Wednesday participants reconstructed digestive system

Thank you to Jan Schwarz for leading the Sept. 25 session of our new after-school program. Our hearty participants reconstructed the digestive system using ziploc bags and bananas. See below for details about upcoming Wildcard adventures.

Drop-in dyeing
Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Join Susanna Kahn for an introduction to natural dyeing. Kitchen scraps and plants from the yard create surprising colors. We will dye an item together and review the dyeing process and other plant material and food waste that can be used. Dye a piece provided by the library or bring your own small, pre-washed, all-natural fiber item.

First library scanning day
Saturday, Oct. 19
Do you have old photos of people and places in Charlotte? The Charlotte Library would like to add to its digital collection of Charlotte historic photos and documents. People and resources will be available for scanning and documenting up to 10 photos per person. For more information or sign up for a time slot on Oct. 19, contact the Charlotte Library at [email protected] or call 802-425-3864. If you have other non-Charlotte-related photos to scan, let us know. We would be happy to include you in the event or make alternate arrangements. See what is already in the library’s digital collection.

After-school book lovers club
Tuesdays, Oct. 15-Nov. 19, 3-4 p.m.
Do you enjoy reading and talking about books? Ride the bus to the Charlotte Library and enjoy an afternoon of book sharing and crafts every Tuesday after school. Grades 1-3, registration required. Contact Cheryl.

Wildcard Wednesdays
Wednesdays, thru Nov. 20, 2-3:30 p.m.
Who knows what Wednesday will bring? Science sessions? Crafts and games? Sign up and show up on Wednesdays to join in the fun activities for kids fourth grade and up. For registration information, contact the library. On Oct. 9 the program will be Scribblebots. Join tech librarian Susanna Kahn to design, build and test a drawing robot.

Programs for kids

Monthly Babytime
Saturday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m.
You’re invited to an unstructured hour for parents, caregivers and babies to play, explore books and chat in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 18 months.

Preschool story time
Tuesdays & Fridays, 10 a.m.
Come to the 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. Explore the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, playdoh — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Wednesday morning play-based learning at the Charlotte Library.

Babytime
Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.
You’re invited to an unstructured hour for parents, caregivers and babies to play, explore books and chat in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 18 months.

Let’s Lego
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Drop-in for Lego free play. We’ll have loads of Lego bricks out, along with some books and prompts for inspiration. For all ages. Please note: Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Programs for adults

Stillwater meditation
Saturdays, 9 a.m.
Poetry and meditation are offered freely and in person to the Charlotte community. Come for quiet reflection, contemplation and gentle meditation instruction. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of our time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome.

Lynn Cummings gallery talk
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m.
Lynn Cummings, who has taught various art classes at Charlotte Senior Center since 2010, will talk about her students’ and her artworks which will be on display through October. You will see watercolors, acrylics and several types of collages. She will focus on the fun and exciting process of creating one-of-a-kind collage papers, then tearing them into pieces to create unique acrylic printed collages.

Spanish conversation group
Wednesday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.
Vengan a disfrutar conversación casual y nuevos amigos en la biblioteca. Un grupo de conversar es una oportunidad de practicar su español o’compartir con el grupo. Speakers of all levels and ages, including beginners, are welcome. We’ll plan to chat, relax, listen to music and enjoy some snacks while we explore the beautiful and useful Spanish language.

‘How to Love a Forest’ talk
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
“How to Love a Forest” by Ethan Tapper walks us through the fragile and resilient community that is a forest, introducing us to wolf trees and spring ephemerals, to the cryptic creatures of the rhizosphere and the necrosphere. It helps us reimagine what forests are and what it means to care for them. This world, Tapper writes, is degraded both by people who do too much and by those who do nothing. He writes that we must take action to protect ecosystems and that the actions we must take will often be counterintuitive, uncomfortable, even heartbreaking. Tapper is the former Chittenden County Forester. In this role, he received was named the American Tree Farm Systems National Outstanding Inspector of the Year in 2024. He left this role to start his own consulting forestry business, Bear Island Forestry, this year.

Short story selections
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 1 p.m.
Join library director Margaret Woodruff to share and discuss short stories old and new. Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Join Zoom meeting.

Migratory bird walk for all ages
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2 p.m.
Birds are on the wing, traveling thousands of miles of flyways, each fall. Join master birder Hank Kaestner at the town beach for a discovery walk of bird migration and the birds that migrate through our region. Wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the weather. For registration information, contact the library.

Thursday night book club
Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m.
It’s Maine, 1789, in “Frozen River.” When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Copies available at the circulation desk. Join on Zoom.

Mystery book group
Monday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m.
It’s Sept. 29, 1913, and the steamship Dresden is halfway between Belgium and England in “The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel.” On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionizing global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide or murder. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Solutions to community’s hard questions
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m.
A talk about how to get the most out of town meeting, selectboard meetings and other community-based discussions and debates. Susan Clark leads a workshop on making our local conversations more inclusive, productive and empowered. Learn about why things often go wrong and gain a powerful tool that can help groups work towards outcomes that honor diverging viewpoints. Clark is a facilitator, educator and the co-author of “Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home.” She is also town moderator of Middlesex. The workshop co-sponsored by the Social Justice Ministry and the Charlotte Library. RSVP appreciated but not required.

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

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The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., unless otherwise rescheduled following the Opening Meeting Law. The next scheduled board meeting is at 6 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Oct. 3. Contact the library or visit the library website for more information.