Eileen Christelow on “Here We Are”

“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”! A very fun show with Eileen Christelow, author & illustrator of that perennial fave and many more – Tune in for a look into her long career of delighting kids and adults alike with her stories of mischief and mayhem.


Books As Greenery

If you’re a reader, fond of acquiring books, and have ever moved, you know there’s a day of reckoning when the sheer mass of paper harkens back to its original arboreal form. There’s also the curious phenomena where the sight of the cover, or even the pages themselves, trigger a corresponding site in the brain, bringing back some of the content and memories of reading, circumstances and experience. Books are not just objects, they can become part of our identity. But these are considerations for another time.

The bulk and burden of books may or may not be a vanishing element in our lives, as digital media proliferates, and reading actual volumes wanes as an entertainment or information source. It seems to me fitting that the packed box or carton of books has so much heft. Books ARE heavy in more ways than one. There’s no way around it. Having recently moved sparked an intensive bout of assessment. Are all books keepers indefinitely? Are they really toss-able? Or, heaven forbid, burnable, as an act of lightening and transformation rather than censorship and intimidation? It’s beneficial to recall; All is transitory in this world.


“Here We Are” with Sandy Rouse

Brattleboro Literary Festival is coming soon!
Over the last 25 years, Sandy has been a community builder and advocate – she founded the Brattleboro Literary Festival in 2002 and talks about how it’s become one of the top ten LitFests in the Northeast. And this year’s is Oct. 13-15.


Library Books Are Quarantined at Brooks Memorial Library!

Dear Library Community,

If anyone has been wondering why items are still showing up on their account after returning them to the Big Blue Book Drop, here is why

Don’t worry, we no longer charge any fines. they may accrue, but we delete them as soon as the item comes back to us!

Step 1: items are returned in the Big Blue Book Drop in the Municipal Parking Lot.


Brooks Memorial Library Curbside Service!

If you wondered what it is like behind the scenes here at Brooks Memorial Library, here is a sample of some items that are checked out, bagged up, dated, and ready to go!

Please make sure to tell us what day (and time if possible) you plan to come, and make sure to bring a sign to display at the door. That way we can match the name on the bag with your name to avoid mistakes, while reducing direct contact 


Big Blue Book Book Drop for Brooks Memorial Library Book Returns!

Dear Library Community,

When bringing items back to us, please place them in the Big Blue Drop Box, immediately on the left when you enter the municipal lot (near where the police station used to be).

There is a handy parking spot reserved for your car, and you can drop them in from the driver’s side window Walkers are welcome!


Time To Read

Some people see opportunity in a crisis. If we put in even a little bit of effort we will find many opportunities to pursue endeavors we have put off, or have never made enough of an effort to engage in, in this time of quarantine and pandemic.

On the less glamorous side, house cleaning may be at the top of the list for some. Gardening and yard work have the potential for a special kind of soulful renewal and I suspect more people are now doing outdoor projects they have been putting off for a long time.

Another opportunity is for people to read more books. In this age of online access there are some who embrace platforms such as Kindle and find that kind of access to books satisfying. I have always been someone who needs to have a physical book in hand. I don’t think I will ever change that habit because it fulfills a unique kind of need.


Brattleboro Words Project – October Roundtable Discussion

Brattleboro, Vermont, September 24, 2018.  Unique, rare, important and humorous historical treasures and archival collections reside within Windham County’s numerous historical societies, public libraries and museums.  The Brattleboro Words Project’s Thursday, October 18, 2018 Roundtable Discussion will gather representatives who work with these treasures in recognition of National Archives Month in October. The discussion will take place at 6:00 pm at 118 Elliot, 118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301.  The Roundtable event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be available.


Giant Book Sale

The Friends of the Moore Free Library invite you to their Annual Book Sale on Saturday, September 29 from 9 am to 4 pm. The giant sale takes place in the Union Hall, just off the Common in Newfane. Categories arefiction (including classics and a large selection of mysteries), history, biography and memoir, essays, nature, travel, art and music, how-to, health, young adult, philosophy and religion, cooking, gardening, humor, Vermont and New England, children’s literature, DVDs, CDs, and more!


Candidates Night: Library Edition – Live Stream

Dear Brattleboro Community,

We are pleased to share this live stream of our program tonight, for any of you who could not make it here in person! BCTV could not make it tonight, so this is all we will have. After it is over, it will stay on our Facebook page, where you will be able to find it under “videos.” Enjoy!


Candidates Night: Library Edition

Join us on Wednesday, July 25th at 7 pm, as candidates who are on the ballot for Vermont State Senate and State House of Representatives discuss their favorite books. They will share everything from their childhood favorites to contemporary titles, and explain how those volumes helped to form their world view.

The list of candidates is: Becca Balint, Mollie Burke, Wayne Vernon Estey, Emily Kornheiser, Valerie Stuart, Tristan Toleno and Jeanette White for this unique perspective and a lively literary discussion at 7 pm, Refreshments will be served!


Friends of Brooks Memorial Library Summer Book Sale!

The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library are hosting their 16th Annual Book Sale fundraiser. Stop by and you will find plenty of good books, DVDs, CDs, audio books, and puzzles!

The book sale will be:
Thursday & Friday from 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 8 am – 1 pm