Richards Free Library Blog

Thanks to NCTV we had a great set up in the ballroom for our very first open mic day.  Although we had more audience than participants; those who took part enjoyed it, and want to do it again!

  I want to thank Dallas, Kim, Kira, Anna, Sam,Matt and Dotty for performing for us and i want to thank the audience for their encouragement.  We hope that more will join us next time: February 4th.   See you there

Today our second APPLES TO APPLES tournament  was held in the children's section of the library.  It was the Tweens against the Teens and our final two players had a playoff which ended with Morgan Shepard the winner and Kim Kennett coming in second.  There were two judges and ten contestants between the two rooms.  All players should be commended for their effort.  The winners received gift certificates and the players all enjoyed a bit of candy... sweet!

Come join us next month; maybe you will be the lucky winner.

Congratulations Morgan and Kim !!

The annual volunteer tea was held today in the ballroom. The tea is in honor of all our volunteers, but one is chosen yearly to receive a special award .    Jaclyn Goddette our youngest winner was obviously surprised by the announcement.  But she shouldn't have been. She earned the award by her hard work on many children's programs during the last two summers  and by her willingness to do what ever is necessary.

Congratulations Jaclyn!

The library staff  provided materials to Vassar and River Valley Community Colleges for their Thanksgiving displays this year. 

Vassar College's home page features the portrait of Sarah that hangs behind the circulation desk. http://www.vassar.edu/  Sarah was not only instrumental in making Thanksgiving a national holiday, she also convinced the trustees of Vassar College to remove the word "female" from the college's name.

The library loaned two items to River Valley Community College for their Thanksgiving tribute to Sarah Hale.

Library director Andrea Thorpe was the recepient of the Ann Geisel Award for merit. This award is given annually to an organization or individual who has contributed to the New Hampshire Library Association and/or to the New Hampshire library community. Kudos to Andrea!

I had the honor this past weekend to work the New Hampshire Booth at the National Book Festival.  The New Hampshire Center for the Book set up  the booth in the Pavilion of the States.  Thousands of children travel to each state booth with a map which is stamped by a booth worker.  New Hampshire's stamp sports the Great Stone Face reading a book.   We also handed out thousands of puzzle pages and hundreds of pencils, New Hampshire tourism books and state road maps. Each booth also features a children's book by an author of that state.  This year New Hampshire featured a biography of a Newport's native, To My Countrywomen:  The Life of Sarah Josepha Hale written by Muriel Dubois and illustrated by Linda Greenleaf.

The booth workers get a chance to take a break by wandering into one of the other pavilions to listen to some of the most amazing authors writing today.  New Hampshire writers there were Jodi Piccoult, John Irving, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan.  It was a wonderful opportunity.

This weekend local residents have the opportunity to hear another amazing speaker and writer when Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  comes to Newport to receive the 2009 Sarah Josepha Hale Award on October 3rd at 8:00 at the Newport Opera House.  I hope to see you there.

My daughter, Caitlin Topham married Jim Kennerly in the library ballroom.

All ABOARD!  Newport's Dick Gassett presented a wonderful program of local railroad history. This program was entertaining for  all ages as it included history, artifacts and descriptive stories of many years of the Concord Claremont railroad.

On Saturday night ten wonderful actors invited the community to discover who murdered the loaded librarian.  The library was the scene of the crime.  The audience sampled desserts provided by the trustees while searching the library for clues to the murder.  The event raised money to purchase audio books for the library's collection.

The ballroom was packed with happy faces of children and parents alike as we all watched Robert Rivest perform the many faces and characters of  a mime .  What fun!

June 25th was the kick off of the summer reading program and the library was filled. Make sure you look at the upcoming events.  Check our website for details or come in a pick up a brochure.  Enjoy and happy reading! 

The Pontine Theatre was wonderful.  Here is picture of some of the amazing props they used to present Silver Lake Summers: An e.e. cummings Revue. 

Congratulations Dallas Clayton winner of the airplane challenge: 

Longest flight !

Thanks to everyone who participated.

            The Trustees of the Richards Free Library and the Judges of the Sarah Josepha Hale award are pleased to announce that, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has won the 2009 Hale Award.  He will accept the award on October 3, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at the Newport Opera House.

            Henry Louis Gates is an author, literary scholar and historian.  He is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.  He is a graduate of Yale University and Cambridge University.  He has received many awards including a MacArthur Grant, an American Book Award and was named to Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Americans” list in 1997. 

            Former editor of the Concord Monitor Mike Pride says of Gates: “In a long, distinguished career, he has operated with vigor and eloquence in both the academic realm and the popular culture in his quest to enrich the American literary canon with African American voices and to bring these voices to the public.”

            For over fifty years, the Sarah Josepha Hale Award, has been given by the trustees of the Richards Free Library, in recognition of a distinguished body of written work in the field of literature and letters.  The award honors Sarah Josepha Hale, author, poet, and essayist, who as editor of Godey’s Lady’s Magazine shaped the opinion of nineteenth century American women.  A list of Hale Award winners may be found on the library’s website at: http://www.newport.lib.nh.us/HaleAw.html

Check out the library page on Facebook!

The library hosted a Favorite Poem Night Thursday April 30th to celebrate National Poetry Month. This event was so popular that the library will continue to have a monthy poetry night on the fourth Thurdsay each month at 7:00. This is a free event and welcomes all ages. So join us on May 28th!

Jody Underwood teaches Israeli dancing on April 9th.  Everyone was so enthusiastic that she has agreed to lead us each month on the first Tuesday at 7:00.  Join us!

Authors Cindy Davis and John Richter visited the library to showcase their new young adult novel Healing Magic, book one of the Desert Magic Trilogy.

Guest reader Kate Niboli, director of the Library Arts Center, reads to students in the oval room for Project R.A.B.B.I.T (Read a Book Because It's Terrific!) night. This is an annual event sponsored by the P.T.O. Richards School students bring their families to the library to enjoy stories read by members of the community.

To celebrate National Pi Day, March 14th, Miss Sandy read Math Curse by Jon Scieszka. She follwed this with a 3.14 activity which was rewarded by sampling her homemade pies. Yum!

Presenting Suessical the Musical, the library's entry in Newport's 93rd Annual Winter Carnival.

Last weekend Newporters celebrated winter with the 93rd Winter Carnival.  The Library won 2nd place in the parade.  Yeah Janice, Sandy and all your helpers!

Library page, Kelsey Monahan was crowned Winter Carnival Queen on Friday night. http://www.eagletimes.com/ET/story/090214-aam-npt-ewinter-carnival-queen-pageant.  Yeah Kelsey!