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With the renovation of the Children’s Room at Clark Memorial Library finally complete, we are proud to announce its dedication as the Nancy J. Disbrow Children’s Room,
in honor of Nancy Disbrow, one of our most dedicated longtime supporters.

The dedication ceremony will take place Saturday, February 3rd at 1:30 PM,
as part of our Take Your Child to the Library Day celebration. Please join us in thanking Nancy for her contributions to the Library’s success!

Nancy is a lifelong Bethany resident and a second generation librarian. Her mother served as Head Librarian for Clark Memorial Library in the 1950s and 60s, and Nancy often rode the bus to the Library after school, rather than to her home. She has fond memories of reading near the upstairs fireplace in the original Library structure.

Nancy worked professionally as a public and school librarian in New Haven, and then joined the faculty of Southern Connecticut State University and spent many years training new librarians. She retired in 2013 as an Associate Professor Emeritus.

Her connections to Clark Memorial Library continued throughout her adult life; she served for many years as a BLA board member, and continues to be an active member and officer of the Friends of the Library. She is a founding member of the 1937 Legacy Society, with a substantial contribution to its endowment. Most recently, she has donated her collection of professional children’s literature books to the Library, and been instrumental in fundraising for the Children’s Room renovation.

Take Your Child to the Library Day Celebration!
February 1st – February 3rd
We want to thank the many donors who made the Children’s Room renovation possible, and invite all of Bethany to enjoy the new space and honor our shared commitment to having a strong public library in Bethany!
The following activities and events will take place during the three day celebration:

Thursday, February 1st – 12:00 – 6:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up

Friday, February 2nd – 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up

Saturday, February 3rd – 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Decorate a Cupcake
Cut a Ribbon for the Ribbon Tree
Award Book Basket Raffle
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Sign Up
Dedication of the Nancy J. Disbrow Children’s Room – 1:30 PM
Visit from Ali the Balloon Guy – 2:00 – 4:00 PM

“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents” – Emilie Buchwald

1000 Books Before Kindergarten is a national early literacy program for parents and caregivers to take part in with their young children. The goal is to read 1000 books aloud to your child before they start kindergarten, helping them gain the confidence to become strong readers and successful in school and life.

Is it possible to read 1000 books? Yes it is! Reading 3 books a day for 1 year = 1095 books, reading 1 book a day for 3 years = 1095 books — and repeat reads do count towards the total! Clark Memorial Library’s goal is to develop a program that supports young families by providing incentives and materials to help reach their reading goals — including special 1000 Books Before Kindergarten book-bags containing a curated selection of award-winning children’s books.

Stop by the Library starting January 31st and sign up to get started! You will receive an Activity Journal to keep track of your progress and a pamphlet that provides more information about the program and the benefits of early literacy. When you reach a reading milestone, drop in again to have your journal marked and get a special sticker!

Share the Love!
Wednesday, February 7 – Wednesday, February 14
During Library hours we will be providing craft supplies
for patrons to create custom Valentine’s Day cards
and decorations in the Makerspace! All ages welcome.

Thank you to all of our patrons who took part in Snowman Palooza and made it such a resounding success! We received dozens of wonderful snowmen to decorate the Library with, and dozens more went home with the participants – there were around a hundred snowmen in all! If you left a snowman with the library, see if you can find it in the banner above (along with a sneaky prehistoric photo-bomber)!

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!

We will be pausing our children’s programming January 6 – January 24 to give the staff time to prepare for our spring activities and programs.

The Library will continue to provide all other services during this period.
Keep an eye on the event calendar!

Help us welcome winter by making snowmen to decorate the Library!
The Children’s Room will have a snowman crafting area
set up in the Makerspace during library hours from
Wednesday, December 13, to Saturday, January 6.
Make one for the Library and one to take home! All ages welcome.