Library wants to know how to keep being essential
“Public libraries are essential to our communities. They are places where Vermonters of all backgrounds can access books, videos, ideas, resources and information at no cost. Libraries also serve as community centers where people can gather together and connect with their neighbors, and quiet spots where students can do their homework. They can also help Vermonters without Internet service apply for a job or do research.” — Bernie Sanders
This quote from Sen. Sanders serves as a reminder to all here that the library exists to serve this community. We are so grateful for your support and delighted to witness the resurgence of visits, activity and overall use of the library resources and library space. We hope that you will let us know in what ways the library can continue to provide resources and programming for you and our town.
A painting from the art exhibit at the library that will run through December.
Art on display: group show
This November and December, the Charlotte Library will exhibit a collection of paintings and drawings of people from our community by a group of artists that gather to paint on Thursday afternoons at a studio on Mt. Philo Road in Charlotte. Join them for a reception at the library on Nov. 20, 3-6 p.m.
Holiday hours
Note: The library will close at 5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, Nov. 23-25, for Thanksgiving and reopen on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 10 a.m.
Ongoing programs for all ages
Kids crafts
See what fun activity youth services librarian Cheryl Sloan has concocted for younger library fans. Pick up your monthly craft kit in the library entryway.
Take & Make kits
Try your hand at a simple but elegant fall garland to grace a window or Thanksgiving table. Available at the library circulation desk.
Book Chat (no Book Chat Nov. 23)
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet at the library to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, Margaret selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. Please check library calendar for dates.
Short story selections
First & third Thursdays, 1 p.m.
Join library director Margaret Woodruff via Zoom to share and discuss short stories old and new. The reading list will include a variety of authors, and one or two stories will be featured each session. Copies of the stories are available at the library circulation desk or via email.
Book Chat (no Book Chat Nov. 18 & 25)
Fridays, 9:30 a.m.
Meet on Zoom to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Friday is a recap of the Wednesday porch session. Please check the library calendar at charlottepubliclibrary.org for dates. Register in advance for Zoom.
Preschool story time
Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
Join us at the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.
Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Play in the preschool years enables children to explore and make sense of the world around them, as well as to use and develop their imagination and creativity. Join us for play-based learning in the library program room. Ages 3 and 4.
Adult programs
Library book discussion group: The Juke Box Queen of Malta
Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
In this mesmerizing novel, music and bombs, war and romance, the jukebox and the gun exist in arresting counterpoint in a story that is a profound and deeply moving exploration of the redemptive powers of love. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Via Zoom. Register here.
Stillwater Meditation
Saturdays, Nov. 19-Dec. 17, 9 a.m.
Gathering together for four weeks this fall as the light changes, we will explore poetry and meditation as sacred community. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of our time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome. Come to one, many or all meetings. Free. Stillwater Meditation is an offering of Rain Elizabeth Healing Arts.
World Cup at the library
Nov. 21, 22, 23 & 25, 2 p.m.
Community members are invited to the library to watch live World Cup Soccer (football, as they say in the rest of the world) in the new program room. The following four games will be shown in the new programing room during Thanksgiving week at 2 p.m.: Monday, Nov. 21: USA vs. Wales; Tuesday, Nov. 22: France vs. Australia; Wednesday, Nov. 23: Belgium vs. Canada; and Friday, Nov., 25: England vs. USA.
Legumes, beans, grains and seeds
Friday, Dec. 2, 11:30 a.m.
Join Charlotte Library and Mara Welton of Slow Food USA to talk about the deeply biodiverse world of legumes and grains and the lessons to learn from them in a wide-ranging conversation about climate resiliency, nutrition and food sovereignty. The talk will feature the cookbook Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes by Abra Berens. Whether you’re new to beans and grains or have been cooking and eating them your whole life, this conversation will have something for everyone, and we will all come away with a deeper appreciation about the interconnectedness of our food, why where it comes from matters, and how beans and grains fit into our food system. Register here.
Library contact information
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email
The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. For information about agenda and Zoom access, please contact the library director. The next scheduled board meeting is Thursday, Dec. 1.