Russell Library September 2012 Events

Russell Library, 123 Broad St., Middletown will be closed Saturday, September 1, Sunday, September 2 and Monday, September 3 in observance of Labor Day.  Regular hours for the Library are 9am - 8:30pm Monday through Thursday, 9 - 6pm on Fridays, and 9am - 5pm on Saturdays beginning Saturday, September 8.  The library will be opening on Sundays, 1-4pm, beginning September 9.

SEPTEMBER DISPLAY

CPA Prison Arts Program

Work from the Community Partners in Action (CPA) Prison Arts Program will be displayed Russell Library in September. The exhibition features recent drawings, paintings and sculptures by artists incarcerated in Connecticut’s prisons.

Community Partners in Action is a nonprofit agency created in 1875, first called the Friends of Prisoners Society and later, the Connecticut Prison Association. The Prison Arts Program was initiated in 1978 as collaboration between the Connecticut Department of Correction and Community Partners in Action. The program operates under the belief that the arts are an integral tool in aiding inmates to develop their self-discipline, self-esteem, work ethic, interpersonal and communication skills and their ability to think critically while they examine their lives and the actions that led to their incarceration. Exhibitions and publications are the culmination of each year’s work organizing and providing arts workshops and projects within the State’s prison system. As well, they provide the general public with a unique window into an important, but often unseen, part of our community.

SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS

Maximize Your Positioning with Social Media Workshop

Abby Kohut, President of Staffing Symphony LLC, will present this program on Tuesday, September 4, 6pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.

Social media can help you accelerate past your competition and stand out in the crowd, but only if you know how to use it effectively.  Just signing up for an account is not enough. Once you learn to use the tools to your advantage, you can reach a new level of recognition and prominence that brings new opportunities. This interactive presentation will show you how to put social media to use within a short window of time. The ideal audience includes those who are using social media at a basic level but want to use it more effectively.

We Were There: Writing Your Military Experiences

Author Elisabeth Petry will continue to lead The Veterans' Writing Group on Thursdays, at 7pm in Meeting Room 2 at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  This series invites veterans to share their stories in their own voices. All veterans, either active or retired, are encouraged to come and write their experiences for their own benefit or to share with family and friends.

Old Saybrook native Elisabeth Petry is a writer, former journalist and lawyer. Her books include Can Anything Beat White? A Black Family’s Letters and At Home Inside: A Daughter’s Tribute to Ann Petry.  Liz has taught college English and conducted a playwriting workshop. She lives in Middletown with her husband, Lawrence Riley, who is a dog trainer and commander of the Veterans of the Vietnam War, Middletown, Connecticut.

Ones Fun!

Children 12 months to 23 months and their caregivers are invited to join us for a drop-in program for ones on Tuesdays at 1pm in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  We’ll sing songs, learn rhymes, finger plays and more in this fun, interactive program. The sessions are scheduled September 4 through October 16.  For more information call the Children’s Information Desk: 860-344-8479.  No registration is required.

Friends of Russell Library Book Sale

Each month, the hard-working members of the Friends of the Russell Library hold a book sale to help raise funds for a variety of library projects and services.  Come on in to find used books published between 2000 and 2008.  Stop by the sale on Friday, September 7, from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm or Saturday, September 8 from 9:00 to 4:00 at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. You're bound to find a title or two or more that you missed the first time around.

Russell Writers
The Russell Writers will meet on Saturday, September 8, from 9:30am to noon in Meeting Room 3 at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. This month's challenge is to write about a time in your life when you were extremely angry.  Are you still angry; if not, when, why and what caused you to let it go?

The Russell Writers meet at 9:30am on the second Saturday of the month.  All writers, from beginners to the experienced, are welcome. Participants are reminded to try to keep their compositions to three double-spaced pages so that there is time to critique everyone's work.

 An Afternoon of Korean Culture and Food

Otakus, our anime/manga group is interested in the cultures of Asia and is proud to cosponsor a special program with the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project on Saturday, September 22 at 1pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  The afternoon will open with two highly acclaimed films, one on the arts of Korea and the other on modern day Korea. The movies will be followed by a reenactment of a traditional Korean wedding featuring participants dressed in spectacular costumes. In the final part of the program, we will be treated to a free traditional Korean feast.  Since space is limited, registration is required and will begin on Monday, September 10. You can register either by visiting the Children’s Information Desk or by calling (860) 344-8479.  This event is for children ages 11

and up.

Wonderful Ones

Children ages 12 months to 23 months and their caregivers will enjoy books, songs, rhymes, puppets and more in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  This is a wonderful way for little ones to start their week.  The sessions are scheduled on the following Mondays at 10am: September 17, 24, October 1, 15, 22 and November 5.  Children should be 12 months old by the first class.  Due to high demand this program is open to Middletown residents only.  Registration is required and begins on Monday, September 10, in person or by phone 860-344-8479.

Hollywood Romantic: the Films of Frank BorzageThis film series will begin with Lucky Star on Tuesday, September 11 at noon in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Director Frank Borzage defined cinematic romance during the Hollywood studio era. From the 1920s through the 1940s Borzage’s films explored the nature and power of love with unmatched passion and expressive power. In Borzage’s world, human embrace transcends the barriers of war, disability, death, and time itself. His films are unashamedly melodramatic, but they resonate with deep emotional truth. No filmmaker before or since has equaled the atmosphere of exalted love that Borzage conjures through light, movement, and sound. Come find out why Frank Borzage was one of Hollywood’s greats, and experience the lost art of romantic moviemaking. 

In Lucky Star (1929) Janet Gaynor stars as a small-town waif who falls for immobilized WWI veteran Charles Farrell in Borzage’s last silent film. Will he regain his power to walk before she marries the two-faced ne’er-do-well played by Guinn “Big Boy” Williams?  Future Frank Borzage films to be shown are:  No Greater Glory (1934) on October 9, History Is Made at Night on November 13, and  Three Comrades (1938) on December 11. 

Scott Higgins, a film historian and an Associate Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University, will lead a discussion following each movie.  Viewers are invited to bring a sandwich

 and the library will serve dessert and beverages.

Teen Book Discussion Based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X   

All teens are invited to join this discussion series to be held on Tuesday afternoons beginning September 11 from 4-5 pm in Meeting Room 3 and, thereafter in Meeting Room 2, at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown .  “I had never been so truly free in my life.” These poignant words of Malcolm X describe what it meant to learn to read while in prison. Thanks to the support of the Friends of the Russell Library, each teen participating in the group will receive a copy of The Autobiography of Malcolm X.  The life story of the remarkable, transformational leader was first published in 1964 and has had a major impact on America and around the world.  The series will be led by Quentin “Q” Phipps, a graduate of Middletown High School and Bryant University.  He was previously in banking and business and is now Executive Director, Downtown Business District, and Middletown City Treasurer. Teens who would like to join the book discussion series are asked to email Arthur Meyers, Library Director, at ameyers@russell.lioninc.org.

Otakus of Russell Library Unite!

Otakus is Russell Library’s Teen Group for fans of Anime, Manga and all things Japanese.  The group will meet at 7pm on Tuesday, September 11 in the Hubbard Room and on Tuesday, September 25 in Meeting Room 3 of Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Meeting twice a month, we view anime shorts, discuss our favorite manga series and explore the culture that has produced such art forms.  Food, music, costumes, and other expressions of Japan are all part of Otakus.  This group is for ages 11 and up.  Drop by and join in the fun; no registration is needed.

Russell Readers

Join us on Tuesday, September 11, when Benito Cereno (pages 475-515) by Herman Melville will be discussed.  The group meets the second Tuesday of each month from 7-8:20pm in Meeting Room 3.  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.  This year we will continue to use Short Story Omnibus from the Great Books Foundation.  Copies may be checked out at the Circulation Desk through 2012.  We are reading four types of stories: conventional short stories, “sudden or flash fiction,” novellas and graphic stories.   For more information, call (860) 347-0196 or email ameyers@russell.lioninc.org.  The discussions are sponsored by The Friends of the Russell Library.

Twos Are Terrific

Children ages 24 months to 35 months and their caregivers will enjoy short stories, rhymes, songs, flannel boards and craft time in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The sessions are scheduled for the following Wednesdays at 10am:  September 19, 26, October 3, 10, 17 and 24.  Children should be two years old by the first class.  Due to high demand this program is open to Middletown residents only.  Registration is required and begins on Wednesday, September 12 in person or by phone (860) 344-8479.

Preschool Power Story Hour

Children ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers will enjoy favorite stories, old and new, in this early literacy-based story time in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. The program includes use of flannel stories, puppets and songs, along with other surprises.  Favorite craft projects are carefully selected for your enjoyment too! The sessions are scheduled for the following Thursdays at 1:30pm:  September 20, 27, October 4, 18, 25 and November 1.  Children should be three years old by the first class.  Registration is required and begins on Thursday, September 13 in person or by phone (860) 344-8479.

Russell Library Knitters

The Russell Knitters will meet on Saturday, September, 11:00am-1pm in Meeting Room 3 at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Bring your knitting projects and join an enthusiastic group of knitters who are willing to share ideas and expertise.  No registration is required.

Ines will also offer an introduction to the Foundation Center's funding research tools such as the Foundation Directory Online Professional, a comprehensive online database of U.S. grant making foundations and the grants they have awarded,.  In addition, she will explore Philanthropy In/Sight®, an interactive mapping tool that can quickly create maps that reveal patterns of giving and funding relationships.

 Proposal Writing Basics with an Introduction to Finding Funders

Ines Sucre from the Foundation Center will present this workshop on Tuesday, September 18, 11-1pm in the Hubbard Room at russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Learn the key components of a strong proposal to a foundation or corporation including the composition, the overall grant seeking process, and effective communication with potential funders.

This workshop is for nonprofit organizations and not individuals. This program is free, but space is limited and registration is required. Please call the Russell Library Information Department at 860-347-2520. Refreshments will be served. Russell Library is a member of the Foundation Center's network of Cooperating Collections.  This program is funded by the Friends of the Russell Library.

Green Children: The Mushroom Man

Children ages 5 and up are invited to this program on Wednesday, September 19 at 4pm in the Story Telling Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. One of the traditions of Green Children is the annual presentation by Russell Library’s mushroom expert, Walt Rode. Explore the fascinating world of mushrooms and fungi.  Walt always brings a wide array of mushroom samples; some of which are quite unique and his program is always fun.  This is a drop in program, and no registration is required.

Baby Rhyme Time

Babies 12 months and under and their grown-ups are invited to join us from 1:30-2:30pm on Wednesdays through September 19 in the Activity Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. We will sing songs, learn rhymes and fingerplays and more in this fun, interactive program. Stay and play after the program.  No registration is required.

Celebrating Our Constitution

Judge Stefan R. Underhill will present "The Constitution Today" on Wednesday, September 19, 10:00 am in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  This program celebrates Constitution Day which commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine courageous men on September 17, 1787.  It recognizes all people who are born in the U.S. or who have become citizens by naturalization.  Judge Underhill will talk about the relevancy of the Constitution in today’s world and if a better public understanding of the document would help us through pressing contemporary issues.  Timely books, audio-visual materials and resource lists will be displayed in the main lobby for the public.

Judge Underhill was appointed United States District Judge for the District of Connecticut on July 7, 1999 and sworn in on September 1, 1999.  He received his B.A. in 1978 from the University of Virginia and a second Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University, which he attended on a Rhodes Scholarship. In 1984, he received his law degree from Yale Law School.  In private practice, Judge Underhill handled a wide variety of Commercial Litigation, concentrating in Insurance Coverage, Intellectual Property, and Appellate Practice. He has been active in the Federal Bar Council and the Federal Practice Section of the Connecticut Bar Association and served on the Board of Directors of Connecticut Legal Services.

 This program is cosponsored with the Wadsworth Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution which is a volunteer organization that supports historic preservation and promotes educational and patriotic endeavors.  The following organizations have donated funds to the library for new materials on the Constitution: The Middlesex Community Foundation, the Middlesex County Bar Association, Shipman & Goodwin LLP, and The Friends of the Russell Library. Introduction to Grant Seeking for Individuals

This class will be held on Wednesday, September 25, 9:30-11:30am in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Grant funds for individual endeavors such as education, research and business pursuits are not that easy to find.  Attend this class to learn about the Foundation Grants to Individuals database, GrantSpace.org and other helpful resources.  A working knowledge of the Internet and Windows are needed for this hands-on session.

The Power of Social Media: Why You Must Leverage LinkedIn and Facebook
Join career and job search expert Jan Melnik for this workshop on Tuesday, September 25, 6-8pm in the Hubbard Room at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Why should job seekers even think about using social media in their searches? What are the best strategies for using LinkedIn and Facebook in the job search? What are some of the social media pitfalls? In part two of the Job Search Boot Camp series, career and job-search expert Jan Melnik will demonstrate how to optimize your use of social media as today's top networking tool and show why every job seeker can improve their success by properly tapping social media's power.  Part 3 in this series is “The Game Plan: Insiders’ Tips for Job Search and Effective Interviewing” scheduled on Tuesday, October 23, 6-8pm.

          Russell Library Job Group

Russell Library presents weekly opportunities to network with other job seekers, as well as receive the advice of professionals.  Expert guest speakers focus on the job market and provide industry information.  The Group meets Thursdays, 9:30am-noon with speakers presenting from 10 to 11:00am in the Hubbard Room, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Upcoming speakers for September are:

9/6/12

10:00-11:00am

Jason Neely & Bob Carlson

“LinkedIn Photo Shoot”

9/13/12

10:00-11:00am

Alicia Nunez 

CT Department of Administrative Services

"Applying for CT State Employment" 

9/20/12

10:00-12:00pm

Bob Gomez

Author, Looking Forward to Monday

“Looking Forward to Monday”

9/27/12

10:00-11:00am

Natalia Xiomara-Chieffo

Employment Resource Team, LLC

“Marketing Your Skills and Talents”

New Downloadable Audiobook Service at Russell Library

We are happy to announce that we are offering access to Recorded Books' OneClickDigital.  Currently there are more than 3,000 titles, with new ones added each month. With OneClickDigital you can listen on your computer or transfer the titles to an MP3 player or iPod. There is a free iPhone app and an Android app will be released soon. Happy listening.

Resume Review and Critique

Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown, offers confidential resume critiquing and in-depth interview coaching appointments two Saturdays each month with Jeff Thierfeld, Business Professional and Consultant.  Please call (860) 347-2520 to sign up for a 45 minute appointment.  If you need to cancel, please allow 48 hours notice.

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, either by phone or at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Videotaping the session is optional and confidential.  45 minute sessions are available.  Please call (860) 347-2520 for more information and to sign up.

Career Coaching

James Kubat, an Associate Director of the Wesleyan Career Center, gives private, confidential career coaching through appointments at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown.  Please bring a resume (if you have one) to the appointment.  You must register and/or cancel at the Information Desk or by calling (860) 347-2520.  You will receive a reminder call prior to the appointment. 

Computer Classes

The Russell Library Information Department, 123 Broad Street, Middletown, CT, will offer a variety of computer-training sessions.  Classes introduce beginners to computers and provide a session on the Internet or Microsoft Word.  Advanced classes are offered on programs such as Microsoft Publisher and Excel.  There will be no prior signups for these classes. Classes are offered on a first come, first served basis.  If you are interested in attending, make sure you have the experience necessary for the class.   To attend, come to the Information Department on the date and time that the session is being offered.  In the event that a class fills up, most are repeated each month.  Please be on time.  If you have any questions, ask at the Information Desk or call (860) 347-2520.