What is a cryptid? It’s a mysterious creature that has been claimed (but never proven) to exist, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster.
Join Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen, the author and illustrator of Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird and Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State, for a presentation on Connecticut’s cryptids – including a special look at our local Bethany cryptid, the Downs Road Monster. The presentation will take place in the Library’s Community Room on Saturday, October 12, starting at 3:00 PM.
For more information about the book and its creators (as well as special bonus stories!) you can visit the Connecticut Cryptids website at www.ctcryptids.com.
Be sure to look for us at the 2024 Bethany Harvest Festival! The Friends of the Library will be hosting a bake sale, there will be a raffle to win a Halloween gift basket, and if you don’t already have a library card, we’ll have everything you need to sign up for one!
The Festival takes place at the Old Bethany Airport (695 Amity Road) on Sunday, October 6, and lasts from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.
Have you seen our new book displays? To reflect Library Card Sign-Up Month’s Transformers theme, we’re showing off books that prominently feature vehicles of all kinds, from submarines to spaceships – and a few about robots, as well. Stop by to learn about our many modes of transportation, read about characters on road trips and cruises, or get inside the mechanical mind of a machine!
As promised, we have collected some of the many photos taken during the 5th Annual Public Art Exhibit into a short video commemorating the event! Thank you again to everyone who helped to make this year’s Public Art Exhibit our biggest success so far. This video will remain available to view on the Library’s YouTube channel as well as the Arts@Clark! page on our website, under Previous Events. We hope to see you again next year!
Clark Memorial Library’s hours of operation will be changing starting this week! Our new hours are as follows:
Tuesdays – 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM Wednesdays – 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM Thursdays – 10:30 AM – 7:00 PM Fridays – 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM Saturdays – 10:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Adult Summer Reading Raffle! The complete Butterfly Tree, which showcases our adult patrons’ favorite books from their childhoods, will temporarily be on display upstairs in the magazine area. It includes books and series for the full range of young readers, from picture books to full-length novels and everything in between. The full list of submissions is below; whether you’re reminiscing or looking for a new favorite, there’s sure to be something for you!
Adult Summer Reading Submissions: A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett A Series of Unfortunate Events (Series) – Lemony Snicket A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith A Wizard of Earthsea – Ursula K. Le Guin A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery Appointment with a Stranger – Jean Thesman “B” is for Betsy – Carolyn Haywood Berenstain Bears (Series) – Stan and Jan Berenstain Black Beauty – Anna Sewell Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey Danny the Champion of the World – Roald Dahl Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet – Jane O’Connor Fantastic Mr. Fox – Roald Dahl From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – E. L. Konigsburg Go, Dog. Go! – P. D. Eastman Gooseberry Park – Cynthia Rylant Harriet the Spy – Louise Fitzhugh Judy Bloom (Author) Julie of the Wolves – Jean Craighead George Knight’s Castle – Edward Eager Little Critter (Series) – Mercer Mayer Little House on the Prairie (Series) – Laura Ingalls Wilder Little Women – Louisa May Alcott Madeline – Ludwig Bemelmans Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel – Virginia Lee Burton Miss Nelson is Missing! – Harry Allard Misty of Chincoteague – Marguerite Henry Nancy Drew (Series) – Carolyn Keene Pinkalicious – Victoria Kann Popcorn – Frank Asch Rosebud – Ed Emberly The Babysitters Club (Series) – Ann M. Martin The Contented Little Pussycat – Frances Ruth Keller The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein The Hobbit – J. R. R. Tolkien The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis The Little Engine That Could – Watty Piper The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry The Little Red Hen – Folk Tale The Little White Horse – Elizabeth Goudge The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Language – Ursula Nordstrom The Secret of the Caves (Hardy Boys) – Franklin W. Dixon The Story of Doctor Dolittle – Hugh Lofting The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Uglies – Scott Westerfield Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein White Fang – Jack London
Libraries – more than meets the eye… roll out with a library card. September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!
Library Card Sign-Up Month is a national campaign to emphasize the importance of library cards to a child’s education and to combat illiteracy. The campaign first started in 1987 as a response to then Secretary of Education, William Bennett, who stated: “Let’s have a campaign … Every child should obtain a library card and use it.” The American Library Association (ALA) teamed up with the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) to start the campaign, and sent a telegram to Secretary Bennett saying, “We accept your challenge.”
If you don’t already have a library card, stop by and fill out an application form! You can also download one from our website to fill out in advance, then bring it in along with a current Bethany address. It’s quick and easy, and you’ll gain access to many free resources at Clark Memorial Library – as well as countless more through the LION consortium and theborrowIT CTlibrary resource sharing program.
