HEARING IMPAIRMENT

The field of aural rehabilitation, providing support for people with hearing impairments, is important to both school-age children and adults with hearing loss.  Matthew Sweet (University of Connecticut’s Department of Communication Disorders) will present a program on aural rehabilitation at Windsor Locks Public Library, 28 Main Street, on Wednesday, May 2 at 6:30 PM.  The presentation will focus on information and resources for people who wish to help loved ones cope with hearing impairments.  Please call the library at 860-627-1495 to register.

RED TAIL HEART: AUTHOR KENNETH WILLIAMS

Wednesday, May 9 @ 6:30 PM:  Author Kenneth A. Williams was raised by his widowed grandmother in near-poverty in a small Oklahoma town, but with her support and encouragement he earned his JD degree from Cornell University. He now practices law and resides in Connecticut with his wife and three children and recently published his first novel, Red Tail Heart: The Life and Love of a Tuskegee Airman. The novel follows divorce attorney Chris Irvin, who gains the confidence to find love for himself after he uncovers letters belonging to his great uncle Roy, who was a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Uncle Roy's heart-wrenching story is one of love lost and regained. In the author's words, "This story explores love in all forms. Romantic, erotic, parent and child, God and man, dysfunctional, all in the context of one man's extraordinary journey through life." Join author Kenneth A. Williams as he leads us through Chris and Uncle Roy's story. Registration is recommended. Call 860-627-1495.

LEAVE NO TRACE

On Tuesday, April 24. Leave No Trace Master Educator Joe Nager will present an informative workshop for hikers, campers, and nature lovers from 6-8 PM.  The topic or the workshop will be enjoying nature without a negative impact. Participants will learn everything they need to know about helping to save and preserve our national, state, and local parks, natural habitats, and campgrounds. Learn how to handle trash, what to enjoy, what to replace, and even best practices for personal hygiene in the wild. Bigfoot has been doing it for years, so you can learn how, too! Call us at 860-627-1495 today to register.

PROGRAM REGISTRATION

As a public library we try to present programming that is informational, up-to-date, and of interest to our library users.  We always consider suggestions from library patrons and try to anticipate trends and local interests when we plan programs and events.  Unless the program in question is of very specific interest or it is otherwise  stated in our promotional materials, we do require registration for programs that are held in our community room.  Because the room holds only 40 people and we do not want to turn people away, we occasionally need to check off arrivals to be sure that everyone who is registered has a seat.  Then, at the time the program is scheduled to begin, we then allow unregistered people to take the unfilled seats.  For this reason, we greatly appreciate you calling if you find that you cannot attend a program for which you have registered.  It opens your seat to others and allows the maximum number of people to enjoy every program that we offer!  Thank you for your help!

NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK

Libraries across the country will be celebrating National Library Week this week, April 8-14, 2012.  We haven't made any special plans, bur we do ask you to consider some things.  Is your library card up-to-date?  This little card gives you access to thousands of things, including books, databases, museum passes, Universal Classes, Internet, interlibrary loans, movies, downloads, music, and more.  Chances are if you are reading this you have an active library card, but do me a favor and ask your siblings, your neighbor, or your coworker if they use their public library.  Library cards are FREE, and only about 1/3 of the people in our area have them!

We would like your feedback, including ideas for purchases, programming, and plans for the future.  You can use the FEEDBACK button on our home page WindsorLocksLibrary.org, comment on our blog, email me at epearce@libraryconnection.info, call us at 860-627-1495, or stop in and talk to us.  Your ideas are important to us and we encourage you to share them year-round, but this week would be an especially good time to let us know how we are doing and how we can be a better library for you!  If someone doesn't use the library we are interested in why and how we can change that.

I think that National Library Week is a good time to celebrate what really makes libraries great: not just the books and technology or the programs or the staff, but the people who utilize them.  You are the reason that we are here.  Thank you for your support!