The Short List

We ‘ll be debuting our newly renovated website on Thursday, November 1st. Take a few minutes and navigate through the new pages. Did you know that every month we list all the new materials added to the collections? Or that you can put a hold on sure-to-be-bestselling books before they’re released by the publishers on the New Release Alerts page? You can also find out about all the upcoming programs for children and adults including our 4 book clubs. Our museum passes are all listed for your convenience as are our services and policies. There is a whole new research section which includes a monthly “Spotlight On Reference” page which will focus on using the reference materials in the library and online. There are also new research links pages with hundreds of links to useful and interesting websites. The new website will have sections with information on volunteering and making donations to the Library. Let us know what you think of it.

On Tuesday, November 13th from 7-8p.m., local columnist Sam Rosensohn will present “Should You Take The SAT Or The ACT and How To Ace Them.” Young adults in grades 9-11 and their parents are invited to attend this important informational meeting. College preparation is a lengthy process and the earlier you begin to think about it, the better prepared you’ll be.

On Monday evening, at the Annual Member’s Meeting, three new Board members were elected. Welcome to: Leslie Anderson, Stuart Littler and Casey O’Brien. New officers of the Board were also elected. Michael Hammond is now the President, and Stephanie Degen-Monroe Vice-President. They join: Paul Ferrucci and Bill Jacaruso/co-Treasurers and Leslie Black who is the Secretary. The remaining Board members are: Janice Atkeson (who is also President of the Friends), Alison Brinkmann, Marilyn Buel, Maureen Heher, Alison Marcinek, Hans Ullstein and Stuart Warner. We bid a fond farewell from the Board to Terry Smith, Barry Fulford and John Heiser–thank you for all your time, effort and dedication to helping make the Essex Library the wonderful community asset that it is.

The Library will be graced with crafts expert Merry Coleman for two programs in November:

On Monday, November 5th at 6:30 p.m. Merry will lead a necklace-making workshop for young adults in grades 6-8.

On Thursday, November 8th from 4-5p.m. Merry will teach children in Kindergarten - 2nd grade how to make Dreamcatchers.

Please call or e-mail the Library (767-1560) or jmccann@essexlib.org to register.

If you’re planning a trip, just dreaming of where to go on your next vacation or are looking for an adventure, take a look at our brand new travel guides. We’ve got the 2008 Fodor’s to: Cape Cod, Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard; Washington, D.C.; and Walt Disney World as well as Montreal, Mexico and the Bahamas. If Europe is more what you’re looking for, we’ve got the 2008 Fodor’s for France; National Geographic’s Traveler Florence & Tuscany and the DK Travel Guide to Berlin. The DK Guides are wonderful because they’re full of photos, great tips and useful maps. We also have Best Places To Stay: 44 Extraordinary Hotels and the Lonely Planet book– A Year Of Adventures: A Guide To What, Where And When To Do It.

The Giller Prize is Canada’s richest literary award for fiction–with a $40,000 award. The shortlist of nominees was announced on October 9th and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 6th. The 5 shortlisted novels are: Late Nights On Air by Elizabeth Hay, Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje, A Secret Between Us by Daniel Poliquin, The Assassin’s Song by M.G. Vassanji and Effigy by Alissa York.

Join us on Wednesday, October 24th from 7-8p.m. as Patricia D’Ascoli, award-winning author of Diary Of A Mediocre Mom: Why I Hate Water Parks and Other Mid-Life Musings and a self-proclaimed mediocre mom, celebrates mediocrity with her humorous insights into parenthood and mid-life. She will have copies of her book available for purchase and signing.

Please join Connecticut Audubon Society EcoTravel as they present Live Birds Of Prey on Saturday, October 27th from 4-5:30p.m. at the Essex Library. Audubon educators will present and discuss some remarkable creatures of the night. This free presentation will feature a variety of non-releasable birds of prey as well as tarantulas and other creepy, crawly creatures. For information, call 860 767-0660 or e-mail: pwood@ctaudubon.org

Irish author, Anne Enright, won the Man Booker Prize yesterday with her 4th novel The Gathering, a bleak story about a dysfunctional family. The Prize carries with it a $100,000 award as well as an expected dramatic increase in sales of the book. Enright beat out the odds-on favorites On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan and Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones.

We add new titles every month to the Overdrive service offered on the Library website; just click on the Overdrive icon and you’ll see all the titles available to download to your computer. They can then be transferred to an MP3 player or many can also be burned to CD. New titles for October include: The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold, The Book Of The Dead by Patricia Cornwell, Fire In The Blood by Irene Nemirovsky, Gentlemen Of The Road by Michael Chabon, The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Life On The Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers, The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin, Spanish For Dummies and “T” Is For Trespass by Sue Grafton.