Books

Please note that the Brooks Library will be closed on July 4th. See you on the 5th. Happy Independence Day!

Know Your Library: Tours and Tips for Newcomers and Experienced Library Users 
Friday, July 05, 2013,
12:00pm – 12:30pm

Join Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh the first Friday of the month for a tour of first floor & mezzanine, a catalog search demo, and answers to your questions about how to find your way in the Library.  Meet at the reference desk; no reservations required. Tours and research consultations are also available on demand.  

For more information, contact the Reference Desk or call us at (802) 254-5290 x109.Location  Brooks Memorial Library Main Room – Reference DeskContact Jeanne Walsh jeanne@brooks.lib.vt.us (802) 254-5290 x109

Know your Library: Tours and Tips for Newcomers and Experienced Library Users
Friday, June 07, 2013, 12:00pm – 12:30pm

Join Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh the first Friday of the month for a tour of first floor & mezzanine, a catalog search demo, and answers to your questions about how to find your way in the Library.  

Meet at the reference desk; no reservations required.  
Tours and research consultations are also available on demand.  

Please Note! BROOKS LIBRARY CLOSED FOR DATA MIGRATION: SATURDAY JUNE 1

The Library will close on Saturday, June 1, for final data migration to our new ILS (integrated library system) using an open source software called Koha. We will be joining with four other public libraries in Vermont for phase 1 of the Catamount Library Network, the beginning of a state-wide resource sharing network. Beginning on Monday, June 3, you will see a new look to our online catalog. There will be changes in fines, limits, and circulation loan periods. More information will become available in May. Read The .

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On Exhibit at the Library: Barbara Johansen Newman    

2nd Floor Children’s Illustrator Book Cases May/June  2013    

Johansen Newman has illustrated many children’s books with her colorful, whimsical illustrations, including the first book she also authored, Tex and Sugar: A Big City Kitty Ditty, and her newest, Glamorous Glasses. Check out her website HERE. 

Among the Wounded: A Civil War Talk by Dave Twombly

Wednesday May 22, 2013
7:00 PM until 8:30 PM

Please join fellow Civil War enthusiasts and others who treasure family heirlooms for a talk by local area resident Dave Twombly about the discovery of his great-great grandfather’s civil war diary that was written between May-June 1864 as a volunteer minister in the Union Army.

The diary came to light in 1995 when David’s daughter was in sixth grade and needed information for a report on the Civil War. Twombly’s father, Gilmer, found this Civil War-era memoir entitled “Among the Wounded in 1864,” written by his great-grandfather Alexander S. Twombly in an old steamer trunk some years ago, and then sent her several illustrations from the memoir.

On Exhibit at the Library: Postcards: Why do we Read & Write? 
2nd Floor Display  Cases      
May/June  2013

Christina Gibbons, PhD, of Brattleboro, an independent scholar interested in the history of literacy, fills the glass display cases with her images of reading in postcards collection in the second-floor entryway during May. 

“I started collecting images of women reading twenty five years ago and now have several hundred. The original post cards were first exhibited in the library at UMass Amherst in 2001. After that I began lecturing and quickly realized my collection was not about painting but about the history of literacy, so I added men reading and writing as well.”

Vermont Women, Native Americans, and African Americans: Out of the Shadows of History,
Wednesday May 8, 2013, 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Vermont’s constitution, drafted in 1777, was one of the most enlightened documents of its time, but in contrast, the history of Vermont has largely been told through the stories of influential white men. Join local scholar Cyndy Bittinger at the Brooks Memorial Library on Wednesday, May 8, at 7 PM on a journey through the forgotten tales of the often overlooked roles that women, Native Americans, and African Americans played in Vermont’s history.

Her book, Vermont Women, Native Americans, and African Americans, takes a fresh look at our state’s history, uncovering hidden stories from the earliest inhabitants to present-day citizens. Ms. Bittinger explores where these marginalized groups are missing from historical narratives and explains their unique experiences and the ways that they contributed.

Know your Library: Tours and Tips for Newcomers and Experienced Library Users
Friday May 3, 2013
12:00 PM until 1:00 PM

Join  Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh the first Friday of the month for a tour of first floor & mezzanine, a catalog search demo, and answers to your questions about how to find your way in the Library. Meet at the reference desk; no reservations required.

Frost and Wordsworth: Romantic Poetry in the Light of Common Day
Wednesday May 1, 2013
7:00 PM until 9:00 PM 

The poetry of Robert Frost and William Wordsworth depends heavily on the natural world and the “language really used by men.” Vermont Poet Laureate Sydney Lea explores the poets’ similarities, differences, and influence on other poets.

The lecture is a First Wednesday program sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council. Supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Vermont Department of Libraries.

Poetry Readings with Wyn Cooper and Ken Hebson
Monday April 29, 2013
7:00 PM  –  9:00 PM  

Wyn Cooper is the author of four books of poems, most recently Chaos is the New Calm (BOA Editions, 2010), and Postcards from  the Interior (BOA Editions, 2005). His poems appear in more than 25 anthologies of contemporary poetry and more than 100 magazines.

He has written song lyrics for Sheryl Crow, Madison Smartt Bell, and David Broza, among others. He works as a freelance editor of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from his home in Vermont. More information is at www.wyncooper.com. 

In June, Brooks Memorial Library will be the first to join the Catamount Library Network, Vermont’s new statewide partnership for resource sharing. Catamount will expand our patrons’ access to resources.

We will be closed on Thursday, May 2nd, for staff training on the new system. 

Tony Cape will read from his memoir, Diamond Highway: A Tibetan Buddhist Path in America on May 9th at Brattleboro Shambhala Meditation Group

Author and educator Tony Cape talks about his experiences as an early student and personal attendant to the seminal Tibetan Buddhist teacher and meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Two Hundred Years of Pride and Prejudice: A Look at Jane Austen’s Endurance
Thursday April 25, 2013
1:30 PM until 3:00 PM

The reading/discussion series: Jane Austen Endures will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice and explore Austen’s publishing staying power. The two-book series sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council will also examine Austen’s universal appeal, her talent for capturing the time she lived in, and her comic, satiric tone, among other aspects of her writing

Lyrics and Fictions: Authors Chard deNiord and Vincent Panella

Wednesday April 24, 2013
7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Join poet Chard deNiord and novelist Vince Panella in the Library Meeting Room for Local Authors reading Lyrics and Fictions.Poet Chard deNiord will read from his new collection of poems, Interstate, and Vincent Panella will read from his novella and story collection, Disorderly Conduct.DeNiord is a Professor of of English at Providence College and author of The Double Truth (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011) and Night Mowing (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005).

   
Tuesday, April 23, Book distribution  

On April 23rd over 25,000 volunteers across the United States will go out into their communities and give away more than 500,000 free books. 

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library will host a reception for the 16 Brattleboro area residents who will be World Book Night givers this year. On Saturday, April 20th from 11 AM -1:30 PM WBN givers will be able to pick up their books, meet their neighbors who are also participating, enjoy some refreshments and share where they will be giving away their books on April 23rd- World Book Night.

Back in my college days, like many of my contemporaries, I read a number of “Dystopian” novels such as 1984 & Brave New World.

I remember one, set in the near future (like…now) in which the entire world was “Owned” by five (5) corporations, and they were all Insurance Companies.

The Big booksale is coming early this year. Reserve the dates! 

Friday, April 12, 10 to 6
Saturday April 13, 10 to 2

Stop by to browse and purchase some of the thousands of fabulous hardcover books, paperbacks, DVD’s, and audio books available. 

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library was organized in 1990 to support the Library in providing the highest quality library service to the community by means of advocacy, public relations, and fund raising.

Know your Library: Tours and Tips for Newcomers and Experienced Library Users
Friday April 5, 2013
12:00 PM until 1:00 PM

Join  Reference Librarian Jeanne Walsh the first Friday of the month for a tour of first floor & mezzanine, a catalog search demo, and answers to your questions about how to find your way in the Library.