Be Creative @ Voluntown Library

Sign up for Summer Reading begins Thursday June 18 @ Voluntown Public Library. Remember, the library will have activities for all ages, and looks to be an inspiring, inventive, and unique summer with the theme. Look for  programs, author visits, crafts, reading fun, music, and more at Voluntown Public Library. Readers, and their younger siblings are invited to take part.

Reading is essential for children to retain what they have learned from school over vacation. Without fun reading through the summer, learning can leak away making it harder to get back on target when school resumes.

This does not need to be dull and dreary. Let your child choose books that stimulate their interest, even if it is not at their grade level. This is summer afterall. Let them have fun. Encourage them to try to be creative and teach themselves something new - such as cartooning, cooking, gardening or even telling jokes. Perhaps they can explore the myriad of new nonfiction books to explore the lives of artists, presidents, and many others. Even if your child prefers a comic book or a graphic novel, let them read it. They ARE reading, and that is what counts as keeping the learning leak from occuring.

Since the theme is to be creative, check out the huge collection of crafting, and art books for all ages. Take the time to show your child a creative skill that you learned as a child from a grandparent or someone else. You will find that it will reinspire you and fill you with satisfaction at passing creative knowledge to your children. And don’t forget, let them catch YOU reading.

2009 Events

 Upcoming Spring Events at Voluntown Public Library (updated 4-06-09)

 March - Art Month! See the display of artwork by Mrs. MacBride’s art class students from Voluntown Elementary School in the Library display case. It will be here a little while longer!

April is Poetry Month!

April 1 Wednesday – Young Writer’s – 5 – 6 p.m.

April 7 Tuesday – Story Time 10 a.m.

April 7 Tuesday – Knitters and Crochet Group 6 – 7:45 p.m.

April 9 Thursday – Library Board of Trustees meeting – 6 p.m.

April 21 Tuesday – Story Time 10 a.m.

April 21 Tuesday – Knitters and Crochet Group 6 – 7:45 p.m.

April 25 Saturday 11 a.m., Tuesday April 28 6:30 p.m. adult program: Extreme Home for the Girard Family - ”A Chronology of Project 615, Voluntown Connecticut “ with  author  David P. Schulze, AIBD, Nationally certified in Building Design by NCBDC. Each identical session is limited to 30 attendees, please choose the time that best suits you. Mr. Schulze’s books will be available at the program for purchase.

April 29 Wednesday – Writer’s Group – 7:15 p.m.

May 2009

May 5 Tuesday – Story Time 10 a.m.

May 6 Wednesday – Young Writer’s – 5 – 6 p.m.

May 14 Thursday – Library Board of Trustees meeting – 6 p.m.

May 19 Tuesday – Story Time 10 a.m.       

May 27  Wednesday – Writer’s Group – 7:15 p.m.       

May 30 Saturday at 12:30 James Adams will present Cedar Flutes, combining history with art as well as story telling. 

 

Other events TBA

 Summer Reading Theme – Be Creative @ Voluntown Library begins Thursday June 18, 2009. If you have a program idea or a creative skill you would love to share with the community, and especially the youth, for this summer, or anytime, contact Deborah Fleet or Sharon Geer at Voluntown Public Library, 860-376-0485, vltnlib@yahoo.com Don’t be shy, sharing your skills and knowledge is a great way to promote community and volunteerism in our town.

 Many thanks to the library staff and volunteers who have helped at the library during my recent absence/injury. I am hoping to be back in full swing soon.

Deborah Fleet

Library Director

Voluntown Public Library to receive Japanese Translated Books ALA/Toyota Grant

Voluntown Library is one of 200 libraries in the nation to receive this collection of 50 translated books including fiction, science fiction, non-fiction, historical, and Manga. We are one of 6 libraries in Connecticut receiving this grant. The others are Franklin, Canterbury, Hartford, Rowayton, and Suffield. They should arrive at Voluntown Library soon.

Click here for more  information about the Japanese books we are receiving through the grant from ALA and Toyota Corporation. There is a list of the libraries receiving the books, and a pdf link for the book titles we will receive.

Extreme Community Quilt Complete!

Voluntown Library presents Extreme Community Quilt

(L to R) Cheryl T., Janice S., Sharon G. (VPL Staff), Deborah Fleet (Library Director), Melanie C.

Just a quick update on the quilt. Wednesday evening several women met together to tie the quilt and to blind stitch the binding at Voluntown Public Library in Voluntown, Connecticut. We completely finished by 9 p.m. Wednesday evening, having begun planning the previous Saturday morning. I spoke once more with Billy Roberts, Design Producer for Extreme Makeover, and was told to call Thursday morning. Due to the Extreme busy-ness of finalizing everything at the build, I could not reach him, so a small entourage of the quilters joined me to walk to the site. We waited in the icy rain, sloshed about in the mud, then were moved to the VIP tent. While standing in the VIP tent, I met (the late) Thom Girard’s sister, Elaine, and so I told her the particulars and details about the quilt and its conception so she can share it with Carol Girard after all the excitement. A couple times we were moved on to the garage, only to be forced back to the tent due to filming. Eventually, I was the last one holding the bag with the quilt, so I waited in the laundry room, amidst the painters touching up, and caught glimpses of Ty and the crew, and got to scream in the background “Wow, look at that chair!” and similar such things as furniture was moved in. I wore the mandatory white hard hat propped on my signature red beret!
After speaking with several different people, I was finally sent to bring the quilt into the Master Bedroom, but as we went in, Ty was being filmed, and we were again sent out to wait in the laundry room. I did see a couple Voluntown locals volunteering, but they couldn’t help me, until one of the volunteers, Kara Giroux, who also worked on the quilt with the group, came by. Thus, I commited the quilt into her hands as she set off to find the designer. Failing that, she approached Ty Pennington himself by the Master Bedroom, and told him the story of the quilt and the community quilters. He personally took the quilt!
There have been a number of people still wanting to sign the quilt, but it is out of our hands, and in the hands of the Girard family at this time.
This has been an exciting an interesting project that was initiated with social networking tools – mainly facebook, and its instant messaging potential, e-mail to some extent, and telephone calls. I am amazed at how this project brought together a bunch of people from the community who never cross paths at the library, and also drew people who do not typically use the library. Well over 100 people signed the backing, and 23 various women created quilt blocks, planned, laid out the pieces, trimmed squares, tied and finished the quilt. Several plan to continue meeting with our “Nutty about knitting, Crazy about crochet” group. In early 2009 we plan to harness the power of the group to create warm cozy quilts and afghans for Project Linus! Who knew that creating such a positive community collaboration would also strengthen programs and outreach at the library! This has been a highly appreciated, exciting  and rewarding collaborative effort of women of the community of Voluntown.

Deborah Fleet, Library Director

Extreme Community Quilt Underway!

Saturday Morning, after speaking with Christelle Lachapelle, and then Billy Roberts, Design Producer for Extreme Homemakeover at Voluntown for the Girard Family Extreme Makeover, I initiated an effort for an extreme community quilt for the Girard Family. I was given the go ahead by Mr. Roberts after being given a color scheme for a bedroom, and began meeting with interested women at the library. As of Tuesday night, the quilt top is complete. Photos available on my facebook – Deborah Fleet threadbee@sbcglobal.net.

Here is the link for the article in the Norwich Bulletin this morning: Exteme Community Quilt Project

Today, Terry Allard is laying out the quilt face, the fill, and the signed backing at the Voluntown Town Hall to baste the piece together so that we can begin and finish tying the quilt/coverlet Wednesday evening (tonight) when the library closes at 6 p.m. til ?

Deborah Fleet, Library Director, Voluntown Public Library

 

Quilt Top - Finished! ready to make "Quilt sandwich"

Walk in Holiday Crafts for Kids – TODAY!

This is it folks, one of the busiest and most popular program that our library offers: Walk in Christmas Crafts for kids – ages 5 and up. (If you have a younger child, they may attend providing you give them your full attention and assistance). It is happening today, December 2, at Voluntown Public Library from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hope to see you there!

Summer Reading Closing Party – The Day the Library Went Wild featuring Jay Mankita

Summer Reading closed with a fabulous party – refreshments, prizes and great entertainment by Jay Mankita performing The Day the Library Went Wild.

Jay Mankita Voluntown Library August 2008

It was awesome. Not only did Jay share some wonderful tunes, great guitar, entertaining lyrics ( hmm, a twist of some old favorites, cleverly disguised!), and a remarkable Voyager fueled in part by recycled used vegetable oil – yes the stuff that fries your fries at the fast food joints, but Jay also spent some time with the older kids, the teen volunteers, and let them play his guitar! His is a clip of Jake and Dan playing his guitar.

(Videos require signing into facebook).

TV (Teen Volunteer) Jam and Appreciation Bash Success!

A few weeks ago, local teen group “Sonnie” performed for the end of summer TV jam and appreciation bash. It was a loud and wonderful time at the library that rocked the books, the staff and patrons. Teens enjoyed music, refreshments (pizza, soft drinks, cookies) and each other’s company as well as received prizes for volunteering throughout the summer. The library summer reading program highly appreciates the teen volunteers and what they do to make the program a huge success at Voluntown Public Library. Bravo!

Summer Reading draws to a close

It seems I just wrote about the start of summer reading, when BAM! here it is, the end again. It has been a whopping success! 77 children completed the program reading a GRAND TOTAL of 2,124 books read with each youngster reading anywhere from 1 to 176 books! 30 children were read to in the read-to-me program at total of 1,131 books. The remaining 47 readers read 993 books for themselves. Awesome! Tuesday night is library night at Dodd Stadium and I can’t wait to see the Defender’s. Em and Jake will man the desk at VPL for the evening. The rest of us should be there.
Don’t forget Friday is the closing event with Jay Mankita and his Veggie Voyager. Participants are bringing refreshments. Be sure to bring a blanket, or lawn chair, hat, whathaveyou. Bring your camera! See you there.

More later!

The Buzz about Summer Reading

The secret is out, Summer Reading starts June 18 at Voluntown Library. The contagious theme: Catch the Reading Bug!