Experience the library’s dirty side — in the garden

Join the Garden Circle volunteers who will tend the educational gardens around the library this year. Contact Garden Stewards Karen Tuininga and Linda Hamilton to sign up and join in the merry work sessions Wednesdays, 4:30-6 p.m., this growing season.

Many hands make for light work, and there is always interesting conversation about plants and gardening.

The Rain Garden is establishing itself as an effective way to manage the rainwater coming off the library roof, and the Welcome Garden on the south side is filling out with colorful and pollinator-friendly blooms. The results of our efforts are paying off for everyone who visits the library.

Games for the green

With the help of grant funding, we’ve got bocce and corn hole games to play on the town green. Be on the lookout for our “play dates” and bring your family to try these fun outdoor activities.

Children’s programs

Young children’s story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
No registration required.

Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Exploring the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, play dough — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Wednesday morning play-based learning at the Charlotte Library. Ages 2-4. No registration required.

Programs for adults

Book Chat
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet each week to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. No registration necessary.

Crochet & knit night
Wednesdays, 5:30-7 p.m.
Claudia Marshall is your host for a casual weekly session of crocheting and chatting, knitting and catching up. Bring your project or start a new one with yarn and needles available at the library, along with plenty of books to instruct and inspire. For teens and adults.

Short story selections
First and third Wednesdays, 1 p.m.
Join Woodruff 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. Register in advance for the Zoom link.

Men’s book discussion group
Wednesday, June 14, 7:30 p.m.

From pole to pole and across decades of lived experience, in his book “Horizon” National Book Award-winning author Barry Lopez delivers his most far-ranging, yet personal, work to date. “Horizon” moves indelibly, immersively, through the author’s travels to six regions of the world: from Western Oregon to the High Arctic; from the Galápagos to the Kenyan desert; from Botany Bay in Australia to finally, unforgettably, the ice shelves of Antarctica. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Join by Zoom or at the library.

Mystery book group
Monday, June 19, 10 a.m.

In “Voice” by Arnaldur Indriðason, the Christmas rush is at its peak in a grand Reykjavik hotel when Inspector Erlendur is called in to investigate a murder. Erlendur and his fellow detectives find no shortage of suspects between the hotel staff and the international travelers staying for the holidays. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Library book discussion group
Thursday, June 22, 7:30 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what those bright, squiggly graffiti marks on the sidewalk mean? Or stopped to consider why you don’t see metal fire escapes on new buildings? Or pondered the story behind those dancing inflatable figures in car dealerships? In “The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design,” host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt examine the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Join the discussion on Zoom.

Courtesy photo Curt Lindberg, author of the book “Our Better Nature” will join patrons and librarians from the Hinesburg, Shelburne and Charlotte libraries to talk about his book while walking at Geprags Park in Hinesburg on June 23.
Courtesy photo
Curt Lindberg, author of the book “Our Better Nature” will join patrons and librarians from the Hinesburg, Shelburne and Charlotte libraries to talk about his book while walking at Geprags Park in Hinesburg on June 23.

Walk & talk book club
Saturday, June 23, 11 a.m.
Join the librarians and readers from Carpenter-Carse Library, Charlotte Library and Pierson Library at Geprags Park for an outdoor perambulation and discussion of books on the subject of our big, beautiful world. For this session, we will meet at the park in Hinesburg at 554 Shelburne Falls Rd. The book we’ll discuss is “Our Better Nature” by Curt Lindberg. We’ll be joined by the author and by members of Hinesburg’s Conservation Commission for a walk featuring a landscape shaped by beaver activity. In the event of rain, we will meet in the community room at Carpenter-Carse Library, 69 Ballards Corner Road, Hinesburg. Please contact your home library to pick up a copy of the book.

Library contact information:
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email

For the latest information about programs, books and activity kits, sign up for our monthly newsletter: Charlotte Library Newsletter.

The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets regularly on the first Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. The next meeting is today, Thursday, June 1, online and in person. Please contact the library or visit the library website for more information.