have been part of the process of getting these books placed safely in their proper home.
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Young
Adult Space Will Relocate The Paul Post Area was established at the Fletcher Free Library in 1989 in memory of Paul Alexander Post, a young teen who died in 1987. The countless hours he enjoyed while reading at the library prompted his family to set up a find to support an area of the Library dedicated to teenagers. The collection of books and periodicals in this area includes recreational fiction as well as non-fiction intended to broaden the horizons of teens and help them cope with the many challenges of adolescence. We urge community members, especially teenagers, to contact Youth Services Librarians Beth Wright or Rebecca Goldberg at 865-7216 with any suggestions for this new space! |
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Youth
Services Offers Two New Storytimes
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Happy
New Year! FFL Renovation Plans for 2005
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Fletcher
Free Library Honored as One of Vermont's Oldest Non-Profits
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Friends
Announce 2005 "Booked For Lunch" Line-up
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Annual
Adopt-a-Magazine Campaign Begins
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Dramatic
Landscaping Change at the Fletcher Free For most of the time that the Fletcher Free Library's Carnegie Building has been the jewel of the block between South Union and South Winooski Avenue (100 years in August, 2004), the street in front of the Library was lined with rows of graceful American Elm trees (Ulmus americana). This tree was considered ideal for city streets because it was long-lived, fast-growing and tolerant of air pollution and soil compaction. Sadly, these trees died of Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970's, a fungal disease transported from Europe in the 1930's. The flowering crab apple trees that were planted in place of the elms had outlived their life expectancy of 20 years. They were infected with a fungal disease and had been exhibiting declining health. Thanks to a grant organized by the Vermont Community Foundation, the Birds of Vermont Museum and the Vermont Audubon Society, a row of disease-resistant elms will be planted next Spring to replace the crabs. These will be some of the first to be used in downtown Burlington. One of these new elm varieties was planted last year near the flagpole on the Library's front lawn, thanks to a donation from the Burlington Homeless Healthcare Program, and it looks healthy. Thanks to everyone involved, and watch for the gala "new tree party" next Spring!
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Guidelines for Book Donations (see Library News page for Updated version) The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library are accepting donations of books in good condition for future sales. If you have more than a bag or two of books, please bring them in on Monday or Wednesday mornings, between 9:00 am and noon, or on Saturdays by appointment (call Fred Hill at 863-3403). Because of space limitations and the rising cost for disposal of unsold books, we can no longer accept:
Thank you for your cooperation. Among other activities, The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library host the popular "Booked for Lunch" series (see the Programming page for the next event). They would love new members! For more information about the Friends, check out their page on our web site, and see their new newsletter, available on a table under the big map of Vermont outside the Local History Room.
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iBistro Software Upgrade After a recent software upgrade, our on-line catalog, iBistro, has a new look. The same features are available, but some are organized differently. To learn more, please call the Reference Desk at 865-7217, or check out iBistro through our web site (it's the first link on the home page: On-Line Catalog). |
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Statistics
Indicate a Very Busy and Successful Library
Even more impressive are our traffic and program attendance statistics:
We are far and away the busiest public library in the state of Vermont!
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At Long
Last: New Children's Sing-Along CD! The recording features 38 songs, many of which are familiar favorites from their Library shows. Thanks to generous "production budget" donations from some kind fans, all proceeds from the sale of these CDs can be used to help pay for special programs at the Fletcher Free. Robert and Gigi and staff of the Library would like to give special thanks to Cynthia Brown and her family, and to Mr. Pete Carini for help with production and creation of the CD. This and the two previous Children's Sing-Along CDs (Like the Birdies Sing and A Little Bit Jumbled and Jivey) are available for sale at the Library's main Circulation Desk. To see a list of the songs included on Sweet Potatoes and Homegrown Tomatoes, please check out the Kid's Page on our web site.
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Back
to the Programming Page
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