Although it remains vitally important to stay physically distant from each other and home as much as possible, as social creatures we also very much need to stay connected. At the library, we are committed to our mission of serving the community as a hub by providing resources and programming in new ways until things are more certain again.

Coming up next Tuesday April 7th, we begin our virtual programming with an “Any Book” Book club. Join us via a Zoom meeting starting at 4:30pm to share what you have been reading lately and hear about others’ top picks. We are also moving our last Open Mic Night of the season online starting at 6:30pm on Friday, April 17th. This is your last chance to share your hidden talents or cheer on your friends and neighbors until fall when we can hopefully meet in person again. Other programs are in development, and we welcome your suggestions for fun things to do virtually together. Visit our website for more details and the meeting links.

Other online options on our website include audio and ebooks through Listen Up Vermont, a variety of TumbleBooks links for kids and adults, and the Vermont Online Library and Learning Express databases filled with information and classes. We can sign Moretown residents up for a library card over the phone or email for access to some of these services. And, we continue to pass along links to the many wonderful things happening online through our Facebook page. Finally, our free wi-fi is also always on, so if your internet at home isn’t up to the task come to the Town Hall parking lot to connect using the MoretownLibrary network.

For those who are unable to move everything online, we are continuing to offer no contact curbside pickup of books, puzzles, audiobooks and DVD’s. Call or email the library to request your items and arrange a pickup time from the Town Hall front porch on Tuesdays from 2-6pm or Saturdays from 10am-1pm.  To minimize your trips away from home please consider a time when you are already out for other essential supplies. Our due dates are extended to May 2nd, however should you choose to return your book you can use the bookdrop at the original library building as the first step in our seven day book quarantining process.

Two new books to our collection that can help you take a break from the screen and current pandemic situation are Chris Bohjalian’s “The Red Lotus” and “Finding Shelter: Portraits of Love, Healing and Shelter” by Jesse Freidin. A global thriller with compelling characters, Bohjalian’s tale follows an ER doctor and her boyfriend on a trip to Vietnam gone wrong that reveals dark secrets. “Finding Shelter” is filled with heartwarming images of volunteers and their rescue dogs from award winning photographer Freidin as he sheds light on the healing and joy that can be found in the animal shelter world. We hope to “see” you soon online!

Although as a species we often have a difficult time with it, change is inevitable. The recent closure of our state and world is a hardship to many, and reopening brings a new variety of uncertainty as we can’t go ‘back to normal’. While things certainly won’t look the same moving forward, one thing that remains is our underlying sense of community and care for each other.

As we continue to develop appropriate guidelines for reopening our doors to the community in a safe and responsible way, we are adding another day to our curbside pickup hours. In addition to Tuesdays and Saturdays, you will now also be able to come grab your books, puzzles, DVD’s and audiobooks on Thursdays from 2-6pm. Visit our website for our catalog and new books list, and then email or call us at 496-9728 to make your requests. When arriving and retrieving your books from the front porch of the Town Hall, make sure you maintain adequate distance with others outside of your household, and please stay home if you feel ill in any way. Returns should be dropped off in the book drop at the original library building as the first step in our book quarantining process. As the weather improves, our 24/7 wi-fi accessible from your car in the parking lot becomes more attractive as well.

Our virtual trivia nights remain a fun way to connect over the topics we love. This Friday at 6:30pm we are diving into the world of the Stranger Things TV series, complete with an 80’s hair challenge. Register online at any of the MRV Libraries’ websites before 9am on Friday to receive the login information to compete on your own or as a team. We then move onto Hunger Games on May 29th in honor of Suzanne Collins’ recent prequel release “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”. And, start preparing now for a Local Trivia Night in partnership with the Friends of the Mad River on Friday, June 5th.

The MRV Libraries are also dreaming up fairytales, myths, and legends as we “Imagine Our Story” for this year’s Summer Learning Program. While we don’t know exactly what form it will take quite yet, we are hosting a fun community art project for all ages to get started. Submit a drawing of your favorite character, scenery or prop to become a part of our own community fairytale as we reimagine the classic T-shirt design “contest” into a T-shirt design “creation”. Any of these things can be from an existing fairy tale, myth or legend or they can be from your imagination as well. To ensure the best quality, please submit a high resolution photo or email of a line drawing to kidsjml@madriver.com. Submissions are due by Saturday, June 20th. Contact any of the libraries if you would like more information.

Newest to our collection are several titles from the 2020-2021 middle grade book award including “The Last Human” by Lee Bacon, “The World Ends in April” by Stacy McNulty, “A Good Kind of Trouble” by Lisa Moore Ramee and “Scary Stories for Young Foxes” by Christian Heidicker. Formerly known as “Dorothy Canfield Fisher”, this year Vermont students in grades 4-8 have the opportunity to help create a new, more relevant name for this popular statewide award. The deadline for name submissions is May 26, 2020, after which the renaming committee will review and grade them. Then students in grades 4-9 will vote for their favorite name from the final list in the fall of 2020.

 

 

 

A sign in the library designed by artist Hafuboti reminds us that “Libraries are for Everyone”. What does that mean exactly? As a place with free access for all, libraries help facilitate a range of “E’s” including education, employment opportunities, empowerment, and engagement.

A new and free online resource available at all Vermont libraries provides both education and employment opportunities. Supported by the Vermont Department of LIbraries, EBSCO’s LearningExpress Library includes skill-building opportunities in literacy and math, college admissions exam prep, occupational licensing tests and other career explorations. The subscription also covers their Job and Career center with access to internship and scholarship searches and resume writing help, as well as a computer skills center with self-paced tutorials on everything from basic operations to using popular software and the internet.

We also have a few engaging programs coming up to bring neighbors and friends together. Join the library and NOFA-VT at the Town Hall on Sunday, October 27th for a Harvest Halloween dinner and celebration. From 2-4pm we are hosting pumpkin carving or painting and monster gourd making complete with roasting pumpkin seeds and hot cider. After that, we will prepare and enjoy a simple meal together to celebrate the season with a chance to visit with local food producers. Visit the library’s website or contact us directly to sign up to bring an ingredient. In November, we welcome local artist Kelly O’Hearn for a workshop on designing and printing your own holiday greetings. Over 2 classes, Kelly will take you through all the steps to design and print your own single color block print cards. Tools, equipment and card stock/envelopes for 25 cards provided. The program is free, however you must register to attend by contacting the library as space is limited.

Finally, in our collection are innumerable stories both fiction and non-fiction that give us education, engagement and sometimes even empowerment with a gift of new knowledge. Popular social scientist Malcolm Gladwell lends his unique view to the problem of understanding those we don’t know in “Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know”. Examining recent stories in the news around people like Amanda Knox, Sandra Bland and Jerry Sandusky, Gladwell shows just how inadequate our current strategies are for making sense of those we don’t know. And Ta-Nehisi Coates enters the fiction genre with his new novel “The Water Dancer”, focusing on the journey of the enslaved Hiram Walker and his efforts to make a life with those he loves. Hope to see you at the library soon!

With the recent passing of the fall equinox, the days are now officially shorter than our nights and it reminds us that colder weather is on its way. In an effort to provide safe parking and indoor plumbing during the snowy months, the library will be temporarily moving north for the winter. Along with relocating our new books and part of our children’s collection, we will continue to offer a variety of programming at the Town Hall from larger events like the monthly Open Mic Nights to a card making class in November. Older books will still be available by request from the collection that will remain in our current space. In the meantime, the Select Board will also be forming a broader committee to help develop a plan with the community’s input for making a vibrant community hub at the Town Hall that will ultimately be put to a vote. Everyone who is interested is encouraged to get involved in this exciting opportunity to create a great resource and asset for our town.

We are also happy to welcome Moretown resident Deborah Feldman as our new library assistant. An avid reader with many years of experience at the Joslin library, she is sure to have a good book suggestion for everyone. Stop in to the library on Thursdays or Saturdays to say hello. 

Our Tabletop Role Playing Game series kicks off this Saturday, October 28th at 4pm. Using the Tiny D6 system, gamer Jordan Streeter  will cover the basics of character creation, game play, and game mastering in the first and third sessions. The second and fourth sessions will be a chance to play the game. Contact the library to register for one or all four. October’s Open Mic Night is Friday the 11th starting at 7pm, this month we invite  all hunters who like to spin a yarn to come share your stories. Whether it is wild, wacky or mundane we want to hear your favorite hunting tale. Forest Bathing in the Fall on Sunday, October 13th at 3pm is a chance to take a guided gentle walk and spend some healing time in nature. Finally, our Simple Supper with NOFA-VT has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 27th at 4pm. Visit our website or stop in to sign up and bring an ingredient to cook and enjoy a simple meal together.

Some new and interesting reads to cozy up with as the first frost approaches includes “The Testaments” by Margaret Atwood and “Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver” by Jill Heinerth. Atwood’s sequel to her now classic “The Handmaid’s Tale” puts us back in the dystopian future of Gilead, fifteen years after Offred’s story. There are signs that the regime is beginning to crumble from within as we follow the lives of three very different women. In the real world, Jill Heinerth shares the wonders of cave diving in a blend of memoir, adventure and science. As one of the few women in the top of her field, and the first person in history to make a deep dive into an Antarctic iceberg, her story highlights the extremes of our planet and human capability. We hope to see you at the library soon!

As summer winds down and a new season fast approaches, we look forward to a great range of upcoming programs and events hosted by the library. Our Open Mic Nights return on second Fridays 7-9pm beginning September 11th at the Moretown Town Hall, this is your chance to share your hidden talents or cheer on your friends and neighbors as part of the audience. In partnership with Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) we are hosting a Simple Supper at the Town Hall on Sunday, September 22nd at 4pm. We will prepare and then enjoy a simple, seasonal meal together with local ingredients. Visit our website for more details and the link for ingredient sign-up. At the end of September, we welcome Jordan Streeter for a four week series of tabletop Role Playing Games (RPG). Beginning with the Tiny D6 system, Jordan will introduce players to the basics of game play as well as character development and certain rule aspects.

The MRV Libraries are also excited to participate in Lawson’s Finest Liquids “no tip” charitable program until August 31st. Any donations received from guests at Lawson’s taproom will go to our Friend’s of the Library organizations, and will help support a wide range of services provided by the libraries like summer learning, improved technology and access for all, building up a ‘library of things’ collection and guest speakers and events.

A good mystery/thriller can be a great way to finish out your summer reading. A recent addition to our collection,  “The Other Mrs. Miller” by Allison Dickson is a domestic thriller with an unpredictable plot and unreliable narrator. The story is sure to appeal to fans of “Gone Girl”  or “Girl on the Train”. And, arriving on August 27th is the highly anticipated newest novel in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. “A Better Man” follows the inspector returning as head of the homicide department as flood waters rise across the province and a father pleads for help finding his daughter. See you at the library soon!

The first haying is long past and the river is the place to be as we find ourselves in the heart of summer. Things at the library have been busy as well with summer learning, new books and some strategic planning in the works.

The library trustees will be meeting for a half day retreat on Saturday, July 20th to spend some time on the ‘the big picture’. Utilizing both the data we gathered during our recent community engagement as well as previous strategic plans, the goal is to think about how the library can grow and evolve to continue meeting our community’s needs while also preserving what currently benefits the town. While only a beginning, this concentrated time will help create some guidance for the trustees as they work to ensure a sustainable future for the library as a community space.

There are also still a few weeks of great events left in our “Universe of Stories” summer learning program. On Saturday, July 20th at 7:30pm we will “Party to the Moon and Back” at the Moretown Rec. Fields to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Eat moon cake, make galaxy slime and watch actual footage of the moon landing. We will also have telescopes and other equipment on hand for some stargazing once the sun goes down. Tuesday, July 23rd at 10:30am we explore “The Myths in our Stars” at the Moretown Town Hall with a hands-on workshop to learn some of the constellations, planets and stories they tell. And Thursday, July 25th at 1pm at the library we discover what it would take to survive on Mars with a breakout game complete with codes to crack and puzzles to solve. A big thank you goes to our two summer interns, Sophia Sharp and Elizabeth Polubinski, who have helped make so many of the programs happen. Be sure to visit our website to check out the summer learning brochure for details on the rest of the summer.

Some great titles for summer reading (and cooking) include “Superiority Burger Cookbook” by Brooks Headley and “Mrs. Everything” by Jennifer Weiner. Following two sisters born in 1950’s detroit, Weiner deftly explores how aspirations for the future can be derailed and changed through love and loss on a personal level against the backdrop of a tumultuous and changing time for women in American culture. While not as new to our collection, with all of the great local and fresh produce summer is a great time to explore vegetarian cooking with the “Superiority Burger Cookbook”. You will not find any meat burgers but instead a plethora of sandwiches, cool salads and warm vegetables like the “sloppy dave”, “hippy wrap” and ‘ice-cold herbed melon and cucumber salad”. Yum. Hope to see you at the library soon!

Although the temperatures have been deceiving, the trees and flowers are showing us that summer is nearly here.  With its arrival comes many opportunities from the library to stay engaged reading, learning and being part of the community.

One of the MRV Libraries’ main attractions is the summer reading program. With a theme of “A Universe of Stories” we have put together an exciting lineup of programs for all ages to explore Outer Space and all it contains. We blast off to summer learning on Saturday, June 29th at 10:30am at the Moretown Town Hall and welcome back the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum for “Alien Earth”. With the help of live animals, hands on artifacts and fossils this engaging presentation will take a look at the changing history of life on this planet like the time when oxygen almost killed everything and the age of cockroaches. Dinoman joins us at the Warren Library on Saturday, July 6th at 10:30am for an interplanetary outer space expedition with dinosaurs, meteors, comets, liquid nitrogen and a goldfish. And The Caterpillar Lab from Keene, NH will share part of the universe of insects when they bring a variety of New England species to American Flatbread on Saturday, July 13th from 3:30-6:30pm. Along with these Department of Libraries grant funded events, other programs include a Star Wars Trivia night, the Myth in our Stars, ponding at Blueberry Lake, a solar system walk on the Mad River Path and landing everything with a make-believe rocketship building event. Details on all of our programs as well as summer reading logs are available at the libraries and on our websites soon.

As we anxiously await the bounty of summer, we have one more spring program to offer to the community. CBD 101 with clinical herbalist Stephanie Boucher is an afternoon exploration of the hows and whys of CBD, which will include learning about how the remedies are created, how to source (or make) quality CBD products, how they work in the body, and for what ailments and conditions it can be useful. If you have been wondering about the differences between THC and CBD, or marijuana and hemp and whether it might be a good option for you or your loved ones join us at the Moretown Town Hall on Sunday, June 9th at 1:30pm.

And of course, once the busyness of Spring winds down the warmer months can be a great time to read down by the river or at the beach. New to our collection, and appropriate to read next to the ocean, is “Eat LIke a Fish: My Adventures as a Fisherman Turned Restorative Ocean Farmer” by Bren Smith.  As the title suggests, this former commercial fisher shares his journey into the world of sea-based agriculture and his pioneering efforts developing vertical kelp/shellfish farming. Part memoir and part how-to, the book also includes recipes from acclaimed chefs and shows that getting more ocean vegetables onto our plates is good for both people and the planet. For something more sentimental and humorous, Dave Barry’s newest “Lessons from Lucy” shares life lessons on joy from his best old dog. We hope to see you at the library soon!

Joining a handful of memorable librarians featured on the silver screen like Marian from the Music Man and Andy Dufresne of the Shawshank Redemption, “The Public” released this month brings us Stuart Goodson played by Emilio Estevez. Inspired by a 2007 essay in the Los Angeles Times, the movie focuses on a public library and its patrons who are homeless as they face an arctic freeze one winter night. Estevez wrote, directed and stars in the film which shares the increasing role of libraries as places of access and equity when dealing with many of today’s social issues. The film will be playing at the Savoy Theater next week only, with a special opening night on Friday featuring Q&A with a panel of local librarians.

Although too small to house anyone overnight, we do work to provide free access to books, resources and information through our programs. On Sunday, April 27th from 3-6pm we open up the Town Hall to anyone interested in playing the legendary fantasy role playing game Dungeons & Dragons. May brings a free Sewing Extravaganza day to work on your projects together on the 11th from 9am-4pm, registration is required by contacting the library. Spend some time on your mental health and well-being by joining in Forest Spa Time on Sunday, May 12th from 3-5pm at the Moretown Town Forest. We finish out the month with Birding by Ear with the Mad Birders; there is an indoor session on Saturday May 25th at 1:30pm at Town Hall, and then practice outside on Sunday, May 26th at 7am at Pony Farm in Moretown.

There are also many resources available at the library to help anyone get started on a path to needed services. Organizations like Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, Circle, the Governor’s Institute, AARP, Capstone Community Action and Departments of Health and Children and Family all send information to be posted and distributed. Guided access to Vermont 211’s website resource guide with categories from crisis/helplines and consumer resources to health care, food and housing is also available. And, as the newest official posting site for town committees, residents can see agendas and minutes for the various open meetings happening in the community.

Finally, there is the original and fundamental service of providing free books either physically or electronically thereby increasing access to information for all. Some recent additions to our collection include “Lights All Night Long” by Lydia Fitzpatrick and “American Moonshot: John F Kennedy and the Great Space Race” by Douglas Brinkley. Fitzpatrick shares the story of 15 year old Ilya as he embarks upon a year in America as an exchange student. Complications arise for his brother Vladimir back in Russia when he finds himself in prison, and with the help of his host family’s daughter Ilya works to find the truth. With the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this summer, the non-fiction tale of the space race by Brinkley is an appropriate way to commemorate this part of our shared history. Hope to see you at the library soon!

We are excited to announce that we are one of the recipients of this grant! See our main page for more details about the internship and how to apply.

CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) has chosen 25 libraries to receive its 2019 Summer Teen Intern Grant.

The grant will allow libraries to hire teen interns to assist in the implementation of their summer learning programs, while also helping teens gain real world work experience, and develop professional skills. The grant is possible through the generous sponsorship from The Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The recipients are as follows:

• Andrews, Ann; B.F. Jones Memorial Library; Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
• Bengtson, Katherine; Bill Memorial Library; Groton, Connecticut
• Burson, Hayley; Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Library – Sugar Creek Branch
• Collins, Dawn; Madison County Library System; Canton, Mississippi
• Garcia, Brittany; Rancho Cucamonga (California) Public Library
• Grenkow, Diane; Jeudevine Memorial Library; Hardwick, Vermont
• Hannah, Jaimee; Florence-Lauderdale (Alabama) Public Library
• Manner, Suvi; Palm Springs (Florida) Public Library
• O’Connor, Shannon; Edith B. Ford Memorial Library; Ovid, New York
• Outwater, Bel; Auburn (Georgia) Public Library
• Owens, Elena; Wake County Public Libraries; Raleigh, North Carolina
• Panter, Laura; Sachem Public Library; Holbrook, New York
• Porche, Shannon; Lafourche Parish Public Library – South Lafourche Branch; Cut Off, LA
• Rand, Lisa; Boyertown (Pennsylvania) Community Library
• Scott, Kelly; Ypsilanti (Michigan) District Library
• Sealy, Nancy; Onslow County Public Library; Jacksonville, North Carolina
• Shade, Emily; Jefferson City (Tennessee) Public Library
• Sofge, Robin; Montclair Community Library; Dumfries, Virginia
• Stephenson, Cory; Moretown (Vermont) Memorial Library
• Strohm, Janine; Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library; Brookville, Pennsylvania
• Thompson Hearn, Katherine; Walkersvillle (Maryland) Branch Library
• Townsend, Sarah; Suffolk (Virginia) Public Library
• Williams, Natalie; Indian Prairie Library; Darien, Illinois
• Wright, Carol; Gadsden (Alabama) Public Library Foundation
• Wright, Rachel; Cecil County Public Library – Elkton (Maryland) Branch

To learn more about the grant please visit the Summer Teen Intern Grant page on the YALSA site. To find more resources on summer learning, please visit our Summer Reading/Learning wiki page.

For years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has provided Youth Literacy Grants to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations in hopes to provide assistance in implementing and expanding literacy programs for youth. For more information about Dollar General and its Youth Literacy Grants, visit www.dollargeneral.com.

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

Last Friday a vibrant scene unfolded at the Town Hall as young children and their families gathered to welcome GMVS 7th graders graciously donating toys and furniture they had constructed during their STEM unit. The children dove right into building on both the train and light tables, concocting yummy imaginary snacks in the play kitchen, making valentines while sitting at a table and chairs sized just for them and taking turns getting rides from the big kids in the model Tesla. Parents were able to chat and connect with each other when they weren’t joining in the play, and GMVS students had the chance to see their hard work pay off as little ones buzzed around them engaged and happy.

Events such as this help meet one of the biggest goals identified by the community during our recent surveys of having ways to connect and collaborate across different groups and ages and stages. Being at the Town Hall fulfilled another goal of people wanting access to a comfortable space to gather informally. The program also introduced new people to our village center touching on the third important goal identified of building resilience and a thriving community that is happy, healthy and economically satisfied. We look forward to many more weeks of Read & Play for children ages 0-5 and their caregivers happening Fridays at the Town Hall at 10:30am.

We are also grateful to the community members who attended the recent design nights and helped think through how the library could meet some of these community goals in the Town Hall space. Many great ideas were generated for being an information hub and creating cozy spaces while preserving event capabilities, and we look forward to sharing some of them during our presentation at pre-town and Town Meeting in just a few weeks. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out and share any other feedback or questions you might have about the library moving to the Town Hall.

As part of the MRV libraries, we are excited to host a new book discussion series from the Vermont Humanities Council. Entitled  “A Hard Look at America”, it features pulitzer-prize writing including: Summer For the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing  by Edward J. Larson,  All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, The Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer and Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink. The series kicks off at the Warren Library on Thursday, February 21st at 6:30 pm with a facilitated discussion of Larsen’s book. Stop in to check out a copy or grab a flyer for more information. Later on in March we welcome children’s author Daphne Kalmar for a talk on her book “A Stitch in Time”, and kick-off a series on Mindful Aging with Bobbi Rood.

In the spirit of mindful aging, we recently added Mary Phipher’s new book “ Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as we Age” to our collection. For younger audiences or those young at heart we have “The Beastie Boys Book” available. Written by surviving band members Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock), this tome is both an eclectic look at the seminal group from the inside as well as a tribute to bandmate Adam Yauch (MCA). We hope to see you at the library soon!