Town Crier Column April 4th, 2008

Feature Films for Families: DVDs Donated
The Upton Town Library has a new ‘special collection’ of DVDs, recently donated by library patron Linda Cofske. The set of 20 movies, from Feature Films for Families, was purchased by Ms. Cofske, for the Library, with “hope that children and their families enjoy watching them over and over again.” Some of the titles in the collection include Borrowed Hearts; Jacob’s Harvest; and Summer of the Monkeys, to name just a few. Thank you, Linda, for your thoughtful generosity!
Feature Films for Families is a group “committed to providing quality entertainment that lifts the spirit”, and providing an alternative to typical Hollywood productions. More information about the group can be found at their website: www.familytv.com

Library Book Discussion Group
The library supports a book discussion group, which meets monthly in the Upton Senior Center. Book titles are chosen by the members and are available at the library. The group alternates between fiction and non-fiction titles. Meetings are held at 7:00pm on the last Wednesday of each month. Copies of the book are available at the Library. Library Book Group will meet on April 30th to discuss “I’ll Fly Away” edited by Wally Lamb. “I’ll Fly Away” is a collection of 20 short essays written by female inmates at a maximum security prison.

Senior Book Group
The Senior Book Group meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 12:45 in the Upton Senior Center. Donna Kempton from the library staff leads the casual, entertaining discussions. Titles chosen are usually gentle, character-driven novels. Copies of each month’s book are available at the library in both regular and large print. Please call the library directly at 529-6272 to request a copy of the Senior book group title.

Library Table at the Senior Center
Each Wednesday from 11:00-12:00, a librarian will be at the Upton Senior Center with a small selection of our materials available. If you have difficulty getting to the library and it would be more convenient for you to pick up books, movies, audiobooks or magazines at the Senior Center, call us at 529-6272 and we’ll bring a personalized package of suggested titles for you.
This program is free of charge, and is open to all Upton residents.

Children’s/Young Adult Programs

Please contact Lisa Stratton, the Children’s/Young Adult Librarian, with any questions regarding the following programs, at 508-529-6272, or email UptonStoryTime@yahoo.com.
For more info, check out the following site: http://UptonStoryTime.blogspot.com


“Music & Movement”
“Music & Movement”, held every Wednesday at 1:00pm in the Upton Town Hall, is a free, library-sponsored event, funded, in part, by the Beginning Years Family Network. Designed for children ages 1-5, this program is half an hour of songs, stories, dancing and fun, led by the very energetic Deb Hudgins! No registration is required. PLEASE NOTE: This program will NOT be held on April 23rd, during school vacation week.

Story & Craft Time for children ages 3-6, is held in the library on Thursdays at 10:30am and 1:30pm. Each week has a different theme. Parents are asked to register for either the morning or afternoon session, on a monthly basis.

TinyTots LapSit StoryTime for infants and toddlers, birth to age 3, with a caregiver, is held Friday mornings in the library, at 10:30. This 20-30 minute program is enjoyed at least as much by the adults as the children, since it gives new parents a chance to meet other parents, and babies an opportunity to ‘socialize’ with new friends! Registration is requested, but we understand the constantly-changing needs of this age group, and invite you to stop by any Friday morning to join the fun, as we sing and stretch and read some stories!

Teens @ the Library
ULTRA will hold their next monthly meeting on TeenTuesday (April 15th), beginning at 4pm. Please come prepared to discuss something you have read during the past month, and feel free to bring a friend! TeenTuesday is open to all 12-18 year olds who are interested in helping to make the Upton Town Library an “ULTRA-cool” place for teens, by planning and/or assisting at events, making suggestions for material purchases, and volunteering on an as-needed basis. Free pizza and snacks are provided to all participants.

The ULTRA Book Club for Teens!
The Upton Library’s Teen Readers’ Advisory has its very own book club! The group meets on the last Friday of each month, from 3-4pm, at the library, and is open to all 12-18 year olds. For the next meeting, on April 25th, we will be discussing The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, a 2008 Newbery Honor book. Copies of this book are available at the circulation desk.

This Summer …
Plans are already underway for another fun-filled Summer Library Adventure. Watch this column next month for the dates and times of all our special events planned for June! This year’s theme will be “Wild Reads @ Your Library”!