Farmington Library Executive Director's blog

Library Volunteers make the Difference...

2011-12-30T08:37:00.001-05:00

It is always great fun to get together to celebrate success and the 67 volunteers who attended our 5th annualvolunteer celebration breakfast were no exception. I too, had agreat time in preparing and serving a well-deserved thank you Omelet to each wonderful volunteer.

And, special Thanks to 2011 volunteer award recipients: Pat Smith, whosinglehandedly rearranged the main library’s adult nonfiction collection andJessie Saxton, who worked tirelessly to keep our gardens beautiful throughoutthe years. And, a special shout out toall the other volunteers who together are the great force which makes thisthe best library on the planet. All my best as we go forth to 2012...

My entire best Jay.

Looking Ahead to Twenty Twelve

2011-12-16T12:15:00.000-05:00

At this new beginning, I reflect upon the past and look ahead to the new with a keen eye for what can be. Looking there, I see many possibilities and challenges on the horizon. I hope you, too, see exciting possibilities and opportunities in the year ahead. I shall look forward to sharing them as we navigate the libraries toward 2013.

All My Best,

Jay

Tinker Murphy's, Final Good-bye Tea

2011-12-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

Farmington Libraries Director of Operations, Tinker Murphy's,

Final Good-bye Tea

Congratulations to Sidney (Tinker) Murphy on her decision to retire after giving over 34 years of outstanding service to the people of Farmington.

We have relied upon her constantly for her expertise, enthusiasm, sense of humor and knowledge of the library and employees. It is because of Tinker that we were able to operate our outstanding organization beyond expectations. She is a great leader and professional. And, although we shall miss her, we are supremely happy for her because she is headed off on the adventure to which we all look forward.

Tinker, will be terribly missed by all of us who have depended upon her knowledge and collegiality and especially her ability to deal with the many complex "issues" we face daily.

It is our distinct pleasure to have served with you. Thank you again for your service, kindness, humility, and intelligence, but, mostly, thank you for your humanity. You are the best!

Growing Up Armenian in Turkey

2011-12-13T12:53:00.001-05:00

We are excited to have Dr. John Balian bring his story to the Farmington community. Please mark your calendar for February

John D. Balian, will discuss his first self-published novel "Gray Wolves and White Doves" here on Wednesday February 29th @ 7:00 pm. Dr. Balian was born in a small village in Anatolia Turkey and grew up in several Middle Eastern and European countries prior to his emigration to to United States. Grey Wolves and WhiteDoves relates his personal experiences as a young Armenian boy in modern

Turkey

and the Middle East.He will discuss the process of writing his book and answer questionsregarding his experiences.

Dr. Balian is a graduate of Columbia and Tufts UniversitySchool of Medicine, and currently a senior executive of a US-based globalcorporation

Ride 'Em Cowboy

2011-12-06T12:43:00.006-05:00

We are just so excited with our newest acquisition, a gift, of an old fashion mechanical horse. Jane Maciel, our resident Artist, has hand painted it to Merry-go-Round specifications from official Carousel art. The children are able to ride it on special occasions upon completion of reading a book or other important children's matters.

Barney Bash! Thanking All Our Wonderful Donors

2011-12-05T15:54:00.019-05:00

It is always special when people who share the same vision of community and commitment get together. It was just that occasion on last Friday evening, December 2, when about 400 library and museum donors got together to celebrate community, friendship and purpose. I am especially grateful to our hospitality co-chairs Monique Schatten and Jane Dalal along with Norma Hartley, creator of our fabulous evening table arrangements. Naturally, the many Trustees who cooked baked and poured all made the event one of a kind and a wonderful lasting Farmingtonian memory…

P.S. Please click on the picture for a slide show
Best J.

Thanksgiving,the great All-American holiday

2011-11-21T13:10:00.008-05:00

Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and celebrates the Pilgrims first harvest in 1621 with a feast. Pilgrims should not be confused with Puritans who established Massachusetts Bay Colony, Boston, in 1628.

This is the great All-American holiday, in my book, because it requires us to stop, reflect, be together and remember what life has brought us: family, friends, high school and college football games and a great deal of wonderful food spread out on a well thought out table. Yet, all defined by Turkey size and aromatics.

I wish you the best holiday and hope we can celebrate the simple joys of health and life and safety. In that regard, we each seek consistency in our lives and nothing is truer to that wish than the good will and effort given by the Friends of the Library and our many volunteers. Indeed, it is remarkable, that during this globally conflicted and volatile times, people still practice a dedication to others quietly and effectively. Indeed, many today are as confused, angry and fearful of their future as others are, yet they take time to make a quiet difference without regard to who the difference comes to, but rather that good for one equals good for all. Dostoevsky’s, the little orphan, presents an emotive and Dostoevskian reality to remind us of the importance of kindness.

I wish everyone health and poetry this thanksgiving season.

All my Best,

Jay

Yea! The Friends of the Library's Fall Book Sale held on saturday November 19th netted $2500, all of which will be used to purchase new materials and fund programming for the libraries. If you would like to help the libraries, volunteer opportunities are available in the following efforts:

1. The Friends Book Sale is a tremendous undertaking and provides great camaraderie and fellowship.
2, Master Gardner’s are expert in their work and dedicated to beautifying the library garden
3. Adult Volunteers do many tasks in the library to support the staff including returning materials to the shelves and item repair
4. Teen Volunteers read to pre-K children, and work at the children's desk for program sign-up and special tasks.

THANK YOU DONORS YOUR GENEROSITY MADE THE DIFFERENCE

2011-10-28T11:42:00.001-04:00

Barney Library Donors 2010

Christine Abreu / Robert Althen / Mr. & Mrs. Paul O. Anderson / Mr. & Mrs. Michael Andreas / Dianne Antos / Ralph & Ann Arcari / Mr. & Mrs. Robert Arena / Mr. & Mrs. John Bailey / Mr. & Mrs. Sam Bailey / Alma Taylor Bailey Trust Fund / Alice & Michael Baker / Bank of America Foundation / Andy Baron / Randy & Ann Barton / Mr. & Mrs. Peter Bartucca / Ed & Fran Bassett / Michael Bassock & Ingunn Hekneby / Alexander Battista / Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Bauer / Leslie Beal / Frances Beckerman / Alexander Bednarek / Dr. Joseph Belkin / Melvyn & Elaine Bemis / Steve & Beth Bemis / Carol H. Bennett / Mr. & Mrs. Steven Bergman / Dolores Bernard / Jill Best / Mr. & Mrs. Brewster Blackall / Margaret Bliss / Dr. G. Peter Bloom / Mr. & Mrs. Alfred O. Boettger / Deanne Born / Susan Bostic / Alexia Bouchoms / Barbara & Michael Bourque / Christine Bradley / James Brockman / Mr. & Mrs. William R. Bronson / Robyn Brooks / Donald L. Brown / Mr. & Mrs. Albert Brunoli / Mark & Diane Bruzik / Evelyn Buckley / Joe & Wendy Burke / Nausherwan Burki / / Mr. & Mrs. John Burns / Mr. & Mrs. Robert Byler / M.I. Cake / James F. Calciano & Marcie Schwartz / Kerry & Maura Callahan / Dr. Barbara Campbell / Madeline Cannon / Janice Carroll / Dr. & Mrs. John W. Cavo, Jr. / JoAnne Ceccarelli & Pat Egan / Theresa & Timothy Cecil / Joann V. Cephas / Dennis & Linda Chapron / Mr. & Mrs. Larry Cheesman / Mr. James Cherry / Mr. & Mrs. Michael Cheshire / Allen Chin / James & Judith Cillizza / C. M. Clark / Michael Clark / Peggy & Bob Clark / Eileen S. Clyne / Ellen Conturso / Margaret M. Cook / Paula K. Corrao / Mr. & Mrs. Ken Coscia / Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cosentino / Thomas & Barbara Costello / Evan Cowles & Brie Quinby / Alan & Betty Coykendall / Robert Coykendall / Mary H. Crary / Brandon J. Curtis / Guy and Sheryl Cusanno / Christina Czyrko / Marie D'Occhio / Christina Dagradi / Bruce & Barbara Daigle / Jane & Jag Dalal / Michael Daly / David De Nuccio / Mr. & Mrs. Enzo DeDominicis / Mr. & Mrs. John Delaney / Nicole E. DeLong / Thomas Dembik / Edward H Deming Agency / John M. Deming / / Lucy Devin / Elizabeth Dexheimer / Hortense Dexter / Mr. & Mrs. Tad Diesel / Frances F. Dillon / Alice Dixon / John Donagher / Mr. & Mrs. Robert Donald / David Donaldson / Mary & Peter Dorpalen / Marie Dudley / Lieselotte J. Dumais / Catherine F. Eastwood / Bruce Edgren / Charlotte K. Edkin / Eleanor G. Elkins / Ray Elling / Bobbie Emery / Hope Emery / George England / Mr. & Mrs. James English / Charles & Candace Evans / Farmington Jr. Women's Club / Farmington Rug Hookers n Rug Hookers / Farmington Police Mutual Benevolent Assoc. / Farmington Bank / Farmington Community Chest / Terry Feder & Vince Tully / Ronald Field / Stephen B. Fields / Joanne Fiorillo / Mr. & Mrs. Russell Fisher / Anne C. Fitzgerald / Edward & Margaret Flanagan / Beatrice Formaggioni / Mr. & Mrs. Michael Fowler / Jerry & Ida Franklin / Friends of the Farmington Library / Chris Fuselier / Tina Gagner / Via Garafola / Mr. & Mrs. Mel Garfinkel / Pierre Genest / Jay Glasel / Joyce Godin / Iris Goldfarb / Evan Goldstein / / Mr. & Mrs. William Gombatz / Dorothy M. Gondek / Jerald B. Gooden / John Gorski / Curt Goswick / Ilyse Gottlieb / Linda Grabulis / Carol & Kenneth Graham III / Janet W. Grasso / Donald Grayson / Mr. & Mrs. John Grocki / Margaret Grocki / Michael & Jamie Grocki / William & Michelle Grocki / Charlotte Grossman / Philip J. Guglielmo / Michael & Brenda Gurski / Margo Hablutzel / Richard Hadden / James & Sandra Hamilton / Jonathan Hammer / Holger Hansen / Meredith A. Harris / Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Harrison / Hartford Foundation for Public Giving / Norma Hartley / Tom & Wendy Hatch / Kim Hawes / Aileen Hawkins / Mr. & Mrs. William Hayhurst / Marcia Herrera / Holly Holden & Company / Stuart & Holly Holden / Michael & Julie Holt / Ellen G. Howe / C. Elizabeth Hudon / William & Wendy Hudon / Sarah & Robert Huelin / Kevin & Ann Hughes / Mr. & Mrs. Russell Hunter / Phyllis Janiszewski / Teresa Janiszewski / Dr. & Mrs. Peter Jannuzzi / Barbara Javarone / Viola Jenkins / Dr. & Mrs. Loftus Jestin / Jean B. Johnson / / Jonathon Johnson / Lisa Johnson & Ted Lindquist / Margaret Johnson / Theresa Johnson / Jay & Cynthia Johnston / Robert Jones / Eric Jorgensen / Mr. & Mrs. Ray Josephson / Robert Julian / Henry & Lucille Jurgilewicz / Calvin Kaiser / Betsy M. Kaplan / Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Kaufman / Pamela J. Kedderis / Christopher Kelly / Jervis D. Kester / Martin Kibbe / James & Joanne King / Judith D. King / Marjorie King / Eva G. Klinger / Barbara Knibbs / Kohitech International / Carol A. Kolp / Robert Kosher / Mr. & Mrs. Richard Kramer / Anthony Kruk, Jr. / Janis & James LaFrance / Petronella Lair / Irene Lamont / Wendy LaPierre / Vida & Malek Lashgari / Emilia Lavendier / Joanne Lawson / Dr. & Mrs. Charles Leach / Mr. & Mrs. Edward Leary / Kathleen Leary / Lesley Leganza / Lisa Legowski / Kathleen M. Lescoe / David Levin & Martha Greenwood / Barbara & Philip Levine / William Lidgerwood / Judith Lohman / The Look-Out Fund / Paulie E. Luedee / Lumbermen's Merchandising Corp. / / Claude Lussier / Leanne Lyman-Gombatz / Cornelius Lynch / Susan & James MacArthur / Jane Maciel / William MacKay / Barry Martin / Suzanne Maryeski / Sharon Masi / Mr. & Mrs. George H. Mason / Henry & Esther Mason / Alexander Mastrobattista / Anne & Chris Mathieu / Dr. & Mrs. F. Taylor Mauck / Lloyd McCarthy, II / Ronald & Mary McKenna / Patricia & Robert McLaughlin / Mr. & Mrs. Gerald A. McNamara / Teresa McTague / Dr. & Mrs. Peyton H. Mead / Paul & Cecily Mehlman / Angelo & Patricia Messina / Charles & Patricia Michet / Michael & Kay Miranda / Antonette & Jeff Molson / James & Joan Morrow / Ann Mullen / Jane & Erwin Murdock / Blaine & Tinker Murphy / Michael & Dawn Mushok / Martin & Jody Nadeau / Chris & Mary-Ellen Nelson / Mary Nevius / Ann Newbury / Richard Newell & Josephine Croal / Alan & Nancy Nickerson / June Noble / Joanne Norr / Sarah C. Norris / William B. Novoa / Edmund Noyes / David O'Leary / Dr. & Mrs. James F. O'Rourke / Michael & Tara O'Sullivan / Anne & Doug Oberg / Olabisi Olatokunbo / Mr. & Mrs. Paul Orth / / Otis Elevator / Edward & Virginia Owens / Joan Packer / Sandra Paisley / Jane Palley & Larry Young / T. David & Sherra Palmer / Daniel Pandora / David Pandora / Paneloc Corporation / Morris & Honi Papernik / Christine & William Park / Mr. & Mrs. James Parke / Mary Jane Cullum Parlow / Eleanor B. Parsons / Jean Pelletier / Denise M. Perreault / Helene Perzanowski / Esther Petersen / Emily & Thomas Pettit / Steven & Carol Pfeiffer / Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Phinney / The Piccirillo Family / Mr. & Mrs. Charles O. Pickens / Regina Pilitowski / Lawrence & Christine Piwnicki / Eric & Isabel Pizzoferrato / Joan Plocharczyk / John & Peri Pogson / Frank & Cecelia Polgroszek / Roy & Susan Porter / Gordon & Francoise Pratt / Praxair, Inc. / Mr. & Mrs. Edward Preneta / Maura & Craig Raeburn / Mr. & Mrs. Gary K. Ransom / Richard Rawa / Frank & June Ray / Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Ray / Mr. & Mrs. William Raymond / Deidre Redden / Mr. & Mrs. Jack Reed / Mr. & Mrs. Preston T. Reed / Elenor Reid / Catherine Reider / George & Carol Reider / Trevor Reynolds / Mr. & Mrs. George W. Rheam / / Janet Robb / Mr. & Mrs. Peter Roberts / Mr. & Mrs. Paul Robotham / Mr. & Mrs. William Rock / Mr. & Mrs. John Rosati / Mr. & Mrs. Werner Rosshirt / Rotary Club of Farmington / Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Rourke / Ashis & Anita Roychowdhury Claudia Ryan / Clara E. Sanford / Ramkumar Sankaran / Mr. & Mrs. Gary Santa Maria / Dorothy Santora / Glenn Santoro / Cari Sataline / Michael & Sharon Schloss / Eric W. Schold / Suzanne Schulz / Scope Construction Company / Lorraine Scotti / Darcy & James Sepa / Servpro of the Farmington Valley / Mr. & Mrs. Gene Sessamen / Mr. & Mrs. Peter Setlow / Mr. & Mrs. David Shack / Ernest Shaw / Mr. & Mrs. Jay Sheehy / Mr. & Mrs. Steven Shmurak / Louise Sienkiewicz / Mr. & Mrs. Charles Silverman / Mr. & Mrs. Don Simpson / Ruth Simpson / Arlee Smith / Mary Alice Smith / Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sposato / Mr. & Mrs. Lloyd Stallings / Lucinda Stanley / Mr. & Mrs. Brian Steele / Mr. & Mrs. Timothy Steele / Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Steinberg / Dr. Alan Stern & Cyndi Billian Stern / Liane Stevens / Virginia C. Stewart / Rodney G. & Dorothea S. Stieff / Dr. & Mrs. Richard M. Stockwell / Mr. & Mrs. Roscoe Strong / / Bonnie & Robert Sudell / Amy & Brian Suffredini / Eleanor S. Sundman / Joan Hall Sussler / Eleanor & Donald Swanson / William & Marta Sylvester / David & Nicole Tabol / John & Barbara Taussig / Gerald L. Terwilliger / Kerry & Wink Tharpe / The Chudwick Family / The Village Nursery School / Douglas C. Thompson / Alice B. Trudell / Patricia W. Underwood / Mr. & Mrs. Jean-Pierre Van Rooy / Melissa Vaughan / David Velasco / James & Eleanor Vendetti / Robert M. Villanova / Norman L. Wack / Jeremiah & Lois Wadsworth / William A. Wadsworth / Barbara J. Walczyk / Holly N. Walden / Louise Walsh / William K. & Julia Ann Walton / Joan Ware / Anne & Alden Warner/ Helen H. Warner / Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Wasley / Aura B. Welch / Judith Welcome / Mark & Mary Wendell / Mr. & Mrs. Lucius Whitaker, Jr. / Joanne White / Mr. & Mrs. Donald S. Wild / Amy & John Wildhack / Margaret & David / Williams / Karen Williard / Susan Winters / Debbie & Bruce Wolfert / Jean F. Wollenberg / Yvonne Wollenberg / Philip K. Wooding / Forrest J. & Sharon Wright / Yale Class of 43 / / Joseph & Marlene Zawacki / Mary M. Zawacki / Robert & Kathleen Zawacki / Karen & Raymond Ziegler

Dr Burrstone’s program was amazing and enlightening.. depicting the transition of South Korea over the past 60 years.

2011-10-27T08:12:00.003-04:00

Several audience members were Graduate dental students of Dr. Burrstone’s. As shown here, they were very enthusiastic and appreciative to learn about another dimension of his multidimensional interests.
The South Korea program last night was just remarkable in many ways. Especially the post-program dialog, which resembled my initial goal of the Greek Agora. Please come back to the Directors College on November 30 for Richard G. Stevens, Ph.D. Professor Stevens, an epidemiologist, has been working for a many years trying to help figure out the relationship between artificial light and cancers.
You can view a part of this program at this link: htpp://www.nfm.go.kr/flash/2011 625/20110621 625.html

MASTER GARDNERS 2011

2011-10-18T12:48:00.002-04:00

The Master Gardner’s are just the best!
They work diligently to maintain our world-class perennial flower garden and continually prune our trees and mulch and maintain our shrubbery. Furthermore, did you know that the master gardeners are here every Friday from around 9 till 11 in the morning to work on the garden and answer any gardening questions you may have about plants and plant care. Please strop by to learn about growing beautiful living things... Although this is the end of the season and the garden will soon be, fallow... the joy these folks bring to the library is just great... Thank You Master Gardeners.....

English as as Second Language at the Farmington Libraries

2011-10-18T12:43:00.002-04:00

I asked a few students in the ESL class to write HELLO in their home language ... I received a one hundred percent positive response shown here.......

Alzheimer's Organization Fights back with a "FLOCKING"

2011-10-17T13:17:00.004-04:00

October 17, 2011. If you visit the Main Library this week you will be amused and reminded of the terrific white elephant in the room that is Alzheimer’s’ disease. Library Volunteer, Library Board member and Farmington Village Green And Library Association’s Vice President, Terry Roberts, stands in front of the building as a Alzheimer’s association representative helps assemble the FLOCK while a young passerby does his part to help find a cure for this terrible disease.

A Sign of Freedom from Signs of History: A look at Farmington and the The Amistad

2011-10-17T13:04:00.008-04:00

I am looking forward to learning from Kim A. Silva's January program "A Sign of Freedom from Signs of History" regarding the Amistad Affair and Farmington's involvement and hope you will join us on January 26 at 7:00 Barney Library 71 Main Street.

The leader of the Amistad known as Sengbe Pieh, Joseph Cinque and the "Black Prince" drew his strength from his Mende culture, storytelling and mime. In antebellum America how did this African, who spoke no English, prevail in three courts of law, and capture the interest and sympathy of the American public? Learn about the interconnected history between Farmington and the American School for the Deaf during the Amistad Affair. How and why did the Amistad Africans' tours to raise funds for their journey home become a catalyst for the Civil War?

Kim A. Silva M.A. Deaf Education
Presenter 8th Conference Deaf History International 2000 (and 2012 if my abstract is accepted!)
Coordinator, Amistad Tours The Farmington Historical Society
Board Member, The Freedom Trail
Author, A Sign of Freedom (unpublished manuscript)

5th Annual Kristallnacht Lecture 11/10/11 10am

2011-09-22T15:29:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 10:00 AM, we are honored to have Ms Gisela Adamski speak of her courage and survival as a Jewish human being in Europe during the Holocaust. This will be the 5th Annual Kristallnacht Lecture at the Farmington Library. We will have the talk in the library's Community Room at 6 Monteith Drive in Farmington, CT.

Gisela Marianne Adamski, nee Sachs, was born on January 17, 1928 in Oppeln, Germany. On April 21, 1943, at the age of fifteen, she was deported to Theresienstadt. A year and a half later, she was deported to Auschwitz, and from there was moved to Kurzbach, a satellite camp of Gross-Rosen, in Germany. In late January 1945, she and other inmates of the camp were forced to begin on a death march further into Germany, fromwhich she escaped. For five days she hid, until on February 4 she was liberated by the Russian army. Later in 1945, she returned to her home town of Oppeln and married a Jewish soldier. In the ten years that followed, she emigrated first to France, thento Israel, and lastly, on May 26, 1956, to the United States.

Please register here.

December 1st is the day to travel to the Big Apple

2011-08-27T17:01:00.014-04:00

It is wonderful to present our last 2011 Directors College bus trip to the City on Thursday, December 1st. The Bus will leave the Main Library parking lot at 7:30 am sharp returning from the west side of 7th avenue between 52nd and 53 Street at 6:30 pm sharp. This is a point directly across from the Sheraton Towers Hotel. I anticipate an approximate 9:00 pm Farmington arrival. The bus will drop people off at: 5th Avenue in the eighties, Rockefeller Center, 42and St for twofers and on Canal Street and Battery Park for a ferry ride. So, if you are in the mood for a museum visit, walk in the city, special lunch or diner, Broadway show matinee, shopping, walking over the upper level of the Brooklyn Bridge, having dim sum in China Town, Walking on the new addition to the High Line park or just people watching . . . December 1st is the day to travel to the Big Apple go see the tree at Rockefeller center, lighted along with all the holiday activities and shopping. Check out this great NYC artile from the Times for good ideas anytime http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/travel/36-hours-in-downtown-manhattan.html.
The trip price is still $ 30. Including tip. Please call Mary Beth or Bernie in the Library office for more details. 860-673-6791.

Best, Jay

Barney Library's architecture, A Photo Essay By Dr. Alan Coykendall

2011-08-24T12:22:00.004-04:00

Don't miss this great Directors College program on November 22 @ 7:00 pm @ the Barney Library.

Farmington’s Barney Library is a fine example of Greek Doric architecture. It was designed by Stephen B. Lawrence, and completed in 1918. It is not unique, because many examples of classic architecture can be found throughout Connecticut, and the entire U. S., not to mention Farmington’s many examples. However, the library is a public building and stands in an open area, which facilitates viewing its many interesting features both inside and out.

Using photographs of the library taken before, during, and after the recent restoration, plus pictures of buildings in Farmington and elsewhere, the presentation will touch on the origins of this type of building, and compare its Doric style (or “order”) with examples of the Ionic and Corinthian orders, some of which are only a few feet away from the library, or even in the library.

Some American Colonial details (certainly the doors) of the Barney Library reflect, and perhaps acknowledge, features in some of Farmington’s oldest and architecturally nicest houses. The interior has many reiterations of the Doric order, as well as Roman designs which are often seen in classic architecture and throughout Renaissance and baroque architecture.

The object is to show that this small building exemplifies much of what our culture values highly, and can teach us as much as what is on the shelves.

Directors College Presents: DARK SKY.. An Engaging lecture on the affects of artifical light on the planet and people.

2011-08-01T13:25:00.004-04:00

November 30th 7:00 PM Barney Library Directors College Presents:

DARK SKY.. An Engaging lecture on the affects of artifical light on the planet and people.
Richard Stevens received a B.S. in Genetics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has been working for a long time trying to help figure out why people get cancer. A perplexing challenge which Stevens began to engage in the late 1970s is the confounding mystery of why breast cancer risk rises so dramatically as societies industrialize. He proposed in 1987 a radical new theory that use of electric lighting, resulting in lighted nights, might produce ‘circadian disruption’ causing changes in the hormones relevant to breast cancer risk, and thereby play an important role in breast cancer causation worldwide. Accumulating evidence has generally supported the theory. Stevens teaches medical/dental students, graduate students in the PhD program, and MPH students at UConn Health Center.

"Afternoon at The Bijou" by Terry Matava

2011-07-21T16:03:00.004-04:00

Jay,

With the help of Bernie and Laura, we launched "Afternoon at The Bijou" with our new popcorn machine - the patrons LOVE it - there were 42 in attendance when the film started. I asked what brought them in: the movie, the air conditioning or the movie - they enthusiastically responded with "all three!" They were very appreciative - I thanked them back for their support!

Best, Terry

Wadsworth Atheneum Director, Susan Talbott presented a fabulous museum program

2011-07-21T15:20:00.006-04:00

Wadsworth Atheneum Director, Susan Talbott presented a fabulous program on Sol Lewitt's collected works in the Atheneum's collection including wall drawings, sculpture and flat art. In addition, she detailed the wonderful new and forthcoming renovations planed for the Museum over the next few years. Thank you Susan, we all learned so much through your thoughtful and intelligent talk!

Farmington Libraries go to Camp Courant

2011-07-13T10:06:00.008-04:00

I had a wonderful time working with a few Camp Courant children here in Farmington. Youth and childhood are fleeting so having the opportunity to work and being immersed with these children was very rewarding and fun. Thank you all for being such good sports... J

Farmington Rotary Supports Literacy with a $ 500. Legacy book gift

2011-06-30T13:49:00.004-04:00

Steve Wasley, Rotary Club president, 2010-11, executes his last official act in presenting a $ 500 legacy book donation to the libraries remembering Farmington Rotarians who recently passed away.

Thank you Farmington Rotary for your continued support!

Bus Trip 8/3/2011 - New York City

2011-05-23T13:14:00.004-04:00

I will lead another trip to the City on Wednesday August 3rd. The Bus will leave the Main Library parking lot at 7:30 am sharp returning from the west side of 7th avenue between 52nd and 53 Street at 6:30 pm sharp. This is a point directly across from the Sheraton Towers Hotel. I anticipate an approximate 9:00 pm Farmington arrival. The bus will drop people off at: 5th Avenue in the eighties, Rockefeller Center, 42and St for twofers and on Canal Street and Battery Park for a ferry ride. So, if you are in the mood for a museum visit, walk in the city, special lunch or diner, Broadway show matinee, shopping, walking over the upper level of the Brooklyn Bridge, having dim sum in China Town, Walking on the new addition to the High Line park or just people watching . . . August 3rd is the day to travel to the Big Apple. The price is $ 30. including tip. Please call Mary Beth or Bernie in the Library office for more details. 860-673-6791. Best Jay

Celeste LeWitt

2011-05-13T13:03:00.004-04:00

Good-bye Celeste, My good friend Celeste LeWitt passed away recently and I do miss her terribly as I miss so many great people I have known through my work. However, Celeste will be remembered through a program she helped me start along with Phyllis and Sy Lappen. Life is short and we must look to Celeste as the model to make the most of it.

http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/2009/11/kristallnacht-night-of-broken-glass.html

Connecticut's Farmington Libraries' Sand Castle Building event at Winding Trails was just a blast for over 1,000 participants.. take a look:

2011-04-21T15:21:00.012-04:00

It was just wonderful to see our Kids enjoy the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment they experienced in this three-dimensional experience. Parents learned a good bit about themselves and their kids as many participated. I am especially happy to have had the opportunity to meet Ed Jarrett the fabulous sand sculptor and artist and to work with our great children’s department team who put this whole day together… Just outstanding work in every way….And, thank you: Kathy, Vida, Trish, Paula, Eva, Joan, Angela and Jane for your professionalism and skill in this and the many other events you produce daily…. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And, Check out the children's Blog for more PiX......

Farmington Libraries Helps Build the World’s Tallest Sand Castle

2011-04-03T11:23:00.010-04:00

It is exciting to be working with Winding Trails to help build the world’s tallest sand castle and break the Guinness world record, http://www.jarrettscastle.com/ . Many of our children's program kids will participate in this ongoing project as we feel the enthusiasm growing with each new recruit. I stopped by to give a small hand on Friday afternoon April 12011. Keep posted for further developments….

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) or Dr. Seuss, to most of us.

2011-03-28T08:22:00.007-04:00

Because March is Dr. Seuss’ Birthday month, we sojourned, with my granddaughter Arianna, to the Springfield, Library and Museum garden to see the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden. It was just a great day trip and the Springfield Science Museum was a nice bonus. Remember, reading to your grand children is the best gift you can give them and enjoying art together is good for the spirit.

Library Board Recognizes Staff for outstanding service in 2010

2011-01-26T15:19:00.012-05:00

IT was threatening more snow and a cold forecast this January 26 morning when the staff and I convened for a special Board meeting to acknowledge the great performance and productivity of the library staff over the past year as we celebrated: The Barney Library rennovations and additions coming to fruition along with the installation of KOHA, an open source electronic catalog, personnel reorganization, new programs, services and initiatives. It was the Board's recognition of the staff's tenacity and humanity that struck me with such poignancy. However Trustee Terry Roberts eloquence in explicating the rationale for their recognition sums up everything.

Thank you Terry and all Board members for this wonderful tribute to our staff:

Remarks by Terry Roberts

Barney Library Staff
With apologies to the Irish

There once were three ladies from Barney
Who packed up their books for a journey
And while they were gone
There was much carrying on
As walls, floors and ceilings were prettied

Soon Kathy and Susan and Jane
Came back to their home on the Main
With smiles on the faces
And shiny new spaces
The Barney is open again!
Lending Services
With apologies to Clement Moore
Down in the Village there arose a great clatter
The Barney was closing—oh my a disaster
Away to the Main went all of the books
As workmen and bulldozers invaded our nook

The patrons, complaining, all headed West
To add a new burden to the busy front desk
And just as the KOHA was settling in
The business increased –Oh my! what a din!
With smiles on their faces and assistance for all
The staff moved ahead with nary a fall--
Now Anita, now Janet, now Karen and Ann
Go Deb, Go Sarah , Go Toni and Diane
Check them in, check them out, file DVD disks
Processing, processing, processing picks

Each stepped up to the plate and gave all they could muster
And carried on for a year to support their small sister
And at the end of the time as things settled back in
It was well worth the effort for a jolly win-win!

Children’s Services
With apologies to James Whitcomb Riley
The Barney children’s section came to our house to stay
An’ share the pictures and the toys, an’ other things for play
An’ read the stories, an’ recite poems as Vida told them to
An’ Trish tells tales, an’ Eva too, an’ there’s lots of things to do

An’ Paula, Joan and Angela, when the afternoon is through
All set around the desk an’ has the mostest fun
A listen’ to the kiddies tales ’at each one tells about
Er the three-year olds ‘at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!

An’ children’s librarians say when the sky is blue,
An’ the lightbulbs sputter, ‘an the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the library’s closing, ‘an the night is near
An’ the toys and books is put away for use another day--—
You better mind yer parents an’ yer librarians fond an’ dear
An’ take care of your books, an’ never leave a smear
An’ be sure to use your special card to check them out
Er the Librarians‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
Information Services
With apologies to William Blake
KOHA! KOHA! Burning bright
In the browser--out of sight
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame this Out Source symmetry?

Hal lead people to the skies
Dodging fire from their eyes
Computer lit for all aspire
But some of books will never tire

And Terry and Celia have an art
To answer questions for a start
And when their heads begin to beat
Deb or Molly will take the heat

Then the CCar throws down its wares
And our Sue is sometimes full of fears
More ILL? Request gone mad!
Dare we hope it’s a passing fad?

Teens! Teens! Burning bright
In the their corner full of light
Laura guides with hand and eye
To frame their future literacy

Info! Info! Burning bright
The second floor all filled with light
Everyday you deal with strife
And help our patrons enjoy life!

Collection Management
With apologies to Alfred Noyes

The books were a torrent of color among the steely desks
The boxes a tower of paper piled into collapsible nests
The bursas a beacon of dawning over the messy floor
And the Collection gals came striding—
Striding—Striding
The Collection gals came striding to clear it up once more.

Tinker sits down to her computer, shaft of papers in her hand
She enters all the data to note where things will land
Karen has already checked that things were as should be
But everything is crossedchecked,
Yes, everything is crosschecked
It all needs to be crossedchecked before a patron sees

Round disks with circle centers, a number on their case
Debbie handles all the visuals-–a popular patron taste
Yet, still they do return them without their special dome
And Debbie makes them over
Yes, Debbie makes them over
Perhaps someday they’ll get it, when the cows come home!

Each book must have its label and then its catalogued
Bernadette does grownups and children are Lucille
It’s always fun to follow, when best sellers do arrive
You try to hold it early
Yes try to hold it early
But usually there’s a line

Books come in and books go out from near and far away
Our Phil is here to pack them up and put them on their way
Each code tells C-car drivers, exactly where to go
And sometimes there are mishaps
Yes, sometimes there are mishaps
But eventually they get home!

And when the day is over, and night falls over all
When the lights are lowly and the sounds are dull
What happens about midnight, quiet silent midnight
What happens about midnight?
Do all the books share stories to pass the hours until light?

Administration
With apologies to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the year long ride to get us here
On the somthinkth of November in good old ought nine
Everyone here was then alive
And remembers that famous day and year

Jay said to the group, we’re about to proceed
To close down the Barney, so please all take heed
Pack up all the books and computers too
And hang a message aloft to alert all the crew
Steve and Rich will be by to lend you a hand
And I’ll get the money to hire the band
Of movers and shakers to do the construction
And soon we will all be back to perfection.

Meanwhile, Bernie and Mary Beth, through letters and bills
Watch the action and process stuff through the mill
Life goes on at the library and so you see
Their job is still busy, as busy can be
Barb is up to her head in the switch to the KOHA
She watches and listens to find out how it ‘oughta
Make sure that the Barney is going to be right
And the building progresses –what a sight!

Meanwhile, the Library goes on its way
Serving its patrons both night and day
As the year rolls along, we see wonderful sights
And KOHA and Barney are our great delights
And so in conclusion we want you to hear
How we value your stewardship all through the year.
We thank, we thank you and remember this
Without you this journey would not have success.

High Peaks and Lofty Dreams;Denali: The High One. At Last.

2010-12-27T11:43:00.003-05:00

CornicedRidgeDenali

Three times over fifteen years, adventure photographer and high altitude mountaineer Walt Hampton attempted to climb Mt. McKinley (Denali), North America's highest peak. Turned back twice by ferocious winds, unrelenting snows and unmitigated fears, Hampton nearly abandoned his lifelong dream of summiting The High One. But with uncompromising tenacity, he returned this past June to finally stand on top.
Denali sits in the heart of the Alaska Range and has a vertical rise higher than Everest's. Known for its extreme cold and dangerous storms, Denali is not for the unprepared or faint of heart.
Hampton, who climbed with his wife and his son, will share his daring adventures, his struggle to achieve an elusive goal, and his spectacular photography. He'll talk about dreams denied and dreams fulfilled; what it takes to succeed in the mountains - and in life.
Come and explore the possibility of climbing in the Greater Ranges. Come ponder your own dreams of adventure and daring. Or just come and enjoy some extraordinary photos and a great tale. March 30, 2011 the Directors College 2011 series at the 7:00 pm @ the Barney Library 71 Main Street Farmington,

A Time to Reflect and Glow: Barney Library Project Completed and Polished. December 2010

2010-12-15T12:12:00.010-05:00

I suppose it is appropriate to assess those New Year’s promises we made in January at the years end and then to begin thinking about next year’s resolutions.
Well, this was the year of years for me. The Barney Library coming to fruition along with the installation of KOHA, an open source electronic catalog, personnel reorganization, new programs, services and initiatives are each very remarkable. However, the Barney project's magnitude highlighted by all the good work done by the building committee, Architects, General Contractor and our fabulous employees tops the cake!

Thanks to everyone and best wishes for the rest of the year and next.

Jay

Evan Cowles Presents:Images From Nepal, 21 Days in the Himalayas

2010-12-10T16:30:00.004-05:00

It is so exciting to present our second Directors College program: Images From Nepal:21 Days in the Himalayas, October 2008 by sojourner Evan Cowles at the Barney Library on Wednesday February 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm.

Evan Cowles retired from his Landscape Architecture practice in July 2008 and immediately started training for a trek in the Anapurna region in October 2008. Cowles will tell the story of how he and five other trekkers spent 21 days on an ancient trade route that has been used for centuries.

Cowles’s trek around the Manaslu circuit started at a tropical 2,000 foot elevation. The ancient trade route followed the Budhi Gandaki river, proceeding over the snow covered Larke La pass with an altitude of almost 17,000 feet, and back down into the tropics again. As the altitude increased, the people and language changed from Nepali to Tibetan.

“While the stock market was plummeting and Obama was in the middle of his presidential campaign, we were oblivious as we traveled through a land right out of the fourteenth century. The typical family’s dinner was grown in sight their village, the grain ground by a water powered mill next door, and everything cooked over an open fire with the smoke making its way through a hole in the roof.”

The images are vivid digital photos that include children, ancient stone paths, and rickety suspension bridges.

The expanded Barney Branch Library Presents an Outstanding Venue for the premier Friends of the Library Fundraiser @ the Barney

2010-12-07T08:48:00.008-05:00

Please click on the link below to see the event and special thanks to Trustee, Brian Connolly for this complelling production.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nYnvJcWiQ0

JANUARY 26 JOAN AND CHARLES LEACH TALK EUROPEAN BIKING

2010-12-01T11:26:00.009-05:00

DIRECTOR'S COLLEGE PREMIER PERFORMANCE

SAVE THE DATE:

JANUARY 26, 2011 FOR

JOAN AND CHARLES LEACH’S EUROPEAN

CYCLING TALK @ THE BARNEY LIBRARY 71 MAIN STREET FARMINGTON

Register here>>

Not everyone who tours Europe does it in a bus or rented car. Veteran cyclists Joan and Charlie Leach have toured four countries on two wheels and would like to show share with you what it’s like, what it costs and how to do it. The Leaches also will discuss issues related to age [none] and physical conditioning [a few].

This mid-70’s couple has ridden hundreds of miles along the Elbe, Danube and Loire Rivers and through the hills of Tuscany. They will relate what it’s like to see a foreign land from the bike saddle, how to meet nice folks by getting lost and how to ride a bike after sampling Tuscan wine.

They will show photographs taken along German, Austrian, French and Italian bike paths – and share stories and images of how to link famous tourist attractions with a few daily miles of pedaling.

Their trips have been undertaken both independently and with Elderhostel [“Road Scholar”]. Travel has been efficiently managed by local tour companies which provide equipment, hotels, meals and luggage transport – along with maps, directions and a backup “sag wagon”.

Foreign bike touring is fun and not physically demanding. These great adventures are available in many forms, and everyone [even the faint-hearted] can find a tour fitting their capabilities and interests. Let our speakers show you how it’s done!

Fourth Annual Krystallnacht Lecture

2010-11-24T14:40:00.006-05:00

On November 9th, 2010 the Farmington Library sponsored its 3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture. Mrs. Tutti (Ruth) Fishman spoke about her experiences during WWII when she was imprisoned in two concentration camps from ages 8-10. Below you will find links to the video of the lecture which is currently posted in five parts on YouTube.

3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture - Part 1

3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture - Part 2

3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture - Part 3

3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture - Part 4

3rd Annual Krystallnacht Lecture - Part 5

I will lead another bus trip to New York City on Wednesday February 2nd.

2010-11-09T16:14:00.006-05:00

We all had a great time on November 3rd on our second NYC bus trip. I will lead another trip to the City on Wednesday February 2nd. The Bus will leave the Main Library parking lot at 7:30 am sharp and leave NYC on 7th avenue between 52nd and 53street at 6:30 pm sharp directly across from the Sheraton Towers Hotel for an approximate 9:00 pm Farmington arrival. The bus will drop people off at: 5th avenue in the eighties, Rockefeller Center, 42and St for twofers and on Canal Street on to the Strand book store and Battery Park for a ferry ride. So if you are in the mood for a museum visit, walk in the city, lunch or diner, Broadway show matinee, shopping, walking over the upper level of the Brooklyn Bridge, having dim sum in China Town, Walking on the High Line park or just people watching….February 2nd is the day to travel to the Big Apple. The price is $ 24.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2010 @ FARMINGTON LIBRARIES

2010-10-29T11:18:00.003-04:00

Halloween does not have to be scary... Just little ones having a parade to music and dancing the day away at the Library..... Have a great and safe Halloween... Best Jay

UNIONVILLE DAYS 2010

2010-10-28T09:12:00.006-04:00

It was great fun working the Library Booth at the Fifth annual Unionville days community celebration. I was just amazed by the many new Farmingtonians I met who had not yet visited the Libraries. Naturally, they are all signed up and excited to belong to the "best deal in town". Furthermore, I had a chance to see many old friends and here in the picture below our esteemed Town Chairman Mike Clark along with his wife, Susan with my wife Cynthia, enjoying fellowship and a wonderful fall day. Mike and Cynthia were Rotary Road Race runners and really enjoyed the beauty of the Flora and topography as they ran the well laid out course. I believe that community is the Key to great libraries and Farmington, in my opinion, holds the master key. Special thanks to Steve Wasley for the photo and his and the Rotary Club of Farmington's unyielding support of library service and the Barney Renovations Project.

All my best, Jay

Director's College, Spring Rome Vacation

2010-10-08T13:53:00.005-04:00

Six Day spring 2011
ROME VACATION
Non-Stop Air, Hotel and Breakfast
Under $1,400
Departing for Rome March 16, 2011
Returning March 22, 2011.
5 nights at the Alexandra or
similar hotel with airport transfers from

Farmington Library-JFK Rome Airport TO Hotel

To register contact
Executive Assistant, Bernie at
860-673-6791 ext.219
Deadline is October 10, 2010
Farmington Libraries
6 Monteith Drive
Farmington, CT 06032
www. farmingtonl ibraries.org

Farmington Libraries Annual Report For Fiscal Year 2009-2010

2010-10-08T13:23:00.007-04:00

FARMINGTON LIBRARIES
SINCE 1902

Jay Johnston M.S., M.A.
Executive Director

October 9, 2010

RE: Annual Report Fiscal Year 2009-2010 (July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010)

To: The Farmington Community:

OVERVIEW

I am pleased to present to the citizens of Farmington our 2010 Annual Report. During these unusually challenging times, innovative public library service continues to emerge and flourish in Farmington. This is revealed through the many new users who, with greater frequency, need and demand: high speed-internet connectivity, Wi-Fi, vetted business resources like Morningstar and Moody’s, and job search help, including resume assistance, and the many other resources required to successfully navigate through life in 2010. Our goal is to provide new and long-time customers the best possible library experience. The library is really a team of public service consultants individually assisting citizens on-demand. Naturally, Farmington Libraries would not be as revered as they are without our accomplished professional staff with whom people enjoy a library experience far beyond expectations. We remain “the best deal in town”.
Although we are experiencing increases in the non-traditional services named above, traditional service continues to grow. Therefore, it is especially important to anticipate new technologies while continuing to provide a customer-focused 360 degree comprehensive program.

POSITION

Our position as a premier community asset continues to change in magnitude and scope requiring extreme customer service to continue to give our customers what they want when they want it. We will continue this customer-focused practice to further leverage our resources by redirecting acquisitions based upon changes and shifts in the Farmington community’s interests.

TECHNOLOGY

After three years of research, focus group opinion, study and a tremendous amount of work, the decision was made to change our information platform to dramatically improve service and functionality, while reducing costs. This was executed by data migration to KOHA, the open-source library information system. The result of this transition is significant and began to present soon after our June cut-over and roll-out. Self-checkout is now available and public access technology is upgraded to further enhance the customer experience. A new archival scanning station is now in use to capture and present historic records, documents, and photos on our portal. Computer-U, now in its second year, is delivering technology classes and on-demand tutorial assistance to individuals needing help.

PHILSOPHY

Although the Barney Branch is currently under construction, overall library use continues to increase. Lending approaches one half million while total service units delivered approaches one million. Naturally, these usage increases are significant; however, we have refocused and adjusted our direction toward the delivery of qualitative service units. Users’ experience and customer service outcomes are weighed more heavily than visitation/lending metrics. This approach is based in the total experience model, where a great deal more time and resources are required to assist customers than in the past, due to the complexity of questions and assistance. We have magnified our customer focus and inserted specific segmented broad spectrum goals into our strategic plan to measure, promote and manage customer satisfaction directly across all segments of library service. In that spirit, we are working directly with the community development director to amplify our Chamber of Commerce Business center resources through a cooperative effort to publicize and further develop these services and resources to enhance Farmington’s economic vitality.

ORGANIZATION

FY2009-2010 presented several opportunities to effect top to bottom efficiencies in our operational model. These changes were executed to better serve customers and leverage resources by re-engineering human resources to improve service delivery. In that regard, we have re-engineered several departments, electronically migrated to a new improved library automation system, managed the renovation and additions to the Barney Branch Library, and established new programming enhancements to the Children’s Services program, focusing on specific developmental and structural elements to positively affect learning and social skill development.

Furthermore, we have increased the scope of our adult programming and developed a new relationship with the University of Hartford’s President’s College resulting in new enriched programming for our adult population. We are very enthusiastic about these enhancements in programming. In addition, we have won and participated in several grant programs directed at improving our computing capabilities, software library, and public access to the internet. The following highlights the many acomplishments of FY-2010.

Sincerely,

Jay

Barney Library Accomplishments Fiscal Year 2009-2010

· Transferred all library resources to The Farmington Library and closed the Barney for renovation.
· Developed and implemented a Barney program of service from The Farmington Library for Fiscal Year 2009-2010.

Children’s Department Accomplishments for Fiscal Year 2009-2010

· Increased children’s programming by 5%, with a 6.8% increase in attendance.
· Reorganized and relocated children’s fiction and non-fiction, adding attractive signage.
· Upgraded the décor with the addition of a mural, painted house, and graphic column.
· Instituted a structured volunteer program that brings together teens and pre-schoolers as Reading Buddies.
· Introduced summer reading on-line registration.
· Added laptops for the convenience of adults using computers in the Children’s Department.

Lending Services for Fiscal Year 2009-2010

· Lending increased 2% over 2008-2009 ( 482,207 circulations)
· Visits equaled 256,080, a 9% decrease from 2009/2010
· Continuing increase in use of self-checkout (35,402 checkouts), a 29% increase.
· Increased holds and C-car delivery as patrons become more comfortable with system holds
· Outsourced and pre-processed covers resulting in faster processing.
· Re-cataloged/re-processed theme books in Children’s department
· Discarded all books on cassette in all departments.
· Discarded all children’s videos and majority of adult
· Extensive weeding of Branch collection
· Processed 1300 books from Service Centers for Summer reading
· In addition to ordering and processing materials from library budget, the following large gift materials were ordered and processed:
o Business Center (Chamber gifts)
o Friends DVD’s , Books on CD and Books
o Ethel Dewey gift for Books on CD
· Barney collection moved/ incorporated into Main collection both physically and in computer. Investigated total shelf-ready processing from vendor.
· Participated in setting up Sirsi coding for loan periods, fine rates etc. for transfer to Koha
· Training on Koha throughout Spring
· Koha implementation in June, including Lending, financial, holds and ordering

Adult Services for Fiscal Year 2009-2010

· Bestselling fiction selection and shipping was automated with our materials vendor.
· The Barney Library's adult and children collections were integrated and/or relocated to shelving in the Adult stacks facilitated by extensive shifting in our fiction and magazine sections.
· Interlibrary Loan processing was retooled due to our Koha migration.
· Individual 1-on-1 Koha catalog training for patrons by phone, email and in person helped ease our transition into our new computer system and library catalog.
· Programming initiatives, including computer U, Independent Film and Afternoon at the Bijou were successfully continued.
· Monthly Library Newsletter was designed and developed for library programming.
· Public Relations were successfully grown and maintained with local media, especially the Film Section in the Hartford Courant which prominently publicized our film events.
· Filmography initiative was launched to develop a backlist of classic DVD movies in adult collection.
· Led the presentation, bidding, and implementation of the Koha open source automated library system to the June 7, 2010 roll-out.

Summer Splash Reading Program a Tremendous Success

2010-09-08T10:24:00.001-04:00

Summer Splash Reading Program a Tremendous Success

Reading is the keystone to the Farmington Libraries mission. In that regard, children’s participation in our reading programs is key to our success. And, because children are so eager to learn and understand new ideas and concepts we strive to create an exciting and stimulating environment to positively foster learning, reading and inquisitiveness, The friends of the Library are our great allies in that effort in that they provide additional funding to ensure we can deliver the special programs necessary to create success in delivering on that goal.

The Summer Splash Reading Program a Tremendous Success as the result of a total team efort led by our Head of Children's and Branch services, Kathy Lesco, as evident in photos posted below:

Libraries disconnect from CONNECT to offer new program

2010-08-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

By Stephanie Riefe of Farmington Life

The Farmington Libraries are no longer part of the CONNECT consortium and are now part of KOHA. The change was made to save money and to increase services. Both programs are focused on delivery of services such as circulation and cataloguing, Library Director Jay Johnston explains
Q. What was the CONNECT program and why did the libraries stop using it?
A. CONNECT began as an automated system to check materials in and out of then developed into a comprehensive library information system in the 1990s. Farmington had belonged to it since its inception in the early 1980s. It is an organization of many libraries in the capital region and beyond that pay fees for services. The original concept was for the member libraries to collectively create capital through dues, fees and grants for the purpose of purchasing a mainframe computer, proprietary library operational software, central office staff with the expertise to manage the system and to organize the libraries into a computerized regional network. At the time, 1982, this was an innovative and smart way to do business because this structure was developed at a pre-Internet time period. Today, with new emerging technologies and many exciting open-source solutions available, I began to study alternatives to the current proprietary software solutions in order to better leverage our resources in an uncertain economy. Through that research process, I learned that the KOHA system was far advanced in functionality and customization compared with CONNECT and that operational costs were significantly lower than those charged by CONNECT. Convinced of the benefits of going forward, the staff and library board spent more than three years studying, testing and deciding how to proceed. Now we have made the migration from the old proprietary CONNECT library information system to the new, open-source KOHA system. Out new system costs less than 1/5 of the old CONNECT system. KOHA also has a great deal more functionality, running on Linux, Apache, MySQL and Pearl, very similar to the operation of Amazon.com.
Q.Talk a bit more about the new program. How does it work?
A. KOHA is an open-source (non-proprietary) system. We own the software and do not pay fees. We can alter operational procedures as needed and make improvements that were not possible with the proprietary system. KOHA also has an artificial intelligence component that interfaces with individual user’s preference, a feature to which computer users of today are accustomed. It is a web-based system that can be used on any device. Functionality includes creating private and public lists for future reading. We are currently listing high school and intermediate school reading lists in our KOHA catalog. This feature can also be used to create private reading lists for an n individual’s future use. The catalog has a powerful social component allowing Tags for commenting on books, DVD’s, great reads, or other interests (tags for sailing adventure or Danielle Steel junkies). Also, when searching in the Farmington catalog, with the click of a single link you can continue that search in the old CONNECT catalog or statewide system.
Q. What do people need to know about KOHA and how it might affect their library habits?
A. The new system will allow you many of the features you have grown accustomed to in Amazon.com and other modern artificial intelligence information systems, along with traditional library features. It is intuitive and your Farmington Library account reflects only Farmington items. When returning items from other libraries at Farmington, you will be credited with your date of return when it is received by the lending library. All inter-library loan functions can still be enjoyed by contacting the library and requesting an item. However, I believe our collection will sustain 99 percent of our demand with a goal of reducing inter-library loan by developing our collection with a more rigorous customer-focused purchasing system.
Q. Does the new program offer features that were not available before?
A. Yes , indeed, private and public lists to see what you checked out and what you want to read in the future, a cart feature to place multiple holds for your reading interests, tag cloud which gives a personal way of grouping items by interest areas, and an online public access catalog feature which allows virtually browsing the shelves.

Farmington Libraries Top All Records With 7,493 transactions in one 12 hour day for 10.406 transactions per minute

2010-08-24T11:13:00.006-04:00

Assistant Director of Operations, Tinker Murphy, reports an all-time lending transaction record with loans of 3,508 items and returns of 3,985 for a total of 7,493 items transacted over the 12 hours we were open. Whew, and Well done!

Our August 23rd program was just grand and attributable to the hard work and dedication Kathy Lescoe's Childrens services team

2010-08-24T10:53:00.008-04:00

The importance of reading and literacy in general is principal to our mission's focus. The importance of children reading and knowing the joy reading engenders is key to our societies future. In that regard, the Friends of the Library do the community a tremendous service by funding many of the special programs the Libraries develop over the year. This summer was no exception in that commitment. Thank you, Friends of Farmington Library. I would suggest you join the Friends, they are a great group of individuals.

Our August 23rd end of the summer splash reading program was just grand and attributable to the hard work and dedication of our entire Children's Services team led by Kathy Lescoe, Head of Branch and Children's Services.

Barney Library History and Future

2010-08-23T15:54:00.014-04:00

Library Board Member Rob Huelin signs his name to the steel structure about to join the future with the past at the new Barney Library additions and renovations project.
We are all looking forward to the grand reopening this fall... Stay Tuned.. Historically, I highly recommend you click on the header to read the The Barney Memorial Library: Its Origins Over Two Centuries, by Jean Johnson; Part I and part II.

Thank You! Brian Connolly, for designing our new Farmington Libraries Logo.

2010-08-19T07:58:00.005-04:00

Thank You, Brian Connolly!

At its' August 18th meeting, the Library Board unanimously voted to adopted Board member Brian Connolly‘s new logo branding the Libraries service mission graphically as the natural; social, intellectual, recreational and cultural connection to Farmington residents. We are excited to see an elegant unifying expression of the Library as our community’s hub and "the place to be!"

Stayed tuned, I will post our new logo soon.

Thank You, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, for identifying the public library as a most valuable community asset.

2010-08-09T09:55:00.006-04:00

I was so pleased to welcome JoAnn Price, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving board member and Alison Granger the Foundation’s senior investment officer, Farmington resident and library user to the Main Library on Tuesday August 3rd. It was my pleasure indeed, to personally thank these wonderful people for assisting in assessing the need and presenting the opportunity for me to apply for and receive a $30,000 grant for a technology project we have been planning to execute over the past few years. The Foundation has been very generous to Farmington Libraries during my watch with a $ 225,000 building grant required to complete the 2009-2010 $ 3,000,000, Barney Renovations Project, http://www.hfpg.org/NewsStories/NewsReleases/NewsArticle/tabid/517/smid/1546/ArticleID/127/reftab/550/Default.aspx and now by investing $30,000 in public technology. We are very grateful for this needed gift.

Good-Bye Judy Guglietta. AKA ,JAG

2010-08-01T17:22:00.003-04:00

Good-Bye JAG… Executive Secretary and Building Superintendent Judy Guglietta, aka jag, decided to retire after 29 years of service here at Farmington. We will look forward to post cards from far off places where she and John will travel.

Barney Project advances with style

2010-07-27T08:15:00.006-04:00

We are very fortunate to have a tremendous team of trades’ people, architects, engineers, project managers, General contractors, Building committee members, and others to bring the new Barney Library across two centuries. This short photo essay provides a glimpse into the future and the pre-paint reality of our progress.

Farmington Children's Department's: Touch a Truck Day: Children Love Trucks and So Do Parents.. Yea!

2010-07-01T14:24:00.004-04:00

Touch a Truck 2010= over 225 people, 7 vehicles:

1 a fire truck 4 firefighters from Farmington Fire Dept
2 police cruisers with 2 police officers from Farmington Police Dept
2 shiny red dump trucks and 2 drivers from Farmington Public Works
1 tow truck from Farmington Motor Sports, with 2 employees
2 vintage tractors belonging to Bill Wollemberg

Summer, a great time to slow down and enjoy a good book

2010-07-01T14:00:00.004-04:00

Summertime is a great time to slow down and enjoy a good book and we have great books for your leisure time in many formats. The photo display below gives an example of good beach books. However if you do not have time to slow down and go to the beach, you can enjoy a good “talking book”. These books are recorded by the author or a great actor and come in three varieties for your fast paced lifestyle: Playaway, a self-contained book you slip in your pocket and listen to while running, walking, cooking or whatever. 2. Downloadable books are available through our website online. These audio books can be downloading into your IPod or other device. 3. Books on CD, these books are great to listen to while on the go as well and are played on a CD player. I wish everyone a great summer a great reading…

The Gardens of Farmington

2010-06-17T15:13:00.006-04:00

A special thank you to the Master Gardeners for their recent addition to the library landscaping with the Island Project pictured below.

Monday Morning, June 7, 2010 - First Patrons to Use the New System

2010-06-07T13:27:00.008-04:00

Ivan Mendelsohn

Jean Kim

Kim and Audrey Harrell

Elisabeth and daughter

Donald Donor and Kalina

On Monday morning these patrons came to get their library materials and were "happy campers."

Monday June seventh is our go-live date for KOHA... Please check us out after 9:00 am

2010-06-05T18:06:00.004-04:00

Special Thanks to my department heads: Hal Bright, project leader, Barbara Knibbs, Tinker Murphy, and Kathy Lescoe for their unflagging support and efforts in rolling out this program. I am also grateful to each for your good work, leadership and attention to detail. This is a pioneering step in innovation, management, technological strategy, and customer service.

I am also very thankful for my Library Board who have each worked hard through the three year decision process and also developed the wisdom to go forward with this important project. Thank you all. Jay

ByWater Solutions, an open source community supporter and official Koha support company, announced today that The Farmington Libraries, of Farmington, CT. has partnered with them for the implementation of the open source community version of the Koha integrated library system.
Farmington has contracted with ByWater Solutions for the Installation, customization, migration, hosting, support and training for their Koha integrated library system.
Jay Johnston, M.S. M.A. Executive Director of the Farmington Libraries commented on their decision to switch to and open source solution;
“Open source software is fast becoming the standard software model in many organizations worldwide and has demonstrated great value by virtue of its fast diffusion throughout the world as the new library ILS standard. It is consequently exciting to be able to provide our citizen-customers with the best in ILS capability at a fraction of the current cost. To better serve our citizen-customers increasingly diverse needs, the KOHA system will provide greater flexibility and functionality within an economic climate dictating prudence, measure and the necessity finding better ways of doing business.” (http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/)
The Farmington Libraries are comprised of two branches, made up of over 150,000 volumes and serves a population of over 25,000 residents
About ByWater Solutions:With over 10 years of experience, ByWater Solutions offers customized hosting, data migration, configuration, installation, training, support options and development of enterprise class open-source library systems. Offering a 24/7 technical helpline, ByWater Solutions’ clients have the support system they need to make their software work for them. ByWater Solutions pledges to share 100% of all developed code to the Koha community for the strengthening and advancement of the Koha ILS.

Big Apple trip scheduled for August 4th. sign-up now $22 per person transportation only

2010-05-27T08:36:00.006-04:00

I will lead a bus trip to New York City on Wednesday August 4th. The Bus will leave the Main Library parking lot at 7:30 am sharp and leave NYC on 7th avenue between 67th and 53street at 6:30 pm sharp directly accross from the Sheraton Towers Hotel for an approximate 9:00 pm Farmington arrival. will lead a bus trip to New York City on Wednesday August 4th. The Bus will leave the Main Library parking lot at 7:30 am sharp and leave NYC on 7th avenue between 67th and 53street at 6:30 pm sharp directly across from the Sheraton Towers Hotel for an approximate 9:00 pm Farmington arrival. The bus will drop people off at: 5th avenue in the eighties, Rockefeller Center, 42and St for twofers and on Canal Street on to the Strand book store and Battery Park for a ferry ride. So if you are in the mood for a museum visit, walk in the city, lunch or diner, Broadway show matinee, shopping, walking over the upper level of the Brooklyn Bridge, having dim sum in China Town, Walking on the High Line park or just people watching….August 4th is the day to travel to the Big Apple. The price is $ 24.

Great Things Happen Unexpectedly... Thank You, Amy Tomasso, Farmington High School scholar.....

2010-05-21T10:32:00.007-04:00

Linda Tomasso stuck her head in my office yesterday and asked for a moment. It was a beautiful day and I was in good spirits however, not prepared for the kind words Linda brought from her daughter Amy's winning national Letters about Literature contest 2010 entry. The Library of Congress, State Centers for the Book, and Target sponsored it and Amy has won twice. http://www.lettersaboutliterature.org/state_winners I was especially overwhelmed by Amy's personal experiences with Farmington Libraries and Miss Vita Lashgari. Please enjoy this tribute.

Letters About Literature 2010

Librarians are the special messengers of books, the Irises of the literary world, and it is because of two of these messengers that I was introduced to, and fell in love with, Richard Halliburton’s Complete Book of Marvels. This rare jewel of a book, an absolute treasure, would never have found me without the intercession of two devoted book lovers who dedicated both time and goodwill in giving a little girl the best gift of all: the gift of reading, manifested through a marvelous piece of literature.
When I was eight years old, my family and I were visiting friends in Washington, D.C named the Sobhanis. Every night, we would read aloud from a musty volume, treacherously heavy for eight-year old arms, and nearly bursting at the seams. I became enthralled by the tales of adventure, daring, and wit, and captivated by this Richard Halliburton, a man whose name may be a mouthful but whose adventures far exceeded my wildest dreams. The book had been a gift to our friends by their grandmother—a librarian herself—who had wanted to share Halliburton’s spectacular story with her grandchildren. And why wouldn’t she—the book is a masterpiece, unsurpassed in all regards. Hoping to acquire the book for our own personal collection, my mother took down the name, eager to discover the next episode in Halliburton’s saga.
How could she have known, then, that the Complete Book of Marvels had long been out of print and off the market? It would take more than a trip to Border’s or an Amazon search to be lucky enough to find a book so perfect that all available copies were guarded with careful hands by bibliophiles around the world. Our next obvious stop would be our rich local resource, The Farmington Library, with its busy shelves of waiting treasures and wonderfully helpful, welcoming librarians. Among these special ladies was Vita Lashgari, who frowned upon failing to find Halliburton among Farmington’s in-house authors. In fact, only with difficulty could she find a copy of his Complete Book of Marvels through inter-library loan. Being resourceful—after all, Miss Vita IS a librarian—she located not one but two copies on a used book site and secured them both. One of these copies is now permanent property of The Farmington Library, available to help young people discover the world afar as I did. The second, purchased as a gift from Miss Vita herself to my brothers, sister, and me, is a heavy, musty green volume similar to the one I remember from Washington, only ours has left-over pink wall-paper pasted in as the book’s endpapers. It is this beloved and even further worn copy of Marvels that inspired my 2010 Letters about Literature entry to Halliburton.

(My mother adds the fact that both of our librarians friends married into Persian families originally from Iran. It is very likely that their fathers-in-law overlapped in the Iranian military and knew one another back half-way around the globe, which would have made Halliburton very pleased indeed!)

The Winning

Dear Richard Halliburton,

Adventure. What a compelling concept. Fascinating and awe-inspiring and intimidating. And, I’m afraid to say, increasingly forgotten and underrated. Adventure is what we desire, yet as a collective human race, we’re bogged down by the rest of life, the trivial matters and tribulations to which we have no choice but to attend. It’s far too easy to forget about spontaneity and fearlessness, to never live out the dreams we create for ourselves in the quiet corners of out hearts. Throughout my childhood when I read—and especially this year when I reread—your Complete Book of Marvels, I was thrilled to find a kindred spirit in you, to follow your own adventures with incredulity and fascination, and to summon the courage to create a true adventure of my own.

I am of Italian heritage, something of which I am undoubtedly proud, yet equally detached from due to the all-inclusive melting pot we call America. Here, individual cultures mesh together in the name of red, white, and blue. This, coupled with the fervent and unquestioned desires of my immigrant ancestors to leave behind their old-country customs and languages but fast, has left me with far too vague a knowledge of Italy. All that remains is the celebratory pasetine soup my great-aunt concocts every Christmas. All I knew was that we had distant relatives in a little village called something with too many consonants, perched on a mountain near somewhere with too many vowels.

What a surprise, then, when I had the opportunity to study Italian and travel to that village by myself, merging together two unspeakably distant cultures—my comfortable suburban routine and the classic, tradition-clad, dolce vita of Italian life…mamma mia! I was aware that this would be one of the most influential experiences of my life, for better or worse, yet I had no way of comprehending the complete anxiety and nerves that began eating away at me as the trip drew nearer.

What was I thinking, bounding out of my comfort zone, and was I ready? Then again, would I ever be ready?

It was then I remembered your book, which had delighted me so as a child when my mother would read it aloud. A book chock full of travel stories and worldly experiences—swimming the Panama canal, bathing under moonlight inside the Taj Mahal, and retracing from atop an elephant Hannibal’s alpine passage into Italy, where you finished your adventure gazing starstuck at the glories of this ancient civilization.
What better way to prepare myself for my own adventure than to share in yours? As I devoured each episode of your travels, many done solo, I began to find assurance. “If Richard Halliburton could do it,” I repeatedly thought, “then so can I.”

During my weeks in Abbateggio, Italy, when my linguistic skills faltered or my homesickness gnawed at me or even when I was cultivating the best memories, such as attending a country wedding, making homemade pasta with my aunt, or frequenting an open-air concert by Italy’s famed Tiziano Ferro, I would reflect on your example in the Complete Book of Marvels, finding advice that far outweighed any dictionary or guidebook. “What would Richard Halliburton do?” I’d like to think that my travels would have been far less meaningful without that recurring thought. Though small and seemingly insignificant, the answer it hailed meant the world to me. I know you’d be proud to hear that the quiet girl from the suburbs, the one who surprised herself with a passion for adventure, boarded a plane at age fifteen, bound for a country she’d never been, speaking a language she’d barely mastered, set to stay with family she’d never met. The same girl uncovered a new sense of independence, a fearless sense of adventure, and a fiery sense of confidence and self-awareness. I can do anything I want, so long as there is drive and desire, and that knowledge is more empowering than the best accessory. I know this, because that girl was me; I’m the one who read a book of faraway places as a young girl and was inspired beyond any measurable means to have adventures of my own. I never imagined I would be standing in your shoes. For this, Richard Halliburton, I say grazie.

Respectfully,

Amy Tomasso

Farmington Libraries Main Video Boutique, if you can't find it we will.

2010-05-20T14:50:00.005-04:00

"You have seen the movie now read the book @ Farmington Libraries". 18 days till Farmington Libraries go live with KOHA.. a splendid new way to find library resources and sooo much more.. stay.. tuned.....

Welcome to Farmington!

2010-05-14T16:07:00.005-04:00

It was just great to meet and greet a new family just arrived at Farmington from Iraq. Please note they each now have a library card and a smile.

Barney Project goes forward with all the energy of a Spring Awakening recorder by Anne Oberg

2010-05-13T15:16:00.005-04:00

Union School Stories 1939-2009 told at the library on May 7th 6:30 till 9:00 pm

2010-04-30T15:51:00.001-04:00

"Union School Stories 1939-2009" is a compelling compendium of remembrances by its graduates. We are excited to roll-out a program where the Union School community and the Farmington community are invited to attend a special program with many "Union School Stories 1939-2009" writers on Friday evening May 7th at the Farmington Library community room from 6:30 pm till 9:00. Please come and meet old and new friends or bring your young students to hear about life Union life from the distant past.

I look forward to seeing your there.

Teen reading is up by 23%this month: Book List for must reading in 2010

2010-04-14T12:06:00.004-04:00

Book on text messaging teens prompts most book challenges of 2009
“TTYL” series tops ALA's 2009 Top Ten list of most frequently challenged books
CHICAGO –Lauren Myracle’s best-selling young adult novel series "TTYL," the first-ever novels written entirely in the style of instant messaging, tops the American Library Association’s (ALA) Top Ten list of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009.
Two books are new to the list: Twilight (series) by Stephanie Meyer and “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.
Both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Robert Cormier’s “The Chocolate War” return after being dropped from the list in 2008.
“Even though not every book will be right for every reader, the ability to read, speak, think and express ourselves freely are core American values,” said Barbara Jones, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “Protecting one of our most fundamental rights – the freedom to read – means respecting each other’s differences and the right of all people to choose for themselves what they and their families read.”
For nearly 20 years, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has collected reports on book challenges. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed or restricted because of content or appropriateness. In 2009, OIF received 460 reports on efforts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.
Though OIF receives reports of challenges in public libraries, schools, and school libraries from a variety of sources, a majority of challenges go unreported. OIF estimates that its statistics reflect only 20-25% of the challenges that actually occur.
The ALA’s Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2009 reflect a range of themes, and consist of the following titles:
1. “TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series), by Lauren Myracle Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs
2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin RichardsonReasons: Homosexuality
3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen ChboskyReasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide
4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie MeyerReasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group
6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. SalingerReasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi PicoultReasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence
8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn MacklerReasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert CormierReasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group
Seven titles were dropped from the list, including: His Dark Materials Trilogy (Series) by Philip Pullman (Political Viewpoint, Religious Viewpoint, Violence); Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz (Occult/Satanism, Religious Viewpoint, Violence); "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya (Occult/Satanism, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Sexually Explicit, Violence); Gossip Girl (Series) by Cecily von Ziegesar (Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group); "Uncle Bobby’s Wedding" by Sarah S. Brannen (Homosexuality, Unsuited to Age Group); "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group); and "Flashcards of My Life" by Charise Mericle Harper (Sexually Explicit, Unsuited to Age Group).
Also new this year is an updated list of the top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of the Decade (2000 – 2009). Topping the list is the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, frequently challenged for various issues including occult/Satanism and anti-family themes. A complete listing can be found at http://tinyurl.com/top100fcb. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alexawards.cfm

Barney Library Beam Signing April 6th 2010 was a blast!

2010-04-07T07:58:00.022-04:00

Transformation in process

2010-04-01T08:15:00.006-04:00

The Barney Branch Library is gaining momentum and steel for the new central structure today…..The original Building was donated by D. Newton Barney as a memorial to his mother Sarah Brandegee Barney. Designed by Stephen Brainerd Lawrence and commissioned in 1919, the South wing the was modified in 1959, and now in 2010, is in final phase of a total redesign to the South wing and center structures by Bruce Tuthill and Peter Wells of the architectural firm Tuthill and Wells of Avon. Building committee chair, David Palmer, and his committee are working hard with the architects and SCOPE ,our general contractor, to bring the project to a wonderful conclusion before Fall 2010. It is exciting to see this wonderful transformation in process. Please stop by and see history in the making. http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=41

Congratulaions, two 20 year Farmington Library veterans

2010-03-19T15:58:00.004-04:00

It was just great to congratulate two 20 year Farmington Library veterans. Pictured here with me are Childrens Programmer Trish Hart, and Library Aide, Pat Sidlovsky who are both celebrating their 20th anniversary with me here at the aquarium. Congratulations to both Pat and Trish on their distinguished service to the children of Farmington.

Congratulations to Farmington's USA BOBSLEDDER ERIN PAC, 2010 Bronze Medal Winner

2010-02-24T14:03:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to Farmington's USA BOBSLEDDER ERIN PAC on her outstanding accomplishments earning the Bronze medal while representing the United States and Farmington in the 2010 Olympics.

Snapshot Day: one day in the life of Connecticut Libraries

2010-02-18T11:30:00.001-05:00

Today, Thursday, February 18, 2010, the Farmington Libraries are participating in Snapshot Day: one day in the life of Connecticut Libraries. This Connecticut Library Association event is being held in every library in Connecticut and the collected data will be posted at http://snapshotctlib.wordpress.com. The Connecticut Library Association will use this information to inform our legislature and the Governor how libraries make a difference in peoples lives. If you can, please stop by and participate today.

Barney Renovations and additions Interiors committee hard at work!

2010-02-18T08:32:00.003-05:00

The Barney Renovations and additions Interiors committee is a dedicated and committed working group finalizing the finishes, colors and furnishings for the Barney Project. I feel so fortunate to have these intelligent and committed members developing a schema and color palette for our project. Shown in working session, left to right: Nancy Nickerson, Anne Oberg, Holly Holden, A.S.I.D. , Norma Hartley and me. Not in photo: Hillary Donald AIA, Charbra Jestin.

February 10, 2010 a snow day at the Farmington Libraries

2010-02-10T15:50:00.006-05:00

Snowy days are always fun at the library.... Especially when parents and their children can have fun together.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z_ETisA645s/R83hNIl7QHI/AAAAAAAABhM/vbt84t_MiLw/s1600-h/snow.JPG

Farmington Rotary continues to support the Baney Renovations Project

2010-02-03T13:29:00.003-05:00

Farmington Rotary Club Chairman Kevin Ray is shown presenting me with a $ 1,500 check to support the Barney Renovations Project http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/2009/09/barney-ground-breaking-tuesday.html. This last check brings the total to over $3,000 for Rotary contributions from funds earned through the Rotary’s 2nd Lobster Fest http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/2009/09/thank-you-farmington-rotary.html. Thank You Rotarians for all you do for Farmington and especially for the significant help you are providing to the Barney Renovations Project.

Learn a foreign language at Farmington Libraries or from home using your Farmington library card

2010-01-28T11:22:00.006-05:00

Technology and the Internet have created communications paths and possibilities not previously possible. I mention this because of the wonderful and revolutionary language learning system we have just installed at the Libraries for both Library and remote leaning. The system is called MANGO the results are amazing and recommended by LA Times Travel as an online language learning resource for travelers. Tango is great for: quick language checks, tune ups, travel preparation. Please look at the range of languages and learn a new language today on the main web portal on the bottom left hand side of the page….

ByWater Solutions LLC, selected for ILS implementation

2010-01-21T11:32:00.009-05:00

KOHA: An elegant solution to a complex problem.

I am excited to announce that Farmington Libraries are moving fast into the twenty first century with the selection of the KOHA integrated library system as our library automation platform. And, a new relationship with ByWater Solutions LLC http://bywatersolutions.com/?page_id=146 as our ILS consultants. Open source software is fast becoming the standard software model in many organizations worldwide and has demonstrated great value by virtue of its fast diffusion throughout the world as the new library ILS standard. It is consequently exciting to be able to provide our citizen-customers with the best in ILS capability at a fraction of the current cost. To better serve our citizen-customers increasingly diverse needs, the KOHA system will provide greater flexibility and functionality within an economic climate dictating prudence, measure and the necessity finding better ways of doing business.

The KOHA open source solution was determined to be the best library automation software (ILS) to take Farmington Libraries to the next level

2010-01-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

As a result of exhaustive cost analysis, comparative functionality testing, customer satisfaction, focus group, and library technology study, the Farmington Libraries will begin a new and exciting venture into open source integrated library automation software, ILS. I am particularly excited to be able to lead our transition into an exceptionally well designed and scalable ILS proven to provide features and functionality not currently available at one quarter of the current cost. This is a real twenty first century solution to rising operational costs without sacrificing functionality. Our Board, staff, and customers entered into an exhaustive process in order to make this difficult decision, however, the effort is well worth the effect and will be rolled-out in the spring of 2010. Stay Tuned

Ariana is back from H1N1.. We are all so happy...Thank you for your prayers and good wishes....

2009-12-21T14:14:00.002-05:00

Printmaker Donald Axleroad helps Farmington's Youth understand Art

2009-11-23T07:50:00.004-05:00

We are very happy to have Donald Axleroad here to exhibit but also to invest his talents in educating our Teens in woodcut printing and inspiring our younger children with the Labyrinth he and his assistants constructed and programmed in the Kids Room this Saturday November 21.

Don's “ woodcut, The Minotaur Escaping the Labyrinth, has received many first prize and best in show awards in the past few months from organizations including the Carriage Barn, Rowayton Art Center, Flinn Gallery, the New Rochelle Art Association and the Kent Art Association.”-New Canaan News Review and New Canaan Advertiser, Sept. 4, 2008. Thank you Don and your crew for a first class show.

Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, third Farmington Libraries lecture series

2009-11-10T11:40:00.007-05:00

It was a great honor to meet and introduce Dr.Rabbi Philip Lazowski and to hear his story of survival during the Holocaust. Dr. Lazowski is a wonderful speaker and humanist, his story was transformational.

My Remarks

November 10, 2009

Kristallnacht the night of broken glass

This is our third kristallnacht program here at Farmington

It all started few years ago with a visit from my good friends Phyllis and Sy Lapin, & Celeste Lewitt. When the idea of a Kristallnacht program, here at Farmington was first discussed. We all knew how important it was for people to understand and to never forget what happened on November 10, 1938 in Nazi Germany and Austria. ……
It all began in a personal way, when a German Diplomat Ernst vom Rath was shot and killed by Herschel Grynszpan a distraught German-born Polish Jewish boy living with his uncle in Paris. He shot Vom Roth in protest of the expulsion of his family from Germany. He killed so the world would know the terrible states his family was in which he learned by a pitiful letter from his sister written at the Polish border, This event was the flashpoint for the NAZI hate and, a coordinated Austrian German attack on all the Jewish people and their property where: 99 were murdered that night and 30,000 arrested and put in concentration camps. 267 synagogues were destroyed and thousands of homes and businesses ransacked. This was done by the Hitler Youth, Gestapo, and SS. Kristallnacht also served as a pretext and a means for the wholesale confiscation of firearms from German Jews. These are things that must not be forgotten so that they will never happen again. And, I don’t want to forget Sy Lapin who was taken from us on November 5th last year who helped me so much in these programs. Please! one moment for Sy...

Now, I am so honored to introduce our most distinguished guest, scholar, author, and honored speaker: Rabbi Philip Lazowski the author of many books and papers; but who, today, will speak of his own Faith…… and Destiny. A story of his survival during the Holocaust….. Dr. Lazowski…..

Books by Dr. Lazowski: Understanding Your Neighbor's Faith: What Christians and Jews Should Know About Each Other, Rediscovering the Prayerbook, the Daily Service, A home guide to Jewish rituals, holidays, and prayers, Reflections on faith, Passover Haggadah: From the Depths to Redemption

Also, Special thanks to Kay Donnelly for her valued assistance in the program …….

Yea! for the Friends of Farmington Libraries

2009-11-05T18:50:00.002-05:00

The Friends of Farmington Libraries have a long legacy of supporting the Libraries. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Friends were the first to step forward to provided seed money for the Barney Renovations Project. It is because of the good work of the Friends and the many friends of the library that the Barney Project is going forward. As a result of the above, I paid a visit to the Friends Board Meeting of November 5th to acknowledge the $ 60,000 hard earned dollars they gave to the Barney project and to make a few remarks regarding their gift and the naming of it at the New Barney. The Friends have and will always be special to me and the Libraries and it was just fun to stop by and see them in Action.

Best, Jay

Halloween has emerged bigger than ever in 2009 at Farmington Libraries

2009-10-30T11:33:00.005-04:00

Barney Project's Furnishings Committee working diligently here to help create an exciting functional new space in Farmington

2009-10-30T10:31:00.009-04:00

A Huge Thank You to the Furnishings committee, each of whom gives their talent and creativity freely with the best interests of Farmington in their hearts and minds:
Nancy Nickerson
Anne Oberg
Hilary Donald
Norma Hartley

Not pictured: Holly Holden, Charbra Adams Jestin

Good-bye Suzanne

2009-10-21T14:58:00.004-04:00

Children's Services Librarian, Suzanne Maryeski, has accepted an appointment as director of the New London Public Library. We all wish Suzanne well in her new responsibilities and will miss her light heart and kind ways.

Library Board Develops New Strategic Plan

2009-10-21T13:45:00.007-04:00

In the continuing effort to provide sustainable excellence in Farmington's library services, Board members convened the second Strategic Planning meeting to chart the Libraries course for the next five years. Board member Terry Roberts acted as facilitator and has brought the board to a cohesive center in the library’s future. We look forward to finalizing the new plan within the next quarter.

Barney Ground Breaking Tuesday September 29, 2009

2009-09-30T14:55:00.012-04:00

Opening Remarks: FVGLA, President Ed Prenet

Farmington Libraries Chairman, Bill Hayhurst

Building Committee, Chairman David Palmer

Remarks: Town Council Chairman, Mike Clark

State Senator, Donald DeFronzo

State Senator Jonathan Harris

State Representative Demetrios Giannaros

Farmington Libraries Executive Director. Jay Johnston:

Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele special remarks
My Remarks:

Special thanks to the Town Council who believed in the project.
And, especially Mike Clark, it’s Chairman, for his support in the ensuing referendum resulting in an exquisite victory for the people. Thanks also to Councilors Mark Fey, Michael Demicco, William Wadsworth, Charles Keniston, Donald Perrault, Jr., and Jeffrey Hogan.

I world like to give Special thanks to the Connecticut State Library, the State legislature, our delegation: Senator Donald DeFronzo, Senator Jonathan Harris, and State Representative; Beth Bye, State Representative Demetrios Giannaros……. Special thanks to Governor Rell for signing the bond document awarding a 1million dollar state library construction grant to Farmington Libraries that began this odyssey, And Thank You LT. Governor Fedele for honoring us this evening with your presence!

Let me also thank first and foremost our citizens for giving Farmington Libraries the best community possible to develop one of Connecticut’s top programs. Leading your Libraries is a privilege and responsibility to which I give the highest priority. However, leadership requires support and confidence and for thank I thank our Board of Directors for their steady hand and insightful vision. Andy Baron, Karen Williard, Terry Roberts, Lana Parke, Nancy Nickerson, Alan Coykendall, Kathy Piccirillo, Janice Caroll, David Tabol, Anne Oberg, Alan Sherman, and its chairman Bill Hayhurst, I also need to thank all my Library co-workers and colleagues in Town Government, especially Manager Eagen, and Director Swetsky for their assistance in the many technical matters requiring consultation during this project’s development. Also, FVGLA Chairman, Mike Andreas, for his wisdom and expertise in the development of the project and to Judy Guglietta for her invaluable assistance. And special thanks to Kathy Lescoe, for her undaunted efforts.

Naturally Special thanks to the hard working Building Committee, Chairman David Palmer, Mike Schloss, Alan Coykendall, Andy Baron, Nancy Nickerson, Norma Hartley,

And, Our Fund Rising Committee, Chairman, Buzz and Arleen Whittaker, Russ Fisher, Nancy Nickerson, Brie Quinby, George Reider, and Anne Oberg.

Our Interiors Committee, Nancy Nickerson, Ann Oberg, Norma Hartley, Hillary Donald AIA

And, without saying, our great and innovative architects Bruce Tuthill and Peter Wells who brought our vision to reality.

This is a great day for Farmington and an exciting promise for the future….

Thank You all for your attention

Thank You Farmington Rotary

2009-09-30T08:56:00.007-04:00

The Library is all about community and service and that is why we are so delighted to have the Rotary Club of Farmington conducting the second Barney Library fundraiser on the Barney Library front lawn September 13th. The club served over 250 lobster and steak dinners. Special thanks tho chairmen of the event: Stephen and Karen Wasley, and Paula and Kevin Ray and everyone involved for a job well done.

Thank You Farmington Savings Bank

2009-09-29T13:53:00.003-04:00

Farmington Savings Bank President Jon Patrick presented Fund Raising Committee member George Reider and me with a $50,000 Barney renovations gift. Although the project is going forward we are continuing efforts to secure additional funding for the project.

Three cheers for Terry Matava

2009-09-29T13:42:00.005-04:00

Many Tanks to Terry Matava f0r developing a display and working the Library booth at Unionville Days 2009.

Terry had a very wet but productive day….

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008-2009

2009-09-21T11:58:00.008-04:00

Farmington Libraries
Since 1901

September, 2009

RE: Annual Report Fiscal Year 2008-2009 (July 1, 2008/June 30, 2009)

To the Farmington Community:

I am pleased to present to the citizens of Farmington our 2009 Annual Report. While many new challenges emerged during this fiscal year, we weathered difficult times with resilience and the belief in an exciting promise for the future. The positive effect of our program is reflected in the year-end performance metrics up by 8.2%, or by 63,612 transactions, almost two times our population, for the third year in succession.

In that regard, the staff has worked smart and hard to deliver an outstanding program to our citizens and has done so with the spirit of the community foremost in their hearts and minds and with fewer staff to carry the load. Given all of this, the Farmington Libraries continue to be a learning-centered organization devoted to appreciative inquiry and re-engineering for the new millennium.

Within a turbulent and unpredictable economy, we have succeeded in developing the resources necessary to go forward with the Barney Branch Library renovations project. This important and defining moment for Farmington was made possible through a one million dollar State grant, the passage of a one million dollar Town-Wide Referendum, and a successful fundraising campaign all together delivering the green light on this needed and necessary project.

In closing, let me thank first and foremost our citizens for giving Farmington Libraries the best community possible to develop one of the top library programs in the state. Leading your Libraries is a privilege and responsibility to which I give the highest priority. I also would like to thank our Board of Directors for their steady hand and insightful vision and I wish to thank all my Library co-workers and colleagues in Town Government, especially Manager Eagen, and Director Swetsky for their assistance in the many technical matters that required consultation over the year. I hope you visit our departmental blogs @ http://www.farmingtonlibct.org/blogs.htm to further understand the richness of the programming provided to you daily. The following provides a small picture of the programs and events which summarize the year departmentally:

Children’s Services

There were two highly successful initiatives in the Children’s Room this year: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and the arrangement of a sizeable part of the picture book collection into theme centers. And again the annual summer reading program broke all previous records.

1. 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: This new program encourages parents to read to their very young children, based on research showing that the number of books children have been read and the amount of language they are exposed to directly correlates with their later success in school.

This initiative was modeled on our highly successful school-age summer reading program, and uses reading logs to record the number of books read and offers incentives to encourage participation and completion of the activity. As of June 30 the program had been running only a few months and 164 children registered and recorded 21,300 books in their logs.

2. Theme Books in the Picture Book Collection: The picture book collection in the Children’s Room is the largest collection of books. Traditionally these books are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name, but this year a large number of these books were arranged in theme centers, based on the most popular areas of interest of preschool children. Some themes included are: Bedtime Stories, Things That Go (trucks, trains and planes), Dinosaurs, Teddy Bears, Starting School, Toilet Training, Princess Stories, and Concepts, which includes colors, shapes, opposites and telling time.

Parents are very enthusiastic about this arrangement and there is an appreciable savings in staff time, since families wanting books about one of these very popular subjects are led to one area, rather than to eight or ten different shelves in the larger collection. Also, books are re-shelved in one area, rather than interfiled into the main collection, which results in a more efficient process.

3. Summer Reading Program: Catch the Reading Bug @ Your Library, the 2008 summer reading program, again broke all records: 1,198 school-age children from kindergarten to sixth grade participated & recorded 27,594 books on their school reading log. This was a 9 % increase in participation over last year’s program.

Teen Services

1. We launched the Farmington Library Teen Review blog, a peer-to-peer reader's advisory tool currently featuring over seventy book reviews, with more to be added each month.
2. 71 teens participated in Teen Summer Reading through volunteer service, program attendance, and review-writing. Volunteers in the adult and children's department were down in number, but were employed more effectively -- given more meaningful tasks and more effective supervision -- than in the past.
3. We expanded the partnership with the schools and Farmington FOCUS to offer campus safety programs for graduating girls and boys.
4. Teen book circulation continued to rise, with statistics for July 2009 showing a 9% increase over July 2008, thanks to the recent interfiling of teen paperbacks with teen hardcover fiction and to the increased visibility of new and popular teen materials.
5. Usage of the Nintendo Wii gaming system in the teen area increased with the addition of a dedicated non-circulating collection of games.
08-09 Accomplishments

Information Services

1. Adult Collections were enhanced with the establishment of New Business Center in cooperation with a Farmington Chamber of Commerce grant.
2. New interior landscaping including the relocation of, home repair and home decorating materials which were placed in the new "Home Center".
3. Multiyear Adult Fiction de-accessioning program completed.
4. Logistics for the Barney collection 2nd floor relocation completed.
5. Programming enhancements for "Computer U" computer program app classes in fall 2008.
6. Established a new "Mental Health" library-sponsored book group in conjunction with N.A.M.I, a mental health advocacy group.
7. Two major web site upgrades implemented in-house by Information Staff.
8. Reference inquiries doubled through enhanced statistical methods and service volume increases.

Lending Services

1. Lending increased 7% over 07-08 (471,208 circulations)
280,481 visits 7% increase over 07-08
2. Increase in use of self check out— over 27,440 items checked out by patrons
Very successful bus trips
New York Botanical Garden
Van Gogh by Night exhibit at MOMA
3. Foreign language collection –Spanish discontinued –Chinese collection expanded
4. Museum pass virtual registration fine tuned and pass loan period changed to overnight to accommodate more patrons.
5. System holds implemented; subsequent increase in C-car delivery and processing
6. Personnel Manual and Policy Manual updated, passed by Board-staff meetings/training
held to ensure staff was able to handle emergency situations
7. Main library periodical subscriptions moved from Ebsco to WT Cox in cost saving move
8. Business Center collection purchased and made available to public
9. Barney teen collection moved to Main Library

Branch Services

1. Established Village Vibrations summer series of musical concerts on the front lawn of The Barney Library
2. Offered Conversational English Classes to individuals from other countries wishing to have an opportunity to practice English
3. Doubled our homebound library service to citizens who are unable to come to the library.
4. Increased use of The Barney library’s Hoppin Gallery through multiple bookings of artists, scouts, clubs, and reading groups
5. Expanded one-on-one computer training for adults

Barney Branch Library Renovations To Begin Soon

2009-07-28T14:55:00.003-04:00

The Barney Library will close on Thursday, August 13 at 5 p.m. in preparation for renovations which will be completed in September 2010. The collection is in the process of being systematically moved to the main Library beginning July 28th. A final Tag sale will take place on Friday August 28th and Saturday August 29th for residents to discover a treasure or retrieve a piece of Farmington History. All proceeds from the Tag Sale will go to the Barney Renovations and additions project fund.

We continue to ask for contributions to the renovations fund to allow this project to be completed with all the important technology and collections required to operate in the 21st century.

Goodbye Farmington Libraries Trustee Karen Williard

2009-07-28T14:46:00.002-04:00

Goodbye Karen Williard, Farmington Libraries Trustee, a great visionary and friend of the Libraries. Karen is off to the bucolic northland of Vermont and has left an important legacy for us all in her time spent here. Thank you Karen and all the Best.

Goodbye Ann Arcari... We all will miss you in your retirement from Farmington Libraries.

2009-06-22T10:21:00.005-04:00

Farmington Room Librarian, Ann Arcari, has helped people find information at the information desk and ran and organized the Farmington Room archives since 1981. Ann was presented with an Official Citation by State House Chief Assistant Deputy Majority Leader for Economic Affairs, Demetrios Giannaros, with Representative Beth Bye and State Senators: Assistant President Pro Tempore Donald J. DeFronzo, and Chief Assistant Majority Leader Jonathan A. Harris. Ann said goodbye to over 60 friends at the Main Library on June fourth. We all wish Ann well in her retirement

Kathy Piccirillo receives the first D. Newton Barney library service award

2009-06-18T10:22:00.002-04:00

Service is precious and yet a rigorous effort, where balance is a difficult art at times. My corps of trustees has a wonderful understanding of how to balance and work effectively throughout the challenges they face as my bosses and Library policy makers. In that regard, Kathy has been exemplary and diligent in the execution of her duties as a library trustee. I thank her for her hard work and congratulate her on her accomplishments. I look forward to seeing here often at the Library

Dr. Timothy Breslin, Principal, Farmington High School presents "Friends of Farmington High School Award" to the Library Staff: YEA!

2009-06-03T15:41:00.008-04:00

Thank you Farmington High School. It is exhilarating to have the main library next to the High School, students, young people, have such a great sense of humor and a need for recognition. We realize that their lives are not always easy and that they can not always communicate how they really feel. It is that difference in us that bonds us to them and gives us a great pride and satisfaction to receive this award. In short we thrive on working with Farmington's high school students who remind us of our glorious past and the promises of the future. We are so happy to know we can and do make a difference in their lives.

Barney Library Fundraiser $476,000 to go

2009-05-19T10:43:00.005-04:00

A fabulous group of Library supporters gathered together to celebrate the Barney Library Renovations and Additions project at the "Barney". Thank you all for the great fellowship and for allowing the Fundraising Team the opportunity to present our case for this important project. We all appreciate your generosity and good wishes! Special thanks for the wonderful hospitality to: Buzz and Arline Whitaker, Nancy Nickerson, Kate and Russ Fisher, George Reider, and Brie Quimby. Go Team!

Kudos to Barney Branch Librarian, Kathy Lescoe and Branch Assistant, Jane Maciel

2009-05-08T09:49:00.004-04:00

Barney Branch Librarian, Kathy Lescoe and Branch Assistant, Jane Maciel share the Connecticut Library Association's Outstanding Public Relations Award with me after the Association’s 119th Annual Conference in New Haven. Kathy and Jane successfully work closely together in bringing outstanding library service to the community. I take great pleasure in their successes and wish them a hearty well done and congratulations on this most prestigious award.

Arbor Day: Master Gardeners continue the legacy

2009-04-24T13:45:00.002-04:00

Thank You Master Gardeners.... Spring has sprung. note: Initially installed by the Master Gardeners, the Farmington Library Garden is now a collaborative effort between the Master Gardeners and the "Friends" of Farmington Libraries. Maintained by both groups throughout the growing season, the garden is well worth a walk- through when visiting the library. If you are in need of gardening advice, please stop by on Friday mornings to ask questions of the pros.

Goodbye "Scotty", Trustees Honor Scotty Donald

2009-04-02T11:14:00.010-04:00

Goodbye "Scotty” , Trustees Honor Scotty Donald with Induction into the meritorious Sara Porter Society

Robert, W. “Scotty” Donald has been instrumental in so many ways here at Farmington’s Libraries over the past forty years. However, Scotty is now retiring as the second vice president of the Farmington Green and Library Association. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, Scotty was recognized by the Trustees with his induction into the Sara Porter Society joining Betty Coykendall and Sherra Palmer.

The award read: Scotty Donald has distinguished himself as a champion for the Farmington Libraries, giving his time, energy and love for the good of all in his efforts to coalesce
Unionville and Farmington through its libraries and therein through his actions Has affected positive and meaningful change and is therefore admitted to the honor of membership into the Sarah Porter Society. Scotty has brought excitement and meaning into Farmington and I wish him well as he goes off to new exciting adventures. Smooth sailing Scotty…..He has served as President, Vice President and of our parent organization the FVGLA, president of the Library Board, and almost every other office too. It is for all the reasons stated above, that Scotty was awarded the meritorious Sara Porter Society award. Congratulations Scotty, you are the Best.

New Orleans musing on June 29, 2006

2009-03-17T08:55:00.005-04:00

Listen to the NPR report on this adventure @ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5521911

New Orleans is a city of paradoxes, many of which have been obfuscated by the patina and vitality of the French Quarter, Uptown Convention Center and the business district. This became very evident as I volunteered with a Christian relief agency in the Ninth Ward while attending the ALA Conference in June 2006. Leaving our comfortable hotel rooms, our bus load of eager, enthusiastic library workers was driven to our assignments in a large air–conditioned bus through devastated areas filled with small residential and commercial buildings, densely clustered on narrow streets. The scene was reminiscent of the desperation seen in the Great Depression photos of Ben Shahn and Walker Evans.
All eyes were upon us as we disembarked at a small school attached to a Catholic church. The school entrance was filled with young volunteers resting on lawn furniture from their early morning labors; others were filling sprayers with a mix of water and chemicals for the task of killing the mold growing in homes designated as salvageable. Our fresh, well-scrubbed appearance and clean clothing contrasted dramatically with those already at work, many of whom had not showered or had a change of clean clothes for several days or longer.
I opted to help the volunteers by repairing their toilet facilities, which were totally inoperable. I did a bit of auguring, replaced several drain traps, faucets and valves and got the place working as best I could with very low water pressure. When I was finished I decided, on the spur of the moment, to walk the six, very hot miles back to my hotel. I had not eaten anything nor drunk any water all day because the environment and the job I had undertaken were so odious that the thought eating and drinking was repugnant.
At any rate, I ventured forth and soon realized that I was the only pedestrian on those storm-ravaged streets, and a very noticeable one at that, with my bright yellow “Librarians Build Communities” T-shirt announcing not only my tourist status but my vocation as well. As I walked, I eventually came upon several people with whom I interacted. The first asked if I was interested in specific services, which I declined. The second wanted to know if I was a part of the librarians’ convention and was glad to find out that I was.
I began to have second thoughts about my journey, but realizing that I was well beyond the point of no return, I asked a woman on a bike for the best route back to Canal Street. She was very helpful and instructed me on the safest way to go. Not long after, a car came screaming up to me, easily identified as a mark in my yellow shirt, and the driver begged me for four dollars to buy gas. I gave her the money; she blessed me and sped off. I continued onward--hot, tired, thirsty, desperate for a shower and eager to discard my irreparably filthy clothes. Late in the afternoon, I approached the first pedestrian I had seen in nearly an hour. I greeted him with a “Hi” but he looked away and accelerated by with a disdain I could smell. Finally, I recognized a few landmarks and found my way back to my hotel, transformed by my surrealistic experience.
I suppose we all have a propensity to either exaggerate or minimize new experiences in order to fit those moments into what we’ve known before. I was and remain stunned by the socioeconomic and physical mayhem rendered by Katrina; the disastrous results of that cataclysmic event are far beyond the range of my previous experience. The desolation and forlornness I experienced persists. The old New Orleans is gone and all that remains is the memory of what once was.

Winding Trails Home School Group

2009-03-13T11:21:00.002-04:00

Left to right: Jason Myers, Sean Perreault,Joseph Henares, Cameron Pitre,Mackenzie Martinez,Michael Martinez are working here to compete at he Odyssey of the Mind Competition.

Farmington Libraries FY 2008-2009

2009-03-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Farmington Libraries FY 2008-2009

Budget Remarks
Farmington Town Council
March 10, 2009
by Jay Johnston, Executive Director

As we are reminded daily, these are difficult times. Surely there are no easy solutions to the problems presented by this complex economic downturn. All of us must be responsible for taking measures to operate efficiently and effectively in this distressed economy. To that end, I am here to tell you that your libraries are taking actions to help our citizens cope with the economic downturn and, with your help, we will continue to do so.

How do the libraries help? We provide essential services such as high speed internet access, high quality printing, and books on specialized topics like refresher skills on computer assisted drawing, CAD, for job interviews and vocational and testing guides. We have books and DVDs on colleges, SAT testing, medicine, and nutrition. The libraries offer FAX services, free notary, and national newspapers. In addition, the library is a place where more people now come for the day with their children, and where people looking for work spend long periods of time studying, searching for prospects, and preparing for job interviews. Other people just love the library as a place to be and use it regularly.

We are planning a new online service, “JobNow,” to provide resume review, interview practice, and cover letter assistance to job seekers. The libraries provide social networking opportunities for those who have lost their jobs, and they are a place to network with employers and others to develop new models in small groups.

As a result of these initiatives, our overall service delivery increased almost three times the town’s population in the six month period between July 1 and December 31, 2008. In order to respond to the economy, we focused on increasing the social, economic, and educational opportunities which the libraries can provide to our residents. We developed new programs by identifying current changes in technology, now incorporated into programs like using departmental blogs to communicate programming and events. Library staff teach software application classes through Computer-U, our newest service, and the library has a Job Center developed through a partnership with the Chamber of Commerce. These programs have increased participation and added value to all of our service areas, as revealed in the statistics from July 1 to December 31, 2008. Lending is up 10% or 22,436 items; visits are up 13% or 16,297 more visitors; program attendance is up 5%, or 722 attendees; information requests are up 39% or 8,649 transactions; and computer use is up 26% or 3,665 sessions.

Farmington Libraries function as a community gathering place and learning center for pre-school children, adults, business people, professionals, teens, and all our residents. The libraries support the entire community in very personal, individual and special ways. They are the social and learning hub of the community and now face extraordinary challenges in meeting the new and expanding needs of our citizens brought on by the economy. We are committed to outstanding service to our citizen customers and look forward to being a part of the solution in these troubled times.

Welcome Teen Librarian Sarah Kline Morgan

2009-02-03T12:46:00.005-05:00

I am very excited to have recruited Sarah Kline Morgan, to take charge of the Teen Library and its associated responsibilities. Sara comes to us from the Cheshire Library where she won many accolades for her work with youth and especially her work integrating technology into the program. She is the recipient of the statewide Award for Excellence in Public Library Service through her nationally-recognized Teen Podcast program. Sarah is enthusiastic about her duties here and looks forward to a wonderful future with us. Please join me in welcoming Sarah to Farmington. Jay

Good Bye Emily ......Smooth Sailing.

2008-12-17T09:40:00.003-05:00

Teen Librarian, Emily Platz, is a dynamic and exciting individual who brought high energy, caring and the psychology of youth to our Teens.

http://farmingtonlibctteen.blogspot.com/

Emily has captured the hearts and minds of our young and old people alike with her intelligence, forthrightness and great sense of humor. Emily’s legacy is rich in understanding, intelligence, kindness and technology. She helps us understand why Teens need an advocate and how to reach and help them make the right choices. Emily is off to new and exciting ventures in her young life as a graduate student at George Washington University. I wish Emily well and thank her for giving me a chance to know her and benefit from her professionalism and success here at Farmington. Good Bye Emily and smooth sailing. http://farmingtonlibctjay.blogspot.com/2007/09/jay-johnston-welcomes-emily-platz.html

Why do retirement plan assets make good charitable gifts?

2008-12-17T07:47:00.003-05:00

Via A. Garafola, The Development Director of the Farmington Village Green and Library Associaton, has developed a precise and persuasive argument to give this year to our association.

Why do retirement plan assets make good charitable gifts?

During December we can be inundated with appeals for money from myriad nonprofit causes which need our support. Some we have donated to in the past. Others are similar to our favorite causes. Still others we may not have a personal interest in, but they are hoping that our charitable nature will extend to them, too.

An important consideration before you give is what to give. Most people give from their discretionary funds by writing a check or donating by credit card. But giving another type of asset may make better sense for you.

Recently, when President Bush signed the economic bailout bill (H.R. 1424), he included in it a two-year extension of the IRA Rollover Provision.
The provision will be made retroactive to Jan. 1, 2008 and apply to gifts made from that date through Dec. 31, 2009. The provision exempts from taxable income any funds transferred (“rolled over”) from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a charitable organization.*

Why give a gift from your IRA rather than leave it in your will for your loved ones? Because the IRA balance may be doubly taxed at your death. It can be subject to estate taxes (at an assumed rate of 45%) and state and federal taxes (at an assumed rate of 35%). This makes it an effective gift for your charity of choice, while leaving other, less heavily-taxed assets to heirs.

If you are at a point where you need to take minimum distributions, using your IRA to make a donation may be the perfect answer.

For specific examples or more information, contact Via A. Garafola, Development Director, at 860-673-6791, ext 214. Or, email FVGLA@farmingtonlibct.org. All calls are held in strictest confidence.

* Some limitations apply: The donor must be age 70½ or older; the cap on annual IRA rollovers is $100,000; the contribution must be a direct gift to a charity (no planned gifts); the provision expired at the end of 2007, but plans are to reinstate it and make it permanent.

The Farmington Village Green and Library Association, established in 1901, helps to preserve the quality of life and cultural history of Farmington through an endowment that supports the Farmington and Barney Libraries, Stanley-Whitman House, the Village Green, and the Memento Mori Cemetery on Main Street. You may direct your charitable gift to benefit one of these, or designate it to the FVGLA endowment which allows its Board of Trustees to use your gift where there is the greatest need in any particular year.

This E-News is published by the Farmington Village Green & Library Association, 6 Monteith Drive, Farmington, CT 06032, (860) 673-6791, ext 214. Email FVGLA@Farmingtonlibct.org. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or tax advice. For advice in your specific case, contact your attorney or tax planning professional.

Teens at work at the Farmington Library

2008-12-05T10:59:00.002-05:00

It is such fun to work with young people. This group of high school students are assisting in the assembly of Barney Library Renovation fund raising informational brochures. They each gave an hour of their time to help our project. Thank You.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T08:32:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving, the great All-American holiday in my book, is just a great time to be together and remember what life has brought us: family, friends, high school and college football games and a great deal of wonderful food spread out on a wonderful table all defined by Turkey size and aromatics.
I wish you all the best holiday and hope we all can celebrate the joys of life and feel safe in these uncertain times. Thanksgiving, always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, Celebrates the Pilgrims first harvest in 1621 with a feast. Pilgrims should not to be confused with Puritans who established Massachusetts Bay Colony, Boston, in 1628.