Big Changes!

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Although they’ve been a long time in the making, some big changes at the Gardiner Public Library are finally NEWS! At last, we are moving forward with renovations of the Community Archives Room.  The first and biggest sign you may have already noticed is the Archives is now commandeering, if you will, the Hazzard Reading Room on the main floor.  In late April, we rolled every last item up from the basement and set up shop in the reading room.  The quarters are a little compact, but things seem to be running smoothly. Moved in! — Our Community Archives Room …

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35 Years, 3 Generations of Families, Some Amazingly Wonderful Patrons.

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Where did the years go? As I begin my retirement, there are certain things of which I am sure. I will deeply miss: The wonderful Gardiner Library staff.  Our collaboration, laughter, problem solving, and friendship goes far beyond most working environments. Together we have made GPL one of the premier libraries in the state. You are the Best! Selecting books for the children’s collection. School visits with dedicated teachers. Meetings & conferences with colleagues. And finally, all the energetic, super terrific children whom I’ve had the privilege to watch grow up and become readers.  Thank you all! And a special …

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Special Bookplates at Gardiner Public Library

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Have you ever noticed some of the amazing bookplates in our books?  If you haven’t, please take a moment and check inside the front of Gardiner Public Library books.  We have what I would consider some pretty special bookplates. Once you begin to notice them, you may wonder who? what? why? and or how? do we get one of these beautiful bookplates?  These special bookplates were all created for endowed or memorial funds.  This type of fund is set up to celebrate a life, a family event or a professional achievement. To become an endowed fund, the donated funds must …

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SOME NEW & OLD PICTURES OF OUR CURTAIN AND A BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST

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 Harry Cochrane (1860–1946) Literature (stage curtain), Children’s Room, 2nd Floor  Harold Hayman Cochrane, was born in Augusta, ME, son of Major James Henry and Ellen M. (Berry) Cochrane.  Raised in Monmouth, he was a naturally gifted artist, architect, musician, author, and poet.  His early career began as a “crayon artist” in a photography studio in Gardiner in the 1880s.  In the well-lit studio, on the corner of Water and Bridge Streets, he created life-sized renderings from photographs as well as in-person sittings.  In 1887, he began working on large-scale interior works, from free-hand ornamentation, to theater curtains, to huge murals.  …

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April is Poetry Month

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April is National Poetry Month—hope you’ve stopped by to see our “Poet-tree” at the main desk! Even for avid readers, poetry is often thought of as being hard to read or understand. I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve read a poem. But being the word nerd that I am, I thought I’d share some of my favorites.   My grandmother gave me Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses when I was a little girl. I was enthralled by the beautifully detailed illustrations and quickly became enamored with the way the words flowed. It’s quite possible that …

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Dance into Spring with an old fashioned musical borrowed from the Gardiner Public Library

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Easter Parade (1948) starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.  When his long-time dance partner abandons him for the Ziegfeld Follies, Don Hewes decides to show who’s who what’s what by choosing any girl out of a chorus line and transforming her into a star. So he makes his choice and takes his chances. Of course, since Fred Astaire portrays Don and Judy Garland plays the chorine, we know we’re in for an entertainment sure thing. Babes in Arms (1939) starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.  This classic film stars Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland as teenagers living in Seaport, Long …

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