Freedom Library News and Views

Louie Gets Into the Christmas Spirit

2011-12-22T18:31:00.000-05:00

It always seems to rain on school visit day!

2011-10-19T14:34:00.000-04:00

The 3rd graders and their teacher Chelsea Brooks braved a pretty heavy downpour to make their first visit to the library last week. Everyone chose a book or a magazine and there was time for one story. We are looking forward to their return visit next month - let's hope it's sunny this time! (click picture for larger version)

Lucky us! A Visit from Kindergarten AND 2nd Grade!

2011-09-29T15:38:00.001-04:00

They braved the rain to visit the library. Several kids got library cards for the first time. Thank you Mrs. Pohl and Mrs. Briggs for bringing your classes here! (Click picture to see a larger size.)

A Sweet Soft Library Visitor

2011-09-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

Margaret brought Hazel, her 8-week-old Chocolate Lab puppy, to visit the library. Hazel looks huge in this picture but that's only because Margaret is small. If you look closely, you will see Louie in the background taking a bath. He didn't bother to pay any attention to Hazel at all.

Harvest Crowns

2011-09-28T13:13:00.000-04:00

Not everyone would agree to have their picture made, but here are three cuties from today's storytime sporting their fabulous harvest crowns.

Tie Dye & Patriotic Flags

2011-08-02T18:26:00.000-04:00

We had a huge crowd at last week's Fun Friday on July 29th with about 35 kids making flags and tie-dying t-shirts. Here are some photos from that day.

Duct Tape Hula Hoops a Hit!

2011-07-09T12:50:00.000-04:00

Take some 1/2 " tubing, cut 7/16" dowels into 1.5" pieces, cut tubing into 9'4" lengths and insert dowel piece into each end to make a circle. Use a staple gun to connect the two ends and hammer the staples in. Voila! A homemade hula hoop. Now bring lots of hoops to Fun Friday and let the kids cover them with colorful duct tape!

4th of July Crowns a Hit at Storytime

2011-06-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

Storytime has started up again on Wednesdays at 10:00. The craft today was 4th of July crowns. Here are the kids (and an older sibling) modeling their creations. They are all ready to march in a parade!

Owen Brooks Visits the Library

2011-05-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Our big friend Owen was quite anxious to come in the library, hoping to see Louie, but Louie had not yet reported to work. We were happy to see Owen, but Louie probably wouldn't have been that thrilled.

First Graders Visit the Library

2011-04-27T12:32:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed another visit from the Freedom Elementary first grade class, accompanied by their teacher MaryEllen Holmes, parent Ann-Marie Knox and a little sister. They picked out some books and listened to some stories and then back to school in time for the bus!

Making Airplanes at Storytime

2011-03-09T13:34:00.000-05:00

The kids worked hard on their airplanes at storytime today!

A visit from the 2nd grade

2011-03-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

The 2nd graders at Freedom Elementary have been coming to the library every 3 or 4 weeks throughout the school year. They get to choose a book to check out and then Elizabeth reads them some stories. The day of their most recent visit was Dr. Seuss' birthday and Brianna B. asked to read Elizabeth's favorite Dr. Seuss story, "Why Was I Scared" about the pale green pants with nobody inside them. She did a first rate job reading the story (which she had never read before that day), with great inflections and feeling. Here are some pictures from the visit. Click on pictures to see their larger size. Enjoy!

A Traditional English Tea

2011-02-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

The 2nd graders from Freedom Elementary came for their monthly visit to the library on February 9th. Afterwards, Judy, Irene and I were fortunate enough to be invited to afternoon tea at Petula Plunges' house. She treated the 2nd grade class to a traditional English tea complete with finger sandwiches, fancy cookies, biscuits, fruit and brownies - a real feast! The second graders had superb manners and we all had a fine time. Sounds like it may become a 2nd grade tradition - I'm already looking forward to 2012 if so!

Imogene woke up the next morning and instead of antlers she had a peacock tail!

2010-08-07T12:48:00.002-04:00

Andrea Wright brought her "Books Alive!" program to Freedom Old Home Week again this year and it was another GREAT SHOW, enjoyed by all. Here is the Thomson's 4-year-old granddaughter Judith playing Imogene from "Imogene's Antlers" by David Small. So many children got to participate in bringing the children's books to life. Click here to view the entire photo album.

Norman Ng at the Library

2010-08-07T11:26:00.000-04:00

What perfect weather for a show on the back lawn of the library! Norman Ng was terrific - we laughed, we smiled, we were amazed! Here are a few pictures from the performance. Go to our Picassa photo page to see the whole set at http://picasaweb.google.com/rhymedog/NormanNgPerformance?feat=directlink

Ode to the Freedom Public Library

2010-07-07T13:08:00.002-04:00

Elizabeth Marx led this week's writing workshop for students going into 5th grade and older. They learned all about odes, wrote one together as a group, then each wrote their own. Click here to read some of the individual poems. Here is the group project "Ode to the Freedom Public Library" I love it!

ODE TO FREEDOM PUBLIC LIBRARY
Written by the Writer's Workshop Group
Jeffrey C. Cieslikowski, Brianna D., Lauren Gambon, Liam Gambon, and Nathanael Mathieu

Oh Library, what will I win today?
T-Shirt or MP3 Player, perhaps Go Carting or a Bobbie Sue Kiddie Cone?
Please, please, please pull my raffle ticket, I so need an iTunes card
(but a piece of maple candy will work).

No peace and quiet here.
This library is for fun and games. Preschoolers in town
dance and sing with rhythm sticks, shaking eggs, and stomping feet.
Top it off with glitter glue, finger paint, and stickers
(and a piece of bubble gum candy).

Boring Friday nights perk up
A room full of hungry moviegoers of all ages.
Big screen, loud speakers, hanging out with friends.
Pause the movie for pizza.... and cookies
(and sneak a piece of green apple candy).

Chill out on Teen Night
with the kicking Air Conditioner blasting full speed.
Beading, Tie Dyes, Frozen T shirts, Duct Tape.
ìWiiî rock the Guitar Hero before the movie and pizza
(and a fistful of lemonade candy).

Oh my local library,
What shall I do with you today?
1000 piece puzzle, unlimited internet wifi, DVDs, magazines, comfy chairs.
Listen to music, browse the art, scan old photos, savor some candy
(and check out a book or two).

Scenes from the School's Out Party

2010-07-02T14:37:00.000-04:00

We had 35 kids come to the library's Schools Out Party on June 22nd. That's nearly half the school! We were so swamped that I didn't take many pictures but here are two. We played many games. This one - I put some money into two medicine containers, then taped them up, then covered the bottles with newspaper, then taped that up with duct tape and other tape, and continued adding paper and tape and some string until they were great big balls of tape and paper. The children got into two circles and one by one rolled a pair of dice. If they rolled doubles, that person went into the center and began trying to open the package. The other children continue rolling the dice until someone else rolls doubles. That person then gets a chance to try to get into the tape ball. Whoever is the one to finally get the money out of the container got to keep it! There was quite a lot of screaming and excitement during this process, let me tell you!

John Porcino at the Library

2010-06-21T16:45:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to the Freedom Elementary School and the NH State Library's Kids, Books and the Arts grant for making it possible to bring storyteller John Porcino to Freedom to kick off the library's Summer Reading Program. It was a great afternoon and I hope it got the kids excited about all the great things happening at the library this summer... starting with the School's Out Party tomorrow after school! Here are a few of pictures from John's performance. Go to Photo Album on the library's website www.freedompubliclibrary.org for more.

The Library's First Tele-gathering

2010-06-18T17:23:00.002-04:00

Green Mountain Conservation Group's Research Committee met at the library today to discuss research goals for the Ossipee watershed water quality monitoring program. They used Skype, the library's projector and a committee member's computer webcam to include participants from UNH who were not able to come in person to the meeting. The Skype participants were scientists from the University of New Hampshire who complemented the local PhD research scientists on the committee from this watershed. The GMCG Executive Director, Program Manager and science program interns were also present.

My face still hurts from smiling

2010-05-26T06:39:00.000-04:00

We had LOTS of laughs at the Freedom Public Library last night as Rebecca Rule told her stories of New England life and invited members of the audience to tell theirs. Here she is pictured with Dwight from Madison. Dwight told a very funny story about a woman (of "ample proportions") who brought a picnic basket on the bus and put it in the rack above their seat. When a drip came down from the picnic basket and landed on Dwight's nose, he tasted it and and said, "Pickles?" to the woman. What do you think she said?

The girl and the chick

2010-04-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

One of the little Buff Orpington chicks nestled into Hannah's hair last week. The chicks have been moved from the library to larger quarters at the Rhymer's house, but for now you can still watch them live 24/7 by going to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chick-clicks.

Knitting Group Going Strong

2010-04-20T18:15:00.000-04:00

We have anywhere from 7-12 knitters coming to the library every Friday at 4:30 to knit together. There is an instructor on hand for beginners or anyone needing assistance with a knitting project. Crocheters are welcome too! All skill levels are welcome. Here are some pics from a recent session.

Old Equipment Still Has Appeal

2010-04-06T18:21:00.001-04:00

I had to type a form today using our old IBM Selectric and the tap, tap, tapping attracted a curious onlooker. Patrick had never seen a typewriter before. When I was finished my work, I asked him if he wanted to try it out. He used the typewriter to write out his spelling words and got the job done in record time!

Margaret Reviews Dust Bunnies books

2010-04-03T11:54:00.000-04:00

Kindergartner Margaret M. enjoyed two new library books so much that she wanted to share her thoughts on them: "Here Comes the Big Mean Dust Bunny" and "Rhyming Dust Bunnies", both written and illustrated by Jan Thomas.

Of the two books Margaret thinks the one about the Mean Dust Bunny is the funniest! She likes that she is able to read many of the words in these books. She also likes that they rhyme. She thinks that the dust bunny named Bob is very funny because he cannot rhyme (however he has other talents... one being that he is very observant).

So come on down to the library to read these books and see what YOU think!

Baby Chick Cam

2010-04-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

The Rhymer's baby chicks are at the library for the time being and we've got a camera set up so you can see what they are up to 24/7. Check it out!
Baby Chick Cam

A reader in the sun

2010-03-18T16:03:00.000-04:00

Margaret found a sunny spot to read.

A Class Full of Readers

2010-03-09T18:20:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed another fabulous visit from the second grade class of the Freedom Elementary School. They love coming to choose a book to check out. Here are some pics from the day.

Knitting Class

2010-01-26T17:51:00.000-05:00

There was a great response to our adult knitting class with over a dozen eager participants. Some of us have never knitted at all and some have a small amount of experience but have either forgotten what we know or want extra help. Sally Florio (pictured in the center, facing the camera) is a wonderful teacher and we're off to a good start on learning to knit! As always, click on the picture to see a larger size.

Welcoming "Chip" to the Library

2010-01-19T15:55:00.002-05:00

We have a new door closer and panic bar at the library's main entrance thanks to Bill Elliott who used to work in the hardware business. In case you don't know, a panic bar is a metal bar on a door that you push on to get out of a building -- if there's a fire and it's smoky, you won't have to grope for a door knob, you just push anywhere on the bar and you are out. Our Fire Chief said we needed to get one for the front door. The estimates we got to have one installed along with a pneumatic door closer were around $1,000. Thanks to the generosity of Bill Elliott and the great people at Falcon - the company which made the panic bar - we didn't have to pay a dime!

The panic bar traveled with an employee of the Falcon company as it made its way to us. The woman's children named it "Chip" and Chip was photographed in several places and his travels were posted on the Falcon blog. So of course, when Chip finally made it to the Freedom Public Library, we had to have some pics. Here is one of them we took with Judy, me, Trustee treasurer Anne Cunningham, Bill Elliott and Trustee president Peg Scully. Many thanks to Bill Elliott for making this happen!

This is the Surgeon I'd Like to Have

2010-01-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

I got to hear another fabulous speaker and author, Atul Gawande, talk about his newest book "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right". In this book, Gawande promotes the humble checklist as a tool for improving performance. The aviation industry has been using this tool for years to prevent and handle air emergencies. Gawande and his team brought the idea of checklists to surgeons and intensive care units in hospitals across the world, both large and small, and after three months the results showed 36% fewer deaths after the implementation of the use of checklists. Gawande talked about resistance that professionals often have to the use of checklists, feeling that because they are experts in their fields, they should not have to use a checklist. He pointed out that if they could prescribe at drug that would improve outcomes by 36% there would be no question - they would all be clamoring for such a drug.

Gawande is also the author of "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance" which the library owns. We now own a signed copy of "The Checklist Manifesto" too!

Al Gore was Riveting

2010-01-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

I got a chance to hear Al Gore speak yesterday here at the American Library Assoc Midwinter Meeting about his new book "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis." What a terrific speaker! He explained the contents of each chapter with articulateness and succinctness that within an hour I understood some viable solutions to the climate crisis. I now have a working knowledge of the pros and cons of solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, and several other sources of energy. He said that enough solar energy falls on the earth in one hour to meet the energy needs of the entire planet for one year. He pointed out that our dependence on fossil fuels is one of the primary causes of three of our greatest woes as a nation and world: the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the climate/pollution crisis. What is required is that we make a national commitment to developing alternative forms of energy. I am so glad I got to hear Gore speak.

Hello from ALA

2010-01-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

My alarm went off this morning at the ridiculous hour of 3:30 a.m. and I was on the road at 5:00 heading to the Boston Convention and Exposition Center for the Mid-Winter Meeting of the American Library Association. The reason I wanted to get here so early was to hear author Elizabeth Gilbert speak. If that's all I do all weekend, it was worth it. What a wonderful talk! And the questions the librarians asked afterward were very good - sometimes audience questions leave a lot to be desired.

Gilbert talked about how daunting it was to write another book after the wild success of "Eat, Pray, Love". Her newest book "Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage" came out just last week and is in the collection of the Freedom Public Library. Her 500 page first draft was ready to send out to her publisher at deadline when she suddenly realized it was "all wrong." Having been raised to follow through on commitments, she agonized over what to do. After days of anxiety, she had a nightmare in which she was on her knees at her publisher's begging for her life back, which made her realize she had to tell her editor that the book wasn't ready and she didn't have any idea when or even IF she would be able to send anything. Devastated by defeat, she took six months and immersed herself in her garden and did not try to write. Then, at last, the first line of the book came to her and in five weeks she had written an entirely new book, which shares nothing in common with her first draft other than the characters. She said that if she had forced herself to write again immediately after she realized her first draft was bad, it would have made a defeat on top of a defeat and probably would have ended her writing career right there.

She spoke of how common it is for people to assume that since she wrote "Eat, Pray, Love" she must not only have her life together but she must also be able to help other people put their lives together, something she says is just SO not true. An example of this was a brief encounter with a woman who said, "I know you only have a minute to talk to me, so I will keep this short: Should I leave my husband?"

I learned at this talk that Elizabeth Gilbert's sister is also a well-known author, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, who writes young adult novels including the wonderful "Dairy Queen" which we read in our teen book group two summers ago.

I am looking forward to hearing Al Gore speak this afternoon! That's all for now - off to the exhibits.

Getting Kids to Read to Their Pet

2010-01-12T16:06:00.001-05:00

Our patron, Freedom resident Dawn Alexander-Tapper, read the online article about Louie and his favorite books and she had this memory to share:

I loved the feature on our little Louie! I wanted to share with you what I used to do with the book 3 Stories to Read to Your Cat and its counterpart for dogs. When I taught third grade, I would loan out those books each day to my students and the next morning, the child would tell the class which stories they read to their cat or dog and how the reading went. The kids were so cute. They'd say things like, "Harry's favorite story was the one where they made dog biscuits because he licked his lips when I read it to him." It was such a fun experience! Some of the kids would certainly exaggerate their pets reactions and it was hilarious- but I know for sure that they were reading on those nights that they got the book.

Louie's 15 Minutes of Fame

2010-01-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

Louie is featured in the Feb 2010 issue of Cat Fancy magazine in an article about library cats. Isn't that cool? Check it out:
Click here to read "Library Cats and Their Favorite Books."

The print magazine has an additional article about 45 library and bookstore cats which I have not yet seen. Hope to get my hands on a copy soon!

The Best Christmas Program!

2009-12-23T13:00:00.000-05:00

Last night's Christmas program at the library was wonderful, with nine readers reading Lee Kingman's "The Best Christmas", a sweet story about an old-fashioned Christmas and a little boy who makes it the best Christmas ever for his family. Go to the website (click on Photo Album in the menu) to view photos from this event. Here's one picturing the amazing Buche de Noel (Yule Logs) that Tim Kennedy made with the help of Bill Elliott. See the meringue mushrooms?? Beautiful, and delicious too! Thanks also to Margie Amico and Stephanie Krebs who made special treats for this program as well.

Lee Fritz, Founder of Book Club, Steps Down After 20 Years of Service

2009-12-17T16:04:00.000-05:00

Lee Fritz, after 20 years as Book Club coordinator, has stepped down and Sylvia Carney has assumed the role. At the book club meeting on December 14, Lee was honored for her years of leadership and was presented with a gift of a beautiful scarf. Members discussed and voted on reading selections for 2010.

Lee and Bill Fritz

Lee opens her present.

New book club leader Sylvia Carney

Sylvia Carney
Joan Grossman
Lee Fritz

Sketch and Poem Crawl in Freedom

2009-12-04T16:30:00.000-05:00

Join Freedom Elementary Second Graders for

Our Sketch and Poem Crawl

The Second Graders of Freedom Elementary School invite you to participate in their first Sketch and Poem Crawl of Freedom Village on Wednesday, December 9, from 12:15 to 2:00 PM. This drawing and writing event, part of their study of community, is inspired by Italian artist, Enrico Casarosa. His creation SketchCrawl consists of world-wide drawing marathons.

“The basic idea: to record non-stop everything I could around me with pencil and watercolors.”

This intense drawing changes the way one looks at everything. Anyone can participate in this Sketch and Poem Crawl. All levels of ability are welcome from first timers to accomplished artists. If desired, bring a clipboard as paper and pencils will be provided. Please be sure to dress for the weather. After a brief introduction by writer-artist Louise Wrobleski, a literacy consultant and one of the directors of the UNH Literacy Institute, we will begin the tour. Planned stops along the half-mile walk to the Freedom Public Library include visiting talented artist Pam Keith. At her residence, we will view her primitive murals. Pam is also baking cookies for the children as a special treat! Next, we will gather on the back deck of the Freedom Village Store to view the waterfalls from a new and different perspective. Nancy is very excited to have the children visit. She has kindly offered to serve hot chocolate to help keep us warm. Communal art projects will be set up inside at the Freedom Village Store and the Freedom Public Library. Everyone will have an opportunity to share and compare drawings and thoughts about the experience at the library. At our final destination, Elizabeth Rhymer, will read Oliver Butterworth’s The Enormous Egg. Judy Johnson will share her art work currently on display. The second grade children have found both Elizabeth and Judy wonderful resources during our monthly library visits. The Freedom community has many talented artists and writers. Be sure not to miss this multi-generational community event!

Knitters are Knitting Up a Storm!

2009-12-04T12:38:00.001-05:00

There are 6 enthusiastic knitters in Gail Bizer's knitting class at the library and although the class is scheduled to end on the December 17th, they are all begging for it to continue after the holidays. Gail is enjoying teaching very much and is willing to continue the Thursday afternoon classes at 3:45. If any students in grades 4-6 are interested in taking the class starting in January, sign up at the library. Also sign up if you are a teen or adult interested in knitting classes as we now have an instructor ready to teach after the holidays.

Card-making at the Library

2009-11-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

Starting Saturday November 28th, patrons are invited to the library to create their own holiday cards and gift tags. We've got blank cards, markers, glitter glue, ribbon, old Christmas cards, Christmas rubber stamps and more! Come on down and create a card for that special someone. Here are Jeffrey C. and his grandmother with two of the cards they created today.

Ladybug Picture Book Award Reading Marathon

2009-11-20T12:32:00.008-05:00

On Thursday, November 17th a group of teachers and staff of Freedom Elementary School and I read 10 picture books nominated for the Ladybug Picture Book Award to children in grades K-3. Whew, it takes a long time to read ten books! Fortunately, we had an attentive audience. After the children heard all the stories, they each voted for their favorite. Click here to see the entire list of nominees.

And the winner was... Too Many Toys by David Shannon! About a little boy named Spencer who has so many toys his mother is on his case to give some away. He finally agrees to part with some and ends up discovering the best toy of all. 11 out of 30 children voted for this book.

Runners up were Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies (4 votes) and a three-way tie for 3rd place (3 votes each): Bedtime at the Swamp by Kristyn Crow and illustrated by Macky Panintuan , Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Jill McElmurry and Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox and illustrated by Lydia Monks.

Here are some photos from the morning's reading marathon. Click on photo to see larger version:

Radar

2009-09-12T13:23:00.006-04:00

Meet the Rhymer's new kitten Radar, who visited the library this week to the delight of all who chanced to meet him. Here he is with two of his biggest admirers, Margaret and Hannah. Don't worry, Louie is still the library cat!

Raffle Prizes for 6th grade and younger

2009-08-17T19:13:00.011-04:00

If you have more raffle tickets than you can spend at the library store, or if you aren't going to be able to shop when the store is open on Wednesday August 19th from 4:00 - 5:30, you can try to win one of the following prizes. Come by the library, email the library at freedomlibrary@roadrunner.com or call the library at 539-5176 to tell us how you want to use your raffle tickets. You can put them all toward one prize or divide them between prizes. Don't forget to give us your name and phone number.

Here are the prizes:

1. One 18 hole Mini Golf game & 1 GoKart ride at White Lake Speedway (2 winners)

2. Mini Golf 2010 Season Pass at White Lake Speedway

3. 1 Gb Sansa Clip MP3 Player

4. Sony Boombox with CD player, cassette & radio

5. Light box made by Herb Burroughs

6. Cool Bike

7. $10 Walmart Gift Card

8. Candy! (two winners)

9. Huge Pink Horse

Teen Tie Dye

2009-08-13T20:43:00.003-04:00

Many thanks to Sarah Groleau who ran this tie dye workshop with the teens this summer. Some came back the next week to show their finished tie dyed clothes.

My how you've grown!

2009-06-16T18:45:00.003-04:00

Here are Hannah and Maggie with one of the ducklings that was perched on Bill's shoulder not long ago. I don't think the duck would fit on his shoulder anymore!

Duck Duck Goose

2009-05-16T11:31:00.002-04:00

The Rhymers have acquired some new babies - 4 chicks and 2 ducklings. And they've been visiting the library the last two days. Here are the ducks with Bill Stoops.

Twister!

2009-05-13T13:39:00.006-04:00

School let out early today so Hillary & Brianna came to the library. Not much to do, so we got out the Twister and each girl won once.

Oh-so-helpful Kitty

2009-05-13T12:07:00.007-04:00

I finally had to kick Louie out because he was getting in the middle of everyone's work... Here he is "helping" a patron with her computer tasks.

Irene's newest grandchild

2009-04-17T16:40:00.012-04:00

7 month old Mariana and her grandmother, library volunteer Irene Hopper, came to visit this week. What a sweet baby. We fell in love!

Her name was Lola

2009-04-17T16:18:00.003-04:00

The Stewarts have a new Havanese puppy named Lola. Pictured here, Elizabeth Rhymer, Judy Johnson, Howsie Stewart and sweet little Lola.

Check Out Louie (April Fool!)

2009-04-03T12:29:00.001-04:00

Louie pics

2009-03-31T18:39:00.005-04:00

Louie has had a good winter working here at the library. Here he is soaking up some sun and enjoying a nap with Joel.

Hard work!

A Visit from the 2nd Graders

2009-03-05T15:20:00.005-05:00

How nice to have some down time to spend with some good books.

A special new friend

2009-02-26T16:18:00.003-05:00

Bill and Sally Stoops have a new addition in their house -- a chocolate lab puppy named Millie. Millie came for a visit this week and was a big hit. Here Sierra is meeting her for the first time.

Fun at Storytime

2009-02-20T13:41:00.005-05:00

We had a big group of storytime kids this week, including some visitors (Spencer & Jackson's cousins), some storytime graduates, and a great group of regulars. Here some of them are showing off their candy airplanes they made and otherwise having fun.

Wii Fun

2009-02-14T12:29:00.009-05:00

Patrick and Hannah need to jump at the same time to get the mining cart across the chasm.

Rebecca & Kathryn concentrate on the Wii game.

Patrick & Hannah lean to make the mining cart make the turn.

Audrey & Sierra work together to get the mining cart to turn left on the Wii game Outdoor Challenge.

Louie goes nuts for Joel

2009-02-12T14:48:00.003-05:00

Whenever Joel comes in the library, Louie will wake from a sound sleep and greet him loudly, MOW! MOW! (rhymes with "cow") and then will reach up high to give him a hug. These days he then insists on jumping up on his shoulders and licking his ear. Joel does not get this kind of greeting from him at home. Go figure!

Valentine Goofballs

2009-02-12T14:42:00.004-05:00

We've got some nutty patrons and here are a couple of them - Tanner and Francesca. Happy Valentine's Day!

Doggie visit

2009-02-11T11:37:00.004-05:00

Abigail and Melissa brought their miniature doberman pinscher puppy, Nanook, to visit the library recently. Nanook and her siblings were abandoned by a dumpster in a town in Alaska and she traveled all the way to NH to live with these sweet girls in Freedom. My, what big ears she has!

Dressing Up for Valentine's

2009-02-05T15:09:00.005-05:00

Sylvia Carney (Secretary of the Friends) came in today with Valentine's decorations including a headband for yours truly. She has decorated a table in the lobby and has packaged romance novels to sell to benefit the library. If romances are your thing, you should come take a look and if you just enjoy Valentine's Day, you should come see the beautiful display she made!

A fuzzy patron

2009-02-03T17:56:00.003-05:00

Dawn Alexander sent me this photo of her cat, saying "I was out doing errands this morning and came home to my cat Henry reading a library book in bed! "

Henry has good taste - he's been reading "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World", a book so popular here at the Freedom Public Library we had to get a second copy!

Puppy Visit

2009-01-10T12:48:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since we had a puppy visit the library. Today we got to meet Rohan, the five month old Coton puppy owned by the Florio-Nicoll's. Here is an adorable picture of him with two of his "sisters", Tava and Cora. Ever heard of a Coton? What an attractive breed!

Storytime Kids Decorate Cupcakes

2008-10-25T11:49:00.005-04:00

They ate them almost before they were completely decorated, but who can blame them?

Busy Friends

2008-10-25T11:19:00.004-04:00

A group of Friends got busy in the library workroom Saturday, organizing donated books and toys. No sooner had the area at the top of the stairs been cleared of books, another two boxes of donations came through the door! Ellen says we need to put that corner on birth control :) We now have a fresh collection of brand new-looking books to choose from in our on-going book sale area and staff will actually be able to walk through the workroom without stumbling over boxes, thanks to Anne, Ellen, Sylvia and Lee.

2nd Graders Visit the Library

2008-10-21T17:31:00.005-04:00

Yay! A new school year means a whole new batch of 2nd graders to visit the library and get library cards and pick out books to borrow. This year the class is small, only 7, and two of them were absent the day they visited (and one is blocked in the picture by a library book - sorry Mathieu!). The class walked to the library with their teacher, Mrs. Pohl, and classroom aide Jodi Perry, and what a perfect fall day for a walk!

I read them If You Find A Rock, a beautiful book by Peggy Christian perfect for this age child about all the different kinds of rocks you might find out on a walk, including wishing rocks, splashing rocks, and worry rocks. I also read Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson about the benefits of helping each other out. After several animals help a witch find various items she's dropped from her broom, she in turn allows them to join her on the broom. Then the animals help her out of a pretty scary situation involving a dragon. You should see the deluxe broom she conjurs up at the end!

After I read to them, the children each got to choose a book to borrow. I took their picture before they headed back to school. I am looking forward to their visit next month!

2008-10-21T17:18:00.006-04:00

Fall Storytime is underway at the Freedom Library. Every Wednesday morning at 10:00 we gather for stories, songs, fingerplays, games, rhythm instrument play, and crafts. Children ages 2-5 and their caregivers are encouraged to attend! Here are some pictures from a recent storytime.

Duct Tape is Cool

2008-07-15T18:51:00.004-04:00

I bought about a dozen different colors of duct tape and Mary Rhymer taught other teens how to make a wallet out of duct tape. We created some pretty neat wallets and Mary and some of the others have gone on to create more items out of duct tape including purses and sandals. Here are some of the teens working on their projects.

Local Celebrity Visits Writing Workshop

2008-07-15T18:00:00.002-04:00

Gair MacKenzie of WMWV radio station visited participants of the summer's first writing workshop on July 3rd. Gair came to pay tribute to Jim Clemons who ran the workshop to ever greater numbers of enthusiastic writers for four summers and who died on April 6, 2008. Gair became interested in Jim after reading his obituary and learning of all the great things he'd done in his life and the ways in which he helped people in this area over the past five years. Gair came to encourage this year's writers and to tell them some of what he learned about Jim when he was researching a radio piece he did on him. Gair told them about his years as First Petty Officer in the Navy and his volunteer work with Green Mountain Conservation Group doing water testing.

youth volunteers & the new sign

2008-06-26T17:26:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for buying our great new sign for out front! Youth volunteers at the library enjoy putting the words on it. Here are Hillary & Jesse after creating our first message.

Last Day of School!

2008-06-25T14:06:00.004-04:00

It was a "Last Day of School" party and all the girls came to sign up for the summer reading program before hitting the beach. Click picture to see a larger size.

Sadie makes her library debut

2008-04-19T11:58:00.009-04:00

Sisters Cora, Tava & Anya brought their 14 week old golden retriever puppy, Sadie, to the library. That cute licky little ball of fur was a big hit with everyone visiting the library today!

Winter into Spring

2008-04-18T12:59:00.004-04:00

Half the bike rack is covered in snow... the other half was holding bikes here at the library yesterday. We sure are enjoying the sweet spring breezes blowing through our open windows this week.

Louie's Special Friend Nia

2008-04-09T13:54:00.002-04:00

Louie is gentle with people of all ages and is especially patient with the youngest patrons. Here he is with his storytime friend, Nia, age 22 mos.

Teen Program gets a $500 boost from Rotary

2008-03-11T15:45:00.005-04:00

The Rotary Club of Ossipee Valley has disbanded after 80+ years of service to the community, but before they turned out the lights and locked the doors, they dispersed the remainder of the monies that had accumulated from their numerous fundraisers over the years. The Rotary Club granted the Freedom Public Library $500 in support of Rotary International's "Literacy in Action" program. I asked for this money to expand and improve the teen program. Thank you for all you've done for the community, Ossipee Rotary! We will miss you!

Cats love...

2008-02-21T15:29:00.005-05:00

Louie got in this box as soon as we set it down. He still likes his cozy cat bed best of all, but put a box or a bag on the floor and you bet he'll check it out.

Zoe visits the library

2008-01-31T18:34:00.000-05:00

Audrey and Elizabeth got a new kitty for Christmas and named her Zoe. She's about a year old and was adopted from the Conway Area Humane Society. Since we've met all the other Davis cats, it wasn't long before Zoe paid a visit to the library. Sorry it took me so long to put the pictures up, girls, and Zoe - come visit again!

Maggie makes a Christmas card

2007-12-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

Santa faces made out of hand prints... turned out cute! Here's Maggie in the midst of making hers at storytime recently.

Cozy Kitty

2007-12-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

Louie loves his new cat bed.

Storytime Buds

2007-12-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

Carter and Bridger enjoy preschool storytime on Wednesday mornings.

Our Favorite Thespian

2007-11-15T17:40:00.000-05:00

We got out the Fairy Tale Theatre that's been languishing in the Library Store for a couple of years, and Brianna put on a play - a new version of Little Red Riding Hood in which the wolf just decides to dress up in Grandma's pajamas and then Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma scare the wolf away.

Great Day for A Walk to the Library

2007-11-14T13:56:00.000-05:00

The 2nd graders came to the library today to select books and to hear some stories read by Mrs. Rhymer. She read Ira Sleeps Over, one of the new books from the Children's Literacy Foundation and If You Find A Rock, a beautiful book about all different kinds of rocks you might found outside. Here's the whole group together with their teacher Mrs. Pohl as well as a picture of April, Lucas and Catherine reading I Don't Like Gloria outloud together. What fun! I'm looking forward to next month's visit from the 2nd graders already. (As always, click pictures to see them full size!)

Post-storytime Family Portrait

2007-11-14T12:09:00.003-05:00

Karen Hopkins poses with her daughter Bethany and two of her grandchildren, Spencer & his cousin Stella.

Thank You!

2007-11-10T11:50:00.001-05:00

A Windfall of Books!

2007-11-09T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Freedom Public Library received a sponsorship from the Children's Literacy Foundation. We now have 100 new children's books! Here I am with Duncan McDougall, the Director of CLiF, showing off a few of our new aquisitions. Check out the website http://www.freedompubliclibrary.org/ for pictures from the presentation Duncan gave at the Freedom Elementary School. Check out the CLiF website - it's a wonderful organization and well worth supporting.

So? DO you care?

2007-11-02T12:57:00.000-04:00

I didn't notice the t-shirt this little girl was wearing when I snapped her picture with our NH Humanities Council lecturer, Leonardo DaVinci (aka Paul Manning). She came last night with her great-grandparents all the way from Gorham, ME and though I didn't catch her name she seemed like a very special third grader. We were happy to have over 50 people attend last night's standing-room-only performance of "Leonardo DaVinci: 1452-1519" and even happier that everyone loved it - we got a great deal of positive feedback. Many thanks to the Friends of the Library and the NH Humanities Council for sponsoring this program and especially Ellen Many, Lee Fritz and Sharon Meyer who did all the work. Ellen did a bang-up job of publicity and people came from all over to experience Leonardo DaVinci in person! Oh, and thanks Paul - you were a hit, bravo!
Update: The little girl is named Phoebe! Hi Phoebe!

Love at First Sight

2007-11-02T12:46:00.001-04:00

Daniell Spear and his wonderful new dog, Benjamin, came to visit me at the library today. He was lucky to find Ben, a friendly, loving full-bred Golden Retriever, at the Upper Valley Humane Society in Enfield, NH. After a grueling 2 1/2 interview and a return trip with his wife, the shelter agreed to let the Spears adopt Ben. What a great dog! I think it's a match made in heaven.

Who is that blonde bombshell?

2007-10-31T12:51:00.001-04:00

Why, it's Elizabeth Acton, visiting the library on Halloween!

Drive in Library?

2007-10-26T15:38:00.001-04:00

Jackson let Jack drive with him to visit the library in his cool electric car.

Pumpkins

2007-10-25T18:49:00.000-04:00

The storytime kids made pumpkins out of toilet paper rolls and orange tissue paper. Here they are with their creations...

A Flock of Sheep

2007-10-19T15:45:00.001-04:00

Elizabeth had some little lambs, little lambs, little lambs!
Preschoolers Matthew, Carter, Spencer, Olivia and Bridger made sheep masks this week!

2007-09-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

I am so far behind on this blog! I have so many good pictures to share with you, I'm just going to start RIGHT NOW and post some. Here are some scenes from this year's Freedom Public Library "Paws to Read" parade entry for Freedom Old Home Week. Judy and I dressed up as cats along with four children who carried signs (art work by Bill Stoops and made into signs by Heidi Glavin -- thank you guys!!). We did have one dog, thanks to Hilary who brought her dog Ginger. On my way back from registering for the parade, I stepped my foot directly into a fresh warm pile of dog poo. Fortunately I was barefooted and fortunately it didn't get all between my toes. Once I got the poo all off my foot, I came closer to the rest of my group (who were all in hysterics because of the poo) and I stepped right where Ginger had just peed! Ah dogs... Gotta love 'em.

2007-08-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

Judy is the coolest! Look at her on her new red scooter!

We have a raffle winner!

2007-08-14T17:08:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Arlene Knight whose name was drawn to win an original watercolor by long-time Freedom resident Elizabeth Acton. The painting is of Stuart's Barn (we are not exactly sure where this barn is...somewhere up near Cragged Mountain Farm). Of course, Arlene was thrilled to have won the painting. The raffle earned (after framing costs) $253 for the Friends of the Library. Thanks to all who bought tickets and especially to Elizabeth Acton for donating her art.

UDATE: Emily Phillips, Elizabeth Acton's daughter, wrote me with information on Stuart's Barn. Thanks, Emily!

Stuart's Barn is John Stuart home near Rob and Karen Hatch's. If you are at Cragged Mt. Farm (Cold Brook Road) you follow that towards Eaton. After the Ben Road turns off, the Stuart homestead is the next house (and then you come to Four Corners. 43.860633,-71.033651 go to Yahoo Maps and paste these coordinates into the location and you will find the barn!

Andrea Wright wows Freedom with Books Alive!

2007-08-09T15:55:00.000-04:00

Seven minutes til showtime and NO ONE had arrived yet... but eventually a great crowd of 54 adults and children showed up to enjoy Andrea Wright's 7th Old Home Week visit to Freedom. Judging from comments I heard and the extended applause at the program's end, this was her best show ever. The books she and the children performed were Mirette on the High Wire, Mortimer, Gerald McBoing Boing, and Elbert's Bad Word. They also sang a old sea shanty with the words only slightly changed: "Blow Your Nose in the Morning." Great fun for all! Thanks, Andrea!

UPDATE: I sent Andrea the pictures and she wrote back: Hi Elizabeth,
Just got back from a family wedding in the Finger Lakes, (Gorgeous!) to find your pictures on my computer. Thanks so much for sending them, I especially liked seeing your library blog and what fun things you do there in Freedom. There are some places that are just special and I think of Freedom that way: beautiful, friendly, smart, with an excellent sense of humor! Thank you so much for inviting me in to share it with you. It is people like you and your regular library-users who make my job so great. "

A family of readers

2007-08-07T17:40:00.000-04:00

This was the scene in the children's room today...

Harry Potter mania

2007-07-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

Jesse Wheeler was the first to pick up his reserved copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when the library opened today. Tiffany, who won hers as a door prize at the summer reading program kick-off at the school, was in soon thereafter. I wonder what these kids will be doing today?? The library owns three copies of the new book. Call to get on the wait list if you would like to borrow a copy.

Ferrets in the Library

2007-07-10T18:17:00.000-04:00

We had a great turnout for our program on ferrets last week during Fun Friday. Stephanie Mudgett of Freedom Ferret Services brought two of her 9 ferrets to visit with the children. She answered questions about them and talked about their unique qualities. Finally, the children got to hold the ferrets. It was hard not to squeeze too hard!

Birthday Angel

2007-06-29T21:03:00.001-04:00

Here's a real-life do-gooder, Rebecca Lees. Instead of getting presents for her 8th birthday, she asked her family and friends to donate money to the library! In she came with a $100 to give to the library. Thanks so much, Rebecca, and thanks to all your generous friends and family. We'll put that money to good use.

Banjos Bones & Ballads

2007-06-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

Jeff Warner charmed a full house at his program "Banjos, Bones and Ballads" sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the NH Humanities Council at the end of May. Jeff brought many traditional instruments and sang old songs that evoked times and places long gone. Eli Gordon had a song of his own to sing, also well-received!

Fun Fridays

2007-06-26T18:00:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness! It has been way too long since I've posted on the blog and I have so many photos to share. Here are a few from last Friday's Fun Friday & Teen Night. We got out the new Dance Dance Revolution game and the adults played along with the kids. Same at teen night with Guitar Hero 2. The adults have as much fun as anyone.

Excited Dogs!

2007-05-12T11:41:00.000-04:00

I was pretty impressed that Karin got her dogs to sit and pose for this picture. Sully and Kate were VERY excited to be in the library! And who wouldn't be? It's a pretty neat-o place!