Vol. 2 No. 18 | July 25, 2020
A Message from Library Director Linda Pilla
Folks who read this newsletter are eventually going to know quite a lot about my life outside the library. If this is a prospect that terrifies you, don’t read any further!

I love to garden - though I didn’t always. My mum made me weed the flowerbeds, a job that should never be done by children! I didn’t see the beauty of the flowers – I saw the dirt and the work and a lost opportunity to be doing something - anything - else. 

Another of my jobs was edging the lawn using long-handled angled shears. (I tried to find an image of these torture devices but they don’t make them anymore. I suppose it's because too many innocent children lost toes to them.) After I had made my way around the perimeter of the grass, I had to go back and pick up the clippings.

I had such a difficult childhood. I can hear you all laughing. But really, the smell of a freshly mowed "garden" ("yards" in the States) takes me right back to an emerald swath of lawn surrounded by brightly colored bedding plants. Little jewels set among the rich, dark earth.

And now? Now I love to garden. This year one of my big projects was planting a large perennial bed in the side yard at my house. I started the Friday before Memorial Day and planted about 115 plants that holiday weekend and loved every hot, sweaty minute. What has totally amazed me is how quickly the whole area has filled in (see images at right). The plants are thriving and blooming like crazy. There are birds bathing in the little fountain and bees, bees, bees busily buzzing around every flower. The whole area looks like it has been there for years. I love it. 

In many ways librarians are like gardeners. We are always looking for ways to add some fresh color or a new shape or… you get the picture. Right now we’re working on ways for all of us to get together. There are Zoom meetings and conference calls and online chat services.

The New Hampshire State Library has made some books available for book groups to use, which is a wonderful thing, but… in order to read the title you have to install the Libby app on your tablet or phone.
Fortunately, IT Librarian Victoria Sandin has some videos and instructions to teach you how to do just that - just click on the button in the Libby article below. 

So we’re moving on in our new normal. We will find ways to socialize – we are unstoppable! See you soon either in the library or on a Zoom meeting.

Linda
Current Library Hours
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:  9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday, Thursday:   1:30 - 8:30pm
Saturday:   9:30am - 1pm
Sunday :  CLOSED

Per town requirements and for your safety, all visitors to the library  must wear a mask   and observe social distancing of at least 6 feet.
There's Still Time to Complete the Census!
Completing the 2020 Census is safe, easy, and important! Click on the button below to get started.
Borrow E-Books and E-Audiobooks - with Libby!
Libby: The Rodgers Library Reading App, from Overdrive.

Borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines to read on your phone or tablet using the Libby app by OverDrive. You can even send and read your borrowed ebooks to your Kindle e-reader! It’s free and easy to get started for new users and a streamlined experience for current OverDrive app users. Learn more .

To use Libby, you will need the following:

  • An active Rodgers library card number
  • Your library card PIN (Don't have your PIN? Click here for a PIN request form.)

You may check out a combined total of 3 e-audiobook and/or ebooks for either 7 or 14 days, and you may place up to five (5) items on hold.

To learn more about Libby, just click on the button at right!

If you need more hands-on help, give us a call at the library at (603) 886-6030 during our current operating hours (see above).
Upcoming Events
Wit and Wisdom: Humor in Nineteenth Century New England
Monday, July 27 @ 7pm
Whatever did New Englanders do on long winter evenings before cable, satellite and the internet? In the decades before and after the Civil War, our rural ancestors used to create neighborhood events and "newspapers" to improve their minds.
Jo Radner shares excerpts from her forthcoming book about hundreds of these events and provides examples from villages in your region.

This event is made possible by a grant from NH Humanities.

This is an online event. Registration is required to receive a link to the program. Click on the button to register.
Get Moving With Your Library
Zumba Gold!
Thursday, July 30 @ 11:30am
Join Jess Salman for Zumba Gold, a healthy and gentle introduction to Zumba for older adults and those new to fitness programs.

This is an online event.  Registration is required to receive a link to the program. Click on the button to register.
Coming in September! Online Book Club
Jane Austen Book Club
Wednesday, September 9
Time: TBD
Response needed by Friday, August 7
The group will launch on September 9 (time To Be Determined, see below) with Austen's masterpiece Pride and Prejudice , a book the author described as "light, and bright, and sparkling." We will discuss the book within the context of Austen's life, her England, and may even watch a snippet or two of one of the several movies made of P&P.
 
The Club will meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month . If you would like to join, please write to us by Friday, August 7 by clicking on the button below right. In your email, please include:
  1. Your preference for meeting time(s): 1pm, 3pm or 7pm. and
  2. Your name and phone number.

 F or the time being, this is an online event, and we'll be reading mainly ebooks:

  • We'll be meeting using Zoom, and will provide help and tips on how to use the Zoom platform.

  • Ebook versions of Pride and Prejudice are always available on Overdrive and on the Libby app (see above for information on Libby) here, here, and here, and also as an e-audiobook here and here (RML library card and PIN required*).The ebook is also available for free at Project Guttenberg here (no library card required). We also have limited hard copies available.
Over the course of the book club, we will read the author's remaining five books, and also books by Austen's contemporaries, (the Brönte sisters, Mary Shelley, etc.) along with some fun and modern adaptions of Austen's characters and stories.
For Children and Families
Outdoor storytime
Tallula's Tree Tales!
Storytime is Back !

But things are different now, so....introducing:

Tallula's Tree Tales  : Mini outdoor storytimes with no more than 3 families.

But who is Tallula? She's the spirit of the birch tree where we'll meet to read! (See birch tree in image above.)
BYOB (blanket :) and meet Miss Betsey outside (weather permitting)! If you are unsure about the weather, just give us a call!

Registration is required.
Click on the button to register.
New Museum Pass!
Bedrock Gardens
Lee, NH

Bedrock Gardens is an emerging public garden that integrates unusual botanical specimens and unique sculpture into an inspiring landscape journey. This 37-acre site is transitioning from a historic farm and private garden to a public oasis of art, horticulture and inspiration.

Click on the button to obtain a pass!