By Margaret Woodruff, director

Library Reminders

Time to mask up
Due to the increase in COVID cases, the CDC has issued new masking recommendations. As our policy throughout the pandemic has been to follow their guidance, we are now asking all library patrons, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear masks indoors. As always, we appreciate your commitment to keeping our community safe.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month
Here’s the word from the American Library Association:

Marley Dias, author, executive producer and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, is joining the American Library Association and libraries nationwide in promoting the power of a library card this September.

As honorary chair, Dias wants to remind the public that signing up for a library card provides access to technology, multimedia content and educational programming that transforms lives and strengthens communities. “A library card provides an opportunity for discovery and access to a rich and diverse world. It empowers you to make change and experience new stories,” said Dias.

Visit your library online or in person to see what’s new and take part in the celebration. Libraries across the country are participating.

Do you have friends who don’t have library cards? Invite them to sign up during September. Get a Library Card.

Happening at the Library

Grange on the Greens: Will Patton Trio
Thursday, Sept. 9, 5–7 p.m.
The last concert of the season! Join us for live music on the town green. Activities for children provided by the Charlotte Children’s Center, sponsor of the event.

Friends Book Discussion: All Creatures Great & Small
Thursday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. via Zoom
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world’s most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny and tragic animal patients.

For over 40 years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot’s marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Register to join us.

Charlotte Seed Library Garden Chat
Friday, Sept. 10, 11 a.m. via Zoom
The garden season is winding down. Share your triumphs and get answers to your garden puzzles with Linda Hamilton and Karen Tuininga. Register here.

Media Literacy: A Conversation with Journalists in Town
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m. via Zoom
Sources of media, from CNN to Reddit, have never been more abundant. Just in our town, residents can read the Charlotte Bridge; The Charlotte News; the Citizen … plus Front Porch Forum, Facebook and local email groups. Yet more freedom of information also brings more opportunities for disinformation, declining trust in established news organizations, and increasing popularity of conspiracy theorists.

Join us for a conversation on media literacy with Adam Davidson, Christina Asquith and Jesse Wegman, national journalists and founders of The Charlotte Bridge. Adam co-founded Planet Money and has been a staff reporter for the New York Times and the New Yorker. Christina reported for newspapers and radio for 20 years before founding her own nonprofit news organization, The Fuller Project. Jesse is an editorial board member of the New York Times.  Register here.

The Great Vermont Dragon Egg Hunt
Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 15
Traditionally, every September in Killington, Vermont, there is a celebration of Vermont public libraries at the Vermont Fairy Tale Festival. Unfortunately, it has been cancelled this year. But, in its place, over 100 Vermont libraries will host The Great Vermont Dragon Egg Hunt. Watch for clues to find the Magic Egg here in Charlotte. The lucky person who finds the egg will bring it to the library to claim the prize, a Folkmanis Dragon puppet. Stop by the library after Sept. 15 to pick up your first clue. Dragon take-and-make kits will be available at the library all month to continue the celebration.

Men’s Book Group: A Libertarian Walks into a Bear
Wednesday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m.
A Libertarian Walks into a Bear is the sometimes funny, sometimes terrifying tale of what happens when a government disappears into the woods. Complete with gunplay, adventure and backstabbing politicians, this is the ultimate story of a quintessential American experiment—to live free or die, perhaps from a bear. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Mystery Book Group: A Body on the Beach
Monday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.
Sensible Carole Seddon doesn’t have the tolerance to deal with her new bohemian neighbor Jude. But Jude doesn’t seem so bad when Carole discovers another addition to the neighborhood: a dead body on the beach bearing two wounds on its neck. Copies available at the library circulation desk. Join us via Zoom.

Climate Action with 350.org
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 5:30 p.m. via Zoom
This summer we are seeing the climate crisis get frighteningly and increasingly severe. Scientists are telling us that the window for preventing runaway climate change is closing fast. We must act boldly now to protect communities today and safeguard a viable future for our children and grandchildren.

Share your thoughts and learn what Vermont is doing about the climate crisis. Your voice is needed to ensure that we take meaningful and effective action!

Vanessa Rule, co-founder of Mothers Out Front and Better Future Project and 350Massachusetts, and now Lead Organizer of 350Vermont, will talk about the state’s plan for action, why it is critical for Vermonters to raise their voices and be engaged in the process, and how we can do that. Join the conversation.

Practical Earth-Honoring Skills for Everyone
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m. via Zoom
How can we create an ecological civilization without cultivating an ecological psyche first? At its foundation, developing an ecological psyche involves reclaiming and diversifying our sense of relational intimacy. Nutritive and connective, this class is for anyone feeling fatigued or overwhelmed about climate change. Basic earth-honoring skills decentralize humans from the global story and wake us up through joy and relatedness. Kendra Ward is a local traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who teaches and writes about the cultivation of an earth-honoring worldview as it relates to our health, well-being and sense of deep belonging. You can learn more about her work on her website. Register for this program here.

For the latest information about programs, books and activity kits, sign up for our monthly newsletter: Charlotte Library Newsletter.

Library Contact Information

Margaret Woodruff, Director
Cheryl Sloan, Youth Services Librarian
Susanna Kahn, Tech Librarian
Phone: (802) 425-3864
Email the library