Pittsfield's Roger Clark Memorial Library

As 2009 comes to a close we would like to thank you for your support. Not long ago Roger Clark Memorial Library closed its doors. Today, through the hard work and determination of our volunteers, the library is a place that offers the newest best-sellers for both adults and children, programs for all age groups, and events that bring the community together.   

In the past three years you, our community, have donated thousands of hours of your time: covering library shifts, cataloging new books, updating the filing system, keeping our web page current, fund raising, writing grants, producing programs, buying books, maintaining the library’s technology, updating furniture and many other behind-the-scenes jobs.

We are proud of all that we have accomplished in 2009, and you should be too; without your time, donations and contributions, none of this would have been possible. It is our hope that Roger Clark Memorial Library will continue to grow
as a place for sharing our community’s knowledge, talents, and interests while providing an inviting space for you to browse the Library’s growing book collection.

•     Stream walk and wildflower identification walk in collaboration with U.S. Forest Service
•     Books to shut-ins and offer to deliver books via holiday baskets from the Women’s Alliance
•     “Listen-Up” audio book downloads available to all patrons
•     Summer community potluck dinner
•     Family game night and potluck dinner
•     Many work days for processing new books, cataloging, organizing, cleaning, and more
•     Invitations to speak at Vermont Town Officer’s Conference and Dept. of Libraries seminar detailing the success of our revitalization efforts
•     Purchasing books from Vermont independent book stores, resulting in book donations that support our youth programs
•     Updating the collection with self-raised funds and support from the Turrell Fund
•     Annual book sale at the Pittsfield Bazaar ( $525)
•     Awarded a Turrell Fund grant for children’s books and programming ($3600)
•     Sold-out annual fundraising dinner and silent auction at Clear River Tavern ($2350)
•     “Art Fits Vermont” puzzle project for young adults
•     Community adventure race with Doug and Kelly Lewis
•     “Night Before Christmas” pajama party
•     Saturday music program or toddlers and siblings
•     Spring and fall after school programs
•     “Summer Saturdays” story and craft
•     Annual Halloween book giveaway
•     “Max the Reading Dog” for early readers


Wishing you health, happiness, and lots of reading in 2010!
 
The Volunteers and Trustees of the Roger Clark Memorial Library

Join us for a new Christmas ritual at Pittsfield's Roger Clark Memorial Library.  

We will read a few Christmas stories, enjoy wintery snacks and watch
the movie Polar Express.  Wear your PJs and bring pillows and blankets to sit on the floor for the movie.

Tuesday December 23rd at 6pm
.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 12th at 10am
Music for kids (toddler through 2nd grade, siblings of all ages welcome)

ZZZZZip!!!! A fabulously fun program of zipper songs sung and written by YOU! The term, “Zipper Song” was first used by Lee Hays of the folk group, The Weavers. It refers to a song that has a line or word that will easily zip out and let you zip in a new line or word to create a new verse. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” is a great example of a zipper song, and there are so many more! How about “Mama Don’t Allow” and “Jim Along Josie”! Join us in singing some great traditional and contemporary children’s songs. Children and parents alike will enjoy making up new verses for these songs! Children’s educator and musician Susie Smolen will lead us in song with accompaniment on the guitar, ukulele, and Appalachian dulcimer.

Kids of all ages have been dancing, singing, giggling and wiggling to
wonderful songs and silly stories. Interaction and imagination make
Susie Smollens musical entertainment a hit with both kids and parents.
Felt story boards, audience participation and changing themes have
proven a successful recipe leaving kids wanting more.  Please join us on
Saturday, December 12th at 10am for the next Saturday Morning Music
Mania!

The After School Program wrapped up it’s fall program with a Theatre Workshop led by Justine Calnan.  In this two part series divided by age groups the kids got to act out their favorite animals, play theatre games, and explore their imaginations.   It was a great success and we’d like to give a big thanks to Justine.  

While Justine was working with the younger kids the older kids were off playing charades and ended the day with a fun game of apples to apples.  On the day that Justine was with the older kids, Traci was excited to be back in the library with the younger kids for story time.  She read  Where The Wild Things Are  with a very enthusiastic group of crafters who set out to make Wild Things of their own.

Traci would like to thank all the parents who heeded the call for more support for the After School Program.  Your presence is much appreciated.  She is looking forward to the next programming and encourages any community members who have any talent, experience, craft, or idea to share with our after school kids to give her a call.  If you are not sure what you could do but are interested in running a program give her a call and she can set you in the right direction.

Thanks again to all the volunteers who ran each program and to our great community of kids that keep this program going.

See lots more photos HERE

The RCML trustees will have a special meeting Tuesday November 24th at 7pm to discuss the future of the Library (and Town Office) building.

Thanks to all who participated in what proved to be a very fruitful work day at the Roger Clark Memorial Library on Sunday, November 15th.  Seven adult volunteers, five young adults and even a second grader spent the day, cataloging, cleaning and organizing.
 
Thanks to Del'rae and Madison Merrill for spending hours alphabetizing the card catalog; Wyatt Merrill for dusting and putting stickers on the catalog cards; Nancy Blessing for butterscotch brownies and taking her data input job very seriously.  Special thanks to Traci Templeton for the Herculean task of  organizing the shelves containing art supplies and many other unidentifiable objects; Angelique Lee for fudgy chocolate brownies and organizing the day, assigning tasks so that no one was without a job to do; Cassie and Dejah Lee along with Eliana Ruben for cataloging, cataloging, cataloging ….
 
Many thanks, as always to Susie Martin, for her bottomless knowledge and unflagging volunteerism.
 
Thank you to Tom and Julie at The Original General Store for donating the tasty pizzas to nourish us all and to Marion Abrams for delivering them to the work crew.
 
Many new books were put on the shelves, stop by and check them out!!!

~submitted by Sharon Mayer

Please join us for a work day at Pittsfield's Roger Clark Memorial Library on Sunday November 15th from 10 to 2.  Pizza will be served, bring drinks and snacks to share.
There is lots of work to be done, and no skills or experience needed.  Jobs range from carrying boxes, to typing cards, and making displays to vacuuming.  Remember we are a 100% volunteer library, without your help we don't exist!

We have a special need for good typists and their laptops during our next work day. We have come up with a way to speed up the book cataloging process using laptops and Microsoft Word (or most other word processing software). If we all work together we should be able to catalog a hundred or more books! I promise it will be easy and incredibly rewarding to get some great books out onto the shelves. If you think you'll be there, shoot us an email and I will send you the MS Word templates we'll be using (we don't have WifFi in the library so you'll need them in advance). I'll give everyone a quick tutorial on Sunday.

Thank you to Pittsfield's General Store for donating Pizza.

Please spread the word.  Saturday's music program has been postponed.  Susie Smollen's music for kids "Dinosaurs" program will now be held Saturday November 21st  at 10am at the Roger Clark Memorial Library in Pittsfield.

Thank you Joanne McDonnell and Max for spending two days at our library encouraging young kids developing their reading skills. Max is a perfect gentleman (with the spiffiest dog coat this writer has ever seen) and always gentle, sweet, and attentive to his young readers. Joanne's obvious joy and interest in the children was spirited and wonderful, we are so fortunate to have their team as a resource in our valley.

If you missed Max, LET US KNOW. Max and Joanne would love to come back we just need two or three kids available to keep them entertained!