Aglaura Public Library

My dear neighbors, friends, and compatriots,

Greetings, beautiful citizens of Aglaura! I am so happy you are here to share our virtual library space. There is so much to do and explore here, I hardly know where to begin. First of all, if you have little ones, please come to Storytime Hour every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:30 PM. Each week will have a different theme - such as castles, beaches, or bears - and the children's section will be decorated to coordinate.

Next, for those grownups out there who like to talk about what they're reading, please join the Pine Barren Poets book club. They meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month and read both classic and modern literature.

Too old for story time but not old enough for the book club? Teen Night might be the perfect solution! Twice a month (on the second and fourth Wednesdays) at 6:00 PM we cordially invite all teenagers over to the library for a fun night of companionship, science experiments, magic lessons, crafts, cooking lessons, heck, you name it! There is always something fun and interesting going on at Teen Night. (Just a quick note - we do not check your age at the door, so even if you are "half past teen" we will not turn you away...)

If you're anything like me, you and computers have an uneasy relationship. Join us in the computer lab at 6:00 PM on first Mondays for informal computer training. Just this month I learned about the joys of "blind carbon copy" AND how to host pictures on the web so I don't send 8 megabyte attachments to all my friends. Who would have thought that an old dog like me could learn new computer tricks? If I can do it, so can you.

I am extremely excited to announce that in March and April we will be hosting the "Artists of Aglaura" exhibit, featuring works from many different local artists:

Timothy Weavers - a renowned nature photographer who has since moved away; his early work features photographs from Aglaura's surrounding area.

Wes Keeler - An author whose untimely demise in 2003 has spurred renewed interest in his work. In the early 1990s he wrote two books about the New Jersey pine barrens and locality, and we are lucky to have autographed editions as well as some of the original artwork that Mr. Keeler produced for the books.

Brianna Stover - A local artist in her late 50s, she paints landscapes that are out of this world. We feel quite lucky to be able to include some of her pieces.

Sarah Wyatt - Yours Truly! I work in just about any medium I can get my hands on, and the exhibition will include paintings, drawings, poetry, childrens' stories, sculpture, and more.

And much more! The exhibit will also feature artwork from local schoolkids, art students, and many others. In fact, if you would like to submit something for consideration, please e-mail us for information.

Finally, I would like to bring up a subject I'm very passionate about, and I hope you will be too. Are you aware that plans are in the works to demolish the library? The Borough Council has set into motion a redevelopment plan which includes tearing down this library, including the historic 1927 section, and completely digitizing all the library's holdings. The library would then become nothing more than computers in a park. This means there will be no more books, paper treasures which we hold and smell and feel and surreptitiously peek on the last page to find out whodunit. This means we will no longer be able to read today's paper in a building containing the presences of everyone else who has read the paper there in the last 80 years. Our place for fun, knowledge, and companionship will be so much rubble under the parking lot of tomorrow's "Sprawl Mart".

My dear friends, every time I think about it I cry. The loss of the building's history. The loss of interaction with others who are seated next to you, pausing their page turning long enough to tell you about the wonderful printed journey they have just embarked upon. The loss of tactile sensation from the old, slightly powdery feeling pages slipping between your fingers; the dry, good old-book smell winding its way to your nose as you ruffle the pages. This is not progress, it's regression into the dark ages! Please join me in fighting this drastic and ultimately disastrous project.

I fear it might already be too late, as the Borough Council has approved the plan, but any chance at all is worth grasping. There is a group of local citizens who have been leading a campaign to save the Aglaura Public Library, with my full blessing. In a few weeks there will be a Council meeting with a final vote. We need to get our ducks in a row before our fate is decided for us. The bottom line is that we need help. If you have time or resources to devote to the cause, please e-mail me as soon as humanly possible. The Library's very future hangs in the balance.

Previous Messages from the Librarian:

May 2005
July 2005
November 2005