News From the Library
by Sherrie Simmons and Margaret Woodruff

The Library and the Recession
Rob Geiszler, from the Vermont Department of Libraries, stopped in recently and asked how the recession was impacting us. In answer to his own question, he looked around the library and saw that all of the upholstered chairs were occupied, two people were working on their laptops, both internet computers were busy, the children’s room was packed with moms and their little ones, Jenny Cole was on the porch getting ready for a program, and new books were being checked out so fast that we didn’t have time to put out replacements.
What he didn’t see in front of him I was glad to share. Over the past year our collection increased by around 1,000 volumes; our circulation went up by 3226 check-outs or 6.9% and in the month of June we circulated 6068 volumes. An average circulation per month is right around 3995-4125.
Then Rob wanted to know if we were seeing people we may not have seen before. Yep, we sure are. Now that we have many of the latest DVDs and passes to five area attractions, people are stopping by to check them out. Kids that were brought to the library when they were wee tots, now come on their own to sit and read. Folks who always bought their own books now find the library a great cost saver. Patrons who have cancelled their subscription to the Free Press stop in. We also find that people out of jobs stop by with their laptops and the library becomes their office.
He wasn’t here long, maybe twenty minutes, but Rob got a really good idea as to how the library fits into the fabric of this community. It also answered his unspoken question as to why our parking lot was so full.

New Books for Adult Collection
Fiction
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by
Norman Ollestad
Devil’s Punchbowl by Greg Iles
The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews
Jericho’s Fall by Stephen L. Carter
Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
Rain Gods by James Lee Burke

Nonfiction
Got Fight: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat by Forrest Griffin
Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon by Buzz Aldrin with Ken Abraham

Check Out a Pass and Enjoy Local Attractions
Residents of Charlotte enjoy local attractions by checking out passes that reduce the cost or allow for free admission to the following locations:
Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington Vermont- This pass allows one immediate family FREE admission for one day.
Echo Center, On the Burlington Waterfront – This pass entitles up to two adults and three youth admission for $2 each.
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum – This pass allows one family FREE admission to the museum for one day.
Shelburne Farms – This pass allows one family FREE admission to the Walking Trails and Children’s Farm yard for one day.
Vermont State Parks – This pass allows one vehicle, holding up to eight people, FREE admission to any Vermont State Park for one day.
The passes are in great demand, so call the library well in advance of your outing.

Fall library book discussion series focuses on pilgrimage theme.
In September the library book discussion group will begin the Pilgrimage series from the Vermont Council on the Humanities. Discussions will center on a variety of journeys people have undertaken and on what they were hoping to find.
The series kicks off on Thursday, September 10, with discussion of Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, followed by Peter Mathiessen’s The Snow Leopard (October 8) and A River Sutra by Gita Mehta (November 12).
Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and include refreshments. Lesley Wright returns to facilitate the discussions. The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Charlotte Library with the Vermont Humanities Council.
Join the group for any of the discussion evenings. Books are available to borrow at the library. The program is free and open to the public; the library is handicapped accessible.

Midsummer Merriment for Young Readers
The hot weather provided the perfect backdrop for our celebration of Summer Reading on July 30. In addition to receiving a book for participating in the Summer Reading Program at the Charlotte Library, children pedaled up fruit smoothies using a bicycle-powered blender generously lent to the Library by Adam’s Berry Farm in the Intervale, Burlington. Delicious blueberries for the drinks also came from Adam’s Berry Farm and the rest of the fruity ingredients were provided by a generous gift from the Shelburne Supermarket.

There’s plenty of time left for reading!
Don’t forget to stop by the library and add to your book log. This will help us keep track of all the books read by Charlotte kids this summer and all the marbles that made it through the marble run. So far this summer, our tally stands at 684 books! Keep up the good work!
Here are the latest titles on order…stop by to see when they come in!

Young Adult
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Selkie Girl by Laurie Brooks
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

Juvenile Nonfiction
Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin, Jr.
One Giant Leap by Robert Burleigh
Mars and the Search for Life by Elaine Scott
Afghan Dreams by Tony O’Brien
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Samuel de Champlain by Adrianna Morganelli
Incredible Inventions by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Eyewitness Sports by Tim Hammond

Juvenile Fiction
T-Minus by Jim Ottaviani
The 3-2-3 Detective Agency: The Disappearance
of Dave Warthog by Fiona Robinson
Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford
My Unwilling Witch Goes to Ballet School by
Hiawyn Oram
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech
William S. and the Great Escape by Zilpha
Keatley Snyder

Picture Books
Big Rabbit’s Bad Mood by Ramona Badescu
Egg Drop by Mini Grey
Fish School by Nancy Poydar
I Don’t Want to Go to School! by Stephanie
Blake
Let’s Do Nothing! by Tony Fucile
Little Blue Truck Leads the Way by Alice Schertle
Thunder Boomer by Shutta Crum