Upcoming Event: Virtual Discussion with Phillip Goodrich and May Wuthrich on their audiobook

Upcoming Event:

 Virtual Discussion with author Phillip Goodrich and audiobook producer and director May Wuthrich on their Audiobook Original, Somersett: Benjamin Franklin and the Masterminding of American Independence

Wednesday, March 9th, 2022, at 7 PM via Zoom 

Author Phillip Goodrich and audiobook producer and director May Wuthrich (an old Greenwich resident) discuss adapting and producing the award-winning full cast recording of Goodrich’s  nonfiction title, Somersett: Benjamin Franklin and the Masterminding of American Independence.

Part courtroom drama, and part political thriller, five actors bring over thirty historical characters to life in a powerful dramatization of this little-known story of the founding of our country. James Somersett, mentioned in Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times' 1619 Project, became the first enslaved person freed by the British Supreme Court. Pursued behind-the-scenes by Franklin and an inner circle of highly placed London abolitionists, this judgment became an important motivating factor in convincing reluctant slaveholders to join the Revolution. 

The book, formerly published under a different title, has been updated and expanded to reflect the changes made for the audio production and will be available in print and ebook editions after February 28th. 

The audiobook has garnered much praise, including an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine, which also named it a Best Audiobook of 2021. It is a Gold Winner from the Hear Now Festival, a finalist for The Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) 8th annual Voice Arts® Awards in the History/Biography category, and most recently a 2022 Audio Publishers Association (APA) Audie Award finalist in the same category. 

Short audio clips from the program will be featured in the event.

Learn more about the speakers here:

www.philgoodrichauthor.com

www.maywuthrich.com

Register today via Zoom

Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion on Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet

Upcoming Event:

Virtual Book Discussion, cosponsored by Greenwich Pen Women

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell

facilitated by GPW Member Diane Morello

Monday, March 7th, 2022, at 7 PM via Zoom 

Meet Hamnet, a young boy scrambling through his family’s home in the late 1500s looking for someone, anyone, to help him care for his feverish twin sister, Judith. In this tour de force in compassion, historical detail and storytelling, we watch love bloom between Hamnet’s mother, Agnes, and his father. We witness the emergence of the plague and the wrenching sorrow that ensues. We sneak with Agnes into a London theater where the husband, whom we now recognize as William Shakespeare, gives in to his sorrow and resurrects his dead son in Hamlet. Whether or not you’ve read the book, join the March 7 discussion as we explore Maggie O’Farrell’s prize-winning recreation of love and grief in a time we will never know. 

Place a hold on Hamnet

For more information on Maggie O’Farrell, visit www.maggieofarrell.com

Greenwich Pen Women, a branch of the National League of American Pen Women, is a nonprofit organization of local women artists, writers, and musicians. Find out more at www.greenwichpenwomen.org

Register today via Zoom

Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion with Greenwich Pen Women- The Warmth of Other Suns

Upcoming Event:

Virtual Book Discussion 

cosponsored by Greenwich Pen Women

The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson

Monday, January 31st, 2022, at 7 PM via Zoom 

Greenwich Pen Women and Perrot Memorial Library will continue their cosponsored book discussion series on Monday, January 31, 2022, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, via Zoom. The group will discuss The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, a masterwork by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Isabel Wilkerson. The discussion will be facilitated by Greenwich Pen Women members Lynn Garelick and Adrienne Reedy.

This beautifully written masterwork, by the bestselling author of Caste, chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: The Great Migration, which was the decades-long exodus of Black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. These Black Americans often left under the cover of night, leaving their sharecropper tools in the fields, their future plans and whereabouts a mystery to those they left behind.  

For more information on Isabel Wilkerson, visit www.isabelwilkerson.com

Greenwich Pen Women, a branch of the National League of American Pen Women, is a nonprofit organization of local women artists, writers, and musicians. Find out more at www.greenwichpenwomen.org

Register today via Zoom

Part-Time Job Opening at Perrot's Youth Services Desk

Perrot has a part-time job opening at our Youth Services Desk! 

Library Technical Assistant-Part-Time (15hrs/wk.) Perrot Library

Salary: $19.00 Hourly

Job Type: Part Time Non Represented

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST APPLY FOR THIS POSITION VIA THE TOWN OF GREENWICH WEBSITE: http://www.greenwichct.gov

General Statement of Duties

Performs responsible technical work assisting librarians to acquire, prepare and organize materials in all formats and support librarians in helping users to obtain and locate information from a variety of sources as well as assisting with computer equipment and software procedures on the various library computers and computer systems.

Work requires flexibility and may be performed in one division or in many divisions as part of a cooperative team. May supervise clerical subordinates as assigned. Works under the general supervision of a librarian. 

The job opening is at the Youth Services Circulation Desk at Perrot Memorial Library (90 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich, CT 06870).

This position will be approximately 15 hours per week. Must be able to work some evenings and weekends.  

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Two years of college level courses in library science, computer science plus at least 2 years of full-time experience as a Library Clerk in a library with heavy computer utilization (or a Bachelor's Degree plus 1 year of related experience); or high school graduation plus 4 years of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Considerable knowledge of library computer databases, equipment and library programs; knowledge of library clerical and statistical routines. 
• Working knowledge of library principles, methods and techniques and the ability to make decisions based on established policies and procedures. 
• Working knowledge of books and other media or specific area of service including library reference materials, music, video, etc. 
• Ability to operate and troubleshoot a wide variety of computer equipment, audio-visual equipment and office equipment related to library functions; knowledge of and experience in the operation of library computer databases and equipment. 
• Ability to communicate effectively and to supervise subordinates; ability to work with other staff and the public in a team environment. 
• Ability to deal tactfully and effectively with library patrons and harmoniously with other staff members in a team environment. 
• Ability to perform the physical duties of the job, including pushing and pulling loads weighing up to 300 lbs, lifting and carrying loads of books and (occasionally) small children and ability to climb stools, ladders, etc. in the performance of the work. 
• Ability to operate a motor vehicle in the State of Connecticut.

Job Description

Essential features:

• Assists in the acquisition, preparation and organization of materials; uses various computers and software programs to place orders for library materials and electronic information services and locates the information necessary to catalog them; assists in or oversees receipt of orders; maintains invoices and fund accounting for orders; catalogs and prepares library materials in all formats for loan. Creates written reports, technical materials and informative guidelines as needed. 
• Supports various reference services; assists librarian at reference desk; helps patrons to find information and materials in a variety of formats; indexes local newspapers and magazines; prepares bulletin board and other displays; finds books on selected topics for book displays; may conduct story hours. 
• Supervises and assists in the circulation of all types of materials; interprets rules and procedures for circulation to the clerical staff and the public; may assist in maintenance of book, periodical or media collection; may train and/or supervise part-time staff; may prepare schedules for full-time and part-time staff. 
• Contributes to the goals and processes of the assigned team. May be responsible for a specific area of the collection: evaluates, orders and culls titles; interfaces with vendors; receives orders and may manage supply budget. Keeps abreast of subject area; may supervise part time employees in completing specific projects. 
• Processes interlibrary loan requests from anywhere in the United States using several computer databases; may prepare loans for lending and return the materials to their home library. 
• Performs general upkeep and troubleshooting of computers and peripherals; compiles statistics for this function. 
• Assists with a variety of computer operations and may oversee data-entry and work with specific software programs. Assists the public in a willing and cooperative manner.
• Performs related duties as required. 

Upcoming Event: Plants First-- Virtual Book Discussion with Dr. Katie Takayasu

Upcoming Event:
Plants First, A Virtual Book Discussion featuring Dr. Katie Takayasu

Wednesday, January 12th, 2022, at 7 PM via Zoom

Dr. Katie Takeyasu will discuss her book, Plants First: A Physician's Guide to Wellness Through a Plant-forward Diet, and share how plant-based nutrition can help prevent disease and manage chronic illness. Learn easy recipes and tips for introducing plant-based meals into your everyday diet. 

Katherine Wehri Takayasu, M.D., M.B.A. practices Integrative Medicine, combining traditional Western medicine with acupuncture, mind-body medicine, botanicals, nutrition, and lifestyle optimization. She’s an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian and teaches the next generation of doctors about healing the whole patient mind, body, and spirit. For her own wellbeing, Dr. Katie practices what she preaches by engaging in regular yoga and meditation. She lives with her husband and sons in Connecticut. Visit www.DrKatie.com to discover Dr. Katie’s Life Kitchen and visit her on Instagram @DoctorKatie

Copies of the book are available at Diane’s Books in Greenwich.

Register today via Zoom

Winners of the Semi-Annual YCC Jeopardy Tournament

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of the Semi-Annual Young Critics' Club Jeopardy Tournament! 

The winning team was the Descendants of Alex Trebek: Audrey, Diya, Vanya, and Skylar (not pictured)

They have showed their mastery of trivia questions related to books that YCC (our book club for Grades 5, 6, and 7) has read over the past year.

Upcoming Event: Decorating Holiday Planters, In-person/outdoors at Perrot

Upcoming Event:

Decorating Holiday Planters, with Floral Designer Lorie Cunningham

In-Person/Outdoors at Perrot Library

Saturday, December 11th, 2021, at 1 PM

Learn how to decorate outdoor planters for the holidays with local floral designer Lorie Cunningham. Using winter greens, berried branches, and her innate creativity, Lorie will show you how to make an outdoor container go from just pretty to spectacular for the holiday season. This event will be in-person and outdoors, outside of the main entrance to Perrot. No advance registration required.

Upcoming Event: In-Person/Zoom Book Discussion on Sleepy Cat Farm: A Gardener's Journey

Upcoming Event:
In-Person/Zoom Book Discussion on 

Sleepy Cat Farm: A Gardener's Journey

with Fred Landman and Curtice Taylor

Wednesday, December 1st, 2021, at 7 PM
Perrot Memorial Library/Live-streamed via Zoom

Join us in welcoming Greenwich residents Fred Landman and Curtice Taylor for an enchanting discussion of Sleepy Cat Farm: A Gardener’s Journey. Located on 13 acres in Back Country Greenwich, Sleepy Cat Farm represents  the creative vision of its owner Fred Landman, who acquired a historic Georgian Revival Home in 1994 and set to work with the help of  architect Charles Hilton and landscape architect Charles J. Stick to create "a garden of which the house could be proud." 

After a 25-year collaboration, Sleepy Cat Farm features an abundance of garden experiences: formal boxwood and undulating hornbeam hedges, dense woodland, reflecting pools, arbors and follies—and a ferme ornée (ornamental farm) offering organic produce to the community. 

A self-taught gardener, Fred Landman serves on the Garden Conservancy’s board of directors, and resides at Sleepy Cat Farm with his wife, Seen Lippert, a professional chef who spent more than a decade at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA. Curtice Taylor has been photographing landscapes and gardens for more than forty years. His work has been published in major gardening and shelter magazines including House & Garden, Architectural Digest, and Connecticut Cottages and Gardens. A childhood friend of Fred Landman, Taylor has been documenting the gardens at Sleepy Cat Farm for more than ten years.

Program will be presented in-person at Perrot, and live-streamed via Zoom. In-person attendees must show proof of vaccination. Seating will be limited due to social distancing requirements. Masks required for all attendees.

Register here for the Zoom presentation

New Museum Passes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Exciting news-- Perrot is now circulating museum passes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City! Like all our museum passes, passes will circulate for 3 days, are not renewable, and cannot be reserved. The Met passes provide:

• Free admission for the pass holder and 1 guest to The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters
• 10% Discounts at The Met Store, all public restaurants and venues at The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters
• Access to the Balcony Lounge and Patrons Lounge

The Met Museum Passes are the newest additions to our Premium Museum Passes, which include:

• Brooklyn Botanic Gardens
• The Frick
• Guggenheim
• The Intrepid
• MOMA

Perrot Memorial Library is thrilled to be able to offer these special passes to our patrons through the generous contributions of our members. 

For more information, please call our Circulation Desk at 203-637-1066.

Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion Featuring author Laura Munson in conversation with Lee Woodruff about her novel, Willa's Grove

Upcoming Event:

Virtual Book Discussion

Featuring author Laura Munson in conversation with Lee Woodruff about her novel, Willa's Grove

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021 at 7 PM via Zoom

Willa’s Grove is an inspirational story of four women, each at a crossroads in life, who gather in the wilderness of Big Sky country in Montana to ponder and answer the question: so now what? 

Laura Munson is the bestselling author of This Is Not The Story You Think It Is, which chronicles her journey through her own midlife crossroads. Drawing from the striking response to her memoir, the essay version of it in the New York Times' "Modern Love" column, and her speaking events at women’s conferences across the U.S., Laura founded the acclaimed Haven Writing Retreats and Workshops. After watching hundreds of people find their unique and essential voices under the big sky of Montana she calls home, Laura created Willa, the invitation, the friends, and the town to share what she has learned with people globally. Her work has been published and featured in many media outlets throughout the world.

Lee Woodruff is an author, public speaker and journalist. A former contributing reporter for CBS This Morning and Good Morning America, she's the best-selling author of three books as well as numerous articles and essays. She now runs a communications and media training business, working with clients around the globe.

[Register today via Zoom]

Upcoming Event: Virtual Writers' Open Mic Night

GREENWICH PEN WOMEN 

presents

VIRTUAL WRITERS’ OPEN MIC NIGHT

Wednesday, November 10th, 2021 at 7 PM via Zoom

The Perrot Memorial Library and the Greenwich Pen Women invite the community to a Virtual Writers’ Open Mic Night on Wednesday, November 10th, 2021, at 7 PM. Participants must register in advance, and those who wish to present must also sign up for a 5-minute time slot. A Greenwich Pen Woman emcee will introduce the event and manage the speakers and time flow. 

Writers are asked to select and read from their own original work that will best shine in a 5-minute time segment. 

These collaborations are intended to create a community space for original work to be introduced and heard and to help encourage the creation of original work by the writers in our community.

QUOTE BY ATTENDEE: “The Open Mic Night I attended was exciting – so many writers having the courage to step up and share stories, essays, poems, memoirs and projects in five-minute time slots. I was energized by the quality of people’s work.” Diane Tunick Morello, Riverside, CT

[Register now via Zoom]

Upcoming Event: Virtual Discussion with Caryn B. Davis on her book, Connecticut Waters

Virtual Book Discussion 

featuring author Caryn B. Davis speaking about her book, 

Connecticut Waters: Celebrating Our Coastline and Waterways

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021 at 7 PM via Zoom

A photographic tribute to Connecticut's maritime roots, both past and present, Connecticut Waters takes readers on a nautical journey exploring the many ways Nutmeggers use the state's lakes, rivers, sounds, and shores for industry, education, and recreation. From boat builders, to antique, power, and sailing vessels, to lobster shacks, the oyster and fishing industries, historic ferries, nautical arts, lighthouses and islands, charter boats, maritime festivals and celebrations, and more, this book showcases how these waterways have defined Connecticut culture. 

Caryn B. Davis is an award-winning photographer, a journalist, and a best-selling author specializing in architectural, garden and travel photography. Caryn's career has spanned the globe, taking her to more than 50 countries, and her images and articles and have appeared in over 60 publications worldwide, including the New York Times, Town & Country, the Wall Street Journal, Fine Art Connoisseur, and others. Her first commissioned photography book, A Connecticut Christmas: Celebrating the Holiday in Classic New England Style, garnered high accolades in 15 newspapers and magazines nationwide. 

Register today via Zoom

Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion-- Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

 Upcoming Event: Virtual Book Discussion 

Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, with author Anastasia Mills Healy

Wednesday, October 13th, 2021, at 7 PM via Zoom

What's a travel writer to do during a pandemic? Greenwich author Stasha Healy turned her attention to her own state, and discovered 84 fascinating stories which she collected in her book, Secret Connecticut: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Stasha will begin her illustrated Zoom presentation with little-known stories about Greenwich and then cover true tales from other parts of the state, like the charismatic Nutmegger who inspired the character of Indiana Jones, the man who was technically president before George Washington, and the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. spent two formative summers in Connecticut as a teenager. Did you know that the state has its own Stonehenge and safari park as well as the country's smallest Native American reservation? Tune in to learn about all this and more!

[Register today via Zoom]

Spaces are still available in our Stuff & Nonsense and Spotlight programs for Fall

Spaces are still available in our Stuff & Nonsense and Spotlight programs for Fall! Call us today to sign up: 203-637-8802.

***Stuff & Nonsense: For kids in Kindergarten and Grade 1***

Mondays at 4 PM, September 20th-October 25th

A program of exciting stories-- plus a fun craft kit to take home! Program will be held in the Youth Services Garden under an awning. Please bring a small blanket or a towel for your child to sit on. Caregiver must remain in department during program. If rain is predicted, please call the library for info.

***Spotlight: For kids in Grades 2, 3, and 4***

Wednesdays at 4 PM on September 22nd, September 29th, October 6th, and October 13th

Non-Fiction books and stories-- plus a fun craft kit to take home! The theme of this program changes each session. This fall's theme is Scared Silly. Program will be held in the Youth Services Garden under an awning. Please bring a small blanket or a towel for your child to sit on. Caregiver must remain in department during program. If rain is predicted, please call the library for info.

Upcoming Event: A Year of Blooming Bulbs, a Virtual Discussion with Ilona Ontsherenki

Upcoming Event: 

A Year of Blooming Bulbs, a virtual discussion with Master Gardener Ilona Ontsherenki

cosponsored by the Garden Club of Old Greenwich

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021, at 7 PM via Zoom

This talk covers the extensive variety of flower bulbs that can be planted in the fall to ensure an exciting succession of blooms starting in the new year. Planting techniques will be covered, including how to force bulbs for indoor bloom. Emphasis will be on deer-proof selections and successful combinations.

Ilona has been a Rutgers Master Gardener for over a decade. She moved from a career as an economist to an avocation in horticulture and credits this to an expensive landscape project that inspired her to learn more about the plants on which she was spending so much money. She now gives talks for Rutgers and for the Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum, where she is on the board and manages their popular annual plant sale fundraiser. Ilona gardens in Chester, New Jersey, Zone 6B.

[Register today]