April 2016 Welcome to The Library Letter

April 2016
7770 Croaker Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188
757.259.4040
www.wrl.org
Williamsburg
Regional
Library
address service requested
Library Hours
Mon-Thu: 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri:
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sat:
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun:
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Welcome to The Library Letter
Dear Williamsburg Regional Library Supporter,
Welcome to the first monthly issue of The Library Letter, the successor to Ex Libris. It’s a product of the library's
Strategic Plan 2016-2018. During the planning process, we heard loud and clear that our newsletter needed to be
improved. Communicating and raising awareness, in fact, is one of our strategic priorities over the next three years along
with strengthening community connections and partnerships and rethinking our library spaces. We realize that it’s critically
important for the library to continue to make residents aware of our role in the community and the value we bring.
Try an eBook
Have you tried
the WRL ebook
collection? We
have more than
10,000 titles for
your reading
pleasure.
You can expect The Library Letter to contain short pieces that highlight our collections, programs, services, and
facilities. We’ve moved to a color format that incorporates more graphics. You’ll find curated lists of library events
inside. For a complete calendar, please visit www.wrl.org/events.
The Library Letter is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of Williamsburg Regional Library. The Friends
provide non-budgeted resources that allow the library to achieve and maintain the margin of excellence that residents
expect from us. You’ll find information about the Friends on the back page of each issue. Becoming a Friends member is a
great way to support the library! Find out more about the Friends at www.wrl.org/friends.
Start at: www.wrl.org/ebooks
Do let us know what you think about our new look and feel. You can reach me at 259.7777 or gowens@wrl.org.
Sincerely,
Playbill Williamsburg
Join Adult Services Librarian
Neil Hollands April 11 at 2:00
p.m. at the Stryker Center, and
get ready for opening night with
this talk exploring plays coming to theaters in
Williamsburg and the surrounding community. The April
entry in our new Talks@2 series will explore the people,
the stories, and the songs of upcoming shows in local
theaters.
Thursday Film Series
Give My Regards to Broadway
April 07 - Born to Dance
April 14 - The Producers
April 21 - Tea For Two
April 28 - The Band Wagon
Before each film, at 1:00 p.m., we will show a 50-minute
episode of the series Broadway: The American Musical.
All feature films begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Williamsburg
Library Theatre.
The Annual Friends of WRL Book Sale will take place April
15-17, at the Williamsburg Community Building, 401 N.
Boundary Street.
Sale hours are:
• Friday, April 15, 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. (Friends membersonly advance sale, bring your membership card - or
join at the door)
• Saturday, April 16, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Open to the
public)
• Sunday, April 17, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Half-price day,
open to the public)
Friends Book Sale Figures
• Monthly Sales: $7,015.01
• Year to Date: $19, 901.05
• Internet Sales to Date: $876.50
Genevieve
Genevieve S. Owens
Library Director
Stryker Center Debut
In March 2016, the Stryker Center joined the Williamsburg Library and the
James City County Library as the third location for the Williamsburg Regional
Library.
Replacing the 1967 Stryker Building, the new Stryker Center provides three
public meeting rooms, exhibit space, and administrative offices for the
Williamsburg Regional Library in addition to chambers and a workroom for
Williamsburg City Council. The Stryker Center also features new technology
that expands programming and learning opportunities in the community.
The Williamsburg Regional Library's vision is to provide "excellent
collections, programs, services, and facilities that fulfill our community’s
needs and expectations." The new Stryker Center provides us with the space
to help make that vision a reality. The Williamsburg Regional Library
Foundation has committed $500,000 toward the costs of the building and up
to $250,000 for the equipment and furnishings needed by the library in the Stryker Center.
Come by and enjoy the current exhibit, Seventy-Five Years of Modernism in Williamsburg, or book your next meeting or
event at the Stryker Center by calling 259.4070.
Featured April Events for Kids
Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me
4/2, 2:00 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Join us for a lively afternoon of fun
with pirate Mister Willis of the
Loose Cannon Company.
Pre-guitar for Kids
4/6, 10:30 a.m., Williamsburg Library
Learn the basics of guitar-playing, including strumming and
how to count in rhythm. Specially-sized instruments
provided. Replaces usual preschool storytime.
Ages 3 to 5. Space is limited. Call 259.4055 to register.
Featured April Events for Adults
Dewey Decibel Concerts Presents:
Lulu's Fate
4/15, 7:30 p.m.
Williamsburg Library
Enjoy music from the
Appalachian, southern
string band, and country
blues traditions, as well
as original tunes and covers ranging from Hank
Williams to Tom Waits. Call 259.4070 for tickets.
Paws to Read
4/10, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., James City County Library
Read to a therapy dog from K-9 Connection. A signed
permission form is required.
Gallery Exhibit:
A Virginia Visit
4/1 - 4/30, all day, Williamsburg Library
Enjoy an exhibit of photographs documenting the historic
visit in 1946 of Winston Churchill and General Dwight
Eisenhower to Williamsburg and Richmond. A free lecture
about the exhibit will be held on April 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the
Williamsburg Library.
Rotary Reads
4/23, 2:00 p.m., James City County Library
Join us under the Reading Trees for a delightful dogthemed storytime and craft.
Constitutional Conversations
4/6, 6:30 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Join our award-winning series for adults and teens on the
US Constitution. This month's theme is Equal Protection.
Check out all this month's events and
storytimes for kids at www.wrl.org/kids
Dewey Decibel Concerts Presents:
Ford's Colony Dance Band
4/7, 7:30 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Enjoy a program of love songs, ballads, and waltzes in
Latin and swing-style big band arrangements from the
1920s-1970s. Call 259.4070 for tickets.
Preschool Dance Party
4/9, 11:00 a.m., James City County Library
Join us for music, movement, and rhymes.
Featured April Events for Teens
Teen Craft:
Steampunk Fashion
4/10, 2:00 p.m.
Williamsburg Library
Create a stunning fascinator
or boutonniere for your next
event. Sign up at 259.4050
or email teens@wrl.org. For teens age 13+.
Shakespeare in Teen Films
4/3, 1:00 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Come enjoy the Bard on film. All ages welcome. We'll be
showing Ten Things I Hate About You (1:15 p.m.) and
William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (3:00 p.m.). Both
films rated PG-13.
Anime Club
4/21, 5:00 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Join us to learn how to make Japanese-style lunches –
bento boxes! For teens 13+. Call 259.4050 for details.
Check out all this month's great teen
events and more at www.wrl.org/teens
Mystery Book Discussion
4/20, 2:00 p.m., Williamsburg Library
This month's theme is crime outside the US and Europe.
Information and reading lists at www.wrl.org/readers.
Dewey Decibel Concerts Presents:
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
4/23, 11:00 a.m.
Williamsburg Library
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra presents a Meet the
Families event, live at the Williamsburg Library Theatre. This
is a Percussion Instrument Petting Zoo; children will be able
to come on stage after the show and try out the different
instruments. Call 259.4070 for tickets.
History and Biography Book Discussion
4/28. 7:00 p.m., James City County Library
Come and talk history with other fans of the genre. More
information at www.wrl.org/readers.
Find all of this month's
library programs & classes
at www.wrl.org/events.
Find Your Next Reading Group Title in WRL's Gab Bag Collection
For over thirteen years, local book groups have been talking about the wide variety of books they’ve
checked out from Williamsburg Regional Library’s Gab Bag collection. The Gab Bag collection
currently has 185 titles which can be reserved up to a year in advance using the KitKeeper system.
Get started at www.wrl.org/gabbags.
Gab Bags include multiple copies of a single title and a resource notebook to guide discussions.
With the support of the Friends of WRL we are able to purchase the books and supplies that make
up each Bag, extra copies of popular Gab Bag titles with long hold lists, and large print and
audiobook formats (when available) for book group participants.
Please stop by the Adult Services desk if you would like to know more about Gab Bag titles or the KitKeeper reservation
system or call 259.4050.
Beyond Books for Kids and Families
Take a hike this spring—with one of WRL’s Park Packs. Park Packs are backpacks
designed to be used at home and at local, state, and national parks in the area.
Each Park Pack contains books, field guides, maps, other items such as crafts,
magnifying glasses, binoculars, or microscopes, as well as a user guide. Park Pack
topics include Birds, Fossils, Pocahontas, the Chesapeake Bay, Reptiles and
Amphibians, Night Life, Water Life, Archaeology, and the history of Jamestown and
Yorktown.
These backpacks of books and other items are housed at the James City County
Library, but if you prefer to pick up a pack at another location, just put it on hold and
we will send it along. The backpacks are designed for school-aged readers.
Children in preschool through early grade school will enjoy our Lit Kits, collections of themed picture books, usually
accompanied by a puppet. These popular bags cover a wide range of themes, such as Spring, The Sea, Horses,
Dinosaurs, and Native Americans. We house Lit Kits at both of our buildings, but the ones at the Williamsburg Library are
currently in storage. Ask at the Children’s Desk and we will be happy to pull one for you.
For more information on Park Packs or Lit Kits, call 259.7733.
Celtic Film Series
Featured April Computer Class
A Shine of Rainbows
4/20, 7:00 p.m.
Williamsburg Library
For the past fifteen years, the
library has partnered with the
John Cardinal O'Connor
Division of the Ancient Order of
Hibernians to bring the best in
Celtic films to WRL. From classics to contemporary and
from humorous to dramatic, the Celtic Film Series explores
the lives of the Irish people.
Join us this month to enjoy A Shine of Rainbows. This
award-winning, 2009 family drama tells the story of a lonely
orphan whose life is transformed by his foster mother, an
extraordinary woman who teaches him to conquer grief and
discover the magic in nature and himself.
WRL's Digital Resources
4/27 2:00 p.m., Williamsburg Library
Short on time? Bad weather? No car? Stuck in bed? You
can still use the library without leaving home! Learn about
our digital offerings, from ebooks and digital magazines to
audiobooks and free music downloads. You can do library
quality research long after the library is closed and even
take a technology class using the library's subscription to
Lynda.com. This course provides an overview of the
available resources and how they are accessed.