Help out the Altamont Free Library (and the Earth) the next time you go grocery shopping! The library will receive a $1 donation for every $2.50 reusable Community Bag sold in January at the Hannaford store located at 5239 Western Turnpike in Guilderland.
You still have a few weeks to participate. Thanks, Hannaford!
Story time
Do you and your young friends have cabin fever? If so, bring them to story time!
Story time is a super fun program that combines some of our favorite things: awesome stories, silly songs, playful movement, and most importantly, bubbles!
We host two story times every week, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. on the dot, so if you can’t make it one day, maybe you can make it the other day! (We used to say that Tuesdays were for preschoolers and Wednesdays were for toddlers, but really we’re good with all ages.)
Please join us, and bring a friend!
Vision boarding
Why not start your year off on a visionary note? Please join us on Thursday, Jan. 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. to create your very own vision board, with guidance from Altamont treasure Ginger Hannah.
A vision board is a visual representation of your goals and aspirations, and the process by which you create it — with drawings, cut-out magazine pictures, and words — is a deep-dive exploration of what truly matters to you and what you want your future to look like.
Please call the library at 518-861-7239 or email to register in advance. I hope we see you in our future!
Gala
The social event of the winter is only a few weeks away: The always-anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall. Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library this week.
If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support. You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year, we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Tech assistance
Now that the holidays are behind us, many of us are left trying to figure out how the heck to use the new techno-goodies we’ve received. For everyone who takes to new technologies like a fish to water, there are five of us who are utterly befuddled by new devices.
But fear not, that’s what the library is here for. Whether it’s a new phone, laptop, tablet, or eReader that won’t do what it’s supposed to do, we can (probably) help!
Call the library at 518-861-7239 to book an appointment to sit down with a librarian for up to a half-hour and sort out your gizmo issues. And hey, if we can’t help you, it just means that you’re not alone in your confusion.
Now that the older kids are back to school after a loooong vacation, our younger friends might be feeling a little left out. If so, bring them to story time!
Story time at the Altamont Free Library is a super fun program that combines some of our favorite things: awesome stories, silly songs, playful movement, and most importantly, bubbles! We host two story times every week, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. on the dot, so if you can’t make it one day, maybe you can make it the other day! (We used to say that Tuesdays were for preschoolers and Wednesdays were for toddlers, but really we’re good with all ages.) Please join us, and bring a friend!
Vision Boarding with Ginger Hannah
Why not start your year off on a visionary note? Please join us on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. to create your very own vision board, with guidance from Altamont treasure Ginger Hannah.
A vision board is a visual representation of your goals and aspirations, and the process by which you create it — with drawings, cut out magazine pictures, and words — is a deep dive exploration of what truly matters to you and what you want your future to look like.
Please call the library at 518-861-7239 or email to register in advance. I hope we see you in our future!
I Love My Library Gala
The social event of the winter is only a few weeks away! The always anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall. Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library this week.
If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support. You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year, we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our Village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Tech assistance
Now that the holidays are behind us, many of us are left trying to figure out how the heck to use the new techno-goodies we’ve received. For everyone who takes to new technologies like a fish to water, there are five of us who are utterly befuddled by new devices.
But fear not, that’s what the library is here for. Whether it’s a new phone, laptop, tablet or eReader that won’t do what it’s supposed to do, we can (probably) help! Call the library at 518-861-7239 to book an appointment to sit down with a librarian for up to a half-hour and sort out your gizmo issues. And hey, if we can’t help you, it just means that you’re not alone in your confusion.
Fine freedom
At the beginning of 2019, we started an experiment: If we didn’t charge overdue fines for children’s books, would books suddenly stop coming back? As it turns out, just about every book we checked out came back more or less on time, or at least no later than they ever were before.
Even better, due to this policy we were able to forgive old overdue fines and allow children who had overdue fines before to return to the library as borrowers in good standing. All in all, the experiment has been a complete success! It’s been such a success, that we’re expanding the fine-free program in 2020 to Young Adult books!
From now on, no matter whether you’re a kid, a parent, a teacher, or anyone else, children’s and young-adult books checked out here (even if we have to get them from another library) will not accrue overdue fines. In addition, if you have existing overdue fines on an AFL youth card, we’ll clear them. Patrons with overdue children’s and young-adult books will still be notified through their normal channels, and after 28 days, the book will be considered lost and the borrower responsible for the cost of the item, but if it comes back after that, the fine will be cleared.
We hope that many of our friends take advantage of this experiment, so spread the word!
Now that the holidays are behind us, many of us are left trying to figure out how the heck to use the new techno-goodies we’ve received. For everyone who takes to new technologies like a fish to water, there are five of us who are utterly befuddled by new devices.
But fear not, that’s what the library is here for. Whether it’s a new phone, laptop, tablet or eReader that won’t do what it’s supposed to do, we can (probably) help!
Call the library at 518-861-7239 to book an appointment to sit down with a librarian for up to a half-hour and sort out your gizmo issues. And hey, if we can’t help you, it just means that you’re not alone in your confusion.
Fine freedom
At the beginning of 2019, we started an experiment: If we didn’t charge overdue fines for children’s books, would books suddenly stop coming back? As it turns out, just about every book we checked out came back more or less on time, or at least no later than they ever were before.
Even better, due to this policy, we were able to forgive old overdue fines and allow children who had had overdue fines before to return to the library as borrowers in good standing. All in all, the experiment has been a complete success!
It’s been such a success, that we’re expanding the fine-free program in 2020 to young-adult books! From now on, no matter whether you’re a kid, a parent, a teacher, or anyone else, children’s and young-adult books checked out here (even if we have to get them from another library) will not accrue overdue fines.
In addition, if you have existing overdue fines on an Altamont Free Library youth card, we’ll clear them. Patrons with overdue children’s and young-adult books will still be notified through their normal channels and, after 28 days, the book will be considered lost and the borrower responsible for the cost of the item, but if it comes back after that, the fine will be cleared.
We hope that many of our friends take advantage of this experiment, so spread the word!
Ukulele Meetup
Do you play ukulele? Are you interested in learning more or meeting other ukesters and learning a few new tunes?
Join us for our monthly ukulele meet up on Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. The first hour will be for new players to learn hints and tips from more seasoned players, and the second hour will be an old-fashioned song swap!
Don’t worry if you don’t have a uke yet. There are always extras to pass around.
Book Club meets
Did you resolve to read more books in 2020? To meet new people? To spend more time at the library?
Boy, have we got the group for you! Join our First Monday Book Club for our first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 6, at noon. We’ll be discussing Lisa Wingate’s recent novel “Before We Were Yours.” This affecting novel tells the story of a young girl, abducted along with her siblings in 1939, and the generational reverberations of that crime.
I Love My Library Gala
The social event of the winter is only a few weeks away! The always-anticipated annual I Love My Library Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall.
Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library this week. If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support.
You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Lisa Wingate’s recent novel “Before We Were Yours,” inspired by true events, tells the story of a young girl, abducted along with her siblings in 1939, and the generational reverberations of that crime. The Altamont Free Library’s First Monday Book Club will discuss the book on Monday, Jan. 6, at noon.
Now that the holidays are behind us, many of us are left trying to figure out how the heck to use the new techno-goodies we’ve received. For everyone who takes to new technologies like a fish to water, there are five of us who are utterly befuddled by new devices.
But fear not, that’s what the library is here for. Whether it’s a new phone, laptop, tablet or eReader that won’t do what it’s supposed to do, we can (probably) help! Call the library at 518-861-7239 to book an appointment to sit down with a librarian for up to a half-hour and sort out your gizmo issues. And hey, if we can’t help you, it just means that you’re not alone in your confusion.
Happy New Year!
The library will be closing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2019. We wish you all a happy, safe and healthy new year!
Ukulele Meetup
Do you play ukulele? Are you interested in learning more or meeting other ukesters and learning a few new tunes? Join us for our monthly ukulele meet up on Tuesday, Jan. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.! The first hour will be for new players to learn hints and tips from more seasoned players, and the second hour will be an old-fashioned song swap! Don’t worry if you don’t have a uke yet. There are always extras to pass around.
Book club
Did you resolve to read more books in 2020? To meet new people? To spend more time at the library? Boy, have we got the group for you! Join our First Monday Book Club for our first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 6, at noon.
We’ll be discussing Lisa Wingate’s recent novel “Before We Were Yours.” This affecting novel tells the story of a young girl, abducted along with her siblings in 1939, and the generational reverberations of that crime.
Cell Phones for Soldiers
Over the next few weeks, Altamont Free Library is partnering with Senator George Amedore and numerous collection points throughout the Capital District (including Guilderland Public Library) to collect old cell phones and redistribute them to members of the military and recently returned veterans through a charity called Cell Phones for Soldier Inc.
Its mission is to provide cost-free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans. Cell Phones for Soldiers reports that they have provided more than 204 million "Minutes That Matter" to deployed troops.
Since 2012, its “Helping Heroes Home” initiative has provided emergency funds for more than 400 returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships. If you have an old cell phone that’s collecting dust, please consider dropping it off in our collection box between now and the end of December.
From all of us at Altamont Free Library, we extend our gratitude to all of our military veterans for their selfless service to our county. Thank you all!
Dan Frinta Exhibit
We have a very talented community, and we love getting to put those talents on display. For the next few weeks, it will be our pleasure to host an exhibit of photographs by our friend, Altamont-based photographer Dan Frinta! Dan’s work has been featured frequently in the Times Union and the Altamont Enterprise among other publications. Thanks, Dan, for letting us show a small bit of your incredible body of work.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Candy canes, licorice, gumdrops, and chocolate kisses are all part of the decorations on this gingerbread house, made as an Altamont Free Library project and displayed with a veritable village of houses for the Victorian Holiday celebration.
Over the next few weeks, the Altamont Free Library is partnering with Senator George Amedore and numerous collection points throughout the Capital District (including the Guilderland Public Library) to collect old cell phones and redistribute them to members of the military and recently returned veterans through a charity called Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc.
Their mission is to provide cost-free communication services to active-duty military members and veterans. Cell Phones for Soldiers reports that they have provided more than 204 million “Minutes That Matter” to deployed troops. Since 2012, their “Helping Heroes Home” initiative has provided emergency funds for more than 400 returning veterans to alleviate communication challenges as well as physical, emotional and assimilation hardships.
If you have an old cell phone that’s collecting dust, please consider dropping it off in our collection box between now and the end of December. From all of us at Altamont Free Library, we extend our gratitude to all of our military veterans for their selfless service to our county. Thank you all!
Holiday hours
Please note that Altamont Free Library will be closing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 24 and closed on Wednesday, Dec. 25. Looking further ahead, we’ll also be closing at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31 and closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1 . Happy Holidays to all!
Story Swap
Back in October, we held our first-ever Altamont Remembers Story Swap, and it was a huge success! We heard all kinds of stories about people and events that occurred in the village, some going back more than a century.
This holiday season, we’ll be holding our second Story Swap, but this time we want to hear all about your Christmas and winter memories. What did Main Street look like after the first snow? Who led the caroling? Where was the best sledding hill?
If you’ve got memories to share, we’d love to hear them and record them for posterity, so join us this Friday, Dec. 20, at 6 to 7 p.m. for some hot chocolate, good neighbors, and great stories.
Dan Frinta Exhibit
We have a very talented community, and we love getting to put those talents on display. For the next few weeks, it will be our pleasure to host an exhibit of photographs by our friend, Altamont-based photographer Dan Frinta!
Dan’s work has been featured frequently in the “Times Union” and “The Altamont Enterpris” among other publications. Thanks, Dan, for letting us show a small bit of your incredible body of work!
Amazon Smile
Speaking of fundraising, here’s a great, easy, cost-free way to support the library: If you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon, please consider going to Smile.Amazon.com (instead of just regular old Amazon.com).
Everything on the website will be exactly the same as usual, but you’ll have the opportunity to choose Altamont Free Library as your charity of choice and a portion of your purchase will go to support the Altamont Free Library, even though your gifts won’t cost you a penny more than they normally would! (You can do that all year round, if you like, but we just thought we’d mention it now.)
Photographs by Dan Frinta are currently exhibited at the Altamont Free Library. This Frinta photograph is of Indian Ladder Trail at John Boyd Thacher State Park.
Thank you to all of our friends who contributed to our annual Library Lights campaign, and to those of you who joined us in Orsini Park last Friday despite the snow. Due to your efforts, we raised over $600 for the library!
A full list of this year’s honorees may be found on our website at AltamontFreeLibrary.org. We’d especially like to thank Mayor Kerry Dineen, Jeff Moller, and the team at the Village Department of Public Works for all their invaluable help in making a space in the park for us and setting up the lights. Thank you all!
Victorian Holiday Celebration
We hope that you’ll be in Altamont on Sunday, Dec. 15, for the annual Victorian Holiday Celebration, taking place all over the village. And while you’re in Altamont for the Victorian Holiday Celebration, don’t forget to stop by the library.
We’ll be open from noon until 5 p.m. and we’ll be hosting storyteller Nancy Payne whose books would make phenomenal presents. We’ll also have drop-in ornament making for kiddos.
And don’t forget to be here at 5 p.m. for a very special train arrival with a very special passenger! (I don’t think anyone told Santa that the library isn’t a train station anymore! Let’s keep that a village secret, shall we?)
Story Swap
Back in October, we held our first ever Altamont Remembers Story Swap, and it was a huge success! We heard all kinds of stories about people and events that occurred in the village, some going back more than a century.
This holiday season, we’ll be holding our second Story Swap, but this time we want to hear all about your Christmas and winter memories. What did Main Street look like after the first snow? Who led the caroling? Where was the best sledding hill?
If you’ve got memories to share, we’d love to hear them and record them for posterity, so join us on Friday, Dec. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. for some hot chocolate, good neighbors, and great stories.
Dan Frinta Exhibit
We have a very talented community, and we love getting to put those talents on display. For the next few weeks, it will be our pleasure to host an exhibit of photographs by our friend, Altamont-based photographer Dan Frinta.
Dan’s work has been featured frequently in the Times Union and The Altamont Enterprise among other publications. Thanks, Dan, for letting us show a small bit of your incredible body of work.
Gala
There’s so much 2019 left, but we’re already looking ahead next year, and the social event of the winter, so save the date. The always-anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall.
Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library in the coming weeks. If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us.
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support. You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year, we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Amazon Smile
Speaking of fundraising, here’s a great, easy, cost-free way to support the library: If you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon, please consider going to Smile.Amazon.com (instead of just regular old Amazon.com).
Everything on the website will be exactly the same as usual, but you’ll have the opportunity to choose Altamont Free Library as your charity of choice and a portion of your purchase will go to support the Altamont Free Library, even though your gifts won’t cost you a penny more than they normally would! (You can do that all year round, if you like, but we just thought we’d mention it now.)
Enterprise file photo — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
Crowning glory: A young decorator carefully sets a candy atop her gingerbread house — actually made of graham crackers — last year. The Altamont Free Library has been organizing this event for “probably 10 years,” said library Director Joe Burke, in which the houses decorated by children are displayed during the Victorian Holiday celebration. This year, kids will decorate their houses at the library on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Enterprise file photo — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
Better than shingles: A child carefully adds royal icing to the roof of a gingerbread house last year to be shown during the Victorian Holiday celebration. The Altamont Free Library has been organizing this event for “probably 10 years,” said library Director Joe Burke, in which the houses decorated by children are displayed during the Victorian Holiday celebration. This year, kids will decorate their houses at the library on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m.
We have a very talented community, and we love getting to put those talents on display. For the next few weeks, it will be our pleasure to host an exhibit of photographs by our friend, Altamont-based photographer Dan Frinta!
Dan’s work has been featured frequently in the Times Union and The Altamont Enterprise among other publications. Thanks, Dan, for letting us show a small bit of your incredible body of work!
Library Lights
This holiday season, honor the memory of a friend, loved one, or pet with a light on the Altamont Village Gazebo in Orsini Park. The lights cost $3 each and all proceeds benefit the Altamont Free Library. The honorees names will be read during the annual lighting ceremony this Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m., and be published on the library’s website.
Forms are available at the library’s circulation desk and in this week’s edition of the Altamont Enterprise. Please join us on at the gazebo on Dec. 6 for what is always a lovely and moving ceremony.
Gingerbread houses
It's almost time for one of our favorite annual traditions: Decorating gingerbread houses! Please bring your young folks and join us at the library on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. to make your very own gingerbread house to display at the Victorian Holiday Celebration & Winter Market the next day.
Sign up at the library, or by calling us at 518-861-7239. Space is limited at this always-fun event, so sign up today!
Victorian Holiday Celebration
We hope that you’ll be in Altamont on Sunday, Dec. 15, for the annual Victorian Holiday Celebration, taking place all over the village. And while you’re in Altamont for the Victorian Holiday Celebration, don’t forget to stop by the library.
We’ll be open from noon until 5 p.m. and we’ll be hosting storyteller Nancy Payne whose books would make phenomenal presents. We’ll also have drop-in ornament making for kiddos.
And don’t forget to be here at 5 p.m. for a very special train arrival with a very special passenger! (I don’t think anyone told Santa that the library isn’t a train station anymore! Let’s keep that a village secret, shall we?)
Story Swap
Back in October, we held our first ever Altamont Remembers Story Swap, and it was a huge success! We heard all kinds of stories about people and events that occurred in the village, some going back more than a century.
This holiday season, we’ll be holding our second Story Swap, but this time we want to hear all about your Christmas and winter memories. What did Main Street look like after the first snow? Who led the caroling? Where was the best sledding hill?
If you’ve got memories to share, we’d love to hear them and record them for posterity, so join us on Friday, Dec. 20, at 6 to 7 p.m. for some hot chocolate, good neighbors, and great stories.
Gala
There’s so much 2019 left, but we’re already looking ahead next year, and the social event of the winter, so save the date! The always anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall.
Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library in the coming weeks. If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us.
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support. You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year, we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Amazon Smile
Speaking of fundraising, here’s a great, easy, cost-free way to support the library: If you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon, please consider going to Smile.Amazon.com (instead of just regular old Amazon.com).
Everything on the website will be exactly the same as usual, but you’ll have the opportunity to choose Altamont Free Library as your charity of choice and a portion of your purchase will go to support the Altamont Free Library, even though your gifts won’t cost you a penny more than they normally would! (You can do that all year ’round, if you like, but we just thought we’d mention it now.)
It’s almost time for one of our favorite annual traditions: Decorating gingerbread houses!
Please bring your young folks and join us at the Altamont Free Library on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. to make your very own gingerbread house to display at the Victorian Holiday Celebration & Winter Market the next day.
Sign up at the library, or by calling us at 518-861-7239. Space is limited at this always-fun event, so sign up today!
Ukrainian Potluck
We had to reschedule last month’s Eat Around the World Potluck, but we’re on for Monday, Nov. 25, at 6 p.m., and this time we’ll be taste-testing the currently very much in the news nation of Ukraine. Bring a dish to share and a friend and join us for this always enjoyable evening.
Library Lights
Feel that nip in the air? That’s a pretty good sign that the holidays are creeping up on us. We’re about a month away from the Altamont Victorian Holiday Celebration, so it’s time to start thinking about lighting up the Orsini Park Gazebo. This holiday season, honor the memory of a friend, loved one, or pet with a light on the Altamont Village Gazebo in Orsini Park.
The lights cost $3 each and all proceeds benefit the Altamont Free Library. The honorees names will be read during the annual lighting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m., and be published on the library’s website. Forms are available at the library’s circulation desk and in this week’s edition of the Altamont Enterprise. Please join us on at the gazebo on Dec. 6 for what is always a lovely and moving ceremony.
I Love My Library Gala
There’s so much 2019 left, but we’re already looking ahead next year, and the social event of the winter, so save the date! The always anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8 2020 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall. Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library in the coming weeks.
If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support. You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our Village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
It’s the time of year of the counting of blessings and the giving of thanks! We, here at the library, are tremendously thankful for each and every member of the library community who give life and meaning to the Altamont Free Library.
From our youngest storytimers to our well-seasoned readers, from the rowdy young folks to our quiet researchers, from the three-visits-a-day’ers to the folks who poke in only a few times a year, we value and welcome you all.
Thank you for your continued support and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
The Altamont Free Library will be closing at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and closed entirely on Thursday, Nov. 28, in observance of Thanksgiving.
Gingerbread houses
It's almost time for one of our favorite annual traditions: Decorating gingerbread houses!
Please bring your young folks and join us on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3 to 5 p.m. to make your very own gingerbread house to display at the Victorian Holiday Celebration & Winter Market the next day.
Sign up at the library, or by calling us at 518-861-7239. Space is limited at this always-fun event, so sign up today!
“Three Can Keep a Secret”
Speaking of book clubs, our Mystery Book Club will be meeting on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. to discuss “Three Can Keep a Secret” by Archer Mayor.
This mid-series title finds Vermont Bureau of Investigation Officer Joe Gunther dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Irene and the long-held secrets that the storm has dredged up. There are still copies left, so if you love a good whodunit, please join us.
Juice and Jammies Story Time
On Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., put on your pj’s and join Ms. Erika for a pre-bedtime story, snack and craft! This low-key storytime will be just the thing to prepare your young folks to count some sheep. Please call us at 518-861-7239 or email us at to register in advance!
Ukrainian Potluck
We had to reschedule last month’s Eat Around the World Potluck, but we’re on for Monday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m., and this time we’ll be taste-testing the currently very much in the news nation of Ukraine. Bring a dish to share and a friend and join us for this always enjoyable evening.
Library Lights
Feel that nip in the air? That’s a pretty good sign that the holidays are creeping up on us. We’re about a month away from the Altamont Victorian Holiday Celebration, so it’s time to start thinking about lighting up the Orsini Park Gazebo.
This holiday season, honor the memory of a friend, loved one, or pet with a light on the Altamont Village Gazebo in Orsini Park. The lights cost $3 each and all proceeds benefit the Altamont Free Library. The honorees names will be read during the annual lighting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m., and be published on the library’s website.
Forms are available at the library’s circulation desk and in next week’s edition of the Altamont Enterprise. Please join us on at the gazebo on Dec. 6 for what is always a lovely and moving ceremony.
I Love My Library! Gala
There’s so much 2019 left, but we’re already looking ahead next year, and the social event of the winter, so save the date! The always anticipated annual I Love My Library! Gala is coming up on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 at the Community Room at Altamont Village Hall.
Invitations will be in the mail soon and tickets will be available at the library in the coming weeks. If you haven’t attended in the past and are interested in receiving an invitation, please get in touch with us. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we need your support.
You’ll enjoy a fantastic dinner and homemade desserts, exciting live and silent auctions, and the delightful company of your fellow library supporters.
This year we will be honoring the many contributions made to our community by Kristin Casey and Linda Cure, two longtime friends, board members, and volunteers whose dedicated service to our library and our village are a shining example for us all. Please join us!
Feel that nip in the air? That’s a pretty good sign that the holidays are creeping up on us.
We’re about a month away from the Altamont Victorian Holiday Celebration, so it’s time to start thinking about lighting up the Orsini Park Gazebo. This holiday season, honor the memory of a friend, loved one, or pet with a light on the Altamont Village Gazebo in Orsini Park.
The lights cost $3 each and all proceeds benefit the Altamont Free Library. The honorees’ names will be read during the annual lighting ceremony on Friday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m., and will be published on the library’s website.
Forms are available at the library’s circulation desk and in next week’s edition of The Altamont Enterprise. Please join us on at the gazebo on Dec. 6 for what is always a lovely and moving ceremony.
Young Readers’ Book Club
Last month we had a very successful first meeting of our new Young Readers Book Club for readers ages 9 to 12, and we think the second meeting is going to be even better.
This month we’re reading “Resistance” by Ann Jungman, a fairly obscure, but fantastic book about a group of children’s attempts to help the Dutch resistance to the occupying Nazi’s during World War II. (It’s so obscure that even the author doesn’t have any extra copies! We asked.)
We’ve scrounged together a few extra copies, so pick one up today and join us on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for a great discussion! We have a signup sheet at the desk, and you can always send us an email at so that we know you’re coming.
“Three Can Keep a Secret”
Speaking of book clubs, our Mystery Book Club will be meeting on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. to discuss “Three Can Keep a Secret” by Archer Mayor.
This mid-series title finds Vermont Bureau of Investigation Officer Joe Gunther dealing with the fallout from Hurricane Irene and the long-held secrets that the storm has dredged up. There are still copies left, so if you love a good whodunit, please join us.
Juice and Jammies Story Time
On Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., put on your pj’s and join Ms. Erika for a pre-bedtime story, snack and craft! This low-key storytime will be just the thing to prepare your young folks to count some sheep. Please call us at 518 - 861-7239 or email us at to register in advance!
Hours change
Beginning in Nov. 1, Altamont Free Library will no longer be open from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. BUT! At the same time, we will be extending out Saturday hours from a three-hour 10am to 1pm day to a six-hour 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. day!
We hope that people will find the longer hours on our busiest day of the week to be a positive and helpful change. To our beloved Sunday users, we hope that you will be able to visit us another day, and that you understand that having a small staff keeping a small library open an incredible 58 hours per week (way more than any other library our size in the area) means having to make tough choices about which hours to be open.
If you have any concerns, complaints, or questions, please let me know by calling me at 518 - 861-7239, or emailing me at .
Homeschoolers
Our community is home to many homeschoolers, and we want to know what we can do to help you! One program that we’ve been working on is a workshop on library skills for homeschoolers, which is a necessary element of many homeschooling curricula.
If you and your family would be interested in such a program, please get in touch with us at or by calling us at 518 - 861-7239. Let us know what you’d like such a class to cover, what times and days work best for you, and how old your students are. That information will help us develop our program.Thanks!