WTBAnow Blog and Show Notes

In episode 5 of Where the Books Are Now, I talk with Catherine Hays, Library Director at the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes, Vermont.  Bixby is a library, a community center, and a museum that serves not just Vergennes, VT but the surrounding communities of Ferrisburgh, Waltham, Panton, and Addison. Catharine shared the interesting and surprising history of how this beautiful neoclassical revival library building came to be - courtesy of William Gove Bixby and the "rest room" that was included in the original plans from the early 1900s. The library opened in 1912 and was designed by the Frost Architectural firm of New York city. The Bixby Library has a large historical collection which includes a large collection of books about Vermont and books by Vermont authors in the Vermont room on the first floor. There are also a large objects collection exhibit in the library and a newly digitized archival collection thanks to the library's "History Team." Catharine also shares some of the services the library provides, including a seed catalog housed in an old card catalog, a Library of Things which includes a sewing machine, tools, a wood moisture meter, a crochet kit and more, and Mobile Museum History Kits for area teachers.   

Air date: April 22, 2024 - In this episode I chat with Elizabeth Frederick, Library Director at the Mary L Blood Library in West Windsor, Vermont. The Mary L Blood Library is one of three small libraries built by Benjamin Franklin Blood around the turn of the 20th century. (The others are the Windsor Public Library in Windsor, Vermont and the Weathersfield Proctor Library in Ascutney, VT). This library was built in 1900 and was affectionately referred to as "The Little Library." Liz told me that the library still has some books from the original library collection and they were organized in a very interesting way.

Air date: April 8, 2024 - In Episode 3  I chat with Jennie Rozycki , Library Director at the John G. McCullough Library in North Bennington, VT.

**Apologies for a bit of wonky sound 4 minutes in and again at the 8 minute mark. We had a gremlin in one of our microphones.**

It’s LAUNCH DAY!  I’m so excited to start sharing the fabulous world of Vermont’s public libraries with you. In Episode one, I chat with Bree Drapa, Library Director at the Westford Public Library in Westford, VT. Bree talked about the  history of the library, all the interesting things you can check out that aren’t books - like card tables and chairs! Biblio+ the new streaming service for movies and tv, and many other services the library offers.