Altamont Library Notes for Thursday, November 3, 2016

With Election Day just around the corner, it might be nice to step back from negativity and think about how lucky we are to live where and when we do. Working in the Altamont Free Library, I often think about all of the changes that our building has seen since it was completed in 1897.

Over the past 119 years, this building has seen the expansion of political, social, and economic rights and opportunities for enormous segments of our population. It has witnessed multiple wars, recessions, depressions, and hardships.

It has seen cultural changes, the likes of which could not have been imagined by the builders of our train station or the founders of our library. It has seen the eradication of horrific diseases and the dramatic increase in life expectancy. It has seen people on the moon and the rise of instantaneous global communication.

All of this reminds us that change is always difficult and discomforting, but despite all of those changes the essentials remain: We live in one of the most beautiful, bountiful places on the face of the planet and we are sustained by our strong community ties.

No matter what the outcome is on Election Day, rest assured that the Altamont Train Station will still be here, ready as always to take you on your next exciting journey.

Constitution book club

Monday, Nov. 7 is the day before Election Day. It is also the day that our First Monday Book Club meets at noon. One of our book club members had a phenomenal idea of how to combine both occasions: Instead of discussing a novel, let’s read and discuss our national owner’s manual, the United States Constitution.

It’s a short read, and we’ve got copies that you can keep, so please join us for what will certainly be a fascinating and relevant conversation.

Bake sale

Speaking of Election Day, there is one surefire way to leave the polling place with a smile on your face: Get yourself a brownie. Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent, we can all agree that homemade cookies, pies, and bread make the world a little sweeter, so please visit the library’s Election Day bake sale at Altamont village hall while you’re voting on Nov. 8.

All proceeds from the sale go to support the Altamont Free Library. Better yet, you can also donate baked goods to the sale! We need plenty of bakers to make this fundraiser a success, so if you’d like to donate some baked goods, give Joe a call at 861-7239.

Juice and Jamies

In November, we’ll be trying out a new idea: On Thursday, Nov. 10 and 17 at 7 p.m. put on your pj’s and join Ms. Erika for a pre-bedtime story, snack, and craft. This low-key story time will be just the thing to prepare your young folks to count some sheep.

If there’s enough interest, we’ll add this as an ongoing addition to our usual Tuesday and Wednesday morning story time rotation.