Brooks Memorial Library

Patti Kerr: Alzheimer’s Author & Educator To Speak At Brooks Memorial Library Sept 10 at 2 PM & 7 PM

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Alzheimer’s educator and author Patti Kerr will speak at the Brooks Memorial Library on Wednesday, September 10th at 2 PM in the Library’s Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. She will also repeat her talk at 7 PM. Kerr, a Certified Alzheimer’s Educator, is also author of  “I Love You…Who Are You?”, Loving and Caring for a Parent with Alzheimer’s”.

She will discuss Alzheimer’s, her family’s journey with the disease, and how to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. She will also provide information and hands-on tips for everyone regarding the disease. 

David William Fischer: Edible Mushrooms and Plants in the Brattleboro Area

by Brooks Memorial Library | Food

Due to a scheduling conflict, Chris Matherly, the mushroom hunter, will not be able to attend this workshop. Instead, meet mushroom expert David William Fischer at Brooks Memorial Library on Thursday, September 11, at 5 p.m. in the meeting room. Fischer, an internationally-known mycologist and ecologist, authored the classic books Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America and Mushrooms of Northeastern North America.

He has been a featured guest on NPR’s “Science Friday” program and his stunning mushroom photography has been spotlighted in numerous books and magazines. His web site — AmericanMushrooms.com — is a leading source of mushroom information. Fischer’s presentation will discuss edible wild mushrooms and plants in the Brattleboro area, with a 45-minute slideshow on how to safely find, identify and prepare common, delicious species. After his presentation, Fischer will be on hand to answer questions — you can bring your mushrooms for him to identify — and will have autographed copies of his books available. 

Screwball Comedy Films At Brooks Library – Join us Wednesday Sept 3 at 2 pm

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

The Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present free afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.

On Wednesday 3 Sept at 2 pm, join us for one of the landmark “screwball” comedies of the 1930s, a film that offers the radiant Carole Lombard in her definitive performance as flighty young heiress Irene Bullock, who on a society scavenger hunt stumbles on an erudite hobo residing in the city dump. 

LOL Screwball Comedies of the 30’s and 40’s Continues August 13 at 2 PM

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

Escape the rain today and join us for a screwball comedy film that swept the 1934 Academy Awards and is still as breezy and beguiling today as when it debuted 80 years ago. Brattleboro Film Festival Advisory Board member Tim Metcalfe and journalist Tom Bedell will host post-screening discussions in the Brooks Library Meeting Room – covering a wide range of topics related to the screwball comedy era, film-making and Hollywood trivia in general.  For more information call 802-254-5290 or email info@brookslibraryvt.org.

The Beatles: Band of the Sixties – Lecture with Film Clips

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

This year is the Beatles 50 anniversary visit to the United States. Please join scholar Aaron Krerowicz on Friday, July 18, at 7 PM, in the Library’s Meeting Room for The Beatles: Band of the Sixties–Lecture with Film Clips.

Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute presentation spanning the full 1960’s: beginning with the band’s seminal visits to Hamburg, through the Beatlemania years, and concluding with Abbey Road. The lecture will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.

Free Films: Screwball Comedies at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

Beginning Wednesday, July 9th and continuing through November 12th, the Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present free afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.

A film by renowned Director Preston Sturges whose comedies mix the sensibilities of “a lowbrow aristocrat” with a that of a “melancholy wiseguy” will kick-off the five month-long series on July 9th at 2 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. Brattleboro Film Festival Advisory Board member Tim Metcalfe and journalist Tom Bedell will host post-screening discussions in the library’s Meeting Room covering a wide range of topics related to the screwball comedy era, filmmaking and Hollywood trivia in general.

Laugh Out Loud! Screwball Comedy Film Series at the Brooks Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Entertainment

Beginning Wednesday, July 9th and continuing through November 12th, the Brattleboro Film Festival and Brooks Memorial Library will present free afternoon screenings of nine Hollywood classic screwball comedies from Tinseltown’s Golden Era.

A film by renowned Director Preston Sturges whose comedies mix the sensibilities of “a lowbrow aristocrat” with a that of a “melancholy wiseguy” will kick-off the five month-long series on July 9th at 2 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. Eight other comedies will screen on select Wednesdays through mid-November. 

Spark a Reaction! 2014 Teen Summer Reading Program at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Want to read this summer? Want to win a prize? Start reading now until August 9, and track your reading online. Share what you are reading with your fellow teens at .

Check out books, magazine, or audiobooks from the Brooks Memorial Library’s Teen Collection on the Main Floor. We also have a display of graphic novels and audiobooks. Those count too!

Brown Bag Lunch at the River Garden: BuildingGreen Suite

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Brown Bag lunch at the River Garden: BuildingGreen Suite, Monday 23 June 2014, Noon – 1 pm. 

BuildingGreen, Inc. is a local company that serves architects and building professionals nationwide with a well-respected online resource, BuildingGreen Suite. This subscription-based website keeps building professionals up-to-date on progressive building strategies and developments in the constantly changing world of green building materials.

Dublin in Song and Story with Tom O’Carroll: Fund Raising Concert

by Brooks Memorial Library | Music

Get your tickets NOW for a great evening of music! Please join the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library in this fund raising event to celebrate James Joyce and Bloomsday. Dublin in Song and Story with musician and Irish folklorist Tom O’Carroll will be presented on Thursday, June 19, at 7:30 PM, in the Library’s Main Room. 

Dublin born folklorist, folk-singer and instrumentalist Tom O’Carroll brings a wealth of stories, humor, wit and history to his performances. In this program Tom tells the tales and sings the songs of his native city. This capital city on the River Liffey has an abundance of history and colorful characters and Tom will introduce you to some of them. This program is ideal for those interested in Irish Literature.

Social Media Surgery for Non Profits: A Workshop

by Brooks Memorial Library | Business

Join Rob Fish, Nonprofit Advisor and Community Organizer, Vermont Digital Economy Project Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) in a workshop, Social Media Surgery for Non Profits on Wednesday 18 June 2014, 7 pm – 8:30 pm at the Brooks Library. 

Does your organization need help using Facebook or Twitter? At this event, we will be bringing social media experts from around the state to work one on one with area organizations. This won’t be a workshop like any you have attended before.

Created by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) in response to the 2011 floods, the Vermont Digital Economy Project’s mission is to construct more resilient communities, by helping Vermont communities, businesses, and nonprofits better use online tools as a way to speed flood recovery, spur economic development and job growth, and improve community resilience to disasters.

Strolling of the Heifers Book Sale

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

The 13th edition of the Friends of Library Strolling of the Heifers Booksale will take place in the Main Room of the Library on Friday, June 6, 10 AM to 6 PM, and Saturday, June 7, 8 AM to 2 PM. The Giant June book sale is the Friends’ biggest sale of the year. There will be approximately 5,000 items for sale including hardback, paperback and coffee-table books.

Book prices will range from 25 cents to $3.00 with some special interest and coffee-table books priced higher. Titles cover a wide range of subject areas as well as a good selection of fiction. All books have been donated to the Library by community members. The books are screened for good quality and sorted by subject area by Library volunteers.

First Wednesday at Brooks Library: Fallingwater

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

First Wednesday: Fallingwater, Wednesday 4 June 2014, 7 pm – 9:00

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater is widely considered one of the finest masterpieces of American architecture. H. Nicholas Muller, III, retired executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, shares the story—and controversy—behind the house. 

Muslim Journey: Literary Reflections on Islam

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Please join Marlboro scholar and Professor of Religious Studies Amer Latif, in a journey through the literature of Islam. The discussion for Wednesday, May 28, 7 pm will be Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi.

Books are available at the Library’s circulation desk. Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives. The readings for this theme can be seen as literary reflections on Muslim piety and communal concepts such as ethics, governance, knowledge, and identity. Each one reveals transformations in faith and identity, as Muslims living at different times and in different places have interpreted Islamic traditions to meet their distinctive cultural realities and spiritual needs.

Essential Digital Tools for Non Profits: A Workshop

by Brooks Memorial Library | Business

Join Rob Fish, Nonprofit Advisor and Community Organizer for the Vermont Digital Economy Project Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) in a workshop, Essential Digital Tools for Non Profits on Tuesday 13 May at 7 pm at Brooks Library.

This event provides an overview of the project and services offered, as well as introduction to various tools non profits can use to further their missions. Created by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) in response to the 2011 floods, the Vermont Digital Economy Project’s mission is to construct more resilient communities, by helping Vermont communities, businesses, and nonprofits better use online tools as a way to speed flood recovery, spur economic development and job growth, and improve community resilience to disasters.

On Exhibit at Brooks Library: Art Work of Barbara Frodenberg (1931-2013)

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

A retrospective of Barbara Frodenberg’s works will show at the Brooks Memorial Library through the month of May. The collection represents an intimate view into her creative world. Many of the works are prints from an intensely creative period when she lived in Shelton, Washington.

Also included are watercolors and sequence paintings from her time here in Brattleboro. There will be a public reception in the Library’s meeting room beginning at 2 PM on Friday, May 9. Location Reception Meeting Room, 2nd Floor. Exhibit Main Floor. Contact Christine de Vallet, Public Art Coordinator.

Donald Saaf Exhibit at the Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

Donald Saaf creates collages by carefully integrating torn wallpaper, images from magazines and catalogs, and photocopies of everyday objects with his bold gouache paintings. He has illustrated such popular books as Pushkin Minds the Bundle, Flemenpeo, and Animal Music.

Trained in painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Donald Saaf exhibits his work at the nearby Clark Gallery. He lives with his family in Saxtons River, Vermont.

Author Tracey Allyson on “Dying & Living in the Arms of Love” and Her Pilgrimage to Tibet

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Join clinical psychologist Tracey Allysson in a talk about her book, Dying & Living in the Arms of Love; One Woman’s Journey around Mount Kailash, at Brooks Memorial Library on Wednesday, April 30, 7 PM in the meeting room on the 2nd floor. Alysson circumambulates Mt. Kailash through prostrations and records her life-altering sojourn at the center of the spiritual universe. Tracey Alysson has a  Ph.D.  and is a clinical psychologist with a passion for the spiritual in human experience and the human in spiritual experience, records her pilgrimage to Tibet in her book.

Alysson’s work is an autobiographical travel book reminiscent of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer’s bestseller “Seven Years in Tibet.”“I was not aware that circumambulating Mt. Kailash is called khora, and that a very small number of pilgrims will do khora with prostrations,” Alysson recollects.  “It was from within my heart that there arose a fierce longing and devotion to go to Kailash, to lie on the land of Tibet with my heart open wide.

The Future of Library Services in the Community: Proposed Budget Reductions Impact Library Services

by Brooks Memorial Library | Town News

Dear Library User: As many of you heard or read last week, because of the Town-wide vote rejecting the Representative Town Meeting approved budget, the Selectboard has directed the Interim Town Manager and staff to provide impacts of various budget reduction scenarios affecting each Town department. The Library Board of Trustees will consider the impacts of these historic budget reductions at a meeting on Tuesday, April 29, 5:30 PM, in the Library’s meeting room on the 2nd floor. The meeting is open to the public.The Selectboard will meet at 6:30 PM in the Municipal Center’s Selectboard meeting room to consider the impacts. If you are interested in the outcome for the future of library services to the Brattleboro community, you should plan to attend these meetings.