Oliver Wolcott Library
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160 South Street, PO Box 187
Litchfield, CT 06759
phone: 860-567-8030
fax: 860-567-4784
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No time to attend book club meetings?
Join OWL's online book club
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Oliver Wolcott Library Events
Contact: Tricia Messenger 860-567-8030
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OWL Awarded LEF Grant
The Oliver Wolcott Library has been awarded a grant to fund a Lego Club from the Litchfield Education Foundation.
The Lego Club participants will listen to a story that will inspire them to be creative for the Lego Challenge. Children will be asked to build an item each club meeting. Challenges will range from a mode of transportation or a type of building to something that lives in outer space or an object that relates to the next upcoming holiday. There will be time for show-and-tell before the program commences.
Children's Librarian, Lisa Shaia, is excited about the upcoming program. “I can't wait to get started!” she said. “I'm always looking to engage children in different ways to become lifelong readers and this is definitely a unique way. I'm so thankful for LEF's continued support for our children's programs.” She noted that the skills learned in the Lego Club will help children reinforce literacy skills by increasing their attention span, memory, creativity, and vocabulary skills.
The Oliver Wolcott Library hasn't set dates for The Lego Club but expects it to begin in the fall. Check owlibrary.org for more details. More information about the Litchfield Education Foundation can be found at their website: litchfieldeducationfoundation.org.
Summer Reading Program
for children ages 2-12
Come pick up a summer reading Dream Big Card beginning in June!
There are two ways to participate:
1. Complete different tasks and reading challenges on the Dream Big Card throughout the summer months to create Dream Big Bingos. For each task you complete, you’ll add a sticker to the Dream Big Wall in the children’s room. See if your age group can win.
2. For each Dream Big Bingo you create, you’ll receive a gift at the front desk.
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Oliver Wolcott Library Events
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Mr. and Mrs. Madison's War with Author Hugh Howard - 3:00 pm - Litchfield History Museum
Mr. and Mrs. Madison's War
with Author Hugh Howard
Please Note: Event Location is the Litchfield History Museum
7 South Street, Litchfield, CT. 06759
Sunday, May 20, 3:00 p.m.
The Oliver Wolcott Library and the Litchfield Historical Society are pleased to sponsor Mr. and Mrs. Madison's War with author Hugh Howard. As we approach the bicentennial of the War of 1812, Hugh Howard presents a gripping account of this second war of independence from Britain as James and Dolley Madison experienced it. Mr. and Mrs. Madison's War rediscovers this conflict fought on land and sea that proved to be a critical turning point in American history. Writer and historian, Hugh Howard is the author of Houses of the Founding Fathers, The Painter's Chair and Dr. Kimball and Mr. Jefferson. He has collaborated with Bob Vila on several books and the A&E Network series Bob Vila's Guide to Historic Homes. His website is www.hughhoward.com.
Fee: Free; donations accepted
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Presentation & Demonstration: 'Flowers for the Home' - 7:00-8:30pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
Flowers for the Home
A Presentation and Demonstration with Holly Taylor
Thursday, May 24, 7:00- 8:30 p.m.
Floral arrangements in your home should reflect and enhance the décor. Based on over twenty years experience creating floral designs for the Connecticut Junior Republic's annual Litchfield House Tour, including seven years as the Flower Chairman, artist and designer, Holly Taylor will demonstrate how to coordinate flowers with any room in your home. Her presentation will cover color, size, proportion, containers, flower conditioning and "mechanics."
Mrs. Taylor's career in art began with custom needlepoint designs for individual customers as well as for the Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Peabody Museum, Elsa Williams Stitchery and Bernat Yarns. She then designed greeting cards for Gordon Fraser, a British company. An accomplished painter in oil, watercolor, and acrylics, she was a founding member of the Litchfield Art Guild, a cooperative gallery. She later designed both store and window displays for the Susan Wakeen Doll Company and also designed their booth at the Toy Fair in New York City. Mrs. Taylor's volunteer work includes posters, invitations and special projects for the Junior League of Boston, the Junior Council of the Boston Symphony, the Mattatuck Museum of Waterbury, the Litchfield Garden Club, the Connecticut Junior Republic and the Oliver Wolcott Library.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
An Evening with Chorus Angelicus: The Junior Choir - 7:00-8:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
An Evening with Chorus Angelicus: The Junior Choir
Tuesday, June 5 - 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Chorus Angelicus is comprised of four choral ensembles, involving more than seventy children who hail from towns throughout southwestern New England. The Artistic Director is the Argentinian pianist and singer, Gabriel Löfvall, and the choirs are in residence at Trinity Episcopal Church in Torrington.
This concert will feature the Junior Choir, ages 9-12, directed by Greg Wilfrid. These singers perform regularly with the Training Choirs as well as with the Senior Choir of Chorus Angelicus and Gaudeamus. The choir will be performing pieces that include choral arrangements of folk music, Renaissance rounds, world music, and more. They will also be discussing their experiences with the group and will be happy to answer any questions the audience might have about performing in the choir.
This internationally acclaimed children’s choir has impressed audiences with the best of choral music, both sacred and secular, since its founding in 1991 by Paul Halley. Performances have included collaborations with the Hartford Symphony and the Paul Winter Consort in venues such as Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Music Shed in Norfolk, the Warner Theater in Torrington, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Chorus Angelicus has toured nationally in Florida and the Pacific Northwest, and internationally in Nova Scotia, Vancouver, B.C., and Ireland. Space is limited.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
E-Lounge Online Book Group Discussion - Oliver Wolcott Library
Discuss great books from the comforts of your own home with OWL's E-Lounge Online Book Discussion. OWL staffers Cameron and Audra will keep the discussion rolling with posted questions, but everyone is encouraged to post questions and responses.
The Weird Sisters
by Eleanor Brown
In "The Weird Sisters," author Eleanor Brown tells the story of a trio of sisters and their relationships with each other, their family, and the world around them. The daughters of a Shakespearean scholar, Rose, Cordy, and Bean Andreas earned a reputation in the town of Barnwell for being just plain weird--always having their noses buried in books rather than caring about things that normal kids are supposed to care about. When the sisters' mother is diagnosed with cancer, the sisters return to their childhood home, harboring secrets and wondering if life can ever be the same again. (Gale Books and Authors)
OWL’s E-Lounge is a free online book discussion group open to everyone
On the first Thursday of every month, OWL staffers Cameron Bove and Audra MacLaren will feature a new book selection for discussion. Cameron and Audra will keep the discussing rolling with posted questions, but everyone is encouraged to post questions and responses.
Our E-Lounge Online Book Discussion is a great way to sit back and discuss great books while enjoying the comforts of your own home and at any time of the day or night. The E-Lounge lets you control how often and when you want to participate to accommodate your schedule. So don’t miss out on discussing great books because life is too busy, relax and join the OWL E-Lounge!
Artist Reception: Lynn Hunter - 5:00-7:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
The Oliver Wolcott Library Gallery
Lynn Hunter - Photographs
In the gallery: May 29th - June 29th
RECEPTION: Thursday, June 7th from 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Photography has been a part of Lynn Hunter’s life since age nine when she received her first camera. She later joined local camera clubs, entering primarily nature shots in competitions, and was pleased to win numerous trophies and ‘Slide of the Year’ ribbons. Loving both nature and portrait photography, she found it difficult to favor one over the other. After retiring from teaching she officially began Creative Expressions by Lynn Hunter, LLC, a children’s portrait business. In her outdoor studio she combines portrait photography with nature.
Many of Lynn’s techniques were learned through her participation and continuing membership in the Connecticut Professional Photographers Association and the Professional Photographers of New England. She has also expanded her learning by attending the New England Institute of Professional Photography.
Devoting a larger portion of her time to outdoor photography, she is presenting her series “Back to Nature.” A fair number of the images are a bug’s eye view of the flowers in her garden taken with a close-up lens. Some of the images have been printed larger than life in an effort to capture some of the original excitement she felt when she pressed the shutter. Some images, such as the bobcat, are representative of her one-on-one encounters with the often unseen wildlife that surrounds us. Her website is www.lynnhunter.com.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Book Discussion: "The New New Thing" - 4:00-5:30 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
The New New Thing
by Michael Lewis
As American capitalism undergoes a seismic shift, Michael Lewis sets out on a Silicon Valley safari to find the true representative of the coming economic age. Lewis's shrewd, often brilliantly funny, narrative provides ahead-of-the-curve observations about the Internet explosion and how the success of Silicon Valley companies is forcing a reassessment of traditional Wall-Street business models. Weaving Clark's story together with that of this new business phenomenon, Lewis has drawn us a map of markets and free enterprise in the twenty-first century and blown the lid off the changing economy.
Tuesday Book Discussion Group
Tuesday has been meeting for more than ten years! This is a general interest discussion group. Selected books range from classics to recent releases in all genre including fiction, nonfiction, and biography.
When: Second Tuesday of each month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Where: The Oliver Wolcott Library Community Room.
Facilitated by: Karen Pasternak
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Book Selection & Discussion: "Unbroken" - 1:00-2:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
Book Selection Meeting and Discussion of
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand
This is the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages. Moderated by Joan
Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group
When: Second Thursday of each month from 1 to 2 p.m.
Where: The Oliver Wolcott Library Community Room.
Facilitated by: Cameron Bove
Book Selection Meeting - Thursday Book Group - 3:00-4:30 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
Thursday Book Discussion Group
Book Selection Meeting
The Thursday Book Group has been meeting since 2002. The group's focus is on fiction, but non-fiction and poetry are occasionally discussed as well.
When: Second Thursday of each month from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Where: The Oliver Wolcott Library Community Room.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Author Discussion: "Why Jane Austen?" with Rachel M. Brownstein - 7:00-8:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
"Why Jane Austen?"
with Author Rachel M. Brownstein
Thursday, June 21 - 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
From the first publication of Pride and Prejudice to recent film versions of her life and work, Jane Austen continues to inspire fantasies of peculiar intimacy and provoke enthusiasm and debate. Celebrated in the nineteenth century for her realism and patrician gentility, imagined as a subversive or a political conservative, Austen generates passions shaped by ideologies and trends of her reader’s time - and by her own memorable stories, characters, and elusive, perennially cool tone.
In Why Jane Austen?, Rachel M. Brownstein considers Austen as heroine, moralist, satirist, romantic, woman, and author along with the changing notions of these categories over time and texts. Brownstein’s brilliant discussion of the distinctiveness and distinction of the novelist’s genius clarifies the reasons why we read Jane Austen - or why we should read her - and reorients the prevailing view of her work.
Brownstein is professor of English at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a graduate of Barnard College, and received her Ph.D. in English from Yale University. She wrote two critically acclaimed books, Becoming a Heroine: Reading About Women in Novels and Tragic Muse: Rachel of the Comédie-Française. Her website is rachelmbrownstein.com. A wine & cheese reception will follow the event. The Hickory Stick Bookshop will provide books for signing & sale. Space is limited. Generously Sponsored by Union Savings Bank
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Summer Reading Kickoff - 10:30 or 11:30 am - Oliver Wolcott Library
Summer Reading Kickoff
for children ages 2-12
Saturday, June 23rd - two time slots
10:30-11:15 am or 11:30-12:15 am
Join Danny Magic to celebrate the summer reading kickoff. Danny Magic “magic for everyone” is a comedy magic show that is a fast paced hilarious encounter with mind boggling magic for kids...and adults who want to be kids again! Come a little early or stay a little late to sign up for our summer reading program. Space is Limited.
Registration is Required (register for one of two time slots)
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Bouncing Babies - 10:30 or 11:30 am - Oliver Wolcott Library
Bouncing Babies
(3-24 months and their caregivers)
June 26th - August 14th
on Tuesdays at 10:30 or 11:30 a.m.
Enjoy concept and rhyming books, learn fingerplays and rhymes, and meet other families in your neighborhood in this interactive program. Your child will form a bond with you, develop listening skills and begin vocabulary development in this educational program. Playtime will follow to foster your child’s imagination, development and social skills.
A Tribute to Civil War Quilts - 7:00-8:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
A Tribute to Civil War Quilts
with Jo Hansling
Tuesday, June 26 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Quilts played a vital role during the Civil War. Women on both sides were very active in raising money for the war effort and making quilts and other bed coverings for soldiers. In this program, Jo Hansling will highlight Northern and Southern women’s contributions. Quilt samples will be on display to showcase the various designs used for different causes.
 Jo Hansling is a quilter, teacher and craftswoman. Her quilting journey started in 2002, after reading a book on crazy quilting. Since then, her passion for quilt history evolved into creating programs of different eras. Giving knowledge to inspire and create is the motto Jo hopes to achieve through her presentations. In addition to quilting, she has been the owner of a home-based business called “Jo’s Mousetrap” since 1982. She designs soft sculptured mice in many characters, which she sells at craft shows and stores throughout New England. In 1998, she was invited to the White House to design an ornament for the Clinton’s Christmas tree. Space is limited.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Preschool Storytime - 10:30 am - Oliver Wolcott Library
Preschool Storytime
(2-5 year olds)
June 27th - August 15th
on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
(please note OWL is closed July 4th)
Listen to new and classic picture books and flannelboard stories, learn movement activities and fingerplay, and build early literacy skills such as letter knowledge and sequencing in this active program with Mrs. Shaia. Craft time will follow to help your child build fine motor skills. Our themes for the summer will include pajamas, bedtime, owls, space, and more!
Page Turners Club - 1:00-1:45 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
for children entering grades 4-6
Wednesdays 1:00-1:45 pm
June 27th - August 15th
(please note OWL is closed July 4th)
Get your summer reading requirement finished at OWL this summer. Receive a complimentary paperback book and enjoy a pizza lunch each week. Mrs. Shaia will lead discussions, read passages aloud and encourage you to share other books you are enjoying on your summer break in a relaxed atmosphere. For children entering Grades 4 - 6.
Teen Mystery Theatre Club - 6:00-7:00 pm - Oliver Wolcott Library
Teen Mystery Theatre Club
for teens entering grades 7-12
Wednesdays 6:00-7:00 pm
June 27th - August 15th
(please note OWL is closed on July 4th)
Do you love to solve mysteries? Do you want to act? Then this is the perfect summer activity for you! Join the Mystery Theatre Club at OWL. Each week you’ll have the chance to either be a detective or to act as a suspect. There will be burglaries and murders in the Library every Wednesday night. Detectives will get to spot clues, question suspects and solve the crime. Actors will get into their character and express their motives and alibis. For teens entering Grades 7 - 12. Registration is required - Click Here to Register
Friday, June 29, 2012
Night School - 10:30-11:15 am - Oliver Wolcott Library
Night School
Fridays 10:30-11:15 am
June 29th - August 17th
for children entering grades K-3
Listen to stories about the mysterious night. Create crafts to correlate with the theme. Listen to Trouble Dolls and make your own Worry Doll, create your own dreamcatcher just like Kimmy in Grandmother’s Dreamcatcher, make a wish and capture your own genie in a jar after hearing The Three Wishes, and craft a paper lantern like Lin Yi yearns for in Lin Yi’s Lantern. There will be special performers included in the Night School program on Friday mornings. For children entering Grades K - 3.
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WOWBRARY
Click here for your link to our latest books, DVDs & CDs!
Books for Bedtime
Watch Mrs. Shaia & Mrs. Moore, (Center School Librarian) read stories to get you snuggled in for the night!
Airs Wednesday nights at 7:00 on Cable 5 TV.
Come to the Library to check out books featured on the show!
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NEED HELP WITH YOUR NEW E-READER?
BOOK-A-LIBRARIAN is at your service! Whether you have a Nook, Kindle or I-Pad, the OWL can help you navigate through the world of E-readers. Our Book-a-Librarian program can assist you! Schedule a time to come in & become comfortable with your new reader or tablet. Adult Services Librarian Audra Maclaren can also show you how to download library e-books via OverDrive.
To schedule a half hour one-on-one session with Audra, call us at (860) 567-8030, e-mail amaclaren@owlibrary.org, or stop by the front desk. Audra will guide you through your basic computer needs.
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E-Lounge Online Book Group Discussion
Discuss great books from the comforts of your own home with OWL's E-Lounge Online Book Discussion. OWL staffers Cameron and Audra will keep the discussion rolling with posted questions, but everyone is encouraged to post questions and responses.
The Paris Wife
by Paula McLain
OWL’s E-Lounge is a free online book discussion group open to everyone
On the first Thursday of every month, OWL staffers Cameron Bove and Audra MacLaren will feature a new book selection for discussion. Cameron and Audra will keep the discussing rolling with posted questions, but everyone is encouraged to post questions and responses.
Our E-Lounge Online Book Discussion is a great way to sit back and discuss great books while enjoying the comforts of your own home and at any time of the day or night. The E-Lounge lets you control how often and when you want to participate to accommodate your schedule. So don’t miss out on discussing great books because life is too busy, relax and join the OWL E-Lounge!
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The Oliver Wolcott Library Gallery
Susan Jordan- Paintings
Susan Jordan, NWS
Watercolors
In the gallery: May 1- May 25
Susan Jordan was born and educated in England and emigrated to the United States in 1961. She spent a good part of her childhood and teens drawing and painting, but didn’t discover her true medium until studying watercolor with Harold Holly and author/artists Herb Olsen, Edgar Whitney and Claude Croney in Old Greenwich and Westport, Connecticut. She gave demonstrations and won many awards, including the New England Award for Watercolor in 1975 at Silvermine, New York.
In 1978 Susan was elected a signature member of the National Watercolor Society. A year later she and her husband Rocky, with their two children Christopher and Catherine, moved to California - to Santa Barbara for thirteen years, then the Monterey Peninsula where she became a member of the Carmel Art Association. After her husband’s retirement, they decided on a permanent move to rural Connecticut, this time Litchfield.
Susan paints in a traditional, realistic style with fresh, transparent color and a strong interplay of light and shadow. Her passionate love of nature is reflected in her watercolors of flowers, gardens, landscapes and still-lifes inspired by local spots, trips abroad, California and her beloved England. She continues to sell her work in Carmel, and is represented locally by the P.S. Gallery on West Street in Litchfield.
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Je Sais Nager (I Can Swim)
Musical Performance by Irène & Francis Jacob
On Tuesday, April 24th the Oliver Wolcott Library and the Alliance Française of Northwestern Connecticut presented a musical performance by renowned international film star Irène Jacob and her brother Francis.
Although Irène and her brother Francis are on two different sides of the ocean, they don’t feel apart. They always had the drive to write songs together and bring them on stage. In the Summer of 2007, as their father passed away, they spent time in Brittany, by the sea, and finally started writing their repertoire. They began with three songs, loosely inspired by a lecture of Gilles Deleuze: les petits corps simples, je sais nager and mon essence à moi (Small and Simple Bodies, I Can Swim and My Own Essence).
Today they freely write with four hands. Francis would complete a phrase Irène left unfinished, or write a piece of text that Irène would continue. They work as a team, through emails and Skype. He has to adapt to her texts and voice for his compositions and arrangements. She needs to fit her voice and texts around his blended rhythms. For both of them this musical venture is privileged space, their secret meeting platform where they meet and freely create a new virtual life, somewhere between Brooklyn and Paris.
The lyrics may be in French, but you don’t need to speak or understand the language to feel the power, passion and beauty of this wonderful musical duo. Irène and Francis Jacob create a unique sound of soft, rhythmic melodies that will delight, transport, and uplift you. To hear a sample visit: myspace.com/ifirenejacob. (No account or login is required to visit her myspace account.)
Irène Jacob was awarded “Best Actress” prize at the 1991 international Cannes festival for her performance in The Double Life Of Véronique by K. Kieslowski. In 1993, the Polish film director featured her in Red, in his trilogy Bleu, Blanc, Rouge, along with Jean-Louis Trintignant, Juliette Binoche and Julie Delpy. Irène is leading a successful international career. She has worked with directors such as Antonioni, Win Wenders, Paul Auster, Angelopoulos and Louis Malle. She currently is on screen with Charlotte Rampling, in the movie Rio Sex Comedy by Jonathan Nossiter.
Irène has a very special connection to music. On a theatre stage or a movie set, she is always close to the musical world. She has been recording with the National Jazz Orchestra, French star Vincent Delerm and Brazil’s wonder kid Ricardo Tete, among others.
Francis Jacob is a multi-talented musician and an international traveler who settled in Brooklyn in 1991. He composes, plays and records for a wide array of West African stars from Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Togo. Blending his Jazz roots with these experiences, he finds himself at the center of the “World Jazz” movement. In 2007, his CD Side-by-Side received great reviews.
Other band members are: Pichio Ballumbrosio, a well-known master of Afro-Peruvian percussion whose home base is Lyon, France; and Mamadou Ba, a bass player on the African-New York scene. Having worked as musical director for Harry Belafonte, he infuses his Senegalese roots into every kind of music.
Lyrics for the songs performed were provided in both French and English. The U.S. release of their CD, Je Sais Nager, is set for May 2012. To learn more about the Alliance Francaise of NW CT, visit their website at: www.afnwct.org
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Days of radio recalled in performance at library
Litchfield.bz (12-21-11)
Father Tucker, above, played Clarence the Angel and Christine Horrigan, below, held several roles in Tuesday's show at the Oliver Wolcott Library. BZ photos
Peter Tavino and his band of thespians put on quite a show at the Oliver Wolcott Library on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.
Tavino, a master of disguise and history buff, led the production of a staged reading of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" for a full house in the library's activity room.
The reading was inspired by the classic American film "It's a Wonderful Life" and served as re-enactment of the 1940s live radio broadcast of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Tavino and friends delivered a show reminiscent of the days when radio was the main source of entertainment.
The story, of course, is about the life of George Bailey and the small town of Bedford Falls. Bailey was ably played by Jim Stedronsky of Litchfield. Tavino played announcer John Milton Kennedy and delivered sound effects.
Also in the cast were Kate Baldwin as Mary Hatch Bailey; Father Tucker as Clarence the Angel; Herb Siegel as Superintendent Angel Joseph and Banker Henry Potter; Christine Horrigan as Cousin Tilly, Mrs. Bailey, Libby and Mrs. Thompson; David W. Wilson as Sam, Bartender Nick and the Sheriff; Anna Marie Wilson as Mrs. Hatch, the Worried Woman and Susan; Ed Doyle as Pop Bailey, Neighbor Men, Tom, Horace the Bank Teller, Welch, Pinky and Carter; John Endicott as Mr. Gower the Druggist; Uncle Billy, Ernie and the Bridge keeper; Thomas Wilson as Young George Bailey; and Bill Savoia as Harry Bailey, Dr. Campbell, Randall, Ed, Martini, Bert, and the Producer/Host William Keighley.
Above, Jim Stedronsky and Kate Baldwin read their scripts and David W. Wilson (below) plays his role in Tuesday's show. BZ photos
photos below contributed by Peter Tavino
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Family Day
Saturday, December 10th, 2011
More than 150 parents and children had a blast at the Oliver Wolcott Library’s Annual Family Day celebration on Saturday, December 10th, 2011. Activities included gingerbread cookie decorating as well as a modern Vaudeville show by Eric Girardi of Bending Gravity Entertainment.
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OWL Press Releases
THE OWL BOX
Fast, convenient, easy to use & fun - the OWL Box at the Bantam Market offers patrons another way to get access to essential library materials. From new films like Mr. Popper's Penguins to classic favorites like A Charlie Brown Christmas, from bestselling books like The Affair to Sheltered & then don't forget those great audio books for listening en route to work or on a family trip over the hills & far away. The OWL Box has it all!
Library card holders from any town in CT may borrow items. Return here at OWL or in the drop box outside the Bantam Market located at 793 Bantam Road in Bantam.
Bantam Market Hours:
Monday - Saturday:
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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STORYTIME TO-GO KITS
Thanks to a grant from the Litchfield Education Foundation, OWL offers ten unique "Storytime To-Go Kits!" The kits can be used for bedtime storytime, slumber party activities, & vacation trips. They're perfect for families on-the-go, weekend visits with grandchildren, or simply a fun time. Each of the kits has a different theme & contains a variety of exciting materials, including a hardcover book, a music CD, DVD, a puppet, and/or an educational game. They are an excellent educational tool for families to use together. The kit comes in a handy, easy-to-transport container & can be checked out of the Library for a period of 1 week.
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Generous Thank You from the Oliver Wolcott Library Board of Trustees
At last week's 21st annual Oliver Wolcott Library Festival of Trees fundraiser, a very festive and generous group of Library patrons, friends, sponsors and businesses - supported by an extraordinary team of volunteers and Library staff - contributed a record amount of dollars to our Town's principal public library. Dollars that will be a critical component to funding OWL's operating budget. And dollars that will help our Library continue to thrive.
This year, OWL's annual operating budget is derived from 53% fundraising and fees, and 47% from our Town's tax dollars. We continue to see tremendous growth in the use of our services by all members of our community from babies to our elders; and in a tough economy, the need for our services has grown rapidly. Our Library uses innovative and strategic thinking to ensure that its services remain relevant to the community and that our dollars are spent well. We continue to focus on improving everyday and OWL is now ranked in the top 13% of all Connecticut libraries for efficiency.
Organizing an event like the Festival of Trees takes tremendous energy and dedication. Thanks is not enough for the efforts of our exceptional Festival leadership team including this year's Festival Chair, Emily Dalton, and her Planning Committee led by Chair's: Frankie Winter (Invitation and Program Design), Mary Ellen Spiegel (Silent Auction), Eileen Manela (Program Sales), Doreen Tango Hampton (Decorations), Jessica Travelstead and Suki Kraut (Trees and Wreaths), Susan Pasquariello (Greeters), Kathy Murray (Food and Beverage), Rob Hartnett (Lighting) and Jim Rindos (Bar and Facilities). In addition to all of the many committee members!
Success for Festival also takes a great base of sponsorship. We are exceptionally thankful to this year's Festival sponsors, including Diamond Sponsor, Arethusa Farm Dairy; Gold Sponsors, Bantam Fuel, Emily Dalton and Matthew Karpas, E.J. Murphy Realty, Fahey Associates Realtors, Litchfield Bancorp, Joseph Montebello & Ron Leal, Declan & Deborah Murphy, O&G Industries, Rod Oneglia, Chip & Susan Spencer, Mary Ellen Spiegel & Mitchell S. Fishman, and Union Savings Bank; Silver Sponsors Martha & Robert Bernstein, Armand & Lauren Della Monica, Linda & Mark Greenberg, Bob & Jan Petricone, Betsy & John Schmid, Alan & Lynne Sherman, George & Ann Taylor, Peter Tillou, Frank Vanoni, and Agnes Wilkie & Scott Rogge. Our Festival also greatly benefited from the enticing raffle items provided by Lawrence Jeffrey Estate Jewelers and Bikers Edge.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I offer our sincere gratitude for the tireless effort, passion, creativity, dollars and gift of time given by OWL's volunteers and our generous supporters who joined with us in celebrating the opening of the holiday season. You made OWL's Festival of Trees a remarkable success. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Matthew P. Karpas
President, Board of Trustees
Oliver Wolcott Library
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OWL Welcomes New Officers and Trustees
The Oliver Wolcott Library welcomes three new trustees and a new slate of officers elected at its annual meeting and subsequent board meeting. Trustees share many responsibilities and play a vital role in insuring the Library remains a vibrant cultural center by sustaining effective Library leadership, advocating for the Library and serving on the cultural, development, finance, audit, trustee or executive committees.
The 2011-2012 Board includes new officers Matthew Karpas as President, John Boyd as Vice President, Patrick Boland as Treasurer and Lynne Sherman as Secretary, as well as Margret Delves Broughton, L. Cleveland Fuessenich, Kathryn Milano, James Rindos, and Susan Spencer. Completing the twelve board members are three newly elected trustees Alan Cohen, Mary Ellen Spiegel and James Stedronsky.
Alan Cohen is a retired Toyota executive and corporate lawyer. While with Toyota he served in various positions including Vice President General Counsel of Toyota Financial Services, Vice President Law and Public Policy in Toyota's Washington D.C. office and with Toyota's holding company for U.S. manufacturing and sales. Alan is an adjunct professor at the graduate and undergraduate level at Sacred Heart University and Albertus Magnus College, and continues to consult with a Toyota group automobile supplier on various legal and business issues. Cohen was a director and the secretary of the not-for-profit Litchfield Hills Food Systems, Inc. Alan is a graduate of UCLA Graduate School of Management Executive Program, and obtained his J.D. Southwestern School of Law, a B.A. from California State University Los Angeles. Alan and his wife, Martha Green, have been Litchfield residents since 2002.
Mary Ellen Spiegel, a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, has over twenty years of experience as a professional fund-raiser for NYC charitable and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Spiegel founded her independent financial advisory firm, FISCAL PLUS™, in 1995. She received her MBA degree from The Columbia University Graduate School of Business and holds a Certificate in Financial Planning (CFP®) from New York University. Currently Ms. Spiegel is Program Chair for The Litchfield Aid's Annual Open House Day. A past member of numerous NYC organizations' Boards, Ms. Spiegel was inducted into the YWCA's Academy of Women Achievers in 1996. She and her husband, Mitchell Fishman, reside in Litchfield.
James Stedronsky resides in Litchfield with his son, Michael, and daughter, Sasha, who both attend college. Attorney Stedronsky is a partner of the law firm, Stedronsky and D'Andrea, LLC and has practiced law in Connecticut since 1976. He received his law degree from New York University School of law, and his BA from Williams College. Attorney Stedronsky is a member of the First Congregational Church of Litchfield and enjoys music, traveling, writing and practicing his profession.
New OWL Board President Matthew Karpas is Managing Member of Karpas Strategies, LLC, an investment management firm founded in 1994 with offices in New York and Connecticut. Karpas Strategies manages assets for high net worth individuals, families, foundations, trusts, and small businesses, highly customized to meet the specific goals and objectives of each client. Matthew holds a BS degree in International Business and Finance from the University of Colorado. Prior to founding Karpas Strategies, Matthew worked at J.P. Morgan in New York City and Tokyo. He has been a member of the Library's Board of Trustees since 2006 and it's Treasurer for the past 5 years. In addition to serving on the Board of our Library, Matthew also serves on the Board's of the Connecticut Junior Republic Association and the Washington Montessori School. Matthew lives in Litchfield with his wife, Emily, and their two daughters.
OWL Board Vice President John Boyd is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Junior Republic which provides residential, education, in-home and community-based services for at-risk and special needs young people at 10 locations in CT. He is past President of the Children's League of CT, served on the CT Judicial Selection Commission and been active in state and national children's advocacy organizations. John received a BS from Bradley University and a M.S. in Community Mental Health from Northern Illinois University. He and his wife Colette have lived in Litchfield for 35 years.
OWL Board Treasurer Patrick J. Boland is a resident of Litchfield and is a retired Managing Director of Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Boland is also a director of the Connecticut Junior Republic and the Warner Theater. He was a director of the First National Bank of Litchfield until the bank was sold to Union Savings Bank in April of 2010. Mr. Boland holds a BS degree from the State University of NY at Buffalo and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He worked for over 30 years as a banker in New York City. Mr. Boland began his banking career in 1974 with J.P. Morgan and Company.
OWL Board Secretary Lynne C. Sherman, has been a member of the Library's Board of Trustees since 2009 and was co-chair of the Festival of Trees from 2005-2010. Lynne attended Elmira College for Secondary Education, Central Connecticut College for Special Education and taught for several years in both Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Lynne is a member of the Litchfield Garden Club and lives in Litchfield with her husband, Alan. They have two children and three granddaughters.
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New OWL Box Installed at Bantam Market
Stop by the new Bantam Market to check out the goodies inside the OWL box and the new market! Library staff members will be there to promote the OWL Box, library's services, and create new library cards for Litchfield residents so they can use the box that day. The new and improved OWL Box, which is essentially a vending machine filled with books, audio books, and DVD's, is installed and ready for use at the new Bantam Market located at 793 Bantam Road. Library card holders from any town in Connecticut may borrow items free of charge from the OWL Box.
"We are the first library in Connecticut to offer this new innovative service. We are very excited about this opportunity to reach out to the residents of Bantam as well as others who may find it hard to get to the Oliver Wolcott Library during normal business hours" said Ann Marie White, Library Director for the Oliver Wolcott Library.
Grants from the Praxair Foundation and the Seherr-Thoss Foundations made the purchase possible. The OWL Box provides DVD's like The King's Speech, Tangled, Avatar, Bee Movie, the Italian Job, High Plains Drifter, It's Complicated and so much more as well as bestsellers like Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen and The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan.
"Every time you visit, you will be surprised and delighted by the selections which are always changing," said Audra MacLaren, Adult Services Librarian at the Oliver Wolcott Library who rotates materials at least three times a week.
The OWL Box acts like a vending machine where patrons from any town insert their library card, make selections, and then the item drops down for patrons to take home. Any patron in good standing with a valid Connecticut public library card may use the machine. There is no charge for this service and does not require any purchases.
"The OWL Box responds to the busy life of working adults and families. Libraries are essential and this allows even more residents that full and free access to essential information that entertains, enlightens and informs" said White.
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OWL Acquires New Eric Carle Museum Pass
Oliver Wolcott Library is excited to announce a new Library pass for the Eric Carle Museum in Massachusetts! The pass allows for free admission for two adults and four children.
The Eric Carle Museum, located in Amherst Massachusetts, is the first full-scale museum in the country to be devoted to national and international picture book art. The museum houses three rotating galleries featuring picture book art from around the world, a hands-on Art Studio, an auditorium for performances, films and lectures, a library for reading or storytelling, and a Café and Museum Gift Shop. Currently on display in the west gallery is an exhibit of Eric Carle's work revolving around the theme of friendship. The exhibit is in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the publication of Carle's book Do You Want To Be My Friend? and features illustrations from this book as well as several other of his books with the friendship theme, such as The Tiny Seed and The Lamb and Butterfly.
Oliver Wolcott Library passes are available to Litchfield residents and tax payers, and can be borrowed for a period of three days. Passes cannot be reserved and are on a first-come, first-serve basis. To learn more about the other great passes the Library owns visit their website www.owlibrary.org and click on Programs, or stop by the Library today and ask at the circulation desk.
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Joe Adorno and Ray Mascetti, Co-chairs of Italian Heritage Cultural Committee of UNICO-Torrington Chapter present a check to Oliver Wolcott Library Director Ann Marie White for an upcoming author program with Mark Rotella on Thursday, May 12th (details below).
Oliver Wolcott Library receives three grants
The Oliver Wolcott Library received three grants to support its programming. The Community Foundation of Northwest Connecticut and the Connecticut Humanities Council awarded the Library a $575 grant to host a lecture on the History of Railroads in Northwest Connecticut with a focus on the railroad history of the Town of Litchfield. The program will be presented by Laura Katz Smith who is the Curator for the Business, Railroad and Labor Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center of the University of Connecticut in Storrs and will be offered to the community in October of this year.
The Junior Women's Club of Litchfield Hills awarded OWL a $250 grant to purchase phonics books to help support beginning readers. Phonics is the foundation of learning to read and is absolutely necessary when teaching reading because it allows the child to hear, see and apply their knowledge of letters and words.
The Litchfield Education Foundation awarded OWL a $989.60 grant to fund a special summer reading program entitled "The Eric Berlin Lunch Bunch." The program will be for children in grades fourth through sixth and is a summer-long program focusing on the work of popular children's author Eric Berlin. The weekly "Lunch Bunch" will gather to enjoy a pizza lunch while discussing books by Berlin. The program will also feature a special visit by the author himself.
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Grants provided to OWL
Story Time to Go Kits
Teen Summer Reading Program
Outreach Suitcase
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