Westport Public Library BOOK blog

Have you ever daydreamed about “the good old days?” Do you think about the innovations of the 20th century and how much life has changed? In See You in a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America, Logan Ward details his family’s escape from city life as they take a trip back in time. For a year, they lived as 1900 dirt farmers in rural Virginia. (No twentieth century technology allowed!) The challenges and rewards are recorded in this fascinating book.

Hear Logan Ward tell his story on Wednesday December 3 at 7:30 pm at the Library.

For more on the return to a simpler life:
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: a Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Another family- on- a- farm, this one focused on local food, healthy eating & the environment
• Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills
DIY- from house to food to power to home economics
• Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life by Jenna Woginrich
New skills include gardening & bee-keeping, as a city girl becomes a self-reliant Idaho farmer
• In Deep: Country Essays by Maxine Kumin
The Pulitzer Prize winning poet casts a luminous glow on her New Hampshire farm and its inspiring natural order of things
• The Face of Appalachia: Portraits from the Mountain Farm by Tim Barnwell
For the armchair time-traveler

Libraries and authors have a symbiotic relationship. Some of our local authors sent us their thoughts about the Library to help us celebrate 100 years. The excerpts here give a sense of the different ways that the Westport Library and our local authors appreciate each other.

*A library is a building with books in it, and in most cases that's good enough. But for a writer, the Westport Public Library is something else, something more, enough in the way of resources and assistance to make up virtually the whole "acknowledgements" page of the writer's book. Which is to say, if there is a source that the staff cannot find, it cannot be found or does not exist. Eric Burns

*The Westport Public Library has been a vital source to me in researching my last book on former heavweight champion Gene Tunney and my current book on the New York Giants football team of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
In addition to using books from the library as sources, I've also spent countless hours going through microfilm of long-ago newspapers obtained for me by the Library’s Inter-library loan service, as well as difficult-to-find and even out-of-print books from around the country that have also contributed to my work as a writer of non-fiction. Jack Cavanaugh

*The people who work at the Westport Library are lovely. I always have the feeling that library folk are immediately fond of you just because you’re using their library, so they actually want to help you. I never feel like I’m an imposition here. Frank Deford

*Every published book of mine--some 260 over the past 54 years--whether only illustrated or written and illustrated by me, has had a foundation of library exploration and research--all sorts of libraries: public, private, school, college, university, special, corporate, and government.
Leonard Everett Fisher

*The Westport Library is not a storage of information. Rather, through its librarians, holdings, and extended facilities it is an extension of the minds and lives of its patrons.
Since I moved to this delightful town thirty-five years ago, the Library has served me remarkably in the writing of my books and professional papers. J.T. Fraser

*I discovered the Westport library as my home-away-from-home, quite by chance. On our way down from Mother Goose my son and I stopped at the reference library and passed a little room filled with computers. A light switched on. I could write my books here, could let a little structure into my day, could have some peace and quiet until I have to return home with my ‘Mommy’ hat on. That was seven years ago. I have written my last six books at the Westport library. The small room filled with computers gave way to the large table upstairs by the window, which in turn gave way to a quiet reading room downstairs. Jane Green

*I wrote the overwhelming majority of my book at the library. There is no more inspirational site in Westport, from the ducks swimming on the river outside the windows, to the Staples students studying and flirting - not necessarily in that order - among the stacks, to the hushed voices of parents guiding their little ones upstairs to the children's area, where my own children used to play.
Whenever the blank page threatened to overwhelm my senses, I could always recharge with a walk by the water, or a cup of tea from the snack bar, or a few minutes of absolute quiet, which aren't always easy to find. These days every place needs to be about something - about eating or drinking or shopping or working out. The library is about thinking. There is no better place to write.
Mike Greenberg

*It has been said that a town’s library is a measure of a townspeople’s thirst for knowledge. That being the case, Westporters are, by and large, a most knowledgeable group of residents.
Woody Klein

*There’s a phrase for a set-up like that, it’s “The Best of Both Worlds,” a phrase often associated with the Westport Library. It’s a world-class, cosmopolitan institution that feels Americana and quaint. The people who hang there are big-city smart, and small-town friendly. Robert Leleux

*So, Westport Library, thanks for the solace, the knowledge, your state of the art technology, and your old-fashioned, personalized commitment to the community. Mary-Lou Weisman

*With the high quality of books, reference materials and on-going community involvement comes another very important factor that makes this library so special: the wonderful people that work at the library. Hans Wilhelm

*The other thing that struck me was the variety of the people around me. There were high-school students immersed in research papers. There were middle-aged folk laboring over their tax returns. And there were a few people who seemed to have no other place to go, but were drawing on the Library’s resources—newspapers, magazines, cross-word puzzles—with no less claim on the space than the fledgling scholars and tax analysts. Carter Wiseman

*I spent much of that summer reading microfilm, too. I am less mechanically adept than Elmer Fudd, necessitating trip after trip to the research librarians' desk. Yet each time, without fail, they accompanied me back to my machine, where they smiled helpfully, solved my problem, then went back to serve someone with an actual research question. Dan Woog

Surrounded By Words (the complete comments)

One of the most remarked upon features of the Library is the tile mural on the Riverwalk Level outside the McManus Meeting Room. Authors who come here to speak inevitably slow down as they approach the wall and ask about it. That it is a chronological history of the town of Westport based on actual information from the Library History file and that the picture tiles were handmade to each donor’s specifications by a local artist enhance the significance of the project which raised about $250,000 for the Library building’s first expansion. The wall covers the flow of local history from the Pequot Wars in 1637 to the 1998 renovation of the Library. Tile sponsors could request that artist Marion Grebow create the likenesses of family members on individual tiles. Tiles without pictures cost less to purchase, but have provided years of enjoyment to families looking for children’s, grandchildren’s or grandparent’s names each time they return to the Library.

Want an interesting crash course in Westport history? At the Library store, you may purchase a catalog of the historical tile mural written by former Library Board member Dorothy Curran. Pictures of the tiles are included. (River of Names $10) Whether you are new to town or have been here for many years, I guarantee that delving into the tile mural- in the book or on the wall- will reveal some new aspect of life in Westport through the years.

Have you noticed the media flurry about the closing of 600 Starbucks locations? Only five of those closed are in Connecticut- the nearest on Kings Highway in Fairfield. Folks in Newark, New Jersey are especially upset about losing their Starbucks, as it was regarded as an important “third place.” A third place refers to the social surroundings other than home and workplace which anchor community life and provide opportunities for face-to-face social interaction.

A true third place is free or inexpensive (guess Starbucks missed that aspect), has food and drink, is highly accessible and proximate for many, involves regulars and is welcoming and comfortable. (This definition comes from Ray Oldenburg’s book The Great Good Place.) Telecommuting has added to the significance of the third place. Public wi-fi means there is a happy medium available between home and office for those whose lives center on their technology.

So…..what’s our favorite third place in Westport? Of course, it’s the Library! Social well being and psychological health depend upon community; informal gathering places create community. You might say that the Westport Library has been meeting some of those third place needs for 100 years. And since the Café was added a few years ago, you can even enjoy some Starbucks-type refreshment. See you at the Library.

That’s the newspaper headline on the June 9, 1939 clipping that refers to an exhibit of photographs by three local artists at the Westport Library. Viola Semler, Peggy Knowles and Russell O. Kuhner had each exhibited “in the well known galleries of the more important cities of the United States,” according to the article. This tradition has continued to the present most notably with the work of Karl Decker in 2003, Phyllis Groner in 2007 and Laurence Untermeyer whose opening is Friday August 1,2008 in the Great Hall from 6-8 pm.

Karl Decker’s exhibition The People of Townshend, Vermont featured his friends and neighbors from the place to which he retired, after years of teaching at Staples High School. Phyllis Groner’s work is familiar to readers of Westport Now, as is Larry Untermeyer’s. Both of them along with Kerry Long and Lynn U. Miller have documented many Library events with their captivating photos.

The Westport Historical Society is planning an exhibit titled "Westport Now Photographers: the Best from the Best." To learn more.

The Library has an extensive collection of books on photography. To browse, go to the upper level area and look for the 770s for everything from instruction to books of photos by specific artists (in the 779s.) If you cannot find them, just stop by a public service desk for assistance.

Here are a few of the most recently added photography books:
• Mario Testino: Let Me In by Mario Testino – celebrity portraits
• David Plowden: Vanishing Point by David Powden – industrial photography
• Sylvia Plachy: Goings On About Town by Sylvia Plachy – New Yorker photos
• Our World by Molly Malone Cook –life with poet Mary Oliver
• The Bigger Picture: 30 Years of Portraits by Diana Walker – celebrities & politics
• New York: City of Islands by Jake Rajs
• Seconds of My Life by Jamel Shabazz – street and family photography
• Storm Chaser by Jim Reed – severe storms, hurricanes & tornadoes

Enjoy photography - one of the most honored traditions of preserving history- as we continue to celebrate 100 years of the Westport Library.

I always find the History file at the Library fascinating. And I learn something new about Westport every time I venture into the sneeze-producing, crumbly records of local history. Here’s what I found printed in fancy type on a postcard:
“The Westport Library and Artists of the Town of Westport invite you to an exhibition of paintings and sculptures to be held Sept.11th to Sept.25th inclusive in the gallery of the Library. Exhibition open 9A.M. to 6 P.M. each day. Tea served from 4 to 6 o’clock. General admission ten cents. “
The postcard invitation does not have the year, but the postage was one cent.

A catalog of the Third Annual Exhibition for the Benefit of the Library included two informal receptions and listed 17 artists, including such well-know names as George Wright and Karl Anderson. Admission had increased to 25 cents.

An invitation to the opening of a new gallery is dated 1957. A clipping from the New York Times tells of the opening of the permanent art gallery in the Library with an exhibit of forty paintings by twenty of Westport’s artists. The gallery was on the second floor of the old library building to which an “ultramodern wing” had been added. When not in use as a gallery, the 21x48 foot room was to be used as a meeting room for library committees. According to the article, Library benefactor Morris Jesup stipulated that the second floor of the 1905 building be used for library personnel meetings, a lecture room and art exhibitions.

The Town Crier reported other exhibitions in the Jesup gallery in 1961. Thirty one artists had works displayed in “The Animal in Art” show. They included Stan Bleifield, Randall Enos, Jim Frazer, Hilda Kraus, and Harold von Schmidt among others. In 1961, there was also an exhibit of abstract art with paintings by Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollack and others owned by people in the community. A lecture series on “The Story of Abstract Art” was presented.

Have you taken time to look at the art in the McManus Meeting Room and in other places around the Library? Do you enjoy the exhibitions in Great Hall and the Riverwalk Display case? What a rich history in art we have at the Westport Library!

Jonathan Towers (1948-2005), known as “The Walking Man,” spent the last decade of his life in Westport – chosen to be close to the site of the last major Indian massacre in New England. He had spent some childhood summers in Westport and as "The Walking Man" he visited Westport, Southport and Greens Farms… local cafes and restaurants, libraries, beaches and the Bridgeport Bluefish. A child of the sixties, Towers was an eclectic scholar excelling at various universities, but never completing a degree. Literature and anthropology were his fascinations and the vision quest was his motivation. After his suicide, his poems were published by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences- a group dedicated to the study of the holistic relationship of mind, body and nature.

Reading Westport Poems by Jonathan Towers will jog your memory of past places around town (Allen’s Clam & Lobster House,) or remind you to take a fresh look at places you pass everyday (Saugatuck River/Westport Library, U.S.1/Westport,The Baron’s Property,) or make you notice details when you visit local restaurants and stores (Angelina’s, Tiger Bowl, Organic Market,) or remind you of past town events (Song of the Road, A Local Murder.) Other poems concern neighboring towns and there are some about Albany and Manhattan. Towers was an obvious presence and an invisible historian in our midst.

Here’s one of my favorites:
To a Librarian Who Left Her Job

somewhere else
the bright giggle
of your talk
will be heard
your extreme competence
attractiveness
and winning manner
will be seen and felt
while we remain here
with the echo
of your memory
and a silent protest
against the transiency
that moved you on.

"The Walking Man" and his poems echo in our memories.

Asked whether he liked books, Mark Twain said that he liked a thin book because it would steady a table, a leather volume because it would strop a razor, and a heavy book because it could be thrown at a cat. I wonder if he would have added his affection for an old book because it could be made into a work of art. That’s the premise behind Altered Books. Old and worn-out books probably headed for landfill are re-birthed into an amazing variety of artworks.

Read more about some of the artists and their creations. Visit the Library Riverwalk display to see some examples up close. If you are intrigued by the idea of this kind of recycling, consider being part of this activity to celebrate the Westport Library 100th Birthday. It all starts with the Books Unbound Launch this Friday evening June 13 at 7 pm, when Brooklyn-based altered book artist Doug Beube will give a talk and slide show on "The Alternative Library: the Book in the Environment." There will be a “book grab” ( we’ve been collecting some of the no-longer needed volumes),so that people can choose books for their projects. On October 3, there will be an auction of the wondrous creations of new art from old books.

To learn more about how this works, you may find books about altered books at the Library. These will be shelved in the New Books area for the summer and may be borrowed for 7 days. Questions? Contact Chris Timmons.

Are you an opera fan?
***Borrow the Libretto from the Library to take to the performance with you.

Are you temporarily homebound in Westport?
***Call (291 4842) and request items to be sent to you.

Are you curious about the “native” families of Westport?
***Spend some time with the Westport History file.

Are you trying to remember who wrote an especially good mystery book?
***Consult the Library mystery expert.

Are you thinking about reading a novel written in your first, or second or third language?
***Browse the world language books.

Are you looking for a past photograph of an author?
***Check the portrait files in the Picture File.

Are you wondering about local authors?
***Use the catalog to find a list.

Are you looking for a book, audio, DVD or music CD that is not here?
***Suggest that we get it.

Are you anxious to read the latest bestseller?
***Look on the Express shelves.

Are you planning to lead your book club discussion?
***Get a discussion guide.

Are you unhappy because you missed Library programs?
***Listen to the podcasts.

Are you thinking of other Library resources that not everyone knows about?
***Let us know!

The New Age movement began in the second half of the 20th century. It spread from religious and spiritual ideas to social phenomenon that eventually infused medicine, food, music, literature, art and life style. Ancient beliefs and practices were blended with contemporary culture. “New Age” referred to the coming astrological age of Aquarius. Surprisingly, one of the books published in 1908 was The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling. The true story of the life of Jesus transcribed from Askashic records, it included all the years missing in Biblical accounts according to the author.

The Children’s Encyclopedia (published from 1908-1964 in England) was a didactic educational tool sold door-to-door. It reflected the times and the views of the editors on eugenics, sexism and racism. It was also used in schools and for teacher training. Where did I read about this? On Wikipedia!

In 1908, Bram Stoker’s collection of short stories was published. Snowbound: The Record of a Theatrical Touring Party includes the intriguing titles: The Slim Syrens, Mick the Devil, A Star Trap and A Moon-Light Effect. If you are very curious, used copies are listed on amazon for around $100. Or, you could re-read the classic Dracula, which Stoker wrote in 1897.

A 1908 title still available and enjoying popularity is A Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck by Beatrix Potter. This charming story of a mother duck getting ready for the arrival of her babies will give you and your young listeners a break from today’s electronic fare for the young. Potter who became financially independent through her writing, died in 1943 and left 4000 acres of land, cottages and 15 farms to the National Trust in her will.

“When angry, count four; when very angry, swear.”

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

“Familiarity breeds contempt-and children.”

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.”

Few literary lions are more quotable than Mark Twain. As we celebrate 100 years of the Westport Library, we remember Twain’s impact on the culture of 1908 America…and Connecticut. The next program in the Library Spoken Word series on Mark Twain and the Emergence of the American Voice is Wednesday May 14 at 7:30 pm. Daniel Cruson, President of the Archaeology Society of Connecticut will speak on The Impact of Mark Twain in Connecticut. On Monday May 19 at 7pm, beTwixt, beTween & beTwain an original musical revue of Twain’s stories will be performed by composer Danny Ashkenasi and cast members.To hear the previous programs in the series, listen to the Library podcasts.

If you are inspired to re-acquaint yourself with Mark Twain, you can find most of his writing on our fiction shelves under Twain. The DVD of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn is also available. We have Essays and Correspondence by Twain, as well as his Autobiography. Did you see the production of the rediscovered comedy, Is He Dead?

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience.” No matter how aroused your conscience,
good friends and good books have always been found at the Westport Library!

Social, literary, biblio-therapeutic, or competitive, book clubs have long been an adjunct to the Westport Library. From 1908 on, the Library has always been a place to expect some conversation about reading. In the 1970s, there was a Great Books discussion group and also a Seniors Book Club, which met in the YMCA in the winter and under a tree by the water at Longshore in the summer. (That was a pleasant assignment in many ways.)

Now, the Library sponsors two groups, The Usual Suspects and Pageturners, which meet at the Library each month. In addition, the Library supports 52 local area book groups who depend on suggestions, multiple copies and discussion guides from the Library. The collection of multiple copies, Speaking of Books, is funded by the Friends of the Library. A club may request that all ten copies of a book be held for them. Each title in the collection also has a discussion guide available. Discussion guides are added for other books, too, as requested. Discussion guides may be checked out or copies may be printed.Today, we have over 480 titles in our collection of discussion guides.

Book clubs enjoy the expertise of Library staff. Jane Murphy leads the Usual Suspects and oversees the Mystery area of the Library collection. She is truly our Mystery Maven. Susan Madeo knows all the intricacies of the InterLibrary Loan system (for those titles not in Speaking of Books) and, also, what books are available and which ones lead to good discussions. Multiple copies request form. Joan Hume selects and facilitates the Page Turners monthly discussions. For discussion guide requests or to suggest additions to the Speaking of Books collection, you may contact me.

Recently, I heard of a new model for book clubs: each member reads a different book. Each gives a short book talk and then they swap the books. Need ideas? Take a look at these: Reading List, Title Swap, Sybil’s List. And that book that you just can’t stop talking about? Tell us about it!

In 1919 there were 3500 libraries in the United States. Half of them were funded by Andrew Carnegie. Books were always important to Carnegie from the time of his childhood in Scotland to his eventual fame as a wealthy American industrialist and philanthropist. One important feature of Carnegie libraries was the “self-serve stacks.” Library users were allowed to browse, instead of requesting that certain books be retrieved. We’ve come a long way!

The Westport Library was not established as a Carnegie Library. We are not sure why Mr Carnegie’s largesse was not accepted. But, of course, Morris Ketchum Jesup funded the 1908 birth of The Westport Library.

Now, in our Library’s 100th year, we welcome the President of the Carnegie Corporation as the speaker at the Sixth Annual Malloy Lecture on April 29. Vartan Gregorian , president of the Carnegie Corporation, has a distinguished career in education and as President of the New York Public Library. Born in Tabriz, Iran, Gregorian has served on numerous boards, has been decorated by foreign governments, has been given 56 honorary degrees and has been awarded many honors, including the National Humanities Medal by President Clinton and the Medal of Freedom by President G.W. Bush.

You may still register to hear Vartan Gregorian on April 29 at 7:30 pm at Bedford Middle School.

The Malloy Lecture is made possible by the generosity of Susan Malloy.

How much do you know about 1908? Here are the clues:

1-What was Morris Jesup’s original gift to support a new Westport Library building?
2-The President of the United States…a large Ohio influence?
3-"Be prepared" to recognize Robert Baden Powell’s organization.
4-No more pigtails in ink pots; the new-fangled writing implement?
5-Hotel visitors found something new in the nightstand drawer.
6-Where were the 1908 Summer Olympics?
7-Singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame was not a charm for the Yankees’ season.

Check your answers here.

Want to learn more? Check out these links to the Library catalog :

1-Morris Ketchum Jesup
2-William Howard Taft
3-Boy Scouts
4- Fountain pens
5-Gideons (wikipedia)
6-Olympics history
7-Baseball & the song

Were you among the 2200 people who came to the Library Birthday party last Sunday? What a happy combination of nostalgia, appreciation and anticipation from the 1908 artifacts to the plans for the Westport Library building of the future. In the 1908 room, I was surprised to learn that the Meyer lemon was introduced to America in 1908. I have been hearing about these wonderful “new” lemons lately (on sale at Balducci’s for $2.99/lb.) It turns out they have been around as long as our Library!

Nostalgia: Did you see all the Howard Munce drawings that graced our Library publicity through the years? Did you notice the picture of a very young Jonathan Sheffer at a Library party in 1958? Did you chuckle at the creative titles on the books being read in the Whitney Darrow artwork? Did you reminisce about the renovations and the new building as you looked at the construction photos? If you missed this stroll down memory lane, take some time to look at the art kiosks on your next trip to the Library.

Appreciation: Often people love the Library for the latest books, the interesting programs, the collection of DVDs, the café, the quiet, the conversation, the research assistance, the latest magazines, the wi-fi, the children’s librarians or that special spot for studying or writing. Local authors shared some of their appreciation about the Library. What do you appreciate about the Library ?

Anticipation: Did you meet architect Henry Myerberg and hear about his ideas for a new Library building? Did you see his sketches? And Imagine 2108! Some of Westport’s younger residents created and illustrated the Library of 100 years from now. Imagine robots, swimming pools and jets landing at the Library of the future!