In This Issue
Dear Friends of The Athenaeum:
Thank you for subscribing to our new E-newsletter and for supporting one of the many ways we are trying to trim costs. More than 350 of you are now subscribers. Last month when Readings from the Gallery poet, Robert Bly, was unable to be with us due to an unfortunate accident, we were able to notify our E-Newsletter subscribers in advance - yet another benefit!
Work to complete the restoration of our original 1870’s windows and the installation of custom-designed interior storm windows is reaching its final stages. Along with other measures we have taken against infiltration by the elements, this will also help us cut fuel costs and provide greater UV protection for our valuable collection of books, furnishings, and art works. The next task to make our Landmark Building meet the needs of future generations is the restoration of the magnificent skylight in the gallery. We are working hard to raise funds for this major undertaking.
Our web site has undergone renovations as well. Visit This Week from the Gallery to enjoy our art collection right from your home, and an online catalogue of art works featured at our 2009 Gala auction. But please visit us in person, too.
Best regards,
Irwin
Summer is coming and we all want to spend more time outside than in. Perhaps that also includes trips to town and to the library? For those of you traveling less, for whatever reason, there are new resources on the Athenaeum’s web site that will allow you to connect with our collections from wherever you and your computer are.
Our entire catalog is searchable online, and you can renew and reserve materials right from the Web. But now there’s more. Downloadable audio books are now available through a library consortium called Listen Up! Vermont. With nearly 1,000 titles including fiction, non-fiction for both youth and adults, you can download books to any MP3 player, Windows compatible iPod or to a CD. Just click the Download Audio Book button on our Home page for our instructions page.
Our new Resources page contains a number of extraordinary databases including the Vermont Online Library (VOL) that contains a vast collection of full text articles from world newspapers, journals and books in subject areas from health to business. The databases from Wilson Biographies and Heritage Quest, as well as the full text version of the Encyclopedia Britannica with hundreds of video and image files can be found on this page, too. In addition the Resources Page has special links for students. The Book Lovers section has links to some of the best resources on the Web for book reviews and literary information.
All this is free with your library card. So go on and play, beach it, sit on the porch and admire those flowers as you connect with the library resources at the Athenaeum's web site . Enjoy!
Lisa
Readings in the Gallery
Join us for our 16th annual Readings in the Gallery summer series with a three-part program featuring nationally recognized poets. Readings take place at 7:00 PM and are followed by a reception and book signing.
July 1
Donald Hall at the South Congregational Church
July 15
Garret Keizer and Rigoberto Gonzalez at the South Congregational Church
Sept. 9
Marge Piercy at the St. Johnsbury School
Please note that this year's programs will not be held at the Athenaeum. Please note locations.
Other Events
July & AugustIn the Upstairs Gallery - Exhibit of monotype paintings by Margaret Lampe Kannenstine.
Last fall's trustee challenge resulted in over $35,000 in new and increased annual fund donations. Thank you, again, to all our loyal supporters.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded the Athenaeum a grant of $4,000 to create a plan to preserve the gallery’s priceless art and book collections, and to train staff and volunteers to care for our collection. The Windham Foundation awarded us $10,000 to help defray some of the cost of installing new interior window glass that will protect the collections from harmful ultra-violet light, and considerably reduce our heating fuel expenses.
If you have not made your annual fund donation, it is not too late, download our Annual Fund Pledge card.
We’d like to welcome Wendy Hansen to the Athenaeum’s staff as the new Development Officer. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Oregon. For over twenty years, Wendy has been working on a variety of architectural and community development projects. Her greatest joy is when arts, culture and historic preservation are an integral part of the projects and programs she helps bring to fruition. Wendy is originally from the Boston area, and currently lives in St. Johnsbury where she is restoring an historic house and looking forward spending time in her art studio.
Summer Reading Program in the Children's Library
The theme of this year's program, from June 20 - August 3, is Be Creative!. Our goal this summer is to promote reading and listening skills and to have fun celebrating our creativity. Teachers, librarians and parents know the importance of maintaining the reading habit during the summer months and we would like to help your child develop a lifelong love of books and reading. We hope to see you at the library this summer.
Our summer reading program is open to everyone, not just children who read on their own, but also those who are read to by parents, grandparents, siblings and caregivers. All you have to do is register at the Children’s Library at the Athenaeum to receive a reading log to keep track of the books you read over the summer (any books qualify, not just library books).
Join us as we explore the visual arts, music and other creative activities. Registration starts June 20th.
Download the Summer Reading Program brochure and calendar.
Summer is here! Time to relax with a good book. Here is a sampling of some of our staff favorites. For more summer reading suggestions, download our complete list.
Barefoot by Elin Hilerbrand - The perfect beach read! Two sisters and their friend head to Nantucket for the summer and each is battling their own burdens - cancer,job loss, and marital problems. They all go through a transformation and the book ends being a lot deeper than you expect. FIC HILDERB
The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives by Sarah Strohmeyer - This book is very much like a soap opera but is so funny you won’t be able to put it down! FIC STOHM
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner - The perfect book about sisters and forging one's own path in life. After one of the sister’s betrays the other, they both set off on their own to change their lives, but reunite in the end, showing that the bond between sisters can’t be broken. FIC WEINER
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - This first novel by Wroblewski is magnificent. The life story of Edgar Sawtelle and his dogs is beautifully written, Shakespearean in style, and grabs the reader from the first paragraph. A book that is hard to put down. FIC WROBLE
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear – Set in England before, during and after World War I, this series combines political intrigue, romance, and, of course, a mystery to be solved. This series about the life and work of the main character is sure to get you hooked. Books in the series include: Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies, Messenger of Truth, An Incomplete Revenge, and Among the Mad. MYS DOBBS
Gray Whale Inn Mysteries by Karen MacInerney - Texan Natalie Barnes risks everything to purchase the quaint, picture perfect Gray Whale Inn on Maine’s Cranberry Island. Unfortunately, or fortunately for us, she keeps discovering murders. Books in the series include Murder on the Rocks, Dead and Berried, and Murder Most Maine. MYS MACIN
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - The remarkable, bold, mysterious and surprising beginning of a mystery trilogy set in Sweden. The second book in the series, The Girl Who Played with Fire, comes out in August. FIC LARSSON
Listening to Stone by Dan Snow – Reflections on stone wall building and the tools of the craft. Includes beautiful photographs. 799 SNOW
Paul Newman, a life by Shawn Levy – A biography of the actor. 791.4302 LEVY
The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser – An investigation into one of the greatest unsolved art thefts. 364.16 BOSER
The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay - This is a wonderful book for those who love stories about books, eccentric characters, and self discovery within the heart of New York City. As an extra bonus, take all this and add a literary mystery and you have a great summer read.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout - Beautifully written, this story brings poignant experiences to the reader through one focal character. Whether it is Olive herself, a family member, a neighbor or just someone who brushes past or through her life, we are witness to the intimate connections they all share. This winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is a must read.
From the Gallery - The Argument by Thomas Waterman Woods
T.W. Woods was born in Montpelier, Vermont and maintained close ties with Vermont throughout his career. The Argument, painted in 1874, was commissioned by Horace Fairbanks and it is taken from a larger work by Woods entitled The Village Post Office. The three gentlemen who posed for the painting are reported to be Calvin Bullock, R.H. Whittier and a Mr. Boyden. They are probably debating a political story in the newspaper - debating this subject is a favorite pastime for Vermonters. Woods became a supporter of the Athenaeum himself in later years presented the Art Gallery with a copy of Rosa Bonheur’s Plowing in the Nivernais. The art collection also contains Wood's On Guard purchased in 1874.
Visit this Week from the Gallery - where we highlight a different work of art from our collection.
High School Poetry Contest Winner - Sarah Carpenter
For the second year the Athenaeum held a spring poetry contest for high school seniors and juniors from Vermont. Seventeen young poets sent in poems from Williamstown to Wells River and everywhere in-between. Poet Jody Gladding was our judge. She chose one winner and three honorable mentions. The winning poem, reflection, by Springfield resident Sarah Carpenter will be read by her at the beginning of our first Readings in the Gallery on July 1, prior to the reading by poet Donald Hall. Honorable mention winners were Frances Cannon of St. Johnsbury, Anna Smith of North Ferrisburgh and Sarah Bailey of Williamstown.
reflection by Sarah Carpenter
i'm smashing the mirror
picking pieces of glass
out of my hand
the little shards
show my face
in tiny
disbelief
Attention - Music and Video Lovers
We’d like to see our music CD collection grow. If you have music CDs in good condition, please consider donating them to the Athenaeum. If you have any video DVDs in good condition that you would like to donate, we’ll happily accept them, too.
New Vermont State Parks Pass & Leahy ECHO Center Pass
Now available at the Athenaeum is a free one-day use pass for Vermont State Parks and the ECHO Center in Burlington. The State Parks Pass will admit one vehicle and up to eight people and can be checked out from the library for three days. It can be used at 36 parks that are open for day use. We are grateful to the State of Vermont Department of Libraries and the State Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation for providing this great new resource for our library patrons.
The Library ECHO Pass allows up to two adults and three youth admissions to ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, for just $2.00 each.
For more information or to reserve either pass call the Athenaeum at 802-748-8291.