Charlotte Library News
Think Spring!
Despite three nor’easters in as many weeks and inches of snow on the ground, we are starting to think about flowers, gardens and other outdoor activity here at the library. This includes planning for the Seed Library of 2018. Here’s the latest from Linda Hamilton, who coordinates our seed library.
The Charlotte Library needs your help to stock its 2018 Seed Library! This year’s focus is vegetables, and we will stock heritage (open-pollinated, organically-grown, non-GMO) varieties that are nominated as local favorites. That’s right…you get to nominate the heritage varieties that you grow (or just love to eat) because of characteristics you think make them special. That could be outstanding flavor, texture, color, versatility, hardiness or disease resistance, ease to grow or harvest or preserve, etc. For example, what is your favorite heritage tomato, green or yellow bean, lettuce, pea, sweet or hot pepper, or potato? Tell us. Nominate your favorite varieties for inclusion in the Seed Library so that others can discover and start growing them too.
Email your nominations now to Seed Library coordinator Linda Hamilton. Give us the name, characteristics and why you think it’s nifty.
We will stock the Seed Library with as many of your nominations as we can in time for the 2018 growing season. Then, area residents will be able to “borrow” a few seeds of these favorites to grow for themselves, and we will help them save some seed from their plants to restock the Seed Library next fall. We will be offering seed saving workshops and educational materials related to eco-friendly gardening and other topics during the summer and fall. We can’t do this without you, so please nominate your favorites now! And thanks for your help to keep these tried and true favorite varieties alive!
In addition, we’re also launching a 3-session Saturday series, Art in April. Join us on April 7 for an origami workshop with Erina Tsubota, April 14 for a whirligig program with Jenny Cole, and on April 21 for an interactive art and poem crafts session to celebrate National Poetry Month. All of these programs start at 10:30 a.m. Stop in to check them out.
Programs for Kids
Wednesdays, through April 18 at 3:15 p.m. Junior Chess Club. For students, grade 2 to 12, any skill level. Learn the game & improve your strategies with help from mentor Ajat Teriyal.
Thursday, March 22 at 3:15 p.m. THINK Tank: DNA Extraction. DNA is the carrier of genetic information in living organisms—including fruit! We’ll extract DNA from fruit and see what it looks like. For 4th-8th grades. Registration required. Please call the library to sign up.
Fridays, through April 2 at 10:30 a.m. Preschool Story Time. A weekly adventure with stories, experiments & snacks! Ages 3-5.
Mondays, March 26 & April 2 at 3:15 p.m. TinkerBelles. A new season of STEAM activities! Create a movie, visit with a vet and more. Grades 3-5.
Tuesdays, March 27 & April 3, 10 & 17 at 9:00 a.m. Baby Time at the Library! Join us to chat, sing songs, read to Baby.
Tuesdays, March 27 & April 3, 10 & 17 at 2:15 p.m. Story Explorations. Stories & crafts for K & 1st graders.
Thursday, March 29 at 3:15 p.m. THINK Tank: Fun with Origami. With one sheet of paper, you can make everything from a dog to a drinking cup! Come learn how to get started with origami teacher Erina Tsubota. She’ll share the basic steps to get you started and help with individual projects during this 90-minute session. All supplies provided. This is the first of two programs; participants may sign up for one or both. For 4th–8th grades. Registration required. Please call the library to sign up.
Information & Activities for Adults
Tuesdays, March 20–April 18 at 11:00 a.m. VT Reads Book Club. Vermont Reads 2018: Bread & Roses, Too by Katherine Paterson. This historical novel relates the journey of Rosa, who, along with Jake and other children, are sent temporarily out of harm’s way to foster families in Barre, Vermont, as children actually were during the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912. Join us to discuss and explore many topics, including the immigrant experience in America, labor history and local Vermont history. Reading group begins Tuesday, March 20, at 11:00 a.m. at Charlotte Central School Library.
Thursday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Book Discussion Group: A Very Long Engagement.Sebastien Japrisot’s bestseller about a young French woman’s quest to find her fiancé during World War I. Join us to discuss this session and watch the movie our next session. Copies available at the circulation desk.
Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. Open Sesame. Film Showing & Discussion. Rescheduled from snow day on March 13. Watch “Open Sesame, the Story of Seeds,” the excellent documentary film about the magic and importance of seeds. Share reactions to the film and ideas for how to grow a simple but wonderful seed library right here at Charlotte Library.
Monday, April 16 at 10:00 a.m. Mystery Book Group: The Secret Place. A hint of the supernatural spices the latest from a mystery master, Tana French, as two detectives try to probe the secrets teenage girls keep—and the lies they tell—after murder at a posh boarding school. Everyone is this meticulously crafted novel might be playing—or being played by—everyone else. Join us for coffee & conversation about Tana French’s fifth in the Dublin Murder Squad series. Copies are available at the circulation desk.
Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Wearing Our Heritage. Rescheduled from snow day on March 8. Join Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Tribe, Abenaki scholar Melody Walker Brook, chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, and Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Curator Eloise Beil for a discussion about the meaning of garments, accessories and regalia in their own lives and in community and tribal identity. Developed by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association in partnership with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and Flynn Center for the Arts, this program and the traveling exhibit “Alnobak: Wearing Our Heritage” were designed to deepen public understanding of how the vibrant Abenaki culture continues into the 21st century. Supported in part by a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council.
Coming up in April
Great Decisions 2018, Art in April at the Library, Computer Workshops on Passwords and Computing in the Cloud.