Category Archives: Collection

Updates about new books, new shelf displays, and non-book items in the collection (puzzles, games, etc).

The Nutmeg Book Award allows students to choose their favorite books from lists of ten nominated titles in four age divisions (Elementary, Intermediate, Middle School, & High School) and vote for them in April. The Library is adding copies of many of next year’s nominees to its physical collection, but we also offer a curated reading list on the Palace app that includes ebook and audiobook editions of both the nominees and the most recent set of winners!

Whether you’re planning to vote or just looking for a good summer reading book, sign in to Palace and take a look at the list – and if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, you can always check out our other two apps, Libby and Hoopla.

May is Mystery Month – celebrate with a rollercoaster of suspense and intrigue! Kanopy is offering a curated collection of films full of twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing until the very end – from classic detective stories to modern thrillers.

You can use your library card to access this collection, as well as hundreds of other classic and indie films, TV shows, and documentaries. New media and watchlists are added on a regular basis! Start your mystery marathon here: kanopy.com/category/15704.

For a quick walkthrough of how to set up and use a Kanopy account, visit their Getting Started webpage; if you already have an account, just sign in and enjoy.

Check Libby & Palace for Mystery Month reads!

Did you know that the Library’s Libby and Palace Project apps both have genre-based reading lists? Libby’s Mystery & Thriller Catalog Guide and Palace’s Mystery Fiction Lane are the perfect places to look for an ebook or audiobook to enjoy during Mystery Month – and each list features several subcategories to help you narrow down your search even further. Looking for a cozy mystery? Libby’s Caught Red-Handed collection has you covered! Want something a bit grittier? Check in Palace’s Hard-Boiled Mystery sublane. Not in the mood for a mystery after all? There are dozens of other reading lists available on both apps, all easily accessible from their homepages.

If you haven’t tried out Libby or Palace yet, you can download either (or both) from your mobile device’s app store for free, and sign in using your library card number!

It’s Mystery Month at the Library! Our themed displays for May feature detective stories, crime dramas, whodunnits and thrillers. Classic literary sleuths like Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew are featured alongside modern equivalents like Alex Cross and Agatha Raisin, as well as the real-life detectives who star in true crime tales. Stop by and track down a new favorite!

Thanks to a generous donation, five giant prehistoric beasts now call our Children’s Room home! These oversized dinosaur toys – each a foot or more long – will be available for young patrons to play with on request; three are made of soft plastic, while the other two are action figures with movable limbs. Dinosaur lovers can meet and greet our new arrivals before exploring the collection for stories about other ancient animals!

Celebrate our planet with Kanopy’s curated collection of environmentally focused films for Earth Day! Dive into topics like conservation, environmentalism, and sustainable living through the magic of film.

Kanopy offers a wide range of documentaries, narratives, and series that highlight the beauty of nature and inspire action towards sustainability; you can use your library card to access this collection, as well as hundreds of other classic and indie films, TV shows, and documentaries. New media and watchlists are added on a regular basis.

For a quick walkthrough of how to set up and use a Kanopy account, visit their Getting Started webpage; if you already have an account, just sign in and enjoy!

There’s a new Museum Pass available at the Library!

The Florence Griswold (or Flo Gris) Museum pass grants two adults and two children under 18 free admission to the museum and its associated facilities, including the Robert and Nancy Krieble Gallery, historic Florence Griswold House and gardens, and Chadwick Studio. The house is the former site of the Lyme Art Colony, a community of artists that included some of the most noted names in American Impressionism. The Museum’s large collection of paintings can be viewed in the context of the Connecticut landscape and village where many of them were originally created!

For more information about the Library’s Museum Passes, visit the Museum Passes page on our website.

Roses are red / on return screens they appear
In Libby’s collection / poetry is always near.

Looking for something to read for National Poetry Month? Check Libby, the Library’s source for ebooks and audiobooks! There are thousands of titles to choose from, many available in both formats – and if you have an Amazon Kindle, you can download titles directly to your device. All you need to create an account are your name and library card number. Check out the video below for a quick introduction to Libby’s functions and resources, or visit the Getting Started with Libby webpage:

“This is the world I want to live in. The shared world.”

It’s National Poetry Month once again! Launched by a nonprofit charitable organization called the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month has since become the largest literary celebration in the world. Check out our April book displays, which feature everything from the collected works of famous poets to simple stories with rhyming text, as well as the stories of poets both real and fictional. Even if you’ve never had an interest in poetry, there’s sure to be something here you’ll love!

The 2025 National Poetry Month poster features an excerpt from the poem “Gate A-4”, by former Young People’s Poet Laureate and Academy Chancellor Naomi Shihab Nye, as well as artwork by New York Times-bestselling author and illustrator Christy Mandin.

Easy Reader Reading Levels

Our Easy Reader collection now features colored star stickers to help find books at the right level for young readers! The collection is on the right when entering the Children’s Room downstairs, on the wall next to the catalog computer; the three levels are Beginning Reader, indicated by a red star, Intermediate Reader, indicated by a yellow star, and Advancing Reader, indicated by a green star. There are dozens of brand new books for all reading levels on display, and hundreds of titles to choose from in total – stop by and pick a few up today!