Russell Library - December Events

 

 Russell Library 123 Broad Street, Middletown, CT

COMING EVENTS AT RUSSELL LIBRARY

Russell Library Hours for December 2017

Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown has hours: Mondays 10am – 6pm; Tuesdays 10am – 8pm; Wednesdays 1pm – 8pm; Thursdays 10am – 8pm; Fridays 10am – 6pm; Saturdays 10am – 2pm. Sundays 1pm – 4pm. The library will be closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas day on Sunday and Monday, December 24 and 25, and for New Year’s Eve on Sunday, December 31. All library programs are free of charge.

PROGRAMS  

Donate New Socks and Mittens!  

Throughout December. The Lobby, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Come celebrate the holidays by donating new socks and mittens. Russell Library staff will be collecting them throughout the month and pass them along to the local shelters.

 

Art Party!  

Friday, December 1, 4:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Come celebrate your artistic side by creating something beautiful. Art Party! will celebrate each month with a new creative project. Bring your imagination and a willingness to get messy.

For grades K - 3 (ages 5 - 9).

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library. 

Jazz Up Close: Robby Ameen Trio  

Saturday, December 2, 1:30pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Resonant Motion, Inc. presents the final event in its 2017 “Crossing Cultures” program. Drummer and composer Robby Ameen leads a trio featuring bassist Henry Lugo, pianist and series curator Noah Baerman, plus special guest Jay Hoggard on vibraphone. Grammy award-winning Robby Ameen’s recording career stretches from Dizzy Gillespie to Paul Simon. Of Lebanese origin, Robby is best known for his unique and powerful Afro-Cuban jazz style. He has recorded numerous albums and co-authored the best-selling instructional book and CD: Funkifying the Clave: Afro Cuban Grooves for Bass and Drums, which has sold over 40,000 copies worldwide.

This event is supported in part by the Middletown Commission on the Arts.  

Wonderful Ones

Mondays, December 4, 11 and 18, 10:30am. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. One-year-olds and their caregivers will enjoy literacy-based, age-appropriate activities and toys in the company of other families in this supportive, nurturing library program. 

For one year olds (12 to 23 months). Siblings welcome! 

Drop in; no registration required. 

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Totally Teen Time

Mondays, December 4, 11 and 18, 3:00 – 5:00pm. The Totally Teen Area, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Take back the Totally Teen Area! Mondays from 3 to 5 pm, Heather, Russell Library’s Teen Librarian, will be available in the Teen Area. Laptops will be on hand for homework or gaming--whatever you need!

For teens in grades 7 - 12 (ages 12 - 18).

Drop in; registration is not required. Just stop by!

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Twos are Terrific

Tuesdays, December 5, 12* and 19, 10:30am. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. This librarian-led program is designed to increase two-year-olds’ literacy and social skills as they enjoy story time, movement, music and play time with other toddlers and their families.

For two year olds (24 - 35 months). Siblings welcome! 

Drop in; no registration required. 

*December 12^th will meet in the Hubbard Room.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Racial Justice Book Group: The Street by Ann Petry 

Tuesday, December 5, 6:00pm. Meeting Room 2, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The Street tells the 'poignant, often heartbreaking story of Lutie Johnson, a young black woman and her spirited struggle to raise her son amid the violence, poverty and racial dissonance of Harlem in the 1940s. Its haunting tale still resonates powerfully today.'

Ann Petry was a Connecticut author, and has written The Narrows, Country Place and Miss Muriel and other Stories. The Street has sold more than a million copies. Corretta Scott King has called The Street, 'A powerful, uncompromising work of social criticism. To this day, few works of fiction have so clearly illuminated the devastating impact of racial injustice.'

The book will be available at the check-out desk.

This book group is open to all; no registration necessary.

The Racial Justice Book Group is in partnership with the Middletown Racial Justice Community.

The group will not meet on January 2, 2018 but will resume on February 6, 2018 with The Warmth of Other Suns: the epic story of America’s great migration by Isabel Wilkerson.

Baby Rhyme Time  

Wednesdays, December 6, 13 and 20, 4:30pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Looking for something to do with your infant or toddler? Come join us for Baby Rhyme Time, a program for babies one year and under and their caregivers. We'll sing songs, learn rhymes, finger plays and more in this fun, interactive program.
For babies birth-12 months and their caregivers. Siblings welcome!
Drop in; no registration.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

The War of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America’s Greatest Political Family by William J. Mann

Wednesday, December 6, 6:30pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The battles between the Roosevelts were deep and personal. The War of the Roosevelts looks at this iconic family of rebels and nonconformists through a fresh lens, correcting for class privilege and outmoded moral judgments, and forever changing the way this American dynasty will be perceived. William J. Mann is a novelist and Hollywood historian, best known for his 2006 biography of Katherine Hepburn, Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn He won the 2015 Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime, and the 1999 Lambda Literary Award. He divides his time between Connecticut and Cape Cod.

Baby Rhyme Time   

Thursdays, December 7, 14 and 21, 10:30am. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Looking for something to do with your infant or toddler? Come join us for Baby Rhyme Time, a program for babies one year and under and their caregivers. We'll sing songs, learn rhymes, finger plays and more in this fun, interactive program.
For babies birth-12 months and their caregivers. Siblings welcome!
Drop in; no registration.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Preschool Power Story Hour

Thursdays, December 7, 14 and 21, 1:30pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. This literacy-base, librarian led program provides the perfect opportunity for preschoolers to practice their listening skills and increase their social confidence while enjoying stories, music, movement and a craft with their caregivers.

For ages 3-5 (Pre-k through kindergarten) Siblings welcome!

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library

We Were There: Writing Your Military Experiences

Thursdays, December 7, 14, 21 and 28, 6:30pm. Meeting Room 2, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Veterans are invited to share their stories and photos in their own voices. We encourage new members to visit us to see what we are all about! Old Saybrook native Elisabeth Petry leads the group. She is a writer and former journalist and lawyer. Her first book, a collection of letters that she edited, was Can Anything Beat White?: A Black Family's Letters. Her second is At Home Inside: A Daughter’s Tribute to Ann Petry. She lives in Middletown with her husband, Lawrence Riley, Commander of the American Legion Milardo-Wilcox Post 75, Middletown, CT.

The workshop facilitator is Christy Billings. She can be reached at (860) 347-2528 or cbillings@russelllibrary.org

Sponsored by The Friends of the Russell Library.

The group will not meet in January or February but will resume in March, 2018.

The Friends of the Russell Library Book Sale

Friday, December 8, 10:00am to 6:00pm; Saturday, December 9, 10:00am to 2:00pm; Sunday, December 10, 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The Friends’ book sales help fund a wide variety of programs. From the largest art books to the littlest children’s books, there is something for everyone! CDs and DVDs are also available. Donating books for the Friends’ book sales is easy: place your books in the Book Drop box inside the entrance of the Library. If you have large quantities, call about possible pick-up: 860-347-2528 x 124. Support the Friends by becoming a member, volunteering your time or talents, donating books, or making an endowment as part of your estate plan.

Make An Ugly Sweater for Ugly Sweater Day

Friday, December 8, 11:00am to 1:00pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. “National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day” is Friday, December 15^th. We will be preparing for the day by helping you to make an Ugly Sweater! Bring an old sweater or one you don’t wear much and transform it into an Ugly Sweater you can wear on Ugly Sweater Day!

Drop-in, no registration.

Concert: The Avery Ensemble

Saturday, December 9, 1:30pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. First Prize Winner of the 2016 American Prize in Chamber Music, the Avery Ensemble is a piano quartet joined frequently by guest vocalists and instrumentalists. Recent engagements include appearances as guests of the Chamber Music Society of Central Kentucky, the Rossmoor Music Association in New Jersey, Coe Hall in New York, the Meadow Ridge Concert Series in Connecticut and the Auditório Jurerê Classic in Florianopolis, Brazil. Avery Ensemble was the focus of an article in the Summer 2016 issue of Chamber Music America's Chamber Music Magazine.

The program for this concert includes pieces that would have been heard by audiences during the years of World War I. 

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Film Screening: The Letter (1940) Classic Mystery Series

Tuesday, December 12, 12:30pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. In this 1940 classic film noir directed by William Wyler, the wife of a rubber plantation administrator (played by Bette Davis) shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense. However, a letter in her own hand may prove her undoing. Also starring Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson, the screenplay is by Howard E. Koch and is based on the 1927 play by W. Somerset Maugham.  

Homeschool Hub: Games & Puzzles

Tuesday, December 12, 1:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. This program is a chance for families to get together to try out some games and our brand-new puzzle collection. Bring your friends!

For preschool - grade 5 (ages 4-11). Siblings welcome!

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Russell Readers: At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners by Lauren Groff

Tuesday, December 12, 6:30pm. Meeting Room 2, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. This selection is from the collection 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories.  Discussions are based on the Great Books Foundation method in which readers talk in open gatherings, under a leader, about the great issues that have shaped civilization as reflected in the readings. For more information about participating in the group or acquiring the text, contact Chantal Foster at (860)573-2946 or email Chantal.foster@comcast.net. 

The discussions are sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Middlesex County Historical Society: Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London by Eric D. Lehman         

Thursday, December 14, 7:00pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  In September 1781, CT native Benedict Arnold and a force of 1,600 British soldiers and loyalists took Fort Griswold and burnt New London to the ground. The brutality of the invasion galvanized the new nation.  Eric D. Lehman will chronicle the events leading up to the attack and highlight this key transformation in Arnold—the point where he went from betraying his comrades to massacring his neighbors and destroying their homes. For more information on this presentation, please call 860-346-0746 or see https://mchsct.org

Sponsored by the Middlesex County Historical Society.

Twilight Tales

Thursday, December 14, 6:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Evening story time is back! We will share books and songs and do a small craft.

For ages 3 - 6 (Preschool to 1st Grade) Siblings Welcome 

Drop in; no registration required.

Sponsored by The Friends of the Russell Library.

Paper Crafts for Adults

Friday, December 15, 11:00am. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Paper is a versatile material that is used around the world for various crafts. Each workshop focuses on a different type of project. Come and explore paper!
Adults ages 18 and up are invited to bring their own ideas, imaginations and willingness to learn.

Drop in; no registration.

Kindness Rocks

Friday, December 15, 4:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Join us in painting rocks with inspirational messages and then place them in our new rock garden. Everyone can use a kind word, and now you can pick one up and put it in your pocket! 

For all ages. 

Drop in; no registration required.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Origami

Tuesday, December 19, 6:30pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Explore the art of Japanese paper folding.

For grades 2 - 8 (age 7 +).

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library. 

Concert: Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem - Wintersong

Thursday, December 21, 7:00pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Looking for a little light in the darkness? Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem's WINTERSONG is a holiday program that skips over the canon and digs up the power and beauty at the roots of Christmas. From danceable, electric guitar- and banjo-driven carols and songs, to hushed settings of Tennyson and Longfellow, to fiddle-driven New Year’s songs from Cajun Louisiana, WINTERSONG is a surprising winter journey full of fierce poetry, wild joy and hope for humanity.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Adult Coloring for Stress Reduction

Friday, December 22, 11:30am. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Come and enjoy a stress-free environment while you color beautiful pictures!

The library provides materials, or you may bring your own. 

Winter Dance Party

Tuesday, December 26, 10:30am. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Come shake your sillies out and more! 

For ages 3 - 8 (Preschool to 2nd Grade) siblings welcome!

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library

Captain Underpants: the first epic movie

Wednesday, December 27, 2:00pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Prepare yourself for a silly movie based on Dav Pilkey books. The film is rated PG for mild rude humor.

For ages 5 – 14 (grades k – 8). Siblings welcome!

Drop in; no registration. 

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Puzzle Mania

Thursday, December 28, 11:00am. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Bring the whole family to Russell Library's Youth and Family Learning Department for a fun filled time doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles.
For all ages.
Drop in; no registration.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library

Author/Illustrator David Hyde Costello Presents

Friday, December 29, 11:00am. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Join author/illustrator David Hyde Costello for a special program that features his books, drawing, music, and puppetry! With a background in theater as well as visual arts, David has painted scenery for plays and motion pictures including Amistad, Spider-man, and The Fighter. He is also a ukulele player, ‘self-taught through the productive use of procrastination.’ 

Drop in; no registration.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

New Year’s Wishes

Friday, December 29, 3:00pm. The Activity Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Celebrate 2018 by drawing your New Year’s wishes. Bring your wishes; we’ll supply the paper and drawing tools.
For all ages.
Drop in; no registration.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Yoga in the Hubbard Room

Saturday, December 30, 11:00am. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. No prior experience necessary, and no mats will be used. Our instructor will be Jeff Hush, founder of Food and Movement Therapy and a local instructor of Family Yoga, Tai Chi and Chair Yoga. Come experience how practicing yoga can help you feel calmer and more energetic, and learn how it can also help support a stronger immune system and better sleep patterns.  If the weather is nice, yoga will be held in the courtyard.

Drop in; no registration.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

ONGOING PROGRAMS

The Russell Writers’ Online Forum.

Participate any day, any time, from the comfort of your own computer. Register and log in for this online writing group where you can post your own work for critique, provide feedback for your fellow Russell Writers, exchange ideas and tips, and participate in the monthly writing prompts. Go to: http://russellwriters.freeforums.net. Beginning and experienced writers welcome! For more information, contact Michelle Rousseau at shellywriter@sbcglobal.net

JOBS AND CAREER PROGRAMS

Job Group

Thursdays, December 7, 14, 21 and 28, 10:00am - 12:30pm. The Hubbard Room, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Each Thursday a different topic related to careers is discussed. Presenters range from local business professionals to nationally renowned authors and career counselors. A networking session follows the presentation.

Registration not required.

LinkedIn Workshop

Tuesday, December 12, 6:00pm. Meeting Room 3, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Looking for a job? Trying to make connections in your field? Want to make LinkedIn work for you? Participants should bring an updated resume and a digital photograph to create a profile during our workshop. We will help you navigate LinkedIn's data entry system and customize your profile. For people who already have an account, we can help you develop your contacts, highlight your strengths, and suggest strategies to improve your profile.
Recommended for people at all stages in their careers.
Registration suggested; drop-ins accepted if there's room.

Practice Job Interviews

Improve your interviewing skills and get the job you want.  Bob Carlson will assist you by conducting and evaluating your practice interview.  Videotaping the session is optional and confidential 1-hour sessions are available Tuesday afternoons. Call the library at 860-347-2520 for dates, times and to register.

COMPUTER PROGRAMS

One-on-One Computer Lessons

By appointment. Information Desk, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The topics for these personalized one-hour classes will be diverse and patron-driven, including:

·         Overviews and special topics for Microsoft Office, Publisher and other applications

·         Database help for students’ homework, grant-seeking, genealogy, self-improvement, investment and small business development

·         Social Media, Email and ways to control your inbox

·         Introduction to Digital Photography and/or photo editing

Patrons may bring laptops and other portable device or use our computers for an introduction to the operating system, downloading music, magazines or books, and streaming video.

Please contact the Information and Adult Learning Department at 860-347-2520 for details or to set up an appointment.