The Library Board of Commissioners meets on the 3rd Thursday
of each month at 5:15 pm.
Click Here to read the Agenda.

ART EXHIBITS

Portraits in Charcoal by Alice Bowman
Pickering Room
January 3-30
Reception: Wednesday, January 18, 3:30-5:30 pm  RESCHEDULED: Monday, January 23, 3:00 pm.
In the early 1990’s, artist and teacher Alice Bowman, worked with patients at the Burlington Convalescent Center (now Burlington Health and Rehab) and found a renewed interest in portraiture.  Inspired by the beauty of the residents, Bowman sought to capture their spirit beyond their days.  Alice Bowman has created retirement posters for FAHC for twenty years, taught watercolor classes and has shown work at the Firehouse Gallery, Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, Williston Woods and the Dorothy Alling Library.

CALL TO ARTISTS - EXTENDED
We are still seeking artist renderings of the Fletcher Free for a juried exhibit in June 2012.

Vermont’s largest public library has been a Burlington landmark since 1904, and over the past 108 years the Fletcher Free has been depicted by artists in paintings, watercolors, photography, postcards, and other media.  Many of these images document its past, rather than reveal its present or envision its future.

In June 2012, we will mount an exhibit of selected works about the Library by regional artists, and are soliciting works in a variety of media for inclusion in this exhibit.  We are looking for a creative take on the Library’s visage, be it the bricks and mortar or the books and mats of story time.  All selected works will be included in an exhibition catalogue and each may be used as the cover of one of the Library’s annual reports and in other future marketing materials at any time.  One piece will be chosen by jurors including acclaimed artist Katharine Montstream to receive a $250 cash card prize from KeyBank.

Interested applicants should email jpg images along with the dimensions and medium of the work(s) to ashley96@aya.yale.edu.  Please include a daytime telephone number with your submission.  All entries must be received by April 30, 2012.  Notification of the results will be sent out in late May 2012.

PROGRAMS

Flynn Center/Fletcher Free Library Book Discussion Group
Local History Room
Wednesday, January 11, 7:30 pm
In conjunction with the Flynn’s Live-Action Graphic Novel performance “The Intergalactic Nemesis”, the monthly book club will meet to discuss “Panel to Panel: Exploring Words and Pictures” with the collection’s editor John Rovnak.

An eclectic and relevant mix of articles, interviews, essays and comics from a variety of contributors, including Alan Moore, Mark Bode, Glenn Danzig, James Kochalka, Jimmy Gownley, Charles Glaubitz, Steve Murphy, Rick Veitch, Jim Woodring, and Craig Yoe, Panel to Panel illuminates the many aspects of comics as a popular medium of the day.  A limited number of free books are available at the library’s circulation desk.

“Panel to Panel brings back the glory days of people writing about comics seriously, but still celebrating it with wide eyed wonder.”
~G. Michael Dobbs (Escape! How Animation Broke into the Mainstream in 1990s)

Readings by authors from FOMITE Press
Fletcher Room --CHECK AT CIRCULATION DESK FOR LOCATION
Wednesday, January 18, 7:00 pm
Six authors will read from their latest works published by the independent press FOMITE.  This Burlington-based literary press is the brainchild of author Marc Estrin and photographer Donna Bister. Authors scheduled to read and discuss their works, include:

Antonello Borra, from his bestiary of poems, AlfaBetaBestiario
Ron Jacobs, from his novel, The Co-Conspirator's Tale
Kate Magill, from her book of poems, Roadworthy Creature, Roadworthy Craft
Susan Weiss, from her novel, My God, What Have We Done?
Greg Delanty, from his book of poems, Loosestrife
Lee Smith, from his book of short stories, Views Cost Extra

Booked for Lunch: Elise Guyette
Fletcher Room -- MOVED TO COMMUNITY ROOM
Thursday, January 19, noon to 1:00 pm
Author of Discovering Black Vermont: African American Farmers in Hinesburgh, 1790-1890.  You are welcome to bring a bag lunch; cookies and beverages are provided, donations appreciated.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library. Click here for the complete 2011-2012 Booked For Lunch schedule.

OUTREACH  PROGRAMS

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSES
Administrative Conference Room-- Beginner Level
Pickering Room, 2nd Floor-- Intermediate/Advanced Level
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm -- CANCELLED DUE TO WATER DAMAGE
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Pickering Room
First and third Wednesday of each month, 6-7 pm
January 4 & 18 -- CANCELLED DUE TO WATER DAMAGE
Do you want to improve your English conversation skills and meet new people?  Practice and improve your English conversation with other English learners and native speakers at the Library.
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

CONVERSATION GROUPS

FRENCH-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Local History Room
Sundays, 4-5:30 pm
Parlez-vous francais?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

GERMAN-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Local History Room
Meets the first and third Wednesday of each month, 7-9 pm
January 4 & 18 -- CANCELLED DUE TO WATER DAMAGE
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

RUSSIAN-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Administrative Room
Meets the first and third Saturday of each month
January 7 & 21, 3-4 pm
Meet others in the community who speak Russian and English.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

SPANISH-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Check at Circulation Desk for location
Meets the first Thursday of each month
January 5, 4:30-6 pm
Habla espanol?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

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ART EXHIBITS

Northern Vermont Artist ASSOCIATION
Pickering & Fletcher Rooms
February 1-30, 2012
Mixed media works by local artists.  (Visit their web site!)

CALL TO ARTISTS - EXTENDED
We are still seeking artist renderings of the Fletcher Free for a juried exhibit in June 2012.

Vermont’s largest public library has been a Burlington landmark since 1904, and over the past 108 years the Fletcher Free has been depicted by artists in paintings, watercolors, photography, postcards, and other media.  Many of these images document its past, rather than reveal its present or envision its future.

In June 2012, we will mount an exhibit of selected works about the Library by regional artists, and are soliciting works in a variety of media for inclusion in this exhibit.  We are looking for a creative take on the Library’s visage, be it the bricks and mortar or the books and mats of story time.  All selected works will be included in an exhibition catalogue and each may be used as the cover of one of the Library’s annual reports and in other future marketing materials at any time.  One piece will be chosen by jurors including acclaimed artist Katharine Montstream to receive a $250 cash card prize from KeyBank.

Interested applicants should email jpg images along with the dimensions and medium of the work(s) to ashley96@aya.yale.edu.  Please include a daytime telephone number with your submission.  All entries must be received by April 30, 2012.  Notification of the results will be sent out in late May 2012.

PROGRAMS

Amy Seidl - Finding Higher Ground: Adaptation in an Age of Warming
Fletcher Room
Wednesday, February 8, 7:00 pm
Amy Seidl, ecologist and author of Finding Higher Ground: 
Adaptation in the Age of Warming and Early Spring will speak as part of a series on climate adaptation and preparedness

Flynn/Fletcher Free Library Book Discussion Group
Local History Room
Wednesday, February 13, 7:30 pm
The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God by David J. Linden will be discussed at the next Flynn Center-Fletcher Free Library Book Discussion Group meeting.  Leading the discussion is Dr. Peter Bingham, Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Vermont.

Through a mix of science, case histories and a touch of humor, neuroscientist, David Linden, explains how the human brain functions and tackles the big questions relating to religion, memory, sleep and dreams. Copies of the book are available at the Fletcher Free Library.

Related FlynnSpace Performance: Everett Dance Theatre: "Brain Storm" on Friday & Saturday, February 17 & 18 at 8 pm.  Book club members receive a 20% discount off the ticket price to this event.  "The book's greatest strength is Linden's knack for demystifying biology and neuroscience with vivid similes." --Publishers Weekly

Charles Dickens 1812-2012: A Book Discussion Series
Wednesday, February 15, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, February 29, 7:30 pm
Wednesday, March 14, 7:30 pm
In celebration of the life and work of Charles Dickens on the bicentenary of his birth, Fletcher Free Library will host a series of book discussions on David Copperfield & Jane Smiley’s short biography of the author. Led by Peter Burns.

Although a writer from the Victorian era, Dickens’s work transcends his time, language and culture. He remains a major contemporary influence throughout the world and his writings continue to inspire film, TV, art, literature, artists and scholars.

Booked for Lunch: Mark Stoler
Fletcher Room
Thursday, February 16, noon to 1:00 pm
UVM Professor Emeritus of History and editor of Volumes 6 & 7 of The Papers of George Catlett Marshall.  You are welcome to bring a bag lunch; cookies and beverages are provided, donations appreciated.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Fletcher Free Library. Click here for the complete 2011-2012 Booked For Lunch schedule.

OUTREACH  PROGRAMS

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSES
Administrative Conference Room-- Beginner Level
Pickering Room, 2nd Floor-- Intermediate/Advanced Level
Wednesdays, 7-9 pm
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Pickering Room
First and third Wednesday of each month, 6-7 pm
February 1 & 15
Do you want to improve your English conversation skills and meet new people?  Practice and improve your English conversation with other English learners and native speakers at the Library.
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

CONVERSATION GROUPS

FRENCH-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Local History Room
Sundays, 4-5:30 pm
Parlez-vous francais?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

GERMAN-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Local History Room
Meets the first and third Wednesday of each month, 7-9 pm
February 1 & 15
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

RUSSIAN-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Administrative Room
Meets the first and third Saturday of each month
February 4 & 18, 3-4 pm
Meet others in the community who speak Russian and English.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

SPANISH-ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP
Check at Circulation Desk for location
Meets the first Thursday of each month
February 2, 4:30-6 pm
Habla espanol?  Meet others in the community who do too.  Join the group and practice foreign language conversation.  Fluency is not required (nor is attendance at every meeting).
For more information, contact Elena Carter, FFL Outreach Department, 865-7211.

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All programs are free and open to the public at the Fletcher Free Library, 235 College Street, Burlington.  For more information, contact Barbara at 865.7211.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, every effort will be made to make our programs accessible to individuals with disabilities.  Please contact us at least two weeks prior to the program you wish to attend.  To make arrangements, please call 865.7211  (TTY Relay 711).

Please note: the library will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20th for President's Day.

Writing For Fun & Homework Help. Mondays, February 6th & 13th, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Stretch your imagination by writing short stories, memoirs, poems, and everything in between! Get help on homework from high school tutors! Open to Middle School students (5th through 8th grades). Free.  

Open Computer Time. Tuesdays, February 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Play your favorite flash games on laptops at the Fletcher Free Library during an open computer time. Come to hang out, play, or to browse the web. Open to middle school students (5th through 8th grades). Free.

TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meetings. Thursdays, February 2nd & 23rd, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Come be a part of the process! Help decide what goes into the Teen Collection, and what activities we will have for teens. This could count toward your community service graduation requirement and looks great on a resume. Open to all Middle and High School students (6th through 12th grades). Free.

Middle School Book Group at the Miller New North End Youth Center. Fridays, February 3rd, 10th & 17th, 3:00-4:30 p.m. Come to Hunt Middle School in the New North End and read some awesome books! Open to all Burlington middle school students. Free.

For more information about any of these programs, contact Tess Bates, Teen Literacy Coordinator, at tbates@ci.burlington.vt.us  or call the Youth Desk at 865-7216

• Check out the Teen Webpage for links to booklists and local sites.   
• We've also started a Teen Blog.  Read about new releases, see pictures from events at the library, and post your own comments

Please note: the library will be CLOSED on Tuesday, March 6th for Town Meeting Day.

Writing For Fun & Homework Help. Mondays, March 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Stretch your imagination by writing short stories, memoirs, poems, and everything in between! Get help on homework from high school tutors! Open to Middle School students (5th through 8th grades). Free.  

Open Computer Time. Tuesdays, March 13th, 20th & 27th, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Play your favorite flash games on laptops at the Fletcher Free Library during an open computer time. Come to hang out, play, or to browse the web. Open to middle school students (5th through 8th grades). Free.

Middle School Book Group. Wednesdays, March 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Meet other middle school students who like to discuss great books. Open to 5th-9th graders. Free.

TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meetings. Thursdays, March 8th & 22nd, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Come be a part of the process! Help decide what goes into the Teen Collection, and what activities we will have for teens. This could count toward your community service graduation requirement and looks great on a resume. Open to all Middle and High School students (6th through 12th grades). Free.

Middle School Book Group at the Miller New North End Youth Center. Fridays, March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th, 3:00-4:30 p.m. Come to Hunt Middle School in the New North End and read some awesome books! Open to all Burlington middle school students. Free.

For more information about any of these programs, contact Tess Bates, Teen Literacy Coordinator, at tbates@ci.burlington.vt.us  or call the Youth Desk at 865-7216

• Check out the Teen Webpage for links to booklists and local sites.   
• We've also started a Teen Blog.  Read about new releases, see pictures from events at the library, and post your own comments

Youth Programs in February

PLEASE NOTE: The Library will be CLOSED on Monday, February 20th for President's Day.

REGULAR PROGRAMS:
Stories with Megan. Mondays, February 6th, 13th & 27th, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Enjoy a fun-filled preschool storytime with stories, songs, and rhymes. Free. Ages 2-5 years. No preregistration needed.

Music with Robert. Tuesdays, February 7th, 14th & 21st, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Sing along with Robert for great family fun! Free. All ages. No preregistration needed, but please come early. Space is limited.

Creative Tuesdays. February 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th,  3-5 p.m. Join us and use your imagination to be creative with recycled materials. Free. All ages, but children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult helper, please! No preregistration required. 

Moving & Grooving with Christine. Wednesdays, February 15th & 22nd, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Move to the rhythms of great old Rock 'n' Roll and World beat music! Free. Recommended for ages 2-5 years, but everyone is welcome. No preregistration needed.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Winter Fest! Saturday, February 4th. Join us at the Winter Festival Family Expo at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, 10:00 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Visit the Fletcher Free Library table and make a bookmark to take home! Free. All ages. No preregistration.

Puzzles & Games! February 27th through March 2nd. Enjoy challenging yourself with jigsaw puzzles and playing board games in the Youth Area of the library all week long. Free. All ages welcome. No preregistration needed.

Make Snowflakes! Wednesday, February 29th, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Create your own beautiful paper snowflakes - no two alike! Materials and instruction provided. Free. Ages 5 & up. No preregistration needed.

Legos! Thursday, March 1st, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Create a Lego masterpiece for display at the library. Free. Ages 5 & up. No preregistration needed.

*Check out our Kids Blog: www.fletcherkids.blogspot.com!

Youth Programs in March

PLEASE NOTE: The Library will be CLOSED on Tuesday, March 6th for Town Meeting Day.

REGULAR PROGRAMS:
Stories with Megan. Mondays, March 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Enjoy a fun-filled preschool storytime with stories, songs, and rhymes. Free. Ages 2-5 years. No preregistration needed.

Music with Robert. Tuesdays, March 13th, 20th & 27th, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Sing along with Robert for great family fun! Free. All ages. No preregistration needed, but please come early. Space is limited.

Creative Tuesdays. March 13th, 20th & 27th,  3-5 p.m. Join us and use your imagination to be creative with recycled materials. Free. All ages, but children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult helper, please! No preregistration required. 

Moving & Grooving with Christine. Wednesdays, March 14th, 21st & 28th, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Move to the rhythms of great old Rock 'n' Roll and World beat music! Free. Recommended for ages 2-5 years, but everyone is welcome. No preregistration needed.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Legos! Thursday, March 1st, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Create a Lego masterpiece for display at the library. Free. Ages 5 & up. No preregistration needed.

*Check out our Kids Blog: www.fletcherkids.blogspot.com!

Please note: All groups must receive special permission to attend any program from Rebecca Goldberg. Please call 865.7216.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, every effort will be made to make our programs accessible to people with disabilities.  To aid us in making accommodations, please contact us a minimum of two weeks prior to the program you wish to attend.  Please call 865-7216 (TTY relay 711).