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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
August 2024
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Over the past year, branch after dead branch have fallen from the trees that line the library’s front sidewalk, so we asked for three bids to assess the trees' health. Unfortunately, the assessments determined that one of our stately maples and one owned by M&T had reached the end of their lives. Over the past week, both were taken down.
Patrons young and old have been at the heart of this story since the beginning. First, we thank the Urban Forestry instructors and students (may of whom are avid library users) for helping us care for our trees over the years. We are also grateful to the patron who encouraged us to prioritize this potential hazard to passers-by.
As we discussed the tree removal at the Circulation Desk, a very young patron shared that he has been enjoying Tess’s Tree, a book he and his mom recently checked out at the library. We hope the book helps you as much as it helped us to celebrate what these trees have seen and what they meant to us.
Finally, an Addison patron introduced us to Vermont forester Ethan Tapper, who recently authored the poignant and informative How to Love a Forest. Ethan will share his connection to Vermont forests at an author talk on Tuesday, October 1st at the Bixby Library. Coincidentally, I attended his author talk at this year’s ALA conference in San Diego, and mine was the first advance copy of How to Love a Forest that he signed!
“Only those who love trees should cut them”, writes Ethan, and we take solace in his wisdom.
With Gratitude,
Catharine Hays
Library Director
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What's New at the Library? | |
Booked for Bikes: The Final Chapter | |
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It's not too late for kids in pre-k through 8th grade to join our Booked for Bikes Summer Reading Challenge and be entered to win bikes, Vergennes Green Gift Certificates, Cecille the Chicken, Wriggidig Bug, Chip the Seagull, and a big, huggable bonus prize.
Walk, bike, or stroll over to the Bixby Library and turn in your reading tracker slips before the challenge wraps on Thursday, August 15th.
Huge thanks to our dedicated Summer Intern, Patty McNerney, for pedaling our summer reading challenge to success!
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The Bixby Reads Around the World | |
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“Reading is a passport to countless adventures”
-Mary Pope Osborne
Saturday, August 31st is the final day for Adult and Young Adult readers to win sweet, bookish prizes from the Bixby Library's Read Around the World Challenge.
Read a book from 3 or more continents between June 1st and August 31st, come to the circulation desk, and claim an international prize: Taiwanese milk lollipops, European Milka chocolates, Japanese bookmarks, animal squishes, bookworm stickers, cold drink tumblers, garden gnomes and more. If you read a book from all 7 continents, you will win a bonus prize!
With over 100 pins dropped on our community reading map, you showed us that there is no limit to where words can transport us. Where has your reading taken you this summer?
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Shedding New Light on the Adult Collection | |
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Have you noticed anything different while searching for your next great read in the Adult Collection? Are you able to see the titles better? For taller folks like teen volunteer Neil, pictured above, are you enjoying not having to duck to avoid the low-hanging fluorescent lights from the last century? Does it feel more…efficient?
In 2023, The Bixby Library was awarded a nationally-competitive ARSL “Libraries Transforming Communities” Sustainability Grant. Our Assistant Director, Amber Lay, championed the initiative, working with LUCA Light, a Washington-based firm specializing in state-of-the-art library lighting, and local firm Peck Electric to create fixtures specifically designed to fit in the recesses between the iron crossbars that hold the glass floor panels. We also used the grant to replace old bulbs with LED bulbs throughout the building, saving both energy and money and lighting the way toward a more sustainable future. This project is made possible by a grant from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries through the generosity of a regional partner foundation.
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"Building St. Peter's Church" Exhibit & History Talk | |
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It’s a Sesquicentennial Celebration! The Bixby Library is proud to host an exhibit in the Half-Round Room and an accompanying History Talk about the many people, products, and processes that came together to create St. Peter’s Catholic Church. You can enjoy the exhibit during open hours in the Half Round Room on the second floor.
Join us on Thursday, September 5th from 5-6:30 PM for Building St. Peter's Church, a history talk presented by Susan Ferland of the Vergennes Historical Society.
During this discussion, you’ll explore the changing landscape of the town and congregation over the last 150 years and discover the names and families affiliated with the church. Bring your questions, stories, and enthusiasm for local history!
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Pick Up a Historic Vergennes Walking Tour | |
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We are overjoyed to offer free copies of the Vergennes Partnership's Historic Walking Tour. The tour features a detailed history of 42 sites in Vergennes including our very own Bixby Memorial Free Library.
Kudos to our dedicated history team volunteers, led by Nancy Remsen, whose research was instrumental in creating the Vergennes Walking Tour. You can pick up a free copy of the Historic Walking Tour on the main floor of the Bixby Library, or find an online version here.
It has been a treat to welcome many new visitors into the Bixby thanks to the Historic Vergennes Walking Tour, along with the recent Seven Days article: Visit Vergennes, Vermont: History, Culture & Outdoors.
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Come into the Bixby and take part in the Good Citizen Challenge before September 2nd! The challenge, run by Seven Days and Kids VT, offers fun civics projects for kids in grades K-8. There are 25 civics-themed activities for kids to choose from, including attending a community event, checking out a book at their library, and visiting a museum or historical site like the Bixby Library.
Whenever a participant completes an activity and submits it on the Good Citizen Challenge website, they’re entered into a drawing for weekly prizes including Phoenix Books gift cards, Vermont Lake Monsters tickets, Vermont Green FC tickets, and the grand prize — a free trip to Washington, DC. Each participant will also receive a Good Citizen sticker and an invitation to the Statehouse reception on September 19th.
18 of the activities on the Good Citizen Bingo Card can be completed during a visit to the Bixby Library, so stop by and start your citizenship adventure today!
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With the arrival of August and cooler temperatures, you may be tempted to think that summer is over, but don't break out those fall decorations just yet! The Bixby can help you make the most of the season with fun items from the Library of Things:
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Check out our corn hole set, croquet set, or badminton/volleyball set for your next outdoor barbecue or day at the lake
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Take in the clear night sky with our Orion Telescope
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Go birdwatching at your favorite state park with our birdwatching backpack (and our free state parks pass)
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Preserve your garden's harvest with our canning kit
All of these items and more are free to check out for one week with your library card. Why buy when you can borrow?
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Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian
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Hello from the Bixby Library’s new Children and Teen Librarian!
I am so excited to join the Bixby community and share my love for reading and working with young people. Since I first spoke with the team at the Bixby, I started to dream of ways to make the children's and teen's book collections easier to “shop” for your next read.
If you have any ideas for youth programs you would like to see at The Bixby, please let me know. I am also happy to talk through my ideas for reorganizing the youth collection with anyone who is interested.
Before I sign off, I wanted to remind everyone to get their Booked for Bikes reading logs in before the deadline of August 15th at 7 PM. Participants can count minutes of reading to themselves, listening to an audiobook, or being read to.
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Children and families can keep the creativity flowing through August 23rd at our Artday Fridays. On August 16th, we will work with air dry clay, and on August 23rd, we will paint over painter’s tape in the shape of our first initial. These Artdays have been so much fun. Come and see what you can create!
I’m really enjoying our Book Club pick this month: The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah. What a lovely time of year to read about a vineyard in France! Our next book selection is Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which I started and can’t wait to finish.
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It fills me with great joy to see our Community Reading Map in the lobby covered with over 100 pins, each representing a book you have read from all over the world.
The National Summer Reading Theme, Adventure Begins at Your Library, inspired me to consider how far you can fly on the pages of a book. Without leaving your armchair, you can travel to the hot jungles of South America, all the way to the frigid Arctic tundra.
Read Around the World challenged me to think critically about the books I read, and I took on the challenge to read a book from every continent this summer. With one month left of summer, I only have 2 continents to go! I have my eye on a beautiful Japanese bookmark from the prize basket.
Thank you to everyone who has embarked on this international literary adventure. Send me an email and let me know what you thought of the challenge, and don't forget to tell us where you've read by August 31st and have your pick from our international prize basket!
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Normally, I'm not a fan of romance books. But I am a fan of grilled cheese and graphic novels, so I gave this book a try. The romance in this book was actually interesting, with tension, and not some cheesy (pun definitely intended) forced romance between a couple with no chemistry. It’s also fun that all the characters and places are named after types of cheese. If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, you're probably not going to like this book.
Morgan Beenen, Bixby Library Teen Summer Intern
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Looking to beat the summer heat? How does a two-year expedition around Antarctica sound? Alfred Lansing’s Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is a true story of determination and survival from beyond the edge of civilization. In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 men set out on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, where they planned to trek across the frozen continent. Before their journey could begin, disaster strikes when their ship, the Endurance, becomes trapped by crushing ice and sinks to the sea floor. What follows is an incredible story of willpower and resolve, as the crew journeys over 850 miles across ice, land, and sea to return home. This is a must-read for anyone who has a taste for adventure or is looking to wrap up their summer reading challenge!
Kelly Bartlett, CVNHP Grant Historical Collections Associate
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Lately, there have been many new books at the Bixby that look interesting to me! This one stood out, mostly because of its title, The Book of Doors. Main character, Cassie, works in a bookstore. One of her customers leaves her a mysterious book that reads: “This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand and any door is every door.”
The Book of Doors kept me thinking and interested in what would happen next. I would recommend this book for fans of fantasy who enjoy stories involving time travel.
Martha Sanborn, Circulation & Information Desk Manager
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Volunteer Opportunity at the Circulation Desk | |
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Thank you for catching up with this month's Bixby Bulletin!
For those curious about the inner workings of the Bixby Library, we have an exciting opportunity for you!
We are looking additional for community members to volunteer at our circulation desk. The ideal volunteer would be comfortable with computers and interacting with our patrons.
Circulation desk volunteers sign up for a weekly 2+ hour shift, checking out and shelving books, making patrons feel welcomed and supported, and assisting the Bixby Staff with projects. We are currently seeking a volunteer on Tuesdays from 3-5 PM, Wednesdays anytime between 10 AM-5 PM, and Saturdays from 12-3 PM.
Click here to fill out a volunteer application and join the Bixby Family!
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Contact Bixby Bulletin Editor-in-Chief, Cedar Winslow
with questions or comments on this month's newsletter.
If you enjoyed the newsletter, forward it to a friend near or far!
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Library Hours:
Tuesday–Thursday: 10 AM–7 PM
Friday–Saturday: 10 AM–3 PM
(802) 877-2211
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