Knitters, crocheters sought for library mitten tree

Margaret Woodruff, director

Are you a knitter, crocheter or just like to shop?

The Mitten Tree is up at the Charlotte Library and waiting to be decorated with handmade or new cold-weather gear.

The library is also a designated food shelf drop-off location. All items collected will be going to a local non-profit organization.

The library is working to build its bird community. See who you can find on our new feeders on the way into the library and maybe spy a squirrel on a tractor.

Looking for more bird watching opportunities?

Consider joining the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. If you need some tips to get started, check out the bird-watcher book list.

Cookie Cutter Week Begins Dec. 1: Baking up a batch of cookies for a friend? Check out the library’s baking selection for ideas.

The Friends of the Charlotte Library are holding the third annual Get Cozy Raffle to provide cheer and goodwill. The centerpiece is a comfy quilt made by Amanda Herzberger. It is surrounded by an assortment of great books.

Tickets are $10 for 10 entries or $20 for 25 entries and on sale until Dec 14. The drawing will be at noon on Dec. 15. The library will notify the winner by email. Enter the raffle. All proceeds will benefit the Charlotte library.

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.

Book Chat
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet at the library to discuss new books, old books and books that might have been missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. Please check the library calendar for dates.

Short story selections
First & third Wednesdays, 1 p.m.
Join Woodruff Dec. 7 and 21 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
Fridays, 9:30 a.m.
Meet on Zoom to discuss new books, old books and books you might have missed. Friday is a recap of the Wednesday porch session. Please check the library calendar for dates. Register in advance for Zoom link.

Preschool story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
Come to 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 play-based learning in the library program room. Ages 3 and 4.

Adult programs

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.

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.

Human Rights Week expression wall
Dec. 10-17
Human Rights Week is a week of events to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed by the United Nations General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948. In recognition of this, the library is hosting a “free expression” wall in the program room and invites the community to share what human rights mean to them. Stop by to share your ideas by word or illustration.

One-on-one tech help
Thursday, Dec. 15, 1 p.m.
Email enigma? Kindle conundrum? App apprehension? Computer questions? Or maybe you want to learn how to use your library card to read or listen to books on a device. Sign up for a 30-minute, one-on-one session at the Senior Center with Susanna Kahn, Charlotte Library’s technology librarian, for some tech support. She will troubleshoot with you and provide suggestions for next steps. Make sure to bring your device and any necessary login information. When registering, please provide a specific topic or item that you need help with and include the device you will be bringing to the session (e.g. Windows laptop, Mac laptop, Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, etc.). Registration required, please call 802-425-6345.

Holiday hours
Please note the library will be closed Friday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Dec. 26; and Friday, Dec. 30.

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.