It's June....There must be programs!

Yes. students have graduated, teachers are out for summer break, and for the rest of us the living is easy.

Diversity is the key to good library programming, and so we try to make them as ecletic as possible: There are environmental films; presidental biography reading/discussion; a research class on Jewish genealogy; and two programs on Cuba--one about contemporary agrarian reform and another with more of an historical bent showing the darker side of Castro's revolution.

So, why not attend one--or all-- of these programs at Brooks this month? And don't forget the really big Seventh Annual Strolling of the Heifers booksale on Saturday, June 7 sponsored by the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library. Join now and get in to the Library one hour early (8 AM.)

SUSTAINABLE CHOICES FILM SERIES
June 4, Regeneration: Vermonters Making a Difference
June 18, Harvesting The Wind and Energy For A Developing World
June 25, The Green Apple and Affordable Green Housing

7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

SUSTAINABLE CHOICES FILM SERIES Brooks Memorial Library and Brattleboro-area environmental organizations are continuing a very special film series during the month of June. Travel with us to a variety of locales to view firsthand the things that individuals are doing to create environmentally friendly solutions in their businesses and communities. You won't find these extraordinary films in mainstream theaters or on network television. Come and be inspired and uplifted by these stories, and know that we all can and do make a difference. Each film will be shown Wednesdays at 7:00 pm at the Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT. Films are approximately one hour long with optional group discussion afterwards. All films are free and open to the public. Brooks Memorial Library is delighted to again sponsor this amazing collection of films in partnership with Brattleboro Climate Protection, Vermont Earth Institute, Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, Post-Oil Solutions and Windham Environmental Coalition. For more information, call Paul Cameron at 251-8135. Wednesday, June 4 “ReGeneration: Vermonters Making A Difference” This eye-opening Vermont Public Television film profiles Vermont-based eco-designers that are in the forefront of adopting environmentally friendly practices. These visionary individuals are using permaculture principles to design edible and sustainable landscapes, building beautiful, energy-efficient homes from local and recycled materials, and employing the latest renewable energy technologies - turning waste into resources and problems into solutions right here in Vermont.


Discovering Your Jewish Ancestry, Part 2

Monday June 9, 2008
5:30 PM until 7:00 PM

Discovering Your Jewish Ancestry Part 2 is scheduled for Monday, June 9 from 5:30 to 7:00. Depending on the needs of the class, possible topics of exploration will include: forming a Jewish family ancestry group; Jewish family and given names; ethnicity, race and DNA. Participants will also discover how to untie certain family myths. For example, many grandfathers were not tailors in Europe, and great grandmothers managed factories.

There will also be a discussion of the problems of researching and understanding the information gathered. A list of sources helpful for Jewish genealogy research will also be made available.

Norma Cavey has been a family archeologist since childhood. For fifty years, in her wide-ranging research and professional activities, Norma Cavey work has included Ethnic and Immigration history, Community Studies and Social Policy. She was the first Environmental and Ethnic Community Planner for the National Park Service; Elllis Island, Statue of Liberty. Norma Cavey was a College Professor and Senior Administrative Planner for Government and nonprofits. She has done research in Europe. For more information, contact Brooks Memorial Library at 802.254.5290, extension 109, or brattlib@brooks.lib.vt.us. For all library events, see the library’s calendar at www.brooks.lib.vt.us.


Presidential Biography Series--Stephen Ambrose, Eisenhower

Wednesday June 11, 2008
7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Presidential Biography Series continues in 2008 The popular "American Political and Presidential History" reading and discussion series continues into 2008, as the presidential primary season heads full steam into the upcoming election. Assembled from several Vermont Humanities Council reading/discussion programs, "Part 2-Founders and Presidents of the Past" begins on January 9. Again, Vermont humanities scholar Deborah Luskin facilitates discussions at 7 p.m. (note new time) in the library's Meeting Room. All sessions are free and open to the public. Books will be available for checkout at the main circulation desk.

July 9 Robert Dallek, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 August 13 Irwin and Debi Unger, LBJ: A Life October 8 Lou Cannon, President Reagan:The Role of a Lifetime


Fighting Castro: A Love Story

Thursday June 19, 2008
7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Author Kay Abella will tell the story of the writing of Fighting Castro: A Love Story. What happens when a Cuban doctor is imprisoned by Castro as a resistance leader and his wife must choose between helping her husband stay alive and staying with her young children? This dilemma is at the heart of the harrowing true saga of Lino and Emy Fernandez. For seventeen years. Lino fights against life-threatening cruelty and attempted humiliation in prison while Emy tries to live with the consequences of the decision she made. For more information, see her web site at www.kayabella.com

The Changing Life of the Cuban Farmer

Thursday June 26, 2008
7:00 PM until 9:00 PM

Dan MacArthur, a founder of the Vermont-Cuba Solidarity Committee and frequent traveller to Cuba, will talk on his recent trip to Cuba in March 2008. MacArthur in recent years has brought antique auto parts and bicycles to this island nation. MacArthur will be at Brooks Memorial Library on Thursday, June 26, at 7 PM to show photos and discuss recent trends in Cuban agriculture. MacArthur will also discuss the ways in which the lives of farmers seem to be changing and some of the reasons why, and attempt to paint a picture of the hopefulness and resolve of people living on the land under a completely different type of system than our own.

Location: Brooks Memorial Library Main Room