Strategic Plan Open House
Join the Staff and Trustees of the Rye Public Library as we celebrate the completion of our 2012-2015 Strategic Plan and the anniversary date of the 1911 dedication of the Library to the Town of Rye. On June 24th from 1-5pm we'll have refreshments and live music to commemorate RPL's anniversary and to celebrate the completion of our current Strategic Plan.
At 3pm, local musicians the Al Derben Trio will entertain. Comprised of guitarist Woody Allen, vocalist and guitarist Doug Bennet, and pedal steel guitarist Bruce Derr, the Al Derben Trio is always a popular act at Rye Public Library.
At 4pm, Ron Lamarre of Lavallee Brensinger Architects will present the scope of activities and schedule for their upcoming programmatic space needs and utilization study at RPL-the first step of our ongoing Strategic Plan ! We'll also have sign-ups available for our next Strategic Planning Committee.
Please review the latest Strategic Plan progress check-in conducted in spring 2015 and collected in the report published on our website.
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A Tale of Five Dresses
Library, Art and Community
The artwork shown above is part of our current RPL Art Committee show themed: Drawings. The piece, in watercolor and pen & ink, is called: Remember These? Dresses by artist Joan Sweeney. It's part of our current show that is, until it comes down from the wall and goes to its new owner. Yes, it sold to a lucky viewer that saw and appreciated it in the RPL Community Meeting Room. This is not the first artwork to sell in one of the ongoing art displays at the Library, but it does have a unique provenance. Joan is a common contributor to the many local art shows that hang all year round at RPL, and each time she provides her title, media and pricing information it includes the caveat that any proceeds from sales will benefit Crossroads House in Portsmouth. Joan's generosity helps create a wonderful convergence of public library, art and community in which our goals of promoting the local arts provide outcomes that range far beyond our stated cultural awareness objectives, and become beneficial to the community in other importantly concrete ways. Thanks Joan, and all art lovers that help make a statement in the region through their appreciation and advocacy.
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We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler a Book Review
By Guest Reviewer Kendra Gemmett- Friends of the Rye Public Library
When a review of this book mentions Rosemary's sister, Fern, I think it's misleading not to mention that Fern is a chimpanzee. Albeit that the author herself doesn't mention this until well over halfway through the story. As she said, she starts in the middle, and then branches out in both directions. But yes, Fern is her "sister" because she came into the dual psychologist Cooke family when the two were both infants. It was An Experiment. What did Rosemary know? Her life was circumscribed by having a chimp in the family requiring a certain isolation from the rest of society. No wonder Rosemary didn't know that having a furry, jumping, non-verbal family member was not quite normal.
Oh but the family loved that little animal, though they never ever referred to it as an animal. But circumstances evolved in which Fern could no longer safely live within the family. With no warning to the children, she just disappeared from their lives. The mother went into a depressive state, the older brother turned into an activist, and Rosemary just tried to get along and figure it all out., always struggling to shed the "monkey girl" image which dogged her. It took her decades.
Credit this for not being a run-of-the-mill tale of family struggle. It is unique, and enjoyable. And you'll learn a lot about chimps.
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Plainsong by Kent Haruf A Book Review
by Shawna Healy
A beautifully written novel. After I finished the book I thought of the warm,well developed characters often and wondered what has happened in their lives.
.A father, raising his two young sons, is trying to keep his family together after his wife leaves. He is a gentle, fair minded school teacher with high ideals of his students. His young sons are curious about life and are trying to be strong all while missing their mother and questioning her withdrawal from them.
There are two older bachelors, the.McPheron brothers, living on the outskirts of town. They are quiet loners, who had silently decided never to leave each other after their parents died.
The brothers are approached to help a pregnant student who is kicked out of her home by her mother. Even though the brothers are unsure of the best way to live with a young girl, the bond that develops between them is unspoken but strong.
There are many wonderful characters who become connected in ways that show deep compassion as they each search for comfort and do what is required of them.
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