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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
September 2024
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“Reader. Voter. Ready.” This is the American Library Association’s (ALA) call to action for National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 17 and your Bixby Library is all in. Why?
Because Literacy is one of three strategic goals set forth by the Bixby Board of Trustees this year. The ALA Committee on Literacy defines literacy as “the ability to use printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential.” Libraries are cornerstones of civic literacy, and the right to vote is a hallmark of our democratic society.
We’ve loved visiting each of our five town/city clerks to understand their processes and work together with them to encourage our community members to register to vote, encourage others to do so, and remember to vote on or before Tuesday, November 5th.
Stop by the library from 10 AM and 7 PM Tuesday, September 17th to register, check your status, and have all your general election questions answered at our Voter Drive. The first 100 visitors will walk away with a mini pint of lu.lu ice cream, featuring a never before scooped voter flavor! We even have “Future Voter” stickers for the kiddos.
Ready, reader? Let’s vote!
With Gratitude,
Catharine Hays
Library Director
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What's New at the Library? | |
Booked for Bikes Breaks Records | |
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We've had a summer of fun, laughter, and adventure, and while young learners may experience a dip in reading skills during time away from the classroom, our partnership with the Greater Vergennes Rotary has helped support summer reading for over 25 years with the Booked for Bikes Summer Reading Challenge. This year, the kids of the Bixby broke our participation record with 94 readers. All together, they read for 98,000 minutes, that's over 1,500 hours of reading!
We would like to thank Scott Gaines for his decades of leadership, the Greater Vergennes Rotary for their sustaining sponsorship, Aubuchon Hardware for their Round Up fundraising campaign, and Earl's Cyclery for their generous support.
To encourage all our young readers to participate in next year's Booked for Bikes, we seek ideas to create flexible pathways for participation (think dioramas, posters, and communal reading conversations). Is tracking minutes a barrier for your young reader? Let us know how to make Booked for Bikes accessible to all the kiddos of the Bixby by sharing your ideas with Miss Robin.
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Reflections on an Intercontinental Reading Adventure | |
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From June through August, we challenged our adult patrons to expand their literary horizons and see just how far words can transport them with our Adult Summer Reading Challenge: Read Around the World. 25 adventurers received a summer reading passport, and struck out on a journey across the world, sailing beyond their traditional literary landscape.
Together, you dropped 133 pins on our Community Reading Map, from the desolate tundra of Antarctica to the mountains of Timbuktu. Stop by the Circulation Desk and tell us where your summer reading adventure took you.
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Dig Into Autumn at the Bixby Book & Plant Sale | |
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Bookworms and earthworms, mark your calendar for the annual Friends of the Bixby Library Book & Plant Sale on Saturday, September 28th from 9 AM to 1 PM.
As you prepare your gardens for fall, consider separating outdoor perennials or propagating houseplants to donate to the sale. Plant donations days are Thursday, September 26th and Friday, September 27th from 3 PM to 6 PM behind the library.
Your plant donations will directly fund the Bixby Library’s collections, programs, events, and community resources. Thank you for supporting your local library!
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Celebrate Library Card Sign Up Month | |
If you're reading this, you may already have a library card. But what about your friends and neighbors? Help us put a free library card in the hands of every resident of Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, Vergennes, and Waltham. Let them know that it only takes a few minutes to stop by, sign up, and walk away with a world of resources. | |
Volunteer Opportunity at the Circulation Desk | |
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Now that fall is in the air, it's a great time to embrace the rhythm of the season and consider volunteering at the beautiful Bixby Library. We need help serving community members and shelving books 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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September 22–28 marks this year's Banned Books Week, a time to celebrate the freedom to read while also shedding light on the ongoing censorship efforts happening around the country. A 2024 report from the American Library Association states that a record-breaking 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for censorship in schools and libraries in 2023, a 65% increase from 2022. Of those titles, 47% represented the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Even with these significant challenges, librarians remain committed to providing free and equal access to a diverse range of materials to serve the information needs of their communities and protect the right to read.
Stop by the Bixby this month to check out a banned book and learn more about how you can advocate for the freedom to read, like joining the ALA's Unite Against Book Bans movement.
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Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian
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We are looking forward to Saturday, September 21st, when we will welcome local author Angela Kunkel to the Bixby Library to share her new book, World More Beautiful: The Life and Art of Barbara Cooney.
All ages are welcome!
After reading from her book, Angela will share a craft inspired by the work of Barbara Cooney and answer questions.
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I’d like to share a few special thank yous to our Friday volunteers. Thank you, Carol and Katrina, for taking wonderful care of the Circulation Desk this summer while I created and hosted Artday Fridays. Also, thank you, Josie, for your super help with running the program. We had SO much fun. Look for more Artdays next summer! | |
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Get the SCOOP on Democracy with lu.lu Ice Cream! Swing by the Bixby Library on National Voter Registration Day, Tuesday, September 17th between 10AM and 7PM for a scoop of civic duty with a side of lu.lu ice cream. The first 100 visitors will receive a mini pint of lu.lu ice cream, featuring a never before scooped voter flavor!
Get election ready at the Bixby Library's Voter Drive:
🗳️ Learn About the November 5th Election
🗳️ Register to Vote
🗳️ Check Your Registration Status
🗳️ Eat Free lu.lu
Got questions about the upcoming general election? We’ve got answers that are cooler than ice cream. If you can't make it to the Voter Drive, check out the Secretary of State's Election Division for all your voting questions. Support democracy by getting election ready with the Bixby!
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I felt a bit guilty just a half-page into the introduction to this book, as if I had come across someone’s diary of their most personal reflections and emotions that unfold over a life-changing period. Chapters start with intriguing words like “Power,” “Change,” “Relationship,” “Humility,” and “Beauty,” presaging the author’s insights into himself and the forest he stewards. Locally, we are fortunate to be surrounded by the trees and environments Tapper describes. Now, with his book, we have the benefit of both his professional expertise and firsthand experience to see them with new eyes and new respect.
Hear Ethan Tapper in person at an author talk on Tuesday, October 1st at the Bixby Library!
Catharine Hays, Library Director
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Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace | |
Betsy-Tacy is the first in a series of book recommendations that are great to read aloud to children. When my children were younger, my husband and I took turns reading a chapter at bedtime. I usually chose the chapter books for both myself and my husband. I reserved the books from my childhood for myself because they were like old friends.
One of my favorites from my own childhood that both my kids loved is Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace. Betsy-Tacy is the first in a series of books about best friends Betsy and Tacy who live across the street from each other. It was published in 1892, but the games Betsy and Tacy play and the stories Betsy makes up are still super fun. We have the first four here in the Children’s collection, and all four are great read alouds.
Robin Berger, Children & Teen Librarian
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Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson | |
School is back in session at Ellingham Academy, Vermont’s most esteemed (fictional) private school for the world’s brightest young minds. Stevie Bell is newly admitted to the academy, and while her classmates are drafting bestsellers and engineering robots, Stevie’s academic focus is solving the decades long cold case on campus, where the only clue left behind was a mocking riddle signed “Truly, Devious.” As Stevie hunts for evidence, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the truth to be exposed.
Come for the chilling mystery, stay for the charming characters and sublime (perhaps hyperbolic) depictions of Vermont scenery and landmarks. You can find this book in our ongoing summer-ween teen display!
Kelly Bartlett, CVNHP Grant Historical Collections Associate
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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) 990-2523
Contact Us
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