The growing season is in full swing! Garden Tomes are sprouting on the Library’s displays, featuring guides for gardeners and aspiring botanists, stories set in gardens and on farms, and protagonists who care for their local natural and green spaces.
Stop by and pick a few!
Don’t forget, there’s a permanent Horticulture and Gardening display upstairs, just outside of the Teens & Tweens area – and our nonfiction collection also includes a selection of books recommended by Sustainable Bethany.
Help us shape the future of Clark Memorial Library!
The Bethany Library Association is creating a new strategic plan and would like your input! Whether you use the Library or not, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts and opinions – a short survey is available at www.surveymonkey.com/r/5KTDNL2 or via the QR code above.
Our book displays this month feature poetry collections, books written in verse, and the biographies of famous poets, and out on the front lawn our storywalk showcases a selection of spring-themed poems and rhymes!
It’s all in honor of National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry’s important place in our lives and poets’ integral role in our culture. Launched by a nonprofit charitable organization called the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world! This year’s National Poetry Month poster features a line of poetry by a former Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, Lucille Clifton, and artwork by children’s author and illustrator Jack Wong.
More than 150 libraries in Connecticut will be taking part in the Connecticut Library Association‘s Passport to CT Libraries program this year to celebrate National Library Week! We invite you to take this opportunity to visit as many public libraries as possible; each has its own architecture, vibe, and collection to explore and browse!
The Passport program is open to both children and adults, and we hope that it will encourage residents to explore the amazing diversity of our public libraries.
To participate in the program, visit Clark Memorial Library between April 1 & April 30 to pick up your Passport and have it stamped. Then, take your Passport along as you visit other participating libraries. At each location, be sure to get your Passport stamped; if you visit at least five (5) participating libraries and return your Passport to a participating library by Friday, May 10, you will be entered into a state-wide drawing for a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card for adults (18 and up) and a $200 Visa gift card for children (under 18). This is a state-wide contest where four winners will be selected: one adult and one child from a random drawing of all returned Passports with at least five separate library stamps, and the adult and child who visited the most libraries/received the most stamps total. Get exploring and good luck!
The Library’s March book displays feature stories about collecting clues and navigating mazes, as well as books of wordplay, whodunnits, and hidden object puzzles.
Stop by during your next visit and find something to stump you!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Take Your Child to the Library Day Celebration and the dedication of the Nancy J. Disbrow Children’s Room during the first week of February! We’d like to share some pictures from both events, featuring a look at the Ribbon Tree, just a few of the amazing Celebration Cupcakes our patrons decorated, and the balloon art of Ali the Balloon Guy, who made a special appearance for the dedication!
Black History Month (or African American History Month) is an annual celebration of Black history and culture originally proposed as a week-long event in 1925 by historian Carter G. Woodson. Since then it has grown into a nationally recognized event that lasts a full month! Our book displays for February feature both fiction and nonfiction books with Black authors, illustrators, and protagonists. Take a look next time you visit!
The Friends of the Library are very grateful to the Bethany community for all the support they have provided to their various fundraising events.
On Tuesday, February 13, starting at 7:00 PM, the Friends will be sponsoring a special Paint and Sip event. Local artist Zach Chernak will guide participants through painting a special Valentine’s picture; there will be wine, cheese and crackers as refreshments.
The event is free, but space is limited;
please sign up at the Library, or call 203-393-2103.
With winter here in full force and more cold weather ahead, we’ve decided to fill our displays with books set during the summer months, at the beach, and in the tropics to help fight off the chill. Stop in and pick up an “out of season” summer read today!
With the end of 2023 on the horizon, we’re looking back to see which books were the most popular among our patrons! Check LION Consortium’s top circulation lists for books and large print below to see what your fellow patrons were reading this year, and be sure to check Hoopla, Libby, and Palace for ebook and audiobook copies – Palace even has a “LION’s Most Popular Books of 2023” lane made specifically for our patrons!
