In This Issue
Summer Hours and Closings
We've adopted the following summer hours starting June 1 - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 10:00 to 5:30; Wednesday: 10:00 to 7:30; and Saturday: 9:30 to 3:00.
July 14 and 15 - Athenaeum closed for preparations for the Children's Library renovations.
July 14 through July 22 - Children's Library closed for renovations.
Friends,
Four years ago, I was given the distinct honor of becoming the Executive Director of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. Now, the time has come for me to pursue other interests that I have left simmering on the back burner. These years have brought me much joy, a wealth of new acquaintances, and an opportunity to learn from the priceless riches contained in the Athenaeum’s collections. Exhibits, concerts, and lectures have been part of the fabric of the Athenaeum since its founding. I tried my best to build on this legacy.
As I prepare to step down, it is the people I worked with—staff, volunteers, patrons, visitors, and trustees—who will remain uppermost in my mind. Without them my job would not have been possible, and I shall always remain grateful.
St. Johnsbury has been given a great gift of an exceptional library and a distinguished and unique art gallery. It has served this community well for 140 years. May it continue to serve future generations for many years to come!
Irwin
Library patrons may notice lots of free books on shelves near both the front and ramp doors and wonder what's going on? The answer is that we are "weeding" or deaccessioning books. Libraries need to do this for several reasons. The information in the books may be out-of-date, the books may have been popular once but are no longer circulating or the condition of the book may be bad. Shelves that are overcrowded with material that rarely circulates make it harder to find good, current titles. But don't worry, we keep the classics and the out-of-print books that you count on finding at your library.
Later this year, we will be migrating to new library software. We are excited about KOHA, an open-source, Web-based application. Our patrons will find more flexibility and exciting new features as they explore our catalog, etc. from their browser. In preparation for this move, we urge everyone to make sure that their library card has been updated with your most recent information.
On Display - Our Distinguished Guests
In July and August the Upstairs Gallery will feature an exhibit titled Our Distinguished Guests: Exploring the First Thirty Years of Athenaeum Hall. The exhibit chronicles the famous guests who made speeches or visited during the first 30 years of the Athenaeum's existence. The exhibit was organized by Beth Kanell with contributions from Irwin Gelber, Bob Joly, Lisa von Kann, and Shara McCaffrey. You can find a blog with more details at http://stjathenaeum-hall.blogspot.com .
July 8 at noon - Author Reading and Pizza Party in the Children's Library
Author Jacob Grant,
formerly of the Caledonian Record, will read from his book, The Stormcaller. If you like magical kingdoms and dragons you'll like this fantasy. On the
Isle of Türmak, a power-hungry necromancer longs to resurrect the unholy
spirit of the Dragon. At his side is a legendary swordsman named Legion,
who has single-handedly crippled the kingdom of Freeport from defending
itself against the necromancer’s plot.Then Andrea, a young slave who has
magical powers beyond human comprehension, finds her way to Freeport and
the tides of war begin to change. But is her faith in her abilities strong
enough to stop even Legion? This is Book One in the epic Legends of Turmak, a planned trilogy, and is for readers third grade through adult.
Readings at the Athenaeum (formerly Readings in the Gallery)
Now in its 17th year, the Athenaeum summer series of readings continues to offer the opportunity to hear poets and writers read from their own works in the intimate and beautiful setting that no place but the Athenaeum can provide. This year the mix of writers and genres is delightfully rich. Familiar local names like poet Ron Padgett and novelist Howard Norman, reading from his new novel due out in July, are joined by less familiar names such as poets Mary Ruefle, Dianalee Velie and Adam Halbur, this summer's Poet-In-Residence at the Frost Place in Franconia, NH. David Hinton, of East Calais, VT who has been translating the poetry of the ancient Chinese poets for over 20 years will read from his upcoming book of essays. Brad Kessler, author of the lyrical book, Goat Song, will be reading and talking about his life with goats and cheese making in Sandgate, Vermont.
Readings will be held upstairs in Athenaeum Hall on four Wednesdays in July and August at 7 PM and are free thanks to the generosity of the people who contribute to the Fund For Poetry.
July 7 - Dianalee Velie and Howard Norman
July 21 - Brad Kessler
July 28 - Mary Ruefle and David Hinton
August 4 - Adam Halbur and Ron Padgett
This Year's Gala a Smashing Success
Trips, a kayak, vacation home stays, artwork, and tours were the highlights of this year's Gala silent and live auctions. Over a hundred supporters enjoyed champagne cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at the Welcome Center while bidding at both auctions. The event was a huge success raising over $15,000. Thanks to all who made this such a wonderful occasion.
Gallery Skylights Restoration Project-Three Restorations and One Reconstruction
In preparation for the Gallery Skylights Restoration Project, 
architects from the Albany, NY firm Mesick-Cohen-Wilson-Baker are currently conducting a painstaking investigation of the main skylight’s structural support system.
Visitors to the Athenaeum’s beautiful art gallery, built in 1873, are awestruck by this enormous, multi-paned, central skylight that filters light through decorative truss-work, illuminating the gold framed paintings below. However, this magnificent 12’x18’ architectural element is only one of four original skylights, designed by architect John Davis Hatch III, to highlight Horace Fairbanks'’s priceless art collection.
Flanking the central skylight are two smaller skylights that provide light to the north and south gallery alcoves. These skylights bring light from ornate rooftop monitors, down through a shaft, to what is called a lay-light – a frosted piece of glass at ceiling height – that gently diffuses the light throughout each alcove.
The gallery’s fourth skylight, located in the transitional link between the library building and the main gallery, was removed sometime in the early 20th century. Imagine how excited Athenaeum staff were when they located this skylight’s original glass in the attic! Using the historic glass, the fourth skylight (a 7-1/2 ft. square version of the central skylight) will be replicated based on historic photographs. After over half a century, the gallery’s entrance hall will be illuminated as it was originally intended.
Once completed, the Gallery Skylights Restoration Project will provide all four skylights with multiple layers of glazing that will protect the art collection from harmful ultra-violet light, will markedly conserve energy, and will reduce fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
While the Gallery is unavailable, please visit our art gallery online and continue to enjoy all the art work from the Gallery collection.
Young Poet Wins Athenaeum High School Contest
A young poet from Enosburg Falls, VT is this year's winner of the annual poetry contest for high school juniors and seniors. Savannah Trayah submitted the winning poem entitled Depth of Hell and won. The contest was judged by Poet Galway Kinnell. Savannah received a check for $150 and will be reading her poem at the beginning of the July 7th Readings at the Athenaeum program.
Patrons of the Athenaeum are familiar with the large portrait of Horace Fairbanks that hangs in the Fiction Room. The townspeople of St. Johnsbury hired Matthew Wilson, a very fine portr
ait painter from New York City to do the painting. The portrait was given to Horace as a thank you for building the Athenaeum. The cost of the painting was $1,000.
While painting this portrait, Mr. Wilson visited Mr. Fairbanks at his home at Pinehurst. Mr. Wilson painted Horace’s head and shoulders and did sketches of his torso. He finished the work at his studio using mannequins which he dressed in the proper clothes.
When the painting was presented to the family, Mrs. Fairbanks, in particular, objected to the way he was portrayed. The artist had Horace seated in a chair in his home but his legs were crossed. His wife did not think the pose was appropriate for a man of Horace’s stature and world prominence. The painting was promptly returned to Mr. Wilson at his studio and the request was made to uncross his legs! The painting was altered as requested and returned to the family. However, when it arrived, Mr. Fairbanks was sitting in his chair with his legs uncrossed but his feet were not realigned so he looks like he had two left feet.
Looking at the painting, a visitor once remarked, “You never want to get an artist mad at you.”
Did you know that library patrons can check out passes to the Echo Center in Burlington as well as passes to Vermont State Parks and historic sites? Passes provide free or reduced rates for families and can be checked out for three days. Thanks to the Vermont Department of Libraries for developing this great program.
Summer Reading Program
The theme of this year's statewide reading program is "Make a Splash". Each year libraries in Vermont sponsor a special program to highlight the importance of maintaining a child's reading level throughout the year. Children are given a reading log to track their books and receive a certificate at the conclusion. We also offer several fun events, including contests, crafts and performers. Registration will begin June 21 and continue throughout July. Schedules are available in the Children's Room at the Athenaeum or visit the Events page on our site.
Knitting Group A Hit
Every Tuesday afternoon, staff members Gloria Molinaroli and Karen
O'Donnell-Leach as well as teacher C.J. Farrer welcome a dozen or so
knitters to the Children's Library. It is a drop-in event, and we start around
3:00
and finish up at 5:00 PM. Our group, which includes children, teenagers,
and adults gather to learn to knit, to pick up tips, and to work on
individual and community projects. While most knitters are from the local
area, we recently had a family from Colorado join us! Please feel free to
join us anytime.
Adopt an Award-Winning Children's Book This Summer
Every year the children of Vermont read five books from a master list of
thirty titles selected by six prominent Vermonters in the library and
education field. The kids then vote for their favorite title, and the book
with the most votes wins the Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) award for that
year. Dorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer, social activist,
avid reader, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the
twentieth century. Eleanor Roosevelt named Fisher as one of the ten most
influential women in the United States.
While only one book is chosen to be the winner, all of the books represent great literature for those in grades four through eight. The Athenaeum's Youth Room currently owns seven of the 30 books on the DCF master list, but we are looking for wonderful people to adopt the other titles so our young readers can be exposed to this terrific writing. Please contact Gloria Molinaroli at 802-748-8291, ext. 303 for more information.
Vermont Reads
The Athenaeum staff is pleased to announce that we have just received a
Vermont Humanities Council award of 75 copies of Katherine Paterson's new
book The Day of the Pelican, which tells the story of the Lleshi family
in Kosovo and their remarkable journey halfway across the world to Vermont.
These books will be available to our patrons after July 1st. Grab a
copy and become part of the statewide Vermont Reads program for 2010. We
will be celebrating in October with a book discussion, the Balkan Chorus
Revival, and Balkan refreshments.
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. The first book in a new mystery series featuring archaeologist Ruth Galloway who lives near the Saltmarsh in Norfolk, England - an area that was sacred to Iron Age inhabitants. The disappearance 10 years prior of a young girl and a recent disappearance is at the center of this novel. Ruth's prickly character is engaging & the plot is engrossing. [Bonnie Dasher-Andersen]
The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. Ralph Cosham does a brilliant job narrating this riveting tale by Canadian author Louise Penny. Based in the fictional Eastern Township village of Three Pines, the tales focuses on the relationship between bistro owner Olivier and a murdered hermit whose small cabin houses a priceless art collection. This book on CD was selected as the Best Novel winner of the 2009 Agatha Awards. [Karen O'Donnell-Leach]
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. The unique thing about this book is that it is told from a dog's perspective. Instead of being corny, however, it is very insightful and a wonderful story about a man and his family. The main character is a race car driver who loses his wife and then has to fight his in-laws for custody of his own daughter. All this comes from what the dog knows about the situation and what the dog can see so you don't know what happens in the courtroom or behind closed doors. It is a great read and told from such a unusual perspective. [Amy Petersen]
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson. An excellent guide to the history of money. [Irwin Gelber]
A Question of Belief by Donna Leon. This book was just in time for summer. Leon has once again invited the reader to share in the life of Commissario Guido Brunetti as he battles the stifling Venice heat to expose a charlatan, investigate corruption in the court system, and solve a murder, all the while yearning to join his family vacationing in the mountains.[Shara McCaffrey]
To keep your place as you read this summer, download an Athenaeum summer bookmark.
Reeve Lindbergh Receives State Trustee Award
Athenaeum trustee Reeve Lindbergh was awarded the 2010 Vermont Library Association Trustee of the Year Award at the Vermont Library Association's annual conference on May 25th. Lindbergh has served as a board member for nearly nine years, including a year as Chair, and has participated in every aspect of the Athenaeum's many programs. Congratulations to Reeve and thank you for everything you have done to make the Athenaeum such a wonderful place!
In the coming months, we'll be conducting an informal training at the Athenaeum to help our patrons learn to use the document application that is part of the Google Docs online.It's easy to learn with its Word-like interface. Documents can be printed and/or emailed. As long as you have an Internet connection, you can access your saved documents at Google, no need to rely on a jump drive. Anyone who is interested in learning more about this initiative should contact newsletter@stjathenaeum.org.
Have trouble keeping track of your password? Password Safe will come to the rescue. This encrypted database keeps track of all your passwords and usernames. All you need to remember is the master password that you'll use to launch this free program. http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/
Need an alternative to carrying around a flash drive? Dropbox is an online storage site for your files. The application appears in the System Tray - drag and drop files to add them to your Dropbox. If you work both at home and a work location, Dropbox will let you access files from either location (you'll need to install the application on each computer you'll be using). You can also visit the Dropbox site and access your files. You get 2GB free storage. http://www.dropbox.com
Is your desktop a hodgepodge of icons? Fences is a wonderful free program that creates shaded areas called "fences" that organize desktop icons into customizable groups - put all your Microsoft applications in one fence, all your document shortcuts in another. You'll need to install the application Impulse before you can install Fences. Impulse: http://www.impulsedriven.com/ and
Fences: http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/
Secondhand Prose - Sizzling Summer Sale!
The Athenaeum's used book store Secondhand Prose will hold a Blow Out Book Sale for the entire month of July to clear out the store and make room for the many new donations that have come in. Prices for books will be $.25 for mass market paperbacks, $.50 for trade paperbacks and $1.00 for hardcovers. Excellent bargains for all!
Planned Giving - Please consider including the Athenaeum in your will. For more information, contact Wendy Hansen via email or by phone at 802-748-8291 Ext. 305.
Visit us on Facebook - Don't forget to become a fan of our Facebook fan page. It's a great way to keep informed of what's new at the Athenaeum.
Chess Anyone? - We have had some inquiries about establishing a Chess Club here for lovers of the game. If you are interested please contact us via email at inform@stjathenaeum.org.