T.W. Dick Relics, Part 1

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T.W. Dick, the company and the facilities, was a part of Gardiner’s historic tapestry for over 100 years.  As many of you know, the now vacant buildings are owned by the city and slated for removal for new projects.  As the Community Archives Room at the Gardiner Public Library is the repository for Gardiner’s history and artifacts I was able to visit the site and gather a few representative items to ensure that some part of this history is preserved.  The spaces were immense and patchworked with little details from many eras but, sadly, there was little tangible material left …

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What’s Going On?!?!?!

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  Over the next couple of weeks, we have several irons in the fire. National Library Week is celebrated from April 10 – 16 this year.  We have a display of “library” related books for your perusal. The ALA (American Library Association) theme for the week is “Libraries Transform Lives”.  As part of the promotional campaign, we have blank “speech bubbles” available for folks to let us know how a library may have transformed your life!  Next time you’re in the library, pick up one at the desk, and we’ll add it to our on-going display! School Vacation week is …

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Watch this film!

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Return of the Secaucus Seven was released to the theaters in 1980. Robert Horton reviews the movie for amazon.com: “John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles’s own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, …

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News From the Children’s Room

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I would like to tell you about some of the new things in the Children’s Room. I have started an “I can read shelf” for patrons to make it easier to find this type of book. Look for this area to grow as we get all the books for this area together. I have started a Parenting shelf in the Children’s Room. This will help busy parents find a book for themselves while they are up here.  They are near the train station and the puppet theater. I also did two sessions on Library Lessons for homeschoolers in the area. …

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Women’s History Month

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March is a month of many things, one of which is Women’s History Month. With it being an election year, it’s a great time to delve more into the area. Gardiner Public Library has some great selections in women’s history. Following are some interesting examples you may want to check out: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony : a friendship that changed the world / Penny Colman. YA Nonfiction A dual biography of the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and the friendship that they formed.   The boundaries of her body : the troubling history of women’s …

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A Most Welcome Surprise Package!

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A box arrived in the mail on Friday, out of the blue and addressed as shown: “Historical Papers Dept.” is a wonderful way of describing our Community Archives Room, which is where the box was swiftly taken and immediately given a new and permanent home.  As many of you know, the C.A.R. first opened in 1985, was renovated into a beautiful, climate controlled space last year, and was re-dedicated just last month.  It is home to a collection of unique and engaging local history materials and artifacts covering the historic past of Gardiner and its surrounding towns, as well as …

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