Director's Note

Our wonderful summer reading program has wrapped up - thank you to Jenn and the rest of our staff for all of their work on a great program of activities; to the Friends of the Gleason Public Library and the Susan Zielinski Natural Science Fund for their support the programs; and to everyone who participated in the events and book bingos.

In honor of National Library Card Sign-Up month in September, I wanted to highlight two opportunities:

- If you have a new kindergartner who doesn't have their own card yet, we have a special signup event on September 23rd (details below), or stop by the library any time if you aren't able to make it to the event.

- Online ecard signup is now available, for Carlisle residents who don't already have a card to instantly access eBooks, eAudiobooks, and other online resources. More details can be found at the bottom of this email, but if you have local friends or family who who may not have been able to visit the Gleason to register, please share the link: https://ln.mvlc.org/carlisleecard

-Martha

Library Closings For September
The Library will be closed Saturday, September 2 through Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day. The Library will return to regular Saturday hours after Labor Day, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Everyone

Eclipse Events

Let's get ready for the upcoming eclipses! Both of the following events will take place at Spalding Field.

Email [email protected] with any questions. These programs are co-sponsored by the Carlisle Recreation Department and the Friends of the Gleason Public Library.

Eclipse Presentation
Friday, September 22 | 6 p.m.
Amateur astronomer Steve Golson will talk about solar eclipses: what they are, what to expect, and how to safely observe them, with special emphasis on the upcoming annular eclipse (October 14) and the exciting total eclipse next spring (April 8, 2024). Every attendee will go home with a pair of eclipse glasses to use for the upcoming annular eclipse. This program is for all ages, and registration is required. Register your family here.

Solar Observation Party
Saturday, September 23 | 1-3 p.m.
Join amateur astronomer Steve Golson for a safe look at the sun! We will show off a variety of instruments  and techniques for safely observing the sun, especially during the upcoming solar eclipses. For all ages. Registration is required; you can regiser your family here. Every attendee will go home with a pair of eclipse glasses to use for the upcoming annular eclipse. **Fellow local amateur astronomers are encouraged to join us and bring along their solar observing gear!

Children

If you have questions about any of these events, please email [email protected].

Curious Carrots Story Time At Clark Farm
Saturday, September 16 | 10 a.m.
It’s harvest time, but where are all the carrots hiding? We’ll read a fun farm-themed tale with Miss Jenn, then search the fields for this colorful vegetable with a Clark Farm Educator. We’ll discover how and where they grow and help with the fall harvest. This story time series is designed for children ages 3 through 6. Registration is required as space is limited. "Dress for the weather, dress for the farm..." It could be muddy so plan to wear your boots for this program!

This event is made possible by our wonderful Friends of the Gleason Public Library.

Kindergarten Library Card Sign-Up
Saturday, September 23 | 8:30 a.m.
The Gleason Public Library is excited to announce a special Library Card Sign-Up event just for Kindergarteners!

Our Kindergarten friends are invited  to sign up for their own Gleason Public Library card! This event will be held on Saturday, September 23rd from 8:30–10 a.m. in the Children's Room. Enter the Children's Room using our original front door via the lawn for this event.

Reserve a 20-minute time slot to register for a GPL card and browse a special selection of books and Wonderbooks chosen especially for Kindergarteners. You can register for your child's time slot by emailing Jenn at [email protected].

Nature Connection Story Time
Thursday, September 14 | 10:30 a.m.
Join The Nature Connection as we explore plants and animals and connect with the world around us in new ways—all through nature-based stories and poems! During this monthly 45-minute program for 3–6-year-olds, we will read a seasonally appropriate story followed by a sensory engagement activity. Registration is required; please register for each session individually. This fun program is sponsored by the Susan Zielinski Natural Science Fund.

Story Times

Registration is required for all story times. Please visit our website to register for each story time session individually; registration will open 4 weeks in advance of each session.

Baby Lapsit
Tuesdays, October 3–November 21 | 10:30–11 a.m.
Baby Lapsit is a 30-minute interactive story time experience for our youngest library users and their caregivers. Join us for stories, songs, rhymes, and bounces that are developmentally appropriate for children from birth to when they start walking. This Lapsit program is just for you and the baby! Enjoy time together with other parents, caregivers, and babies to learn and play, and to develop language, early literacy, and motor skills. Come prepared to sit on the floor one-on-one with your baby in your lap. This program is designed for newborn through pre-walking baby. Please register for each session individually.

Toddler Story Time
Tuesdays, October 3–November 21 | 11:00–11:30 a.m.
Toddler Story Time is a 30-minute interactive story time experience for our young library users and their caregivers. Join us for stories, songs, movement, and a sensory activity or craft that are developmentally appropriate for children from 15 months to 3 years of age. Enjoy time together with fellow parents, caregivers and little ones to learn, play and develop language, early literacy, and motor skills. Please register for each session individually.

Fall Preschool Story Time
Fridays, October 6–November 17 | 10:30–11:15 a.m.
Join us from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. for a fun story time. This event is chock full of interactive stories, rhymes, fingerplays, songs and a small craft. Our story time program, designed for children ages 3 to 6, promotes reading readiness and early literacy skills. Please register for each session individually.

Book Clubs For Kids

The Gleason Library Children's Department offers book clubs for children in grades 1 through 6. Registration for these book clubs will open 4 weeks prior to the first meeting. The first meetings of the year will be as follows:

1st & 2nd Grade Book Club: Tuesday, October 3 (registration opens Tuesday, September 5)

3rd & 4th Grade Book Club: Thursday, October 12 at 4 p.m. (registration opens Thursday, September 14)

5th & 6th Grade Book Club: Thursday, October 5 (registration opens Thursday, September 7)

Teens

Middle School Make & Take: Galaxy Jar Necklaces
Friday, September 15 | 2:45 p.m.
Drop in for a craft in the Hollis Room! We'll use small jars, paint, cotton balls, and glitter to create a jar that looks like it holds a tiny galaxy. This craft is for students in grades 5-8. No registration necessary, but materials are limited and will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.

This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Gleason Public Library.

Teen Advisory Board
First Thursday of the month, October through May | 7 p.m.
Use your voice and help the Gleason Library become even better! The Teen Advisory Board will meet once a month to discuss the Library, what you think would be most helpful to you as teens, and to just hang out with your peers to talk about school, what you're reading and/or watching, and life in general. Registration is required. This group is for students in grades 9 through 12. If you have any questions, reach out to Tahleen, the Teen Services Librarian.

5th & 6th Grade Book Club
First Thursday of the month, October through May | 4 p.m.
Come for a book discussion and activity! Each month we will read a book and talk about it, then we will do a short activity or craft. Registration is required; participants only need to register once for the entire school year. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, October 5 at 4 p.m. Registration for this book club will open on Thursday, September 7.

Teen Weekend Reading Kit
Friday, September 15 | 10 a.m
Grab a kit that has everything you need for a book-lover's weekend. Each kit will include a random YA novel for you to keep (genres and reading/maturity levels will vary), a craft or activity, a snack, a little bookish accessory, and something to sip on. Registration is required to reserve your kit, and pickup will be Friday, September 15 through Monday, September 18. These kits are for grades 7-12. Please email Tahleen, the Teen Services Librarian, with any questions.

Teen Weekend Reading Kits are generously sponsored by the Friends of the Gleason Public Library.

Adults

Library Renovation Info Sessions
Thursday, September 21 | 10–11 a.m. and 7–8 p.m.
Are you interested in learning more about the Gleason's Capital Campaign? Join Library Trustee Karen Gettings at the Library on Thursday, September 21st, for an informal gathering to share information with any interested Carlisle residents or Gleason users. Drop on by; light refreshments will be provided. Two sessions will be held, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Read more about the renovation campaign  and how you can support it on our website here.

Art At The Gleason Reception
Friday, September 29 | 7–9 p.m.
Join Art at the Gleason for an evening reception on Friday, September 29th, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the library, featuring artists Katherine Millar and Anna Kristina Goransson. Wine, refreshments, and live music.

Admission $10 (cash or check at the door, payable to GPL Endowment); RSVP requested by Monday, September 25th, but walk-ins are welcome.

Mindscapes: Paintings by Katherine Downey Miller and Sculptures by Anna Kristina Goransson will be on display September 23, 2023 to January 6, 2024.

Click here to read more about Art at the Gleason and the current exhibit.

A Henna Journey Through Morocco
Thursday, October 12 | 6:30–8:30 p.m.
At this unique henna/travel/storytelling program, we will hear a storytelling adventure of henna artist Mandy Roberge's 2023 trip to Morocco to study under the masters there. This presentation includes photo slides, observations, and experiences with Moroccan culture. The evening will concludes with each participant getting a henna design in the Moroccan style. While they wait, participants can try their hand at henna design with a syringe, the traditional henna application method in Morocco. This program is for adults 18+. Registration for this program will open on Thursday, September 14.

Books And Brews
Saturday, October 14 | 7–9 p.m.
Join the Gleason Endowment for a fun fundraiser! For $75/person, enjoy beer from nearby breweries, food from local restaurants, a jazz combo, and, because knowing things is fun, the evening features a professionally hosted trivia event, complete with questions on local history and Carlisle esoterica. And you can check out books!

The Gleason is more than a place to take your child for story time or a study hall for middle schoolers—it’s also a place to kick back with other adults. So let’s put the “fun” back in “fundraiser," while also raising money for a much-needed library renovation! Come join us!

Register for this event here. $75 per person; pay by cash or check (made out to "GPL Endowment") at the door, or click here to pay online via PayPal (if PayPal account is in different name than event registration, please note attendee name[s] on payment.)

Reading Poetry Anew
Tuesday, September 5 | 10 a.m.
Dip or dive into the pleasures of poetry. This informal course, led by Mary Zoll, will include poetry readings and reactions, discussions of the patterns and techniques used in the poems, and perhaps some intellectual understanding of the poems. This class meets one Tuesday a month. Mary Zoll has published a few poems and read a multitude of poems.

Please register to receive the Zoom invitation and poem packet by email. All are welcome!

Community Book Club
Monday, September 11 (2nd Monday due to Labor Day) | 10:30 a.m.
September: Vesper Flights by Helen MacDonald
October: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
The Carlisle Community Book Club welcomes new members any time. Please register to receive the Zoom login information. No commitment required. You don’t even have to have read the book to go to the meetings, but you may come out of the discussion wanting to read it. Sponsored jointly by the COAHS and the Gleason Public Library.

Mystery Book Club
Monday, September 25 | 7 p.m.
The Mystery Book Club will meet on Monday, September 25th, in the Hollis Room or hybrid on Zoom.  This month we will read The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James.  If you are interested in attending virtually, please email [email protected] for the event link.

An Evening With Bestselling Author Aj Pearce (Virtual)
Monday, September 18 | 6:30 p.m.
Don't miss this very special opportunity to join us in conversation with bestselling author AJ Pearce as she discusses her new novel Mrs. Porter Calling, a work of historical fiction tackling life, love, and friendship in London during World War II.  AJ Pearce will be joining us LIVE from England via Zoom!   Her previous bestselling novels include Dear Mrs. Bird and Yours Cheerfully.  Register directly on Zoom HERE. Presented in collaboration with the Burlington Public Library and other area libraries.

Extreme Flooding And A Vermont Library's Response (Virtual)
Monday, September 25 | 7 p.m.
On July 10, 2023 Montpelier Vermont and many other cities and towns across the state were overwhelmed by a catastrophic rain storm. The Kellogg-Hubbard Library, in the center on Montpelier was not spared and, in a statement, released by the library, recovery will take months rather than weeks. Thankfully most of the collection was spared, but many donated books were lost and the building and city lost power for multiple days.

Director Carolyn Picazio will discuss the flooding that day, the challenges the library and community now face, how the library has remained flexible in offering services to its community and what communities can do to stay resilient in the face of future storms. For more info on the recovery effort, watch this video and follow the KHL on social media. If you are interested in donating to the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, click here.

Register directly on Zoom HERE. This program is made possible through a partnership with the Chelmsford and Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Libraries and will be recorded. All registrants will receive a link to the recorded program.

How Nasa Is Combating Climate Change (Virtual) 
Friday, September 29 | 2 p.m.
The missions of NASA’s Earth Science Division help us to understand our planet’s interconnected systems, from a global scale down to minute processes. The division delivers the technology, expertise, global observations, and applications that help us map the myriad connections between our planet’s vital processes and the climate effects of ongoing natural and human-caused changes. Learn about the efforts of teams of NASA researches who are currently examining Earth to understand climate change, storms, fires, and where people fit in to all of it, including an active mission studying climate change in northern regions of the world (e.g., Alaska and Canada). Led by Dr. Elizabeth Hoy, PhD, who has been a NASA scientist for over 10 years with the NASA Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Office and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Studying Arctic systems since 2005, her research interests are in geography and disturbance mapping within the high northern latitude regions of North America where she utilizes GIS and remote sensing to understand aspects of environmental change.

Register directly on Zoom Here. Presented in partnership with the Tewksbury Public Library.

Communities Responding to Extreme Weather or CREW's Climate Prep Week is from September 23-29th. This year's theme is "the intersection of climate change and the broader social justice movement." Click here to see more info and events occurring all across the country for Climate Prep Week.

E-Cards For The Gleason Library
No library card? No problem! Sign up online for an electronic library card!

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, and signing up for a library card has never been easier. Carlisle residents who do not yet have a library card can now register online for an eCard that provides immediate access to more than 65,000 eBooks, digital audiobooks, and online magazines through the Libby app, as well as numerous local and statewide electronic collections for entertainment, study, and research. MVLC eCards can be converted to a full library card, which allows cardholders to borrow and place holds on physical materials, by visiting the library.

To get an MVLC eCard today, visit https://ln.mvlc.org/carlisleecard. Please pass this link along to friends and family who may not have been able to visit the Gleason to register, whether for health reasons, busy schedules, going to school out of town, or any other reason.

Please consider donating to the Friends of the Gleason Public Library to help us bring more great programs and services to the Carlisle community.

Click Here for more information about Gleason Public Library Latest News - August 31, 2023