New Vermont DVD Review by Claire

Bryan Pfeiffer hosts a new Vermont DVD called "Birding in Vermont" a year long bird- watching tour, produced by Vermont Public Television . Pfeiffer's enthusiasm for birding is contagious. From the more common birds, Chickadees and Snow Geese to the unusual Bicknell's Thrushes, Pfeiffer explains where birds can be found, how to identify them and why birders can get competitive. He talks about the equipment a birder needs and field guides to use, but he also takes the viewer to some of the special places in Vermont where birds can be found. The scenery is often just as interesting as the birds Pfeiffer is tracking. From Otter Creek and Dead Creek to Herricks Cove and Moose Bog, Pfeiffer travels through out the state in all of Vermont's seasons. This 54 minute DVD can be watched by the entire family. It will give everyone a new appreciation for some of the 300 species of birds that live in Vermont during a year.

Review by Claire, Kellogg-Hubbard Librarian

We want to hear from you!

The Library's Program and Policy Committee is embarking on a new plan for the future and we want to hear from you. Surveys are now in the library and the response as already been great. We'd particularly like to hear specific comments and suggestions on how we can serve you better.

Watch our website, as we hope to have the on-line survey up and running in the next few days.

Thanks!

What Hilari has been reading

Kockroach by Tyler Knox, was an unusual book for me to choose. Although lured by several glowing reviews, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly, I anticipated that it just might be one of those books that I'd return to the library after the first chapter or two. But I was surprised to find a book so clever, so well-constructed and so funny that I'm now waiting for other family members to read it so just so that I'll have someone to discuss it with!

Here's a quote from the Publisher's Weekly review:

"Kafka's Metamorphosis is turned on its antennae in this roaringly entertaining noir novel. Knox's debut begins with a cockroach waking up to find he has been transformed into a man. Kockroach, however, doesn't lapse into despair, but instead demonstrates the relentless survival instinct of his species by learning how to get by in the human world. Helping him is pint-size Times Square hustler Mickey "Mite" Pimelia, who sees in Kockroach (or, as he's known to humans, Jerry Blatta) his ticket to the top. Sex, organized crime, violence, betrayal and success follow for Kockroach, whose insect's sense of amorality aids his ascent. Knox's inhuman antihero's tale is told in flawless noir style—Kockroach's coldness juxtaposed against Mite's bitter self-recrimination in a seedy, smoky 1950s New York—and Kockroach's insights into that New York are perversely delightful. The book's conceptual cleverness is ultimately eclipsed by the epic story line, making for a compelling story of greed and power that is more Chandler than Kafka. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Gift of Flowers

The crocus bulbs that were planted by The Master Gardeners are in full bloom and bringing smiles to our faces. What a delight to look at the many crocuses in the garden near the School Street entrance. Many perennials are pushing through the ground as well. Watch as the garden grows - it's magnificent. We owe this beauty to Jane Lendway and Georgia Valentine who organize Master Gardeners from the Washington-Orange Chapter of the Vermont Master Gardeners to plan, plant and weed our gardens. Thank you to the Master Gardeners for this gift.

This week in the Children’s Library

Storytime is taking a break this week. However, we do have two April Vacation Specials. On Tuesday, April 17 at 10:30am join us for Critter Kids with Carly. You will be inspired with stories, songs and games about nature. We welcome children ages 4 to 10 in the Hayes Room. Carly offers Critter Kids Summer Camp in Worcester, VT. Pamphlets can be found on the community board outside of the children's library.



On Friday, April 20 at 10:30am local musician Colin McCaffrey will help us celebrate Earth day. Colin and students from Union Elementary School will sing original songs from the CD “The River Gives to Me”, about the Winooski River. This program is open to children of all ages in the Hayes Room. Check out the children’s library programs on our website, here.

Did you know that the children’s library has a different phone number than the adult library? It’s 802-223-4665.
See you at the library!

An Evening at the Library - DVD

Linda Leehman from Video Activist Lab of Vermont videotaped and edited “An Evening At The Library, Honoring Vermont Author Katherine Paterson”, an event that was held at the Kellogg Hubbard Library in December. It definitely was an evening to remember.
Senator Patrick Leahy told stories about living in Montpelier and using the library as a five year old. Katherine Paterson read from her new book “Bread and Roses,Too”. If you were here for the celebration December 2, 2006, you’ll want to watch the DVD to be reminded of what the speakers said, of how the music sounded and the magical feeling that everyone seemed to catch. If you were not able to attend you will now be able to see what it was all about.
This 45 minute DVD is available to check out at the library and was produced by ORCA, Onion River Community Access.
This year An Evening at the Library will be held on Saturday, December 1, 2007!
DVD review by Claire, KHL Librarian.

THE SNOW WALKER

Directed by Charles Martin Smith
Starring Barry Pepper and Annabella Piugattuk
2003 - a DVD Review
This wonderful film is based on the short story, "Walk Well, My Brother", which appears in an anthology of short stories titled, "The Snow Walker", written by Canadian icon, Farley Mowat. (We have this book at the library.) This story takes place in 1953 in northern Canada. We’re introduced to the main character, Charlie Halliday, in a rowdy bar. Charlie, played by Barry Pepper, is an arrogant, loud, heavy drinking, bush pilot. After a night of carousing he’s off on a job flying two businessmen to a remote location. On his return, Charlie lands on an island where an Inuit family convinces him to fly a young woman, sick with tuberculosis, to Yellow Knife. He agrees only after being paid with ivory tusks. Charlie and Kanaalaq, played by Annabella Piugattuk, crash in an uncharted lake on the frozen tundra. As the story unfolds, we are treated to the beautiful, spare, landscape of the arctic. Charlie is at a total loss in this wilderness. Kanaalaq, in her weakened state, demonstrates her skill for survival, saving Charlie’s life as he is overcome by nature’s cold winds, deep mud, swarms of mosquitoes, and starvation. With grace and wisdom Kanaalaq teaches Charlie how to live on the tundra, by hunting and fishing for food, sewing clothes, and working with nature. Charlie comes to admire and respect Kanaalaq and the customs and beliefs of the Inuit, a sharp change from his previous stance. The story is very moving, powerful and visually stunning. Check it out at the library! The call number is DVD 791.43 S.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1922-2007

I Love You, Madame Librarian
by Kurt Vonnegut / In These Times

"I, like probably most of you, have seen Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Its title is a parody of the title of Ray Bradbury’s great science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451. This temperature 451° Fahrenheit, is the combustion point, incidentally, of paper, of which books are composed. The hero of Bradbury’s novel is a municipal worker whose job is burning books.

And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries. "

Library funding update

As noted in an earlier post, Kellogg-Hubbard was largely successful on town meeting day. We asked the six towns in our service area for $318,000, and $304,000 was approved. Hilari Farrington and I will propose to the board changes to the budget to make up for the $14,000 shortfall. At this point we do not expect that we will have to reduce hours to make up the lost revenue.

A critical source of support for the library is charitable contributions. In 2007, we have budgeted $147,000 in gifts from individuals and businesses. To-date we have raised $37,675 compared to $23,570 for the same period in 2006.

We are ahead of last year for a couple of reasons. First, a business that gave us $5,000 last year gave us the same amount this year, but earlier in the year. Second, we received two major gifts: $6,000 from a relatively new donor, and $10,000 from a donor who gave us $5,000 last year. Third, and sadly, a number of long-time patrons have died and we have received gifts in their memory.

I am inspired by the generosity of these donors. I have been involved in fundraising for some time, and Kellogg-Hubbard has an unusually high number of dependable donors – people who give year after year – and also a number of major donors who give willingly and at increasing levels.

Don’t forget, you can make a donation to Kellogg-Hubbard online.

Community outreach

The library’s community advisory committee met yesterday. This is a board committee with representatives from all the towns in our service area; they guide our annual requests to taxpayers.

We have begun planning for 2008 and one of our goals is to increase communication with town residents on library funding issues through community newspapers and newsletters:

Times Argus
Montpelier Bridge
Washington World
Middlesex Newspaper
The Grapevine, Worcester
East Montpelier Signpost
Maple Cornet Net (e-newsletter)
School newsletters

Periodically, I will use this weblog to provide updates on Kellogg-Hubbard's finances, which will then provide us with narrative to submit to these publications. I welcome you input on the content and tone of these posts. (We know there are a few readers of our blog out there. We subscribe to Sitemeter which counts the numbers of “hits” to our blog. For the week April 2-8, we had 79 visits. Of course many of these visits are posters and our family members who log on to admire our wit and wisdom. But I suspect there may be a few readers outside of the library, and we welcome your comments.)