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A Great Book
Come and Draw!
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Ann Malpass (on left in photo above) shown here at the 2014 Friends of the Rye Public Library Tech Fair, wrapped up two years as an RPL Trustee in March. Prior to her Trustee service, Ann served for  many years as President of the Friends of the Rye Public Library.  We thank Ann for her dedicated service, and look forward to seeing Ann as an active patron as she enjoys her well deserved free time!


Remember RPL is a local collection point for Box Tops For Education support

581 Washington Road, Rye N.H. 03870  603-964-8401 [email protected]
Spring 2014
VIII Issue


As we welcome Spring we also offer a new edition and volume of Ripple Effect the Rye Public Library quarterly electronic newsletter!  It's a pleasure to mark this particular issue after a long New England winter.  We also find ourselves taking stock once more of the progress to date on our Strategic Plan, with links in this edition to our latest progress report.  We've also got lots of excellent content contributed by your favorite librarians.  Please enjoy!
                                                              
                                                               Andy Richmond
                                                               Director, Rye Public Library
Spring 2014 Strategic Plan Update

Please click here to review the latest report on our Strategic Plan progress. At our fourth bi-annual review session during the three-year span of our Strategic Plan, we are pleased to announce the measurement of progress on our combined goals and objectives to be 59.2%. This represents a 37% increase from our October 2013 progress assessment. Our Strategic Plan includes a measurement schedule which guides the process of applying metrics and assessments on a regular basis throughout the plan implementation period. This report represents the third convention of a component of our original Strategic Planning Committee who continue their volunteer service as part of the Plan Progress Committee.  We hope you enjoy the latest update.

As we release this most recent report, we are pleased to announce an exciting new undertaking in the fulfillment of our goals and objectives. Goal One of the Rye Public Library Three-Year Strategic Plan developed in 2010-11 includes an objective concerning the exploration of a possible facility expansion.  Building on this objective, the Rye Public Library Board of Trustees is embarking on a new phase of information gathering by initiating a space utilization and space needs study. In anticipation of contributing to the forthcoming Town of Rye Facilities Master Plan project, the Board has begun the first phase of identifying potential qualified professionals and obtaining proposals for professional consulting services to conduct an exploration of space utilization and needs for the Rye Public Library within the context of other Town Facility planning. The Rye Public Library Board of Trustees envisions a community-focused process, similar to our 2010-11 Strategic Planning sessions, to gain public input to inform the planning process for the Rye Public Library.  We invite you to watch for future notices of opportunities to participate in this exciting process!

 

Visitors On The Seacoast

By Pam Woods

     I'm guessing most of you have seen the Snowy Owl that was at the Rye Harbor State Park most of the winter. I heard that some named her Celia after Celia Thaxter. She gave everyone a chance to take a photo especially with her Zen way of sitting on rooftops or park benches. What a delight it was to see. I'm sure she helped all of us get through this very long winter.

     Well, Spring is truly here and we on the seacoast are so lucky because so many of the migrating species come through this area. Just last night I heard the mating dance of the Woodcock. If you have never heard it be sure to listen on line. then find an open field at dusk and listen. It is truly amazing. My woodcock was down by Wallis Road at the marsh but any open field may do.  I also saw two Great Egrets in the marshes along our coast on Sunday and I'm sure everyone has heard the Red-Winged Blackbird, what surer sign of spring do we need?

         If you want to find out about the birds going through our area we have some wonderful resources at the Rye Library. Not only do we have books on identifying birds by Roger Tory Peterson and Donald Stokes but we also have books on the lives of birds by David Allen Sibley and many others. We even have just plain fun books on birding like The Big Year by Mark Obmascik. If watching if more your style we have : A murder of crows; The life of Birds by David Attenborough or Magic of the Snowy Owl and others all on DVD.

         In this area we are also lucky to have the Seacoast Science Center. The Seacoast Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon holds spring birdwatching walks at the center and other places in the area. There are meetings of the Seacoast Chapter of New Hampshire Audubon on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Seacoast Science Center. That information is available on our bulletin board so just call for times and dates and subject matter.

         With Spring being officially here it is a great time to get outside and look for birds!

 

photo courtesy of Martha Lardent  

Maple by Lori Nichols
a book review


By Brenda Nolette

Who doesn't love a children's picture book? In the youth department, we always say "E" does not stand for "Easy" on the spine label; "E" is for everyone! My new favorite is Maple which is written and illustrated by Lori Nichols. Maple is a charming, nature-loving little girl who enjoys spending time with her favorite backyard tree. This same tree was planted by her parents to celebrate her birth, and as Maple grows with her tree, we see how much she cares for it. She worries when the tree loses all its leaves in the fall, and Maple shares her coat with the tree. When Maple is too loud, and she is banished to the backyard, the tree doesn't mind. She entertains her tree, and when the wind is just right, the tree dances for Maple.

 

The sweet ending shares with us that Maple is not only an adorable, imaginative child, but also a wonderful big sister. This is Lori Nichols' first picture book, and I look forward to the next one.

 

Drawing Together
at Rye Public Library


By Tricia Quinn

Libraries aren't just places to store books anymore. Beyond print books, they're not even restricted to downloads of e-books, music or movies. They are places to make connections with people as well as materials. A patron phoned us recently and asked if there was anything happening during the day at the Library because she really needed to get out of the house to be with people.  

 

This is what we told her:

 

On Mondays you could join Chair Fitness - Yoga from 9:30 to 11 with Amelia McKenney, On Tuesdays, there's Drawing Together from 9:15 to 11, and Mah-Jongg from 12:30 to 2:30. On Wednesdays, don't forget our Movie Matinee at 1 PM with FREE popcorn, candy and drink! And Thursdays you'll find Knitting with Mary by the fireplace at 10 AM, and Mah-Jongg again from 12:30 to 2:30. And that's not including our active evening programming schedule, or our kid's, teen's and infant offerings!

 

In this article, I'd like to share my own experience with Drawing Together one of the Library's weekly offerings on Tuesday mornings from 9:15 to 11:00am. Drawing Together with others is not only great fun, but a place to connect with people! There are some of us who are new to drawing and others who used to draw but forgot how much they enjoyed it. We are at all different levels, but benefit from connecting and learning from each other.   

 

Merren Garland, who originally conceived the Drawing Together program, was our first art "encourager" (the term she preferred over teacher, or otherwise). Merren coined the Drawing Together name to describe both the simple act of drawing in a group, as well as the function of bringing individuals together through drawing. She began with connecting us to the five basic elements of shape and then continued with lots of duplication exercises until we realized that's all there is to it - practice, practice practice! Her philosophy: Everyone can draw. Everyone should draw. Drawing is good for your brain.

 

Merren has since left the East coast for better proximity to family in Oregon, but the strength of the group she established has carried on through this transition. Even when a facilitator wasn't available, we would show up and draw!  More recently, we've had wonderfully encouraging input from retired art teachers Claire Russo and Dorine Gross, and retired landscape architect Patti Betti.

 

When I asked the class what they have learned from Drawing Together, these are just some of the responses I received :  it gives me inspiration; it gives me a reason to get up and out on Tuesday mornings; it puts me in with like minded people; it gives me feedback from others on my drawing; and it makes me want to draw every day.

 

For me personally, drawing has changed my perspective on people. This is something I learned from an edges and contours class last year. People have edges and contours, too. Sometimes we have to close one eye and look again to realize why a person is behaving the way they do - looking at someone from a different perspective or edge can make all the difference in the world. Learning about life through drawing really is inspirational!

 

Please, come join us for the fun! And connect with us and our Drawing Together Newsletter which can be found on the RPL webpage where the connections are endless. 

 

I hope you enjoyed the Spring edition of Ripple Effect. Revel in the warmer days as we look forward to beach season.  We've got all the books and media you need to keep yourself and your family informed and entertained.  Visit us at our website: www.ryepubliclibrary.org for access to your Library-- direct from your home computer.  Remember to follow and friend us on social media too!

Sincerely,

Andrew Richmond
Director, Rye Public Library