Whiting Library

Pollinators- The Nature Museum Summer Unplugged Series
2022-07-20 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
What is a pollinator? How do they pollinate? Bees are not the only pollinators! Other pollinators include non-honey bees, butterflies, moths, other insects, birds, and even bats! On average, one out of every three to four bites of food we eat or sips of a drink we gulp are made possible by pollinators. Come learn and discover something new about the native pollinator heroes right in our backyards. “Bee” ready to learn, hear a story, and “pollinate!”

About Summer Unplugged: Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum brings free environmental education programming to public libraries and the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer months. These engaging free programs highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England.
Geared toward ages Pre-K through elementary grades, all ages are welcome. Programs will be 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature-related questions you may have for our expert educators.
No registration is necessary. Library programs will be outdoors with lots of space for everyone, and inside during inclement weather. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Story Time!
2022-07-15 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-07-08 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-06-24 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-06-17 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-06-10 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-06-03 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-05-27 11:00 - 12:00, 2022-05-20 11:00 - 12:00 and 4 more dates
Come join us at the library every Friday at 11am for Story Time!! Youth Services Librarian Carrie King will read awesome books, crafts ideas will be shared, and booties will be shaken. All children who enjoy picture books will love this time together. It is aimed at kids 3-5 years old, but all are welcome.
We encourage parents of little ones who may not be quite ready to sit through Story Time to come at 10:30am to socialize with other parents of children in the 0-3 age range. Carrie will share some books, other resources, and give everyone time to connect!
Everyone, please wear a mask and practice social distancing to keep our young patrons safe and healthy! We will sit outside if weather permits, or spread out in the community room.

The World of Owls- The Nature Museum Summer Unplugged Series
2022-07-13 12:30 - 13:30
Owls are magnificent predators that we often think of as hooting birds of the night. But, there’s more to owls than their distinct calls and nocturnal activity. Come discover how they hunt, which owls call New England home, and why these birds are such amazing creatures. Hear a story, see and touch real owl biofacts, and explore what makes owls unique!

About Summer Unplugged: Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum brings free environmental education programming to public libraries and the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer months. These engaging free programs highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England.
Geared toward ages Pre-K through elementary grades, all ages are welcome. Programs will be 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature-related questions you may have for our expert educators.
No registration is necessary. Library programs will be outdoors with lots of space for everyone, and inside during inclement weather. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Our Black Bears- The Nature Museum Summer Unplugged Series
2022-07-06 12:30 - 13:30
One of New England’s biggest and most popular wildlife creatures is the American black bear. Although often feared, these sizable mammals are intelligent, sneaky, and beautiful. Come activate your inner bear as we learn about the life of black bears, explore black bear biofacts, snuggle up for a story reading, and engage in the black bear experience!

About Summer Unplugged: Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum brings free environmental education programming to public libraries and the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer months. These engaging free programs highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England.
Geared toward ages Pre-K through elementary grades, all ages are welcome. Programs will be 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature-related questions you may have for our expert educators.
No registration is necessary. Library programs will be outdoors with lots of space for everyone, and inside during inclement weather. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Closed for Independence Day
2022-07-01
Whiting Library will close early on Friday, July 1st at 2pm and be closed on Saturday, July 2nd, 2022 for Independence Day Weekend. We will see you back at the library on Tuesday, July 5th. Happy 4th!

No Story Time!
2022-07-01
There will be no Story Time on Friday, July 1st. Happy Independence Day Weekend!

All About Bats- The Nature Museum Summer Unplugged Series
2022-06-29 12:30 - 13:30
Bats often get a bad rap even though they’re incredibly important and special, animals. Several species of these night-flying fuzzy mammals call New England home. Come join us to dispel bat myths and learn more about these misunderstood winged wonders. Explore bat biofacts, stick around for a bat story, and join the hunt in a special bat activity!

About Summer Unplugged: Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum brings free environmental education programming to public libraries and the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer months. These engaging free programs highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England.
Geared toward ages Pre-K through elementary grades, all ages are welcome. Programs will be 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature-related questions you may have for our expert educators.
No registration is necessary. Library programs will be outdoors with lots of space for everyone, and inside during inclement weather. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Busy Beavers!- The Nature Museum Summer Unplugged Series
2022-06-22 12:30 - 13:30
Did you know that the North American beaver is one of the largest rodents in the world and an “architect”? These tree-chewing creatures are truly incredible and can be found all throughout New England. From their powerful jaws to the rooms in their homes, beavers have amazing adaptations that we are excited to explore. Observe real beaver biofacts, listen to a story, and learn how beavers can change the landscape and our world.
Come to the Whiting Library backyard and learn about beavers with The Nature Museum!

Summer Reading Challenge Tie Dye Party!
2022-06-18 11:00 - 13:00
Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card! Don’t have a library card? Stop in today to get one. Sign up for Whiting Library’s summer reading challenge, too!
Come to the library’s Summer Reading Challenge tie dye party in the backyard! Tie dye a t-shirt or socks or bring your own 100% cotton fabric from home! Experiment with colorful techniques. Supplies are limited so please RSVP!

DIY Bubble Science: Summer Reading Challenge Sign Up Event
2022-06-11 11:00 - 13:00
Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card! Don’t have a library card? Stop in today to get one. Sign up for Whiting Library’s summer reading challenge, too!
Drop into the library’s backyard between 11am and 1pm and blow your mind by experimenting with bubbles! Blow BIG bubbles or a bubble snake! Plus learn how to make the BEST DIY homemade bubble solution!

Whiting Library Book Club
2022-06-08 18:00 - 19:00
“This is a Nazi resistance story like none you’ve ever heard or read, a story with two unlikely heroines who risked their lives in their subversive—and often wildly creative—struggle to face down evil. Paper Bullets prompts us to explore the boundaries of art, love, gender, and politics—and to question the true meaning of courage.”

The Whiting Library Book Club is holding our monthly book discussion at the library in the community room (masks required!) and simultaneously live on Zoom. The book for June is Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis by Jeffrey H. Jackson. Copies are available at the library right now! All are welcome to attend whether this is your first book club ever or you were born at a book club. We love to talk books!
If you have any questions or would like to get on the email list for the Book Club, please contact Deirdre at the library. You can email whitinglibrary1@gmail.com or call 875-2277.

More about the book:
Paper Bullets is the first book to tell the history of an audacious anti-Nazi campaign undertaken by an unlikely pair: two French women, Lucy Schwob and Suzanne Malherbe, who drew on their skills as Parisian avant-garde artists to write and distribute “paper bullets”—wicked insults against Hitler, calls to rebel, and subversive fictional dialogues designed to demoralize Nazi troops occupying their adopted home on the British Channel Island of Jersey. Devising their own PSYOPS campaign, they slipped their notes into soldier’s pockets or tucked them inside newsstand magazines.
Hunted by the secret field police, Lucy and Suzanne were finally betrayed in 1944, when the Germans imprisoned them, and tried them in a court martial, sentencing them to death for their actions. Ultimately they survived, but even in jail, they continued to fight the Nazis by reaching out to other prisoners and spreading a message of hope.
Better remembered today by their artist names, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, the couple’s actions were even more courageous because of who they were: lesbian partners known for cross-dressing and creating the kind of gender-bending work that the Nazis would come to call “degenerate art.” In addition, Lucy was half Jewish, and they had communist affiliations in Paris, where they attended political rallies with Surrealists and socialized with artists like Gertrude Stein.
Paper Bullets is a compelling World War II story that has not been told before, about the galvanizing power of art, and of resistance.
From Amazon

Summer Reading Challenge Event: Exploring Oceans of Possibilities!
2022-06-04 11:00 - 12:00
Ahoy, Mates! Set sail with Whiting Library to explore a big wide ocean of new possibilities! We’re celebrating creative imagination, pretend play and make believe all summer long! At this special weekend family event, the audience is encouraged to feel like royalty and dress up in their favorite make believe costume for this inventive and theatrical story hour. Book Readers will captivate audience members of all ages as they share stories focused on individuality, creativity, self-expression, and self-responsibility. In addition to singing songs and reading books, visit Whiting Library’s very own magical Face Painting Fairy to try some fresh body art plus there will be supplies on hand for everyone to create their own paper crown! Every child has a little royal highness in them, and this story time will help keep their little heads held high!
This simple pretend play dress up party will make dreams come true for children of all ages. Everyone is invited to transform into their favorite real superstar or book character for this outrageously fun dress-up party. Capture the imagination and play of the magic of childhood while serving kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly fabulous role models. In story hours like this, kids are able to imagine people who defy rigid social restrictions and make believe in a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real.
It’s Library Shelfie Day! Pose for a shelfie at your library to celebrate! Don’t forget to tag us! Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card! Don’t have a library card? Stop in today to get one. Sign up for Whiting Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, too!
Contact Carrie King, Youth Librarian, for more details about this unique, fun family program at whitinglibrary3@gmail.com or call 802.875.2277.

Stone Village Poetry Experience Workshop
2022-05-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2022-04-28 19:00 - 21:00
It’s time to pull out your poetry notebook. Or, better yet, start a poetry notebook. You’ll want to be ready to take part in or just enjoy the Thursday-evening Stone Village Poetry Experience in March, April and May. Or just to come listen—it’s a lot of fun!
Co-sponsored by Chester’s Whiting Library and the First Universalist Parish of Chester, the Poetry Experience will offer monthly poetry slams and poetry-writing workshops that are open to all.
The slams will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 17, April 14 and May 5. The workshops will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 31, April 28 and May 19.
Poetry slams are light-heartedly competitive events in which judges made up of audience members rate the quality of each poet’s reading. Green Mountain Union High and Emerson College graduate Tuck Wunderle will serve as slam master. The slams will take place at the UU Church, at 211 North St., in Chester’s Stone Village.
The poetry-writing workshops will be led by Wunderle and Nick Boke. These published poets will facilitate discussions of the poems brought to the workshop by would-be or highly experienced poets, including but not limited to those who want to practice their slam presentations.
The workshops will take place in the Whiting Library, 117 Main St. in Chester. Slam poets who participate in all three Thursdays can compete for $25, $50 and $100 prizes. For more about slams, click here.
For more information about the Stone Village Poetry Experience, contact Tuck Wunderle at tuckerman@terrigenous.com, Nick Boke at nickboke@gmail.com or Whiting Director Deirdre Doran at whitinglibrary1@gmail.com.

Whiting Library Book Club
2022-05-11 15:00 - 16:00
The Whiting Library Book Club is holding our monthly book discussion at the library in the community room (masks required!) and simultaneously live on Zoom. The book for May is Anxious People by Fredrick Backman. Copies are available at the library right now! All are welcome to attend whether this is your first book club ever or you were born at a book club. We love to talk books!
If you have any questions or would like to get on the email list for the Book Club, please contact Deirdre at the library. You can email whitinglibrary1@gmail.com or call 875-2277.
Here is a description of this month’s book:
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove comes a charming, poignant novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Foster Care Month Story Hour/Book Club!
2022-05-10 15:00 - 16:00
Whiting Library celebrates National Foster Care Month with a special family story hour. This event combines the library’s usual monthly kid’s book clubs to focus on learning about foster care, adoption, and family differences. Youth Services Librarian, Carrie King, will do a read aloud of fun pictures books that engage kids and get them learning about foster care. The library will have a collection of relevant books available for check out about foster care and adoption. Books help children better understand different families, so that children in foster care aren’t left out or secluded for their differences or traumas.
Special guest Michelle Springer-Blake, a Recruitment and Retention Specialist for the Department for Children and Families, will join the group to discuss how attendees can support foster care in Vermont. Springer-Blake encourages all families in the community to come and learn about foster care at the library, “I think if we can collaborate and share the love of reading, children, and families, together we can make a difference in our world a little at a time!” Everyone who loves story time will enjoy this event, and Springer-Blake will be on hand to answer questions for those who want to know more about becoming involved in foster care.

Board of Trustees Meeting
2022-05-10 08:30 - 09:30 | Zoom Online
The public is welcome to attend Whiting Library Board of Trustees Meetings. They are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8:30am. The meeting takes place on Zoom.
Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82751139946?pwd=[REDACTED]

Green Up Day!
2022-05-07 10:00 - 14:00
On May 7th, 2022, Whiting Library is throwing our 3rd annual Green Up Day celebration on the front lawn of the library at 117 Main St. from 10am-2pm. This fun event is for all ages and one of the venues in Chester where you can pick up your special green trash bag for the 52nd annual Vermont Green Up Day. Join us and get involved with this much-loved, spring clean-up tradition that activates thousands of Vermonters to take care of their communities by picking up roadside litter. Keeping our environment clean is good for our health, good for businesses, and good for our property values. Together we build pride in our cities and towns and teach our youth about powerful civic engagement that affects climate change.
This event will also feature a hands on seed planting demonstration and activity area for anyone who wants to plant some seeds to bring home. The Seed Library, a free seed exchange, sponsored by the Mountain Valley Climate Action group will be all stocked up and ready for your gardening adventures. Come get seeds or bring seeds that you have. It’s an exchange either way!
During this outdoor event, we will bring out as many books from the basement book sale as we can carry in order to do a little spring cleaning. The book sale will be by donation and all proceeds from the sale will go towards buying materials and supplies for the library. Come with a reusable bag to load up with great reads from out book sale, including fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children.
Let’s celebrate Green Up Day together!

Stone Village Poetry Experience Slam
2022-05-05 19:00 - 21:00
Last Chance to Enjoy the Slam Poets!
Mark your calendars: the final Stone Village Poetry Experience Slam will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 5.
Join the authors who’ve been reading and the poetry lovers who’ve been enjoying the readings at the First Universalist Parish of Chester (211 North St). But, this being the final of the slams, there’ll be more: poets who have read and been judged during all three events will be awarded first, second and third prizes by the judges who will be—as they always are—picked from the audience.
And, as always, the event will begin and end with non-competitive poets reading from their works.
By all accounts, the evenings have been a great success. Poets have ranged in age from high-school students to retirees, and poems have ranged in topics from lust, love and loss to hopes and homelessness.
The events have been sponsored by the First Universalist Parish and Chester’s Whiting Library. Some of the poems have been refined at the Poetry Workshops that have been held as part of the Stone Village Poetry Experience. The final workshop will be held at the library (177 Main St) at 7 p.m. on May 19.
For more information, contact slam-master Tuck Wunderle at Tuckerman@terrigenous.com or Deirdre Doran at whitinglibrary1@gmail.com

To attend the Poetry Slam on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89720546568?pwd=[REDACTED]
Enter the passcode: [REDACTED]
