The Acorn Club
The Acorn Club is off to a great start! Jaime Gibson, our children's literacy outreach coordinator joined local author and former Athenaeum trustee Reeve Lindbergh for a fun- filled morning at a local daycare center. Jaime handed each child their own Acorn Club bag filled with two new books, including Homer the Library Cat by Reeve, and an Acorn Club t-shirt. The Acorn Club is a new children's literacy program at the Athenaeum and our goal is to promote the importance of reading to young children. To date, the Acorn Club has provided over 100 children with bags filled with two new books and a t-shirt. The Acorn Club is sponsored by Union Bank, Community National Bank and TD Charitable Foundation.
Barnet First Graders Visit the Athenaeum
We were pleased to welcome the first graders from Barnet Elementary School who were visiting as part of their Community Jobs Project. They were treated to a tour of the building and learned about the Victorian architecture. They visited the children's library for a story; asked questions about the role of the library and how it operates; and discovered the Art Gallery. In the Gallery, the students participated in a treasure hunt to find specific items painted in the paintings.
Discover the History of Stage Curtains
Join us on Thursday, April 26 at 7 PM in Athenaeum Hall as Athenaeum trustee Christine Hadsel discusses "New England Stage Curtains." Christine is the Director, of Curtains Without Borders, Inc. a conservation program that locates, documents and conserves historic theater scenery. The event is free to the public and donations are welcome. This program is sponsored by Community National Bank.
Antiques Appraisal Day at the Athenaeum
On Saturday, April 28th from 1- to 4PM you can bring your potential treasures to the Athenaeum. We will have appraisers for paintings, early Americana and collectibles, glass and china, jewelry, books, ephemera, ironware, pottery, and clocks. Size limited to items that can be carried in by hand. No weapons, please. $15 donation at the door for appraisals of three items. Sponsored by the Friends of the Athenaeum.
High School Poetry Contest
In honor of National Poetry Month the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is proud to host an exciting opportunity for young Vermont poets: a statewide poetry competition for students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. Our purpose is to encourage young poets in the spirit of the Athenaeum's commitment to inspire art and literature.
We are delighted to have Vermont Poet Chard deNiord serving as the judge for this year's contest. He will be reading all submissions that meet contest criteria, and winners will be announced on June 1st. There will be a First Prize of $150 and two $50 prizes for Honorable Mention. The first prizewinner will be asked to read their winning poem in the Athenaeum's summer poetry series, Readings in the Gallery. DeNiord himself will be a poet in our series this summer, reading on Thursday, July 5 with Daniel Lusk.
All submissions must be postmarked by May 4. Click here for general guidelines and submission form. Please feel free to photocopy and distribute this material as appropriate and to share the information with your most promising young writers.
For further information visit www.stjathenaeum.org or email Lisa von Kann.
National Library Week - April 8-14
From The Mad Hatter's Tea Party to When Poetry Meets Prose, the Athenaeum celebrated National Library Week with programs for all ages. Children enjoyed Deborah Blanchard's tea party complete with mad hats, tea cakes and costumes from Alice in Wonderland on Tuesday, April 10 in our Children's Library. This event was part of The Acorn Club, the Athenaeum's early literacy initiative.
On Wednesday evening, noted poet F.D. Reeve (pictured at right) discussed the intersection of poetry and prose in a work of fiction. Reeve read from his new novella Nathaniel Purple and then signed copies of his book during a reception. Proceeds from book sales benefitted the Athenaeum thanks to Janis Raye and Neil Raphel of Brigantine Media.
Athenaeum Annual Fund
Thank you to those who responded to our recent appeal for the Annual Fund (above). The Athenaeum's Annual Fund is a major source of revenue to support the myriad of programs and services provided by the Athenaeum. This year, our goal is to raise $95,000 and we are off to a positive start. Donate now to the Annual Fund and help us to thrive for another 140 years!
KOHA - Placing Books on Hold
A reminder that you can place holds on books yourself. Here are a few pointers. Search for the book you want and then select the checkbox next to the title and click Place Hold at the top of the page or the Place Hold box to the right. Log into your account with your library card number (use only the five digits after 2VSPY000) and password. Call us if you need help logging in. Click A Specific Copy. Select the copy listing for the Athenaeum and click Place Hold. You may only place holds on Athenaeum copies. If you see a book you want from another library you can ask for an interlibrary loan at the main desk or by emailing us.
Request for Volunteers
The Athenaeum's historic gallery is staffed by an exceptional group of volunteer docents. If you would like to become involved in this program of greeting visitors and discussing with them the Athenaeum's history and its art collection contact Bob Joly (Phone: 748-8291) .
The commitment involves a two-hour shift twice a month, or more often if it turns out you love the work as much as many of our docents do. Training and materials are provided. An art history background is not required. What is required is an outgoing personality and a love of learning and helping others.
Area Schools Encouraged to Visit the Athenaeum.
Step back into the 19th century when you enter our building and art gallery. Paintings are surrounded by vibrant gold frames, and the imagery depicts a time when farming predominated in bucolic settings. There are reproductions of Renaissance and Baroque works that could only be seen in Europe, and intriguing presentations of everyday life, known as genre paintings. There is a nominal charge of $2.00 per student and adult chaperones.
A docent will provide an introduction, an answer questions and accompany the group throughout the building. Contact Bob Joly to arrange for a tour.
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