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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
August 2023
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Summer internships are the ultimate win-win-win endeavor: we ensure the interns learn, grow, and enjoy their time, the staff team accomplishes more, and the Bixby stretches its funds while incorporating fresh perspectives from the next generation.
The Bixby has enjoyed a bumper crop of interns this summer. Reese, our VUHS volunteer, joins us for four hours a day, four days a week for four weeks, to create four fabulous scavenger hunts in and around our glorious building. Keep an eye out for posts on Instagram and Facebook as we roll them out weekly in August. Hope you discover something new and interesting on your next visit.
Our intern, Liefe, a rising junior at Middlebury College, volunteered with us during her January term and then landed a competitive school-paid internship scholarship with us for the summer to explore becoming a librarian. You may have noticed her capably solo staffing the Circ Desk, carting stone tools up to the Half Round Room for a new exhibit, or creating engaging displays to grab your attention to read a new book. Otherwise, we keep her sequestered on the Mezzanine with the rest of the staff team, where she ably tackles any task we lateral to her. She’ll be a fantastic librarian if that’s the path she chooses to follow. At least she’ll know what she’s getting into!
Anna, too, began her time at the Bixby as a volunteer with the history team. That is until we learned she’s working toward her MLIS at Simmons University, majoring in (drumroll) Archiving! She’s now lending her expertise as our contract archivist working with our Historical Collections volunteer team, thanks to a grant from CVNHP and NEIWPCC to make our amazing trove more organized and accessible. Those history posts on Insta and FB you’ve been loving? Yup, that’s Anna.
Please join me in commending Reese, Liefe, and Anna on all they’ve contributed to the Bixby, and you, this summer.
Catharine
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What's New at the Library? |
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Support the Kellogg-Hubbard Library |
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Our sister library in Montpelier, the Kellogg-Hubbard, suffered more than half a million dollars in losses from the July 11th flood and has a long road to recovery. They need your help to rebuild, reopen, and continue their mission of empowering community members to become lifelong learners. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, all gifts received by August 15 will be matched, up to $30,000! Donate to the Kellogg-Hubbard, and your gift, matched dollar for dollar, will enable this beloved institution to fully serve Montpelier and the surrounding communities once more. |
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Discover the Bixby's Stone Tools Collection |
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Back in the ‘70s, the Bixby Library was a hotbed of ground-breaking archeological undertakings. Folks now known as luminaries in the field met here to form a highly-active Vergennes Chapter of the Vermont Archeological Society. They stored and exhibited renowned collections of stone tools created by people thousands of years ago.
You can view an initial selection of these collections, along with 200-year-old objects unearthed on a dig at the homestead of Vergennes’ first European settlers, the McIntosh family, in the Half Round Room on the second floor. Please let us know if you are interested in this topic as we explore how best to bring our collections to life for the community and beyond. The Vermont Archaeological Society Papers, which document the early operations of the Society during the 1970s, are open for research in the Bixby’s archives. Please call or email us to make a research appointment.
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Visit the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network Exhibit |
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The Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Region is an extraordinary place that spans the towering peaks of the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains, the shores of Lake
Champlain, and all the working landscapes in between. Designated by the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme in 1989, our biosphere region is internationally recognized for its rugged mountains, vast forests, abundant fresh water, rich culture, and working landscapes. We are delighted to present a weeklong exhibit that explains the purpose and promise of the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere Network, starting on Tuesday, August 8, in the library's lobby. This is in anticipation of our own year-long exploration of "CABN," thanks to a prestigious 2024 CVNHP Grant. |
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Join in on the Fun at the Bixby on Vergennes Day |
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Join us at the Bixby on Saturday, August 26, while we celebrate Vergennes Day with a full day of activities! The Friends of the Bixby will host their pay-by-donation used book sale. Vergennes Rescue Squad will be here to teach basic first aid and give ambulance tours. We'll host our 2nd Annual Sidewalk Chart Art contest in front of the library for a chance to win fun prizes. Finally, join the Children's Librarian at the City Green to find out who won the Booked for Bikes summer reading program grand prizes! |
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Explore the Lake Champlain Waterway Map |
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Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's Giant Lake Champlain Map is coming to the Bixby! This interactive map inspires students of all ages about our community's connection to Lake Champlain and how we can take care of it. Stop by the Bixby on Saturday morning, September 9, to walk all over the map in Bixby Hall. This event is supported by the Bixby's 2023 Interconnected Waterways Grant from CVNHP. |
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Peruse the VUHS Yearbook Collection |
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Help us complete our Vergennes Union High School Yearbook collection! Do you have a copy of the 1972, 2000, 2022, or 2023 Yearbooks at home? Donate it to the library! Liefe Temple, our summer intern, has been sorting through our Yearbook collection housed in the Half-Round Room: labeling, creating an updated inventory, and scanning so you can access all issues online in addition to coming to the library to flip through them in person. Thank you to Cookie Steponitis and other community members from the Alumni Association for lending us copies for digitization. |
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Looking for a title that's not in our catalog? Try interlibrary loan! Bixby patrons now have direct access to Clover, Vermont's statewide interlibrary loan system. By logging into Clover with your Bixby library card here, you can search for available titles around the state and submit requests online. Loans typically take a week or two to arrive at the library; we'll let you know when your items are ready for pickup. Check out our website to learn more. |
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Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian |
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The final weeks of Booked for Bikes (and summer vacation) are upon us. Have you filled out slips for all that summer reading you have been doing? I've been watching the bike tracker necklaces fill with beads as the summer marches on. Remember, if your necklace is full, you can trade in beads for glow-in-the-dark beads! We always have blank slips available at the library and many new titles in our Children's Collections to enjoy.
For the kids who want to work on their Good Citizen Challenge this summer, we have you covered! Cross off two squares by visiting the library on Tuesday, August 8, at 5 pm to watch and discuss the documentary, The Social Dilemma.
On Saturday, August 12, at 12:30 pm, have some popcorn and enjoy our final family movie matinee of the summer in Bixby Hall. And our recurring monthly programs: Writer's Club, Lego Club, and Fantasy Club, are all on the calendar this month. Haven't attended one yet? Why not try something new? The following Tuesday, the 15th, is a day filled with delicious food as we welcome back the Vermont Garden Network's "Veducation Van" for one final delicious demo on food and dirt and then join us over at the Rokeby in Ferrisburgh for food-themed storytime! |
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The Bixby's family movie matinees continue with Strange World on Saturday, August 12, at 12:30 pm. This movie is Rated PG and is described on Amazon as "Walt Disney Animation Studios' original action-packed comedy adventure, Strange World, introduces us to three generations of the legendary Clade family as they attempt to band together and navigate an uncharted, treacherous land beneath their world." Join us upstairs in the air-conditioned Bixby Hall for popcorn and this fun movie. Bring blankets, pillows, and friends to make it extra fun.
On Friday, August 18, at 8:30 pm or sundown, bring the whole family and your friends to enjoy an action-packed PG-13 movie, Shazam! in the library's backyard. You bring the chairs, we've got the popcorn. Who doesn't like a movie where a kid can turn into an adult superhero just by shouting out Shazam! (courtesy of an ancient wizard, of course). Capes and cosplay are encouraged!
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This newly translated title by one of Hungary's best-known writers (and one of my favorites), The Fawn, explores the psyche of an actress who overcame her humble beginnings yet still dwells on her past trauma, hatred, and regrets. If you love a good character study, check this out or one of her other novels in our collection.
Amber Lay
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Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick (Author), Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)
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This picture book is the true story of the bear and the boy who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. In the early 1900s, a veterinarian soldier rescued a bear cub and took her to war. This story follows how she became the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh. It's a great story with beautiful illustrations by Caldecott-winning illustrator, Sophie Blackall. You won't regret checking it out of the library, In fact, you might decide you need a copy for your home library collection.
Mary Neffinger
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Plant, Cook, Eat: A Children's Cookbook by Joe Archer and Caroline Craig
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As more and more vegetables ripen in our gardens, I'm looking for new, easy, and tasty recipes to try. This book is full of them. Some recipes that caught my eye: potato pancakes, eggplant rounds with tomato topping, and zucchini fries.
Martha Sanborn
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While tyrant Heat, dispreading through the sky,
With rapid sway, his burning influence darts
On man, and beast, and herb, and tepid stream.
-James Thomson, "Summer."
Sounds familiar! If you're feeling the effects of "tyrant Heat" while you're out and about in Vergennes, stop by the Bixby: we have water, free Wi-Fi, and cooling rooms open to the community.
This pocket-sized copy of Scottish poet James Thomson's The Seasons came to the Bixby as part of the personal collection of Philip C. Tucker. The inside cover shows two copies of Tucker's signature, which is repeated in ink and pencil throughout the book, along with Tucker's annotations. Interestingly, this edition of The Seasons was printed in Middlebury in 1815, the same year that 15-year-old Tucker relocated to Vergennes from Massachusetts. Tucker would go on to become a prominent Vergennes businessman, lawyer, and public official, as well as the patron of artist Margaret Foley. The Bixby archives also hold a significant number of Tucker's personal papers, including correspondence, journals, and accounts for the Monkton Iron Company, where Tucker acted as managing agent for a number of years. Our talented history team is currently processing these papers, along with those of Tucker's extended family, in order to make them more accessible for public research.
To see Tucker's copy of The Seasons and more historical treasures in person, please call the library at (802) 877-2211 or e-mail us to make a research appointment with a History Team member. |
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Friends of the Bixby
Used Book Sale
Saturday, August 5, 9 am-1 pm
The Friends of the Bixby will be hosting their used book sale in the library’s basement Otter Creek Room (accessible by the library's back parking lot). All books are priced accordingly. We offer gently used fiction, non-fiction, children’s, YA, gardening, sci-fi/fantasy, Vermont books, and more!
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41st Annual Vergennes Day
Saturday, August 26, 10am-3 pm
Vergennes Day offers something for all ages—pancake breakfast at the Fire Department, Little City Road Race, 55+ crafters/vendors, live music on the bandstand, children’s activities, horse and wagon rides, Lions Club’s famous chicken BBQ, events at the Bixby Library—all taking place around the Little City.
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Flood Response and Recovery
With the historic flooding throughout Vermont in summer 2023, community resources for flood recovery from the State of Vermont are available on the Bixby's Community Resources webpage.
Please report any damage to your property, however minor, so it can be added to the FEMA tally for Addison County. Report damage to Vermont211.org, using the online form.
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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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