David Dobbs - providing a gift of vermont authors

Last Fall David Dobbs, local author, library supporter, family guy, blogger, and generally fun person, came to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library with a great idea: how about a monthly program series by local authors talking about their passions. We thought this was a great idea and invited David to organize this series for the Library. He's done it and it's great. So far we've had David speak about his love of neuroscience, Eric Zency talk about the second law of thermodynamics, David Goodman talk about Dick Cheney and this week we will hear from Jody Gladding as she talks about her love of slate. Jody is also a trustee of KHL. The series is called, Why I Love What I Love. Each month there is a page-long interview in The Bridge with that month's author and each program is videotaped by ORCA Media. The programs are viewed on the public access channel and a DVD copy of the presentation is available at the library. The programs are always on the second Wednesday of each month - no programs in July or August. David is already gearing up for next year's selection. If you see David around town - please thank him for his gift to us.

Join us this Wednesday, February 13 at 7pm in the Hayes Room for Why I Love Slate by Jody Gladding.

Lea Wood, poet and so much more!

On Saturday, February 9th, Lea Wood held her premiere poetry reading at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Although Lea has been writing poetry for years, make that decades, she enjoyed her first poetry reading yesterday in celebration of her first published book of poems, Wind & Water, Fire & Stone. Lea's poems appear in five categories: Wheel of Life, Kinship, In Love, Earth First, and Living my Life. Lea Wood has such a presence when reading her poems. I could have listened to her read all afternoon.
Here is one of her poems chosen for its timeliness:

LIVING THROUGH WINTER

On winter mornings I'm drawn
to the red line encased on the bird feeder.
The air's relation to zero will determine my day.
at twenty-two below I want to crawl into a book;
snuggle under my favorite sheep fleece
and reach for hot tea, lose myself in a fictional world
and stay there 'till spring!
Tasks call with faint voices
until guilt pushes me out.

At twenty-two above I emerge from dormancy
the iron clamp of cold loosened.
The glitter of sun on snow, the white-draped pines
blossoms of snow on bushes begin to delight me.
Each year I vow against the immobilization
of winter's long, dark hours,
and each year I'm caught in that black net.

Well, bears hibernate, trees rest, the very earth sleeps.
Perhaps living through winter with living words
is the way!
Underhill, VT 2003

Lea is donating the sales of her books to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. They are available at the library. Thank you Lea for being a wonderful supporter of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library!

Food in Rural China Program postponed

Last night's program, The Culture of Food in Rural China with Middlebury Professor Ellen Oxfeld has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, April 30th at 7pm. We hope you can make it then!
For more information on this program you can read the January 28th post on this blog.

Annual report

Annually, the library director submits a report to the board of trustees on the prior year's activities. Hilari Farrington's excellent report on 2007 can be found here. (Link will open a Microsoft Word file. Go to our web site to find other versions.)

Lunch in a Foreign Language adds Russian and Chinese

Lunch in a Foreign Language at the Library

We've added two new languages on Monday to this very popular daily program! On Mondays, we will open the Hayes Room to those wanting to practice Chinese and Russian. If you'd like brush up on your foreign language skills in these or other languages, come to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library with a bag lunch and a dictionary. We open the Hayes Room to a different language group each day, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Tell your friends!
Mondays : New! Russian and Chinese
Tuesdays: Italian
Wednesdays: Spanish
Thursdays: French
Fridays: German

Food in Rural China

FIRST WEDNESDAYS PROGRAMS
FEBRUARY 6, 2008 at 7pm ~ The Culture of Food in Rural China. Drawing on her own fieldwork, Middlebury College Professor Ellen Oxfeld explores the social and cultural importance of local foodways in rural China. Despite the fact that globalization has brought "fast food" and other western food habits to urban China, local foodways still flourish in rural China. Food in rural China is used not only for nourishment, but also to create and sustain social relations, and as a token laden with symbolic meanings.
A Single Pebble of Burlington is a sponsor of this program. Chef Steve Bogart will be in the library, too!
Dr. Oxfeld is a Professor of Anthropology at Middlebury College. She is a graduate of Williams College and holds a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Dr. Oxfeld recently returned from a sabbatical year in rural China.
First Wednesdays is a program of the Vermont Humanities Council hosted by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Philip Baruth

Author Philip Baruth attended legislative day for Vermont's public libraries. His remarks can be found on his blog, or you can listen to them at VPR. An excerpt:

When I was a kid, there was always one job that had to be done before you could string the lights on the Christmas tree: you had to check every single bulb individually because if one was bad, the circuit wouldn't close, and the whole string would remain dark. It was a hassle but it prevented an even worse hassle — getting the lights all wound into the evergreen branches, plugging it in, and then having no idea which one of a hundred bulbs needed to be pulled.

I applaud the Legislature's attempts to wire up the state of Vermont, and it's going to be a beautiful thing when the job is done. For God's sake, though, don't skimp on the State's libraries as you do so, because they are already set-up institutionally to fill the digital gap; they're in place, they've rethought their mission, and they're performing the job admirably as we speak. But unless we support them financially in that role, this vast string of fiber-optic Christmas lights we're working on isn't going anywhere, not really, not in any ethical or moral sense. In that sense, the system will remain dark until everyone has access to the light.

And we're not here today to kid ourselves. Bringing the light to those without it costs money: 1.6 million dollars, and an absolutely spectacular bargain at that price.

State aid news article

The Times Argus ran a front-page article on state aid for libraries on Saturday January 12.

Legislative Day for Vermont’s Public Libraries

Friday January 18, 2008, 8:30 am – 11:30 am

Statehouse in Montpelier

Come to the Statehouse on January 18th for an important kick-off to our state funding initiative! We will meet in the Card Room, on the second floor. (The Card "Room" is really the hallway before you enter the cafeteria.)

Arrange to meet with your lawmakers and ask them to support state funding for public libraries and the statute that enhances library patron confidentiality. The best way to do this is to contact your lawmakers in advance and set up a time to meet them in the cafeteria. The VLA government relations committee has prepared a three-page case statement for state aid. Copies will be available on January 18; e-mail Martin Hahn (see below) if you would like a copy in advance. Follow this link to obtain contact information for your senators and representatives: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/legdir2.htm.

Bring as many people as possible – patrons, trustees, friends, and supporters.

Schedule

8:30 – 10:30 Meet with your legislators.

8:30 – 11:30 Come to the card room and distribute flyers and stickers. Meet and greet legislators.

10:30-11:00 Brief remarks, card room.

Wear Red!

Parking – Take exit 8 from I89; take second left to Green Mountain Drive. A shuttle runs frequently to the statehouse from behind the Department of Labor building. Follow this link for map: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/sthouse/locate4.htm.

See you on January 18^th!

For more information, contact either of the co-chairs of VLA's government relations committee:

Martin Hahn, mhahn[at]kellogghubbard.org

Lisa von Kann, lvkann[at]stjathenaeum.org

Have lunch in a foreign language at the library!

In 2008, we thought that we'd try a new idea for those of us who would like to revive our rusty foreign language skills:

LUNCH IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
AT THE KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY
Starting January 8th, 2008

Want to brush up on your foreign language skills? Come to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library with a bag lunch and a dictionary. We’ll open the Hayes Room to a different language group each day, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. This is a do-it-yourself program. Tell your friends! (Monday is still open to another language group upon request.)

Monday : (to be announced)

Tuesday: Italian

Wednesday: Spanish

Thursday: French

Friday: German