Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We'll be closed on Tuesday January 1, 2013 but open our regular hours (2-6 pm) beginning Wednesday January 2nd.

Snowy Thursday December 27th ~ Closing Early

We'll be closing early today due to the snowy, slippery conditions out there. We'll stay open til 5:00 pm and then lock up. Come on in and grab some new movies off our shelves. Just added today:  Blazing Saddles, Casablanca, White Christmas, Oranges & Sunshine, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Being Flynn, First Season of Homeland, First Season of Doc Martin (we have the second season as well), Safety Not Guaranteed, and Half the Sky.

Library Closed

The library will be closed Monday December 24th, Tuesday December 25th, and Tuesday January 1st. We will be open Monday December 31st, our usual hours from 2 to 6 pm.

Thursday December 20th at 7:00 PM

Film of the New England Marionette Opera Performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors

A one-of-a-kind video has emerged which will acquaint area residents with the magic that was once known as The New England Marionette Opera. This summer, theatre founder and general director Ted Leach, was viewing the few VHS tapes that survived the tragic fire that totally destroyed the Marionette Opera and its home theatre in Peterborough on January 1, 1999.

It was literally the last tape to be viewed, “number 51 out of 51” recounts Leach and it was a complete performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The company gave over 120 performances of the iconic holiday piece and, according to Leach, “this appears to be the final performance.”

He viewed the tape only once, fearing that another viewing might result in the tape breaking which had happened with many of the tapes. The tape was sent to facility in Boston that converted it to a DVD.

Normally the theatre did not videotape its performances, but for this performance, not only did they videotape it but the video camera was manned with the videographer following the action on the stage.

“We knew our way around Amahl,” said Leach, “and this performance was a world-class marionette exhibition.” The performance was followed by a pair of Christmas carols performed by the marionettes with some audience participation at the end. From beginning to end the DVD is about one hour long

“This was a bittersweet discovery” said Leach, “it’s fabulous that we have this vibrant record of what we were all about, but one can’t watch it without a mega-feeling of remorse.”

 This program is free and open to all.

Tuesday December 18th at 7:00 PM

A Child’s Christmas in Wales with Sebastian Lockwood & Nanette Perrotte

Celebrate the season with a reading of one of Dylan Thomas’ most popular works by storyteller Sebastian Lockwood. He'll also read Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory. Nanette Perrotte will lead us in carols that wrap around the stories as we celebrate a traditional country Christmas. A wonderful evening for all ages. This program is free and open to all.  Wear festive attire!

Library Events for December 2012

Wednesday December 12^th at 7:00 pm

First Wednesday Book Group (yes, that’s right, a week late…)

This month’s book is Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen. The First Wednesday Book Group will take January off but will be back in February. Stay posted for our next choice!

Tuesday December 18^th at 7:00 pm

A Child’s Christmas in Wales with Sebastian Lockwood & Nanette Perrotte

Celebrate the season with a reading of one of Dylan Thomas’ most popular works. We’ll also sing Christmas carols with Nanette Perrotte. A wonderful evening for all ages. This program is free and open to all thanks to the Friends of the Hancock Town Library.

Thursday December 20^th at 7:00 pm

Amahl and the Night Visitors

A one-of-a-kind video has emerged which will acquaint area residents with the magic that was once known as The New England Marionette Opera. This summer, theatre founder and general director Ted Leach, was viewing the few VHS tapes that survived the tragic fire that totally destroyed the Marionette Opera and its home theatre in Peterborough on January 1, 1999.

It was literally the last tape to be viewed, “number 51 out of 51” recounts Leach and it was a complete performance of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The company gave over 120 performances of the iconic holiday piece and, according to Leach, “this appears to be the final performance.”

He viewed the tape only once, fearing that another viewing might result in the tape breaking which had happened with many of the tapes. The tape was sent to facility in Boston that converted it to a DVD.

Normally the theatre did not videotape its performances, but for this performance, not only did they videotape it but the video camera was manned with the videographer following the action on the stage.

“We knew our way around Amahl,” said Leach, “and this performance was a world-class marionette exhibition.” The performance was followed by a pair of Christmas carols performed by the marionettes with some audience participation at the end. From beginning to end the DVD is about one hour long. “This was a bittersweet discovery” said Leach, “it’s fabulous that we have this vibrant record of what we were all about, but one can’t watch it without a mega-feeling of remorse.” This program is free and open to all.

From the Children's Room

Rennie Timm, Children’s Librarian

Tuesday, December 4 at 3:15 – 4:15pm

Block Party: LEGO® Fun

Join us for an afternoon snack and let your imagination run wild. Hands-on learning opportunity to explore how things work. LEGO® bricks are provided by the library. All ages welcome.

Thursdays in December at 10:00am (NEW TIME)

Laptop Storytime

Walking and talking, this babes to toddler story time is an interactive program for all pre-schoolers and their parents or care providers. No registration required, feel free to drop in anytime.

Friday, December 7 at 6:00 - 8:45pm

Movie,  Popcorn & Trivia Night for Tweens & Teens

Middle School and High School Students are invited to gather with friends, munch on popcorn & watch a movie together.  Our feature presentation will be determined by the group in attendance.

Wednesday, December 12 at 3:15 – 4:15pm

Crafts with Michelle Russell- Stars to brighten up the holiday season!

Calling all children to an after-school craft project in the library! Join Michelle Russell to fold colorful, transparent stars for your windows, and hear a star-story from the library collection. All ages welcome. 

Calling all adults and children age 10+ interested in ARCHERY, Lucy Morris, our summertime instructor will be back hopefully this Spring for another archery course. Call  Rennie, the Children’s Librarian for more information.

Library Trustee Minutes November 2012

HANCOCK LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

November 28, 2012

Present: Mary Garland, Amy Markus, Laurie Bryan, Peter Ryner

The meeting was called to order at 9am.

The October 24, 2012 minutes were approved.

The Treasurer's report was reviewed.  The Board authorized the transfer of $2000 from the Library Trustee's Investment Account into the Library Checking Account.  This was necessitated primarily by the high cost of heating fuel.  Because the Conval School District did not complete a fuel oil pre-purchase until late fall, the cost to the Town of Hancock and the Hancock Library was substantially higher than it might have been if, as in earlier years, the pre-purchase had been available in the summer.  Since the Library and the Town have linked their purchase of heating oil to that of the school district, in order to gain a better bulk-purchase price, this could remain a problem unless the school district returns to its previous practice of summer contract purchase.  The Treasurer's report was then approved.

There was further discussion of the Library Trustee's Investment policies, goals and strategies.  It was agreed that the Board would formally take this up in December.

Rennie continues to recover and is able to provide partial coverage, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Amy reported that programs continue to be well-received, and the computers continue to be in high demand.  There is more use of the Daniels room, including a Zumba for Kids program and utilization by the Girl Scouts.

It was agreed that the schedule for professional cleaning of the Daniels room carpet should be increased from once to twice per year.  There was agreement that the Daniels room carpet should be replaced in 2013, and there was some discussion but no final decisions as to what specific floor covering should be obtained.  The biggest problem is that there are frequent spills, which tend to get ground into the carpet and which are not easily removed, even by professional cleaners.  Because the floor needs to accommodate yoga, dancing and a variety of sitting activities,  it was agreed that the flooring needs to be some type of carpet.  However, since the Daniels room also serves as a popular access point to and from the back parking lot, considerable dirt, snow, salt and mud gets tracked across the floor. Food and drink are also served in the Daniels room in support of many activities each year, resulting in frequent spills of food and liquid.  The Board agreed that it is neither appropriate nor possible for Library staff to constantly respond to each spill or to clean up the path of mud and snow leading from the parking lot which can appear on a daily basis in winter.  The choice of carpet will be given further consideration.

Amy is proceeding with the replacement of the present copier, with consideration being given to outright purchase rather than leasing.

The Board decided to meet on December 26^th.  The meeting ended at 9:45 am.   Submitted by Peter Ryner