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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
November 2023
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The Season of Giving Thanks and Giving Back
As I write on the first day of November, snow flies by the ochre leaves still clinging to the linden tree outside my window. Vermont weather is good at giving us permission to switch gears and reminds us to embrace the next season.
I’m convinced there’s a reason that Thanksgiving lands right in the midst of New England’s “stick season.” It gives us a chance to pause, focus on strengthening our sense of community and belonging, give thanks, and hope for what we can achieve together.
I give thanks to all of you for your support, making the Bixby as vibrant as it has become since the pandemic. We’ve made great progress, and we have so many more ideas about how to support every member of our five-town community.
I hope you’ll take a look at the materials we will send out during our annual appeal this month, encouraging you to give back to the library by making a financial contribution toward our work. We count on it as we consider our spending and plan for the future.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
Warmly,
Library Director
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What's New at the Library? |
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The Bixby Library Receives the Good Citizen Award |
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We are thrilled to announce that the Bixby Library is one of two libraries to be awarded the Good Citizen Challenge library award. The Summer 2023 Challenge, themed "All Together Now," saw incredible community engagement. The Bixby was awarded for the most student involvement, with an impressive 27 participants who completed the challenge. Thank you to our stellar student participants, and a special shoutout to the 5/6th grade class at Ferrisburgh Central School for taking on this project. |
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Thanksgiving Library Closure (11/23 through 11/24) |
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The Bixby Library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, and the following day, November 24th. The closure allows our staff to spend time with their loved ones during the holiday. We will resume our regular operating hours on Saturday, November 25th. We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! |
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Thank You to the Vergennes Congregational Church |
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Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Vergennes Congregational Church for their generous donation of craft supplies. The Church donated yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, and embroidery supplies. The supplies will be available during our upcoming Fiber Arts Circle on November 4th. Thank you for fostering the arts at the Bixby! |
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Seeking LEGO Volunteer Leaders |
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Do you, or someone you know, love LEGOs and the creative possibilities they offer? We’d love to hear from you!
We are the grateful recipients of a HUGE donation of LEGOs from the "Lego Lady of Addison County," Mrs. Marilyn Woods. We’d love to make the most of this gift for as many as possible, and we need your help.
We’re hoping to bring together a core team of enthusiasts to help us plan and implement programming at the library and beyond. Let’s 'build' something great together! No commitment is necessary - just looking for ideas, suggestions, resources, and recommendations to get us started. To get involved, send an email to Children's Librarian Mary Neffinger.
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With its crisp weather and short days, fall is the perfect time to enjoy your favorite indoor pastimes. The Bixby has you covered with a wide variety of books and movies. We also have free jigsaw puzzles from our puzzle swap, board games, craft kits, a cake-decorating kit, and more!
Want to get outside instead? Check out our birding backpack, cornhole set, telescope, or snowshoes, from the Library of Things collection. Reserve your items through the online catalog, or visit the library to learn more.
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Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian |
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November has many faces, from Dinovember to Thanksgiving, World Kindness Week, and Family Stories Month. We hit a few notes of the above in our collections and our November programming. Our Fall collections include many new titles that are available now in the Children's Room. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we will be hosting a Kindness Basket. Pick a slip for a good deed suggestion or add a submission to our basket. Actively choosing to perform acts of kindness can become a part of your family's story.
On Saturday, November 11th, we have a big day of programming planned. First, at 11 am, we welcome the Dinoman for a family-friendly experience with life-sized dinosaurs in Bixby Hall. After learning about prehistoric creatures, stop by the Community Room to blast into the future with a demo from this season's LEGO First robotics teams. While it is too late to join this season's LEGO robotics teams, this is an excellent opportunity to check out Lego Robotics and ask the mentors and team members questions.
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Whether you are writing a novel, short story, poem, or other project, head to the library's Half-Round Room to find writing books, prompts, writer's magazines, light snacks, and warm drinks to inspire your writing all November.
Young Writers Club meets on Saturday, Nov 4th. We will be using the Half-Round Room to continue writing our own literary magazine and think up writing prompts for the NaNoWriMo writing prompt jar. Send us an email with questions or to add a writing prompt to the pot.
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This year, the Bixby was awarded a grant from the American Library Association to assess and address our accessibility needs. We are working on repairing our stairlift so that all patrons can access the second floor, but that's not all we can do. We're learning about more ways to make our library services available to patrons with various disabilities.
What comes next? Well, that's where you come in! Throughout the month, we will host a series of community conversations with residents of our five towns to understand the accessibility priorities of our community. If you have thoughts on how to make the Bixby a more accessible, welcoming space, we want to hear from you! Stay tuned for information on how to participate in our community conversations.
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New to our autumn collection, Giving Thanks is a picture book based on the Thanksgiving Address, an ancient message of gratitude by the Six Nation peoples across the lake in Upstate New York and Canada. The words are beautiful and invoke a sense of appreciation for nature's bounty. The illustrations are stylistic and elegant. You won't regret reading this with family members of all ages.
Mary Neffinger
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It's rare that a 600+ page book can enthrall me from start to finish, but Nathan Hill's new novel did just that. Wellness explores the twenty-year relationship between Jack and Elizabeth -- falling in love, growing together, and growing apart -- while exploring many other subjects, like psychology, parenthood, health, social media, trauma, and art, with humor and warmth. This is a tale of our times and a modern masterpiece that I will recommend to everyone I know.
Amber Lay
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Last month, we spent a wonderful evening with DonnaRae Menard, local author of Murder in the Meadow. This cozy mystery tells the story of Katelyn Took, who returns home after ten years away to find the grandmother who raised her has been killed. Katelyn inherits the now run-down farm, which houses 17 cats and a confused older woman. Katelyn reluctantly stays, trying to find her Grandmother's killer. Check out this book from our collection!
Martha Sanborn
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News from the Bixby's History Collection |
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In addition to personal papers and artifacts, the Bixby's archives and special collections also contain examples of no-longer-circulating print materials that were once part of the library’s catalog. This selection of early-20th-century Driftwind Magazines, which were printed using an antique pedal-powered press in North Montpelier and included poems written by and about Vermonters, feature small-stamped cards in their back covers, showing that Bixby patrons could once check them out.
Driftwind, the passion project of minister, shopkeeper, poet, and later publisher Walter J. Coates, may have been printed in small batches (as shown by its distinctive repurposed wallpaper, decorative paper covers, and occasional hand-binding). The relatively large size of the Bixby's collection of these magazines shows that they were indeed read and loved during their time as circulating materials.
By studying objects like these Driftwind copies, we can understand what was published, printed, distributed, and read in our communities in past generations, which informs our understanding of past industries, politics, and views.
To view these Driftwind copies in person or to learn more, contact us to make an appointment with a History Team member!
Anna Hurd
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Volunteer Spotlight: Julia St. George |
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November is Julia St. George's one-year Volunteer-iversary! Julia has mastered the art of processing incoming and outgoing books for our state-wide Interlibrary Loan program. She also spoils the staff with homemade baked goods and chocolates. If you see Julia this month, wish her a happy Volunteer-iversary!
Why do you volunteer at the Bixby?
I've always had a love for libraries. I had time available and wanted to give some of that to the library, plain and simple!
What is your favorite part of volunteering?
My favorite part is the camaraderie. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't like the people. And I like to help. That's the bottom line. If I can help, I'll do it.
What do you like to read?
I love to read almost anything fiction, from James Patterson to Elin Hildebrand. For people looking for a good mystery, I am currently reading The Likeness by Tana French. Check it out from our Bixby stacks!
Are you interested in volunteering at the Bixby? Head to our website to fill out a Volunteer Application. There are countless opportunities for you to make a difference!
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Small Business Saturday
Saturday, November 25
Celebrate Small Business Saturday in downtown Vergennes! Break away from the frenzy of big-box retailers and online giants to explore the unique offerings of our local businesses. Whether it's charming finds at Your Turn Resale Shop, gentlemen's delights at Men's Corner, or blooming beauty at Hollyhocks Flowers, there is something for everyone in downtown Vergennes. |
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Holiday Stroll
Saturday, December 2nd, 10am-3pm
Embrace winter in Vergennes at our annual Holiday Stroll, a day brimming with festivities at the Bixby, the Opera House, and the City Green.
At the Bixby, you can anticipate performances by the talented Jon Gailmor and the delightful harmonies of Maiden Vermont. But that's not all, for we also have a special guest, a familiar figure clad in red, with a twinkle in his eye and rosy red cheeks. See you at the stroll!
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Friends of the Bixby
Used Book Sale
Saturday, December 2nd, 9am-1pm
The Friends of the Bixby are hosting their used book sale in the library’s basement Otter Creek Room (accessible by the back parking lot). We offer gently used fiction, non-fiction, children’s, YA, gardening, sci-fi/fantasy, Vermont books, and more! Purchases at the used book sale support the Bixby. |
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If you enjoyed our 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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