Knitters Needed!

Knitters, are you looking for a project to help your needier neighbors? We are collecting knitted hats, mittens, scarves, and gloves to distribute to local families. We need both adult and children’s sizes. You can bring your knitted items to the front desk or the main desk in the Children’s Room.

Museum Passes

Are you worried that your kids will drive you crazy over the holiday vacation? The Library has a low cost or free way to have some fun with your family during the holiday break. We now have passes for the Currier Museum in Manchester, the Children’s Museum in Dover, the NH Historical Society in Concord, the Wright WWII Museum in Wolfeboro and the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord. These passes are FREE to adult patrons with valid library cards (also FREE for residents). Due to high demand, we strongly urge patrons to reserve passes.

Goodwin Library Photo Enthusiast’s Workshop

Saturday, Dec. 26, 11:30 to 1:00 PM
These monthly workshops are an opportunity to share your love of photography and your questions with other photo fans. Come share ideas for great new projects.

Adult Poets and Writer’s Group

Monday, Dec. 7 at 6:00 PM
If you are even just thinking of putting pen to paper, join this friendly group of writers and listeners to share ideas and writing projects.
Group members represent a wide range of skills and writing interests and everyone is willing to help each other. Come be inspired!

Adult Book Club

Monday, Dec. 21 at 6:00 PM
Winter is coming and there is nothing like a cold night to curl up and read an awesome book. Join our book club and share your favorite books among friends. December’s title is Shelter Me by Juliette Fay and the group will be reading Follow the River by James Alexander Thom for January’s meeting. Call 755 2944 x2 for more info.

Patron Appreciation Day

Dec. 21 from 1:00 to 7:00 PM
Join us and share in the Holiday Spirit! We could not do our jobs without you, and this is our opportunity to say thank you for supporting your local Library. Stop by for a special holiday treat from the library staff!

December Closings

Dec. 24- Christmas Eve
Dec. 25- Christmas Day
Jan. 1- New Year’s Day

Part of Staying Healthy is Eating Well

Do you know that there are Winter Farmers Markets at Wentworth Greenhouses and Exeter High School every Saturday? We have the newest issue of Seacoast Harvest- a directory of local farms and their products. These are FREE at the Library along with the dates of the Winter Farmer’s Markets. Remember, WIC vouchers can be used for fresh produce at Farmer’s Markets --an economical and great way to get all those necessary vitamins to keep your family healthy through the winter months!

Public Health Alert

We are making every effort to keep our staff and patrons healthy through this nasty flu season; so while we truly appreciate our community’s enthusiasm for our programs, if you are not feeling well or are just outright sick, please, please, please do NOT go out in public places like the Library!!

We will be glad to renew your books over the phone, and remember we do offer the downloadable audio book program that you can do right at home.

Please call us at 755-2944 x 2 for further
assistance and stay home and get well!

Goodwin Library Photo Enthusiast’s Workshop

This monthly workshop is an opportunity to share your love of photography and your questions with other photo fans. Come share ideas for great new projects on Saturday, Nov. 28, 11:30 to 1:00 PM.

Parents of Gifted Children's Workshop

We’ll be meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:00 PM. Come, sit in, and share ideas. Please remember, this is a roundtable discussion for parents and arrange for childcare.

Adult Poets and Writer’s Group

Monday, Dec. 7 at 6:00 PM
Writers, if you are looking for a friendly place
to share your latest work, please join us. The group provides a criticism -free zone, but will gladly give feedback if you ask, and represent a wide range of skills and writing interests. Come be inspired!

Adult Book Club

Monday, Nov. 16 at 6:00 PM
We will be discussing Driving with Dead People by Monica Holloway. We heartily welcome new members! If you love to read and would like to meet some other book lovers, enjoy talking about your favorite books, and suggesting good reads, be sure to come to this or any upcoming meeting! The Dec. Date will be the 21st at 6:00 PM. Call 755 2944 x2 for more info.

Julia Spencer-Fleming Summer Book Club

Many of our patrons took us up on the challenge to spend the summer reading all of Julia Spencer-Fleming's Miller's Kill series and quite a few of them showed up on Wednesday, September 9th, when we had our special guest, Ms. Julia herself, host the event.

She went through all the books and answered questions, and then everyone was delighted to have a sneak preview of 2 chapters from the latest book "One Was A Soldier", which won't be published until April!

We'll keep you posted on when we've got the new one in circulation.

Lexile Levels

The Henry Wilson Middle School is going to a lexile-based reading program. To find books in your child’s reading level please visit:

http://fab.lexile.com/
or
http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=ed&tabindex=18&tabid=67&tabpageid=311

And please don’t hesitate to ask any of the librarians and we will be more than willing to help you out!

Goodwin Library Photo Enthusiat's Workshop

Do you love taking digital photos? Need some ideas of what to do with them afterwards? Get together and share your love of photography with other photo fans and come up with fun projects and new ideas. Join this new workshop on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 11:30 to 1:00 P.M. and get inspired!

Parent's of Gifted Children

September’s meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 21st at 6:00 P.M. Come, sit in, and share ideas. Remember, this is an adult program. Please be sure to arrange for child-care.

Adult Poets and Writer’s Group

The September meeting will be on the 14th at 6:00 P.M. due to Labor Day. Writers, if you are looking for a friendly environment to share your latest work, don’t be shy about joining us. We are a criticism free zone, but are happy to give feedback if asked. Here’s a challenge for all the writers and poets out there: have you ever been inspired by wolves? If so, now is the time to put it in print. We are going to host a fundraising event for the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge in the fall called “Night of the Wolves” and I am looking for writers and poets to come read (or howl Aroooo!) and original piece on wolves at that event on Wednesday, November 4th. Deadline to submit material is October 1st.

Adult Book Club

The Book Club with meet Monday, Sept. 21st at 6:00 P.M. This meeting will be a Reader’s Choice, a great time to join us. Bring your favorite book or the latest one you’ve read to share with the group. We’ll hand out the next group title at the meeting.

CC the Ghost Huntress

It’s not quite Halloween, but we have a terrific program on September 30th at 6:00 P.M. Come meet CC the Ghost Huntress and Paranormal Investigator and hear about her investigations into the paranormal. Attendees with have hands on use of all CC’s ghost hunting equipment. This is a program for adults and children 12 and older. Call 755-2944 for more info.

Goodwin Library Photo Enthusiast's Workshop

Do you love to take digital photos? Want to get together and share your love of photography with other photo fans and come up with fun projects and new ideas? Join this new workshop on Saturday, August 29th, from 11:30 to 1:00 PM and get inspired!

Parents of Gifted Children's Workshop

Come join us at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, August 19th as we share ideas for a School Board presentation. Remember, this is an adult program. Please be sure to arrange for child care.

Adult Poets and Writer's Group

We had a great group in August. In September, we’ll be meeting on the 14th at 6:00 PM. Remember, writers, if you’re looking for a place to share your latest and greatest, come join the group. If you’re a little shy about sharing, come sit in and see what we’re all about. Plus, here’s a challenge for you writers and poets out there. Have you ever been inspired by wolves? We are going to host a fundraising event for the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge in the fall called “Night of the Wolves” and we are looking for writers and poets to come read (or howl Aroooo!) an original piece on wolves at the event on Wednesday, November 4th. Deadline for wolf poems will be October 1st.

Book Club

The Book Club will meet Monday, August 17th at 6:00 PM. We will be discussing Louise Erdrich’s The Beet Queen, and choosing our next title.

Photo Enthusiast’s Workshop

The Goodwin Library Photo Enthusiast’s Workshop will be held on Saturday, July 25, from 11:30 to 1:00 PM. This is for those of you who love to take digital photos and would like to get together and share your love with other photo fans.

Parent's of Gifted Children

The Parent’s of Gifted Children will be meeting on Wednesday, August 19th at 6:00 PM. They will be sharing ideas for a School Board presentation.

Book Club

Book Club will be meeting on Monday, July 20th at 6:00 PM. This month is a reader’s choice, so come share about a book you have read on your own. We will also be handing out the title for August which is The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich.

Author Julia Spencer Fleming at the Goodwin Library

Last Wednesday, May 6th, we hosted the award winning author Julia Spencer-Fleming. Mary McHale from Fox Tale Books in New Durham sponsored the event and she brought a table full of Julia's books to sell. People came from as far away as Guilford to be there and there were some anxious moments regarding a time mix-up, but everyone hung out and chatted and had a good time waiting for her arrival.
After an hour or so of listening to Julia's hilarious and insightful stories of how she became a published author, and then a published author with a whole series, she opened the floor to questions. And there were a lot. Most of the attendees had read the whole series and asked great questions about the characters and wanted hints about her upcoming new title in the series "One Was A Soldier" due Oct. 27th.

Afterwards, Julia signed books for everyone who brought one or bought one from Mary McHale, and graciously signed the rest of the books Mary had brought. Julia's friend Mary Weyer, Director of the Salmon Falls library, came with her and we all had a good time talking till almost 10 PM.

The good news is that Julia has promised to come back in the fall when she tours for the new book, so we'll keep you posted!

For those of you who haven't read Julia's books, we have them all here at the library. Start with "In the Bleak MidWinter" and then be sure to read the titles in order so you, too, can become obsessed with Episcopalian Priest/Ex Military Helicopter pilot Claire Fergusson and Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne and the world of Miller's Kill.

It's National Library Week - Or at least it was....

It's National Library Week! Time to get out and appreciate your favorite library (and librarians!) and check out lots of items, and don't forget to enter the raffle for books or your choice of items from the sale cart.

I did a cartoon tribute to NLW here at the Six Chix website and blog: www.thesixchix.com check it out plus you can read about what the other Chix have been up to!

Tyler Durham and Tim Smith Programs

I just wanted to take the time to publicly thank the two wonderful speakers we hosted over the last couple of weeks.

Tyler Durham from D Acres in Dorchester, NH, bicycled 70 miles to Farmington and gave a great program about organic gardening, transition towns, and how to live more self sufficiently. He brought a slide show that gave a good example of changes people could put into effect to positively impact their lives.

A week later, Tim Smith, from Jack Mtn. Bushcraft, gave another terrific program, another take on self sufficiency, he addressed issues such as how people could keep themselves warm and fed if we were hit with another unexpected weather event like the ice storm, and how in general you can live more simply. He brought some interesting low tech tools including a solar oven and a rocket stove, a small, portable wood stove.

The audience attending these events asked a lot of questions and came away inspired and ready to try some of the ideas that were shared.

I would highly recommend these two speakers to any library or school looking for something different!

Poetry Competition Deadline!

Poets, We NEED YOU! The deadline for our annual poetry competition is this Friday, April 10th at closing or 5:00 PM.

Remember, you can win book gift certificates to Fox Tale Books in New Durham. What could be more fabulous than that? 3 prizes will be awarded in 3 categories: Adult: ages 19 and up, Teens: ages 13-18, and Children: ages 6-12.

Download the entry forms from our website at: http://www.goodwinlibrary.com/or stop by and pick them up at the library.This is our biggest event of the year! Be part of the action. Fame and prizes could be YOURS, so...enter, enter, enter!!!

Self Sustainability and Self Sufficiency Programs

We care about our patrons, and we know that a lot of you were very affected by the ice storm in December and are also concerned about the current economic situation.

I was thinking about these things and how to present free programs that would be helpful for those who want to learn how to survive in tough times and take care of themselves and also for people who want to live a greener life.

Thanks to Kay and Carl, our terrific volunteers and who know a lot about these things, I found some terrific speakers for you:


Part 1 of our 2 part Self Sufficiency Programs:

Tyler Durham of D Acres
On Wednesday, March 25th at 6:00 PM, join Tyler Durham of D Acres based in Dorchester, NH. D Acres is an educational center that researches, applies and teaches skills of sustainable living and small-scale organic farming, and improving the human relationship to the environment. Tyler will be presenting a program on Self Sufficiency and Sustainable Living, which should be very enlightening and he should be able to ask a lot of your questions regarding these topics. Here's a link to their website: http://www.dacres.org/index.html


Part 2:


Wednesday, April 1, at 6:00 PM

Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft
Tim Smith of Jack Mountain Bushcraft, a wilderness, survival, sustainability and homesteading training facility based in Wolfeboro, will be presenting a program on preparedness and sustainability and using low-tech techniques to recession-proof your home and family. Tim will be able to answer your questions on these subjects. Here's the Jack Moutain Bushcraft website:
http://www.jackmtn.com/


We hope you will join us for these important free programs.

Poetry Competition!

Hi there Goodwin Library fans,

This is Stephanie the resident librarian / syndicated cartoonist (http://www.thesixchix.com/)

A little about me: I coordinate most of the adult programs at the library, from the popular teen Twilight Proms to the annual Poetry night, and two of my recent favorites: the Loki Wolf Dog Refuge program (check out the rec brochurse for the field trip in June!) and the Sled Dog event (with sled dog enthusiast Denise Wright).

I also run the Adult Writer's Group, the Adult Book Club (inherited from Melody!), and the Kid's Cartooning Club as regular ongoing programs.

You can see many of my favorite books in the book displays by the windows in the adult fiction area. My goal with these displays was to rescue books I loved from obscurity on the shelves and give them a second life.

Now, I want to let you know about a couple of great events that we have planned.

POETRY COMPETITION:
First of all, get ready, the 7th Annual Poetry Competition has begun! Well, officially it begins Monday, March 9th, but, hey, if you stopped by on Saturday I bet I could be talked into giving you you're entry form early. Bribes are always helpful. Might I suggest dark chocolate?

Remember, you can enter up to 5 poems. And there are 3 categories:

Children: 6 to 12, Teens: 13 to 18, and Adults: 19 and up.

Deadline is Friday, April 10th by 5:00 PM closing.

Don't forget there are PRIZES! Once again, we will be giving book gift certificates from Fox Tale Books of New Durham, our local independent book store. First prize in each category is a $25.00 gift certificate, 2nd place is $15.00, 3rd place is $10.00. So, there are incentives to enter, besides the prestige and glory.

Then, all are welcome to attend the Oscars (Academy Awards, that is, not a hot dog joint) of Farmington, the 7th Annual Awards and Poetry Night! Besides announcing the winners, and giving out the prizes, we will have 3 surprise Guest Poets. There will be food. Classy food, at that.

So, be a part of this literary event. Write! Enter! Maybe even win!

ABSENT WILLOW HORROR AND SCI-FI PUBLISHERS WORKSHOP:
April is a month packed with literary events! On Wednesday, April 8th at 6:00 PM, we have a special workshop by publishers Rick DeCost & Bob Griffin of the Absent Willow Review publishing house. They specialize in Sci Fi and horror fiction. If you are a fan of the genre, an aspiring writer, or a writer already publishing, this should be an enlightening evening and a way to get your publishing questions answered. Here's a link: http://absentwillowreview.com/

AUTHOR JEREMY ROBINSON
Then, on Wednesday, April 22nd at 6:00, we are excited to have Science Fiction author Jeremy Robinson with us as the guest speaker for the Friend's Annual Meeting. Jeremy is the author of several popular books including "Kronos" and "Antarktos Rising". Join us for this very intriguing evening. Check out his terrific website to get an idea of his work:http://www.jeremyrobinsononline.com/
More blogs to come. Stay tuned!

And be sure to check out the blog posts by all the wonderful Goodwin Librarians! We have a great team, here, with a lot of talented people.
I feel very lucky to call the Goodwin Library my second home!

Patience's First Blog

I love my job at the Goodwin Library. I get to meet new people, see familiar faces every day, and watch kids grow up. It's truly a unique environment. The different talents and knowledge of each woman working here blend together to make it an interesting and fun place to be.

Evacuation Planning

The Town of Farmington is making a list of residents with special needs to be taken into account ahead of time in case of emergency. Special needs include: limited mobility, deafness or hard of hearing, medically or chemically dependent, on oxygen, blind or visually impaired, homebound, emotionally impaired, and homeless. If you or a family member or a friend that has a special need, get in touch with Charles Williams, Project Manager at (603) 755-2131 or email: farmingtonemergencymanagement@gmail.com or mail to: 381 Main St., Farmington, NH 03835. After contacting us, a member of the team will make an appointment to determine how best we can respond to your needs. All information will be strictly used only for our emergency planning and efforts.

Unemployment Resources

The library has the resources to help unemployed people. People may sign up for unemployment benefits from the Library’s public access computers. They may also file their mandatory continued claim forms from the library. Please feel free to contact the library at 755-2944 for more information.

Adult Staff

The Adult staff here at the Goodwin Library is nothing short of spectacular. It consists of Tami, Stephanie, Bethany, Patience, and our director Debbie. They are always available whenever anyone has any questions! These ladies are truly amazing!