Volunteer Recognition Gathering

Wednesday, May 15

4:30-6:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Calling all library volunteers past and present! You are invited to drop by for a potluck recognition gathering to celebrate all your hard work and countless hours of library volunteerism. Please bring along a favorite dish or dessert to share.

Henry Bill's 200th Birthday Party

Saturday, May 18

Bill Library

Henry Bill’s 200th birthday is May 18, 2024 and we want to celebrate! In 1893 he donated the funds for the original Bill Library. 

9:00-10:30 a.m.

We are happy to have April Brunelle, Ledyard Town Councilor and Balloon Artist, join us for the festivities. There will also be cake, face painting, and a craft.

This program is made possible with help from the Friends of Ledyard Public Library.

11:00 - 12:00 p.m.

The celebration continues with "The Victorian Lady" Kandie Carle! Mrs. Carle will delight audience members with historical facts about etiquette, home life, and fashion of Henry Bill's lifetime, and particularly the era in which he first opened the Library at the Ledyard Congregational Church in 1867.

This program is made possible with generous grant funding from the Joan D. Hauptfeld bequest.

Over the last year, there have been many changes beyond our control that have impacted our newspaper subscriptions. In light of this, we are examining our subscriptions and public interest in them. If you have a few minutes, please consider taking our survey. Your input is valuable to us as we find solutions.

Thank you to the following donors for their generous contributions

• Anonymous Amante de la Biblioteca
• Anonymous
• Alicia Beebie
• John & Claire Bolduc
• Ellin Grenger on behalf of the Library Commission
• David & Marie Engelman
• Curren Landsiedel
• Jean & Robert Scialabba
• Nancy Strawderman
• Tainter Family
• Gayle Wilson

You are supporting library excellence for the residents of Ledyard and Gales Ferry and are helping us carry out our mission. We are very grateful!

Welcoming Library

Through May 23

Bill Library and Gales Ferry Library



We are housing the Welcoming Library in our Children's Departments at Bill and Gales Ferry Library! It is a positive pop-up conversation about immigration, and the acclaimed collection of picture books features New Arrival and New American families reflecting these themes. Readers and listeners of ALL AGES will have a chance to "meet" these families on the page while exploring the commonalities shared by all cultures. Further exploration is available using the I'm Your Neighbor discussion questions, which makes this collection great for classroom use or reading one-on-one. Be sure to visit the library to view this wonderful collection of books.

Let's Draw Cartoons! with Rick Stromoski R

Saturday, May 18

2:00 p.m.

Bill Library

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is important to be aware that “mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness; it includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being.” For further information and self-care tips, click here.

Or stop by for reading recommendations such as Gizmo's Pawesome Guide to Mental Health.

Erica

Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli

Jackie

Christy by Catherine Marshall

Jadzia

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Laura

The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes

Stacey

Dog vs. Strawberry by Nelly Buchet

Click on the above selections to place a hold online,

or call us and we can place the hold for you.

May is Get Caught Reading month!

Your book donations are needed for the Annual Bill Book Sale! We still need books in resalable condition. We also accept puzzles and games, CDs and DVDs. Books on CD and Large Print books are needed as well.

Our next meeting is July 11, 7:15 p.m. at Gales Ferry Library. All are welcome.

The library is hosting a volunteer appreciation potluck for all library volunteers on May 15, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Bill Library. Please consider yourself invited if you have helped in any way, for any amount of time. Feel free to bring a snack or drink to share. This is a drop in event. I look forward to seeing you there.

We will be having a Half Price sale at both ongoing book sale locations. Please stop in June 1 through 15 to find a great deal.

Remember to visit the ongoing book sales at both library buildings - in the meeting room at Bill Library, and the Book Cellar at Gales Ferry Library, each of which are open during normal library hours. All sales go towards support of the library.

Sarah Desormier, President

860 464-9538

FOLLPresident@gmail.com

The archive is open Mondays from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or by appointment (closed on holidays). You can also visit us at ledyardhistory.org.

Bell Room volunteers, Christian Allyn and Claire Murphy, have begun work on the Obituaries Index and Extract project. We will soon be posting a link on our new website to a database containing many information points from our often-used obituary card file, making the data accessible 24/7. You will be able to download the entire spreadsheet if desired, or just use it online, searching and sorting the columns to locate names, places, dates of birth & death, and even names of relatives. If you are comfortable with Excel or Google Sheets and would like to help, please contact us at the email address below.

We have had so many wonderful researchers visit in the last few months! They have been researching the Ledyard Up and Down Sawmill, the Separatist Church, and several homes and local families. We are happy to help you with your local history and genealogy questions.

Donations or loans for digitizing are welcome. Appointments to visit the archive or to make a donation may be obtained by emailing Andrea Buka at research@ledyardhistory.org