Check It Out!

Imagine living in an art gallery and you will have an idea of what it’s like for Rose Winchester, a Canton resident who has decided to share some of her collection with Canton Public Library patrons.  The exhibit titled “The Art Collector Next Door” will be featured for the month of June.

Mrs. Winchester grew up in Simsbury, where her family owned Zablocki’s, a ladies boutique on Hopmeadow Street.  She traces her interest in art to a seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Welch, who every week displayed pictures of famous paintings.  Once her schooling was finished, she was drawn to New York City because she “knew art was there.”  Originally she wanted to become an actress,  and she performed with a group that took Shakespearean plays to high schools.  Although an acting career never really took off, she met and married her first husband in New York City.  “He was a natural born painter,” said Mrs. Winchester, and her world became filled with art and other artists. 

After traveling with her husband to Idaho and later Oregon, she returned to Connecticut, first to Simsbury and later to Canton.  And she continued to build her art collection so that it now graces nearly every room and hallway in her house, including a modest grouping of her own paintings. 

“I just wanted art all around me” is how she describes her motivation to collect.   Her generosity and her impulse to share her collection will be evident when her pieces grace the gallery at Canton Public Library, where her art collection will be all around us.

Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

In the display case for the month of June, step back into the Canton Public Library’s Technical Services Department for a look at what goes on “behind the scenes” at the library.
 
Anyone who has seen the office of Sarah McCusker, Head of Technical Services, knows that she has decorated with geeky posters, pictures of her son Ian the Library Baby, and lots of crazy toys — but her office is also full of many thick cataloging manuals, tech books, and library publications.  Using these resources, she orders new materials for the library, assigns call numbers to items, makes sure the computer records in the library catalog are complete and accurate, and updates the library website.
 
Technical Services Assistant Annie Barrett processes new books, DVDs, and CDs to get them ready for library patrons to borrow — all items need barcodes, protective covers, and a variety of identification stickers.   Many DVDs and CDs need to be removed from their original packaging and given new, library-appropriate cases.  
 
There is also a constant flow of materials needing repair.  Annie and Sarah repair book spines, re-cover books, replace broken cases, tape torn pages, clean and repair dirty and scratched discs...and a whole host of other things to ensure that people can
continue to enjoy our library materials.
 
Take a look at some of the tools of the trade in the display case!