Read Books in your Email!

Join the Library's Online Book Clubs and start receiving chapters from popular books in your daily email. Everyday, Monday through Friday, we'll send you a portion of a book that takes only five minutes to read.
During the week, you'll have a chance to read 2 or 3 chapters, enough to know if it's a book you want to finish. You can read a wide variety of books including fiction, nonfiction, romance, business, teen and mystery books.
The Online Book Clubs are a free service of the library. You don't even need a library card. Just give us your email address and five minutes a day, and we'll give you the exciting world of reading. Just click on the "Read Books in Your Email" link on the right hand side of this blog page and sign up today!

Do you have a hobby or collection you'd like to share?

The display case in the Flinn Room of the Springfield Town Library often holds local treasures or information that can be overlooked on a quick visit to the library. The next time you stop by, take a look up in the Flinn Room (where the newspapers and magazines are kept) and check out the display case. Right now you'll see a historical display of skiing in Springfield, on loan from the Vermont Ski Museum.

Do you have a hobby, collection or historical artifacts you would like to put on display and share with the town? Please call the library at 802-885-3108 or email springfieldprograms@gmail for information about how to share your items. The display case was donated to the library by Ascutney Mountain Audubon in memory of Herman S. Young.

Vermont Products Basket Raffle!

Not one, but TWO baskets will be raffled off this year at the Library Open House on Friday evening, December 3rd. Tickets are available at the Main Desk, $2.00 per ticket or 3 for $5.00. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Springfield Town Library (F.O.S.T.L.). There will be free tickets for the Children's Basket available at the Open House. A big Thank You to all the generous donors who made these fabulous Vermont Products baskets possible!

The Old Tavern, Grafton, VT - overnight stay for two with full country breakfast

Vicky Day's Preserves at Cherry Hill Farm - a selection of handmade currant preserves in a crate made by Vermont Wooden Box Co.

Drew's All Natural, Chester - a selection of organic salsas and salad dressings

Greely Road Cafe - their fresh roasted coffee and roasted almonds

Robert Barlow- Barlow's Maple Syrup

Gallery at the Vault - Whisper Hill's bath soaps, salts & soap dish

Springfield Food Coop - Silly cow cocoa mix, Vermont summer sausage, Wood's Pure Cider Jelly

Coger's Sugar House Gardens - Two handpainted glass ornaments, made in VT, Whisper Hill kitchen soap

Wellwood Orchards - pickled garlic, honey creme, maple syrup

Woodbury's Florist - gift certificate

The Vermont Country Store - Vermont Common Crackers, Cookie Buttons

Tina's Hallmark - Vermont Life Calendar

Halladay's Harvest Barn - three of their dip mixes

The 2nd basket was made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. The 2nd basket includes some of the above items.

First Wednesday Book Discussion - December 1 5:30-6:30pm

Pick up a copy of Jacqueline Winspear's, Maisie Dobbs at the library and after the pies, the travel, the cooking, the clean-up, the turkey - sit down with a cup of tea and finish off the rest of this original mystery. Then join us on December first at 5:30 for a lively discussion in the Flinn Room at the library.

"Meet Maisie Dobbs, who in 1929 launches her career as a private investigator and finds herself drawn back into the Great War she thought she'd long since put behind her: an unexpected beginning for Maisie-and a rare treat for mystery fans." Charles Todd, author of A Fearsome Doubt

Nanowrimo? Come Write In! Friday, November 5th - 5:30-8:00 pm

It's a First Friday celebration in Springfield and your library will be hosting a write-in from 5:30-8:00 pm in celebration of National Novel Writing Month. The write-in is open to all ages. The library will provide paper and pens, pencils, several computer stations, free wi-fi - and refreshments to feed those writing muscles!


Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month, founded in 1999 by Chris Baty and about twenty other writers. In 2008, there were over 119,000 participants and more than 21,000 of them crossed the finish line. It's a hands-on writing adventure where everyday people all around the world bash out a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. No judges or entry fees. Just a whole lot of fun. There's still time to sign up, visit: www/nanowrimo.org and look for local organizations hosting parties and write-ins.


Nanowrimo isn't just for amateur writers. Several authors works including Sara Gruen's best selling novel, Water for Elephants began as a nanowrimo challenge.

What is Your Library Worth to You?

How much would you pay out of pocket for your library services?

• Enter in the left hand column the number of times per month you or your family use each service.
• Estimated retail value of each service will be calculated on the right.

TIP: Tab between entries and do not use commas. Have fun!

Library Use Value Calculator

New this fall - online book discussions!

Many of you have said that you love the books we pick for the monthly adult book discussions, but aren't able to make it to the discussion night at the library. Starting this month, you may join the Springfield Library book group online! I've created a Yahoo group where you will be able to ask a question, post an answer to a discussion question and let everyone in the group know what you think about the book. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/springfieldlibrarybookgroup

Happy Reading!
Nancy T
Library Staff

The Fall Newsletter is here!

Check out all the great things happening at your library this fall! Click on the link below to read the "green" version of your library's newsletter.
http://www.scribd.com/full/37487345?access_key=key-x84apiylm8kn5mx6rnb

Mockingjay is here!

Finally!! We have two copies--get yourself on the waiting list! And if you haven't read the first two books in the series yet (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire), what are you waiting for?

Hints for the Library YouTube Contest!

If you haven't visited YouTube and watched the Springfield Town Library promotional video featuring a wacky cast of characters - check it out by clicking on the title above!
Win a pair of Sony wireless headphones by trying to guess all ten characters, authors, musicians, historical figures, etc in the video. We'll help by giving some hints along the way. Then just write down your guesses and drop them off at the library. The winner will be drawn from those with the most correct guesses.


Hint #1 - The "woman in red" is a character from a mystery series written by a Vermont author whose first and last name initials are the same letter.
Hint#2 - The man who "is not all there" has a first name, do you know what it is?
Hint#3 - The woman with the sign around her neck and a rat on a leash is the daughter of a historical figure. We don't know her name because she was always referred to as "The__________Daughter."

The winner will be drawn on September 7th, 2010! Have a laugh with the staff and happy guessing!

Hawks Overhead! Thursday, August 19th at 6:30pm

Join Alma Beals, Phil Morgan and Marshall Wheelock as they tell how the Putney Mountain Hawk Watchers got started. The presenters will use slides and stories to explain season migrations and demonstrate how to identify hawks with life size silhouette cutouts. These dedicated birders will provide you with a wealth of information so that you can be ready to identify raptors overhead during the fall migration. Co-sponsored by the Nature Museum, Springfield Town Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon and partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. Refreshments served.

Losing Libraries

Library journal has launched the "Losing Libraries" website to chronicle what's happening to libraries across America as a result of the economic downturn. http://www.losinglibraries.org/ Thank you to our patrons, Friends and community members who so strongly support the Springfield Town Library, your center for information and knowledge and your community gathering place.

Book Sale

The Friends of the Springfield Town Library (FOSTL) will be holding their annual book sale to benefit the Springfield Town Library this Saturday, July 24, from 8:00am to 4:00pm at the National Guard Armory on Fairground Rd. in North Springfield.

"A Day in the Life of a Library Page" YouTube Contest!!

The staff at your library have been hard at work on a YouTube promotional video for the library! We hope you have fun watching it and please pass along the fun to your friends. After you watch the video you're invited to enter a library contest to win a pair of Sony wireless headphones. These headphones are great to use to listen to tv without disturbing others in the room and will connect to audio systems as well as tvs.

What do I have to do to win these snazzy headphones, you ask?

There are ten characters/authors/artists portrayed in the video. Guess all ten characters correctly and you will be entered into the drawing for the Sony wireless headphones. You may write down your answers and drop them off at the library or email your answers to springfieldprograms@gmail.com. You must be a Springfield Town Library patron to enter and entries will be accepted through Tuesday, September 7th. One entry per person.

Holiday Closing

We will be closed Saturday July 3, and Monday July 5, in observance of the July 4 holiday.

The Summer Newsletter is here!

Just click the link below to get a pdf copy of the newsletter or to read this environmentally friendly copy of The Springfield Town Library's Summer Newsletter!



http://www.scribd.com/doc/32526310

Summer Hours

We will be starting our summer hours: Mon-Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 10am-1pm starting in June and continuing through August.

We will resume our regular hours of: Mon-Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 10am-3pm starting in September.

Vermont Mammals, Thursday May 27th at 7:00 pm

Kim Royer, Wildlife Biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife will discuss how the shift from forest to agricultural land in the 1800's affected the populations of furbearers such as wolves, fisher, bobcat and beaer and how the farm abandonment in the late 1800's to mid 1900's influenced bobcat, coyote and fox populations. Kim will have pelts and skulls from many Vermont mammals available to see and touch.

This program is part of a series that is created through a collaboration with the Springfield Town Library, The Nature Museum and Ascutney Mountain Audubon. It is partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. For more information please call the Nature Museum at 843-2111 or the library at 885-3108.

We will be closed for Memorial Day weekend

We will be closed for Memorial Day weekend Satuday, May 29 to Monday, May 31. We will reopen for our normal hours on Tuesday, June 1.

Plant a Kitchen Garden with Ellen Ogden Thursday, May 20th at 7:00 pm

Vegetables are gorgeous and in this presentation, Ellen proves that ornamental edibles can be just as exciting and rewarding as a flower border. Featuring photographs and original kitchen garden designs from her new book, The Complete Kitchen Garden (January 2011; Stewart, Tabori and Chang), food gardeners will be inspired to take a fresh look at their vegetable gardens with an eye towards design and color and reap the flavorful harvest.

Topics covered in this presentation are how-to site the vegetable garden, building healthy soil, how to design a creative garden with seeds and plants as your paintbrush and what to plant for success. Ideal for the cook who loves to garden, this program will provide ideas to inspire the gardener to transform their ordinary vegetable garden into an extraordinary kitchen garden.

New ListenUp! Vermont titles

Look for these new Listen Up! Vermont audiobook titles, ready to download any time day or night! Can't find what you are looking for on Listen Up!, then try Netlibrary's digital audiobooks. All titles are available all of the time. Just click on the Audio Book Download tab on the library website. http://www.youseemore.com/Springfield/about.asp?p=9



The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

61 Hours by Lee Child

The Body of Death by Elizabeth George

Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton

Eight Days to Live by Iris Johansen

Lit by Mary Karr

Oprah by Kitty Kelley

Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

The Lake Shore Unlimited by Sue Miller

9th Judgment by James Patterson

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts

The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear

Lucid Intervals by Stuart Woods

Patron Appreciation Day! Monday April 12th

Library staff and Trustees want to say "Thank you" to all our loyal patrons and show our appreciation for the strong support from the community over the years. Free home-baked goods will be available throughout the day, along with an "Amnesty" on overdue fines this week.

Tips for those who have not received a 2010 Census questionnaire or who need help filling out their questionnaire

Help for those who have not received a questionnaire:

Residents with regular mailing addresses who did not receive a questionnaire in the mail will automatically have a second one mailed to them in early April. If they still have not received a questionnaire by April 12, they can call our toll-free help line and request that one be mailed to them. This applies to residents with regular mailing addresses AND to those who have P.O. boxes. The toll-free number is 1 (866) 872 6868. If residents call before April 12, they will be sent a replacement questionnaire ONLY if they can provide the ID number from their original questionnaire (which they won’t have if they never got the questionnaire to begin with).

Questionnaires also are available at a number of Be Counted centers around the state. These questionnaires are for people who did not receive a form at their home, believe they were excluded from the questionnaire they received at their home, or do not have a place to stay and were not counted by any other method. The addresses of the Be Counted sites can be found on the home page of our web site, http://www.2010census.gov/, via the box titled “Need Help with Your Form?”

A very small group of Vermont communities will not receive questionnaires at all. They will only receive a visit from an enumerator. The visit will take place between March 22 and May 29. These towns include, in the northwest, Alburg, Isle LaMotte, North Hero, and parts of Highgate, Swanton, St. Albans, Milton and Georgia; in south central Vermont, Killington and parts of Mendon; and in the south, Ludlow, Landgrove, Peru, Winhall, Stratton, Somerset, Dover, Searsburg and Wilmington.

After April 12 residents can call the toll-free line and ask to fill out the questionnaire over the telephone.

It's a little tricky to get past all the recorded information on the toll-free line to a human being, so here is a primer:

1. Call the Census Helpline at 1 (866) 872 6868.
2. When the recording answers, wait until it asks you if you want to order a census form in English or another language (that will be the second option given, so you don't have to wait very long). Say "request census materials."
3. When the recording asks "Which would you like?" and starts to give you options, hit O (zero). That will take you to a live operator. Tell the operator you would like to request a replacement questionnaire or fill out your questionnaire over the phone.

Help for those who need assistance filling out their questionnaire in English or another language:

People who need help filling out the questionnaire they received can visit a Questionnaire Assistance Center. The addresses of the Questionnaire Assistance Centers can be found on the home page of our Web site, http://www.2010census.gov/, via the box titled “Need Help with Your Form?”

Printed census assistance guides are available on our http://www.2010census.gov/ Web site in 59 languages. Go to the flashing multi-language scroll bar on the left side of the home page and click on a language in the scroll-down window. Information on how to access the in-language assistance guide is at the bottom of the in-language page. Also, videos on how to fill out the form are available in 34 languages. The 34 in-language "It's Easy" form-filling videos are posted on the in-language pages. If a video guide is available in that language, it will be visible on the right hand side of the in-language page. Please check back often for additional languages.

Three in-language "It's Easy" form-filling videos – English, English LGBT and Spanish LGBT - are found in the Multimedia Center of the 2010Census.gov site at:
http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter/fill-out-your-form/index.php?v,n22

Help is also available over the telephone in five languages other than English:

Spanish: 1-866-928-2010

Chinese: 1-866-935-2010

Korean: 1-866-955-2010

Russian: 1-866-965-2010

Vietnamese: 1-866-945-2010

Help for those with visual or hearing impairments:

The number for the Telephone Display Device (TDD) for the deaf is 1-866-783-2010

A video on how to fill out the form is available in American Sign Language in the Multimedia Center of the www.2010census.gov site at:
http://2010.census.gov/mediacenter/fill-out-your-form/index.php?v,n22

Those who are visually impaired can ask a telephone help-line operator to mail them a census assistance guide in Braille or large print after April 12. Call 1 (866) 872 6868.

Also, the large print census guide can be accessed on the 2010 Census Web site and printed out. Here is the address: http://2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/langfiles/LAG_LargePrint.pdf

The Braille census guide can also be printed out but a Braille machine is required. It is available at: http://2010.census.gov/partners/brf/census10.brf

If all this fails and residents are not able to fill out their questionnaire by April 19, they don’t need to worry. A census enumerator will visit their home between May 1 and early July to collect the information in person.

If you have any questions, please call Helen Simon, partnership specialist, at the U.S. Census Bureau in Williston, Vt., at (802) 264-0856, or email her at helen.j.simon@census.gov

Updated March 31, 2010

This information provided courtesy of the Vermont State Library and the Vermont office of the US Census.

The Rush to Save a Thrush! Wednesday March 31 at 7:00 pm

Chris Rimmer from The Vermont Center for Ecostudies will lead this informative program about the Bicknell's Thrush, a land bird species of highest conservation concern in North America. The species is at risk from a variety of threats to its breeding habitats, including recreational development, telecommunication construction, wind-power development, acidic precipitation, mercury deposition, and climatic warming.

This program is part of a series that is created through a collaboration with the Springfield Town Library, Ascutney Mountain Audubon and The Nature Museum. It is partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

For more information please contact The Nature Museum at 802-843-2111 or email staff@nature-museum.org or call the library at 802-885-3108.

A Trio of Marvelous March Programs!

Thursday, March 18th at 6:30 pm -Dr Warner Jones
Dr Jones, a retired physician from North Springfield will talk about his recent book, "Minor Memoir: an Anecdotal Autobiography of a Country Doc." Dr. Jones practiced internal medicine for 46 years after medical school. He simultaneously achieved his goals of being a pilot and an Air Force officer, reaching the rank of Colonel and the positions of Chief Flight Surgeon and Commander of his military unit.

Thursday, March 25th at 6:30 pm
Animal CSI with Laurel Neme Ph.D.
Laurel Neme, author of "Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species" will give a fascinating talk on animal product smuggling, highlighting the scientists who work to stop it. Laurel lives in Shelburne, Vermont and is an international consultant specializing in natural resource management. She has worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Find out more about Laurel Neme and listen to her radio program at http://www.laurelneme.com/

Wednesday, March 31st at 7:00 pm
The Rush to Save A Thrush
Chris Rimmer from The Vermont Center for Ecostudies will lead this informative program about the Bicknell's Thrush, a land bird species of highest conservation concern in North America. The species is at risk from a variety of threats to its breeding habitats, including recreational development, telecommunication construction, wind-power development, acidic precipitation, mercury deposition and climatic warming.

Don't forget to check out our new facebook page! Just click on the facebook link on this page!

Scrabble!

Calling all Scrabble fans! Play Scrabble at the library on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 11:00 - 3:00 pm.

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER: Alaskan Archaeology program with Frank Kelley

We have decided to postpone Frank Kelley's, Alaskan Archaeology program tonight due to weather concerns. We have rescheduled the program for April 29th at 7 pm, so mark your calendars!

Snow!

Your library is open today and enjoying the snow! Please call the library for program cancellation updates and any early closing information - 885-3108. Safe travels to anyone who has to be out and about today, but it is a great day to stay home with a cup of your favorite warm beverage and a book!

Archaeology Adventure: an amateur archaeologist in Alaska and Vermont Thursday, March 25 - 7:00 - 8:00pm

Frank Kelley, a middle school teacher from Chester/Andover will give an exciting presentation about the expedition he joined while in Alaska and about more local digs in Vermont. This program is co-sponsored with the Nature Museum and Ascutney Mountain Audubon and is partially funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund. For more information, please call the library. This program is free and open to the public.

New Online Resources

We have added some new online resources tied to some our print reference items. These are available for use both in the library and elsewhere:

Encyclopedia of Global Warming

Great Lives From History: Notorious Lives
Magill's Medical Guide
Milestone Documents in American History

If accessing these links from outside the library, you will need to go to the link and click on the "Remote Access Login" tab, then enter the barcode number from your library card (with no spaces).

Free Tax Help!

An AARP tax aide will be at the Springfield Town Library on Wednesdays, beginning February 10th. Tax help is available for taxpayers with low and moderate income, with special attention to those age 60 and older. Please call the library to make an appointment and for a list of items to bring with you to your appointment.

Check out our new Facebook page and become a fan of the Springfield Town Library

Now we won't stop blogging, but we have added to our ways to communicate with you about events, information, and other news at the library using Facebook! Click on the the Facebook logo on the right hand side of the blog, or the link below, to check out the new page and become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/people/@/192858151081

Animal Tracking Program

On Thursday night January 14th, Lynn Miles from The Nature Museum in Grafton brought a stuffed turkey, a stuffed mink and many examples of animal tracks and animal scat for us to try and identify. Thirty eight people and a Cub Scout troop filled the Flinn Room for the first part of the evening while Lynn showed slides of animals and their tracks, and gave us lots of information about the way animals walk.

Folks had some great questions for Lynn, and then we all made tracks to the Children's Room where Lynn had set up several stations for some hands on track-making and identification. The jars of animal scat were a big hit! Each jar was numbered and we tried to match the numbered scat to the corresponding animal number.

The Nature Museum of Grafton, The Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society and your library have partnered to bring you a series of programs this year. Coming up next - Archaeology Adventure: an amateur archaeologist in Alaska and Vermont on February 25th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Please join us!

A special thank you to The Friends of the Springfield Town Library for providing refreshments for all of our programs, and a thank you to the Wellborn Ecology Fund for partially funding the programs.

Friends Open House December 4, 2009