Tag Archives: Westport Public Library

Westport Library’s 15 Minutes

Posted on December 19, 2009 | 2 comments

David Pogue is a man in constant motion.

The Westporter is a New York Times technology correspondent (print, online, video, blog), as well as 1 of the best selling how-to authors in the world (3 million books in print).

In his spare time, he’s an Emmy Award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News.

In that capacity, he swept into the Westport Library the other day.  He took a few photos, illustrating a piece that will run on “CBS Sunday Morning” tomorrow about wireless hot spots.

David uses Westport locations quite a bit — my favorite video had him tossing cellphones into the Saugatuck River — and while the Library’s appearance tomorrow might be closer to “15 seconds of fame” than “15 minutes,” it might be worth tuning in.  Whenever David Pogue talks, you’re bound to learn something.

Besides, what else can you do during a blizzard?

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Posted in Library, People, Totally random

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Addressing Afghanistan

Posted on December 2, 2009 | Comments Off on Addressing Afghanistan

President Obama spoke last night about Afghanistan.  Americans now have our say.  But how much do we really know about that far-off, hard-to-fathom land?

If we’re going to have a serious discussion on a very important subject, we should know what we’re talking about.  Tomorrow (Thursday) night at 7:30, the Westport Public Library will help us do just that.

Paul Fishstein

Paul Fishstein will address the many difficult issues affecting this complicated place.  He’s a research fellow working on state building and human rights in Afghanistan and Pakistan at Harvard’s JFK School of Government at Harvard, with experience in that area dating back to 1977.

Spending a night learning about Pashtuns, Waziristan and other often-discussed but largely misunderstood subjects is no one’s idea of fun.  And it’s the holiday season; most of us have more than enough to keep us busy.

But if we’re going to have an opinion on the president’s major move, we should at least know what we’re talking about.

(The library’s Community Conversations are sponsored by the Smilow Family.)

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Posted in Education, Library

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Mad About Mad Men

Posted on November 25, 2009 | Comments Off on Mad About Mad Men

Back in the day, Westport was known as both an artists’ colony, and a town filled with advertising executives.

We’re less artistic than we used to be, and the ad industry is no longer the Madison Avenue leviathian it once was.

But art, advertising and our town intersect twice next month, in a uniquely Westport way.

Next Tuesday (Dec. 1), the Westport Public Library will screen the film “Art and Copy.”  The event — called “Mad About Ad Men” — tells the story of the visionaries who revolutionized advertising with well-remembered ads and slogans.

From the introduction of Volkswagen in America to the triumph of Apple Computers, it explores the creative minds behind the most successful and influential advertising campaigns of the 20th century — people who profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry.

Mary Warlick, executive director of a non-profit that  promotes excellence in advertising, will introduce the film, and answer questions.

I will ask:  “Isn’t ‘excellence in advertising’ an oxymoron?”

Then, on Monday, Dec. 14, David Bushman, curator of the Paley Center  for Media runs a few ideas up the flagpole, to see if they salute. 

He’ll cover some of the most entertaining and influential ads from 1950 to today.  From Bob & Ray pitching Piels beer to Apple’s “1984” to the Osbournes peddling Pepsi, the library calls it “a trip down memory lane via Madison Avenue.”

With, of course, a detour in Westport.

A vintage ad from the 1950s

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The Levitt Facelift

Posted on November 7, 2009 | 1 comment

When the Westport Public Library moved to its current site in 1986, it was on — but not part of — the  Saugatuck River.  Not until renovation a decade later did the library take advantage of its spectacular location, with the addition of broad-windowed reading rooms, and an upgrade of the patio near the riverwalk.

The Levitt Pavilion got there 1st — it opened in 1973 — and for far longer it too has been a riverfront property in name more than fact.

Now the Levitt is ready for a facelift.  A $5 million public-private partnership will provide a new performing stage, with amenities, and an actual entry pavilion.  It will also bring the seating area closer –aesthetically, if not physically — to the river.

Though the entryway (with a concession stand, bathrooms and ticket booth; think Longshore, near the pool and tennis courts), and the enhanced stage (with more comfortable facilities for performers), have garnered most of the attention, the riverwalk aspect could have the greatest impact on the pavilion-going public.

Right now, the library riverwalk peters out where the Levitt begins.  Thick underbrush obliterates much of the river view — and provides a perfect setting for a homeless encampment that few Westporters realize exist.

The proposed renovation — now working its way through town bodies — is one more way to make existing town-owned land more user-friendly.  This fall, we’ve seen great improvements to the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve  and Pasacreta Park.

Now — after 36 years – it’s the Levitt’s turn.

It’s an idea whose time has come.  But as we upgrade our premier outdoor performing arts center — as we make it truly a home away from home not just for concert-goers, but everyone who wants to embrace the river that runs through our town — let’s make sure we also take care of the men and women for whom the site is the only home they have.

WESTPORT LEVITT PAVILION

The original Levitt Pavilion. It looks a bit better now -- but not much. (Photo copyright by Jerry Dougherty)

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Posted in Downtown, Entertainment, Library

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The Great Library Race

Posted on November 3, 2009 | 5 comments

If you’re like me, you love the Westport Library.

And if you’re like me, you love only the parts you know.

I’ve never entered the children’s section.  I had no idea there were oversize art books on the mezzanine level.  And that back room, beyond the reference desk, might as well be an OTB parlor.  I know people hang out there every day, but I have no idea what they do.

Similarly, other folks never enter the big, airy reading room.  Or see the River of Names mural.  Some Westporters don’t know the library lends thousands of DVDs — for free.

Earlier this year, during the library’s mini-golf game (yes, that’s right), the staff realized few participants explore the entire building.  So they’re sponsoring a new event:  The Great Race.

Subtitled “A Scavenger Hunt,” it’s set for 6-8 p.m. this Friday, November 6.  For an entry fee of $15 per team, groups of 1-6 people receive a packet of 26 clues.  They’ll scatter throughout the library’s nooks and crannies seeking answers.  The reward:  wine and cheese for the adults, cookies and juice for the kids.

In the spirit of library correctness, I should point out that this is not exactly a scavenger hunt — you don’t retrieve any items.

And it’s not really a race — people can start at different times, any time after 6.

I’d also argue that 1 person cannot make up a “team,” but that’s pretty nit-picky.

Bottom line:  Westport’s library rocks.  What a great chance to run around, have fun and be social.

And talk in the library as loudly as you want.

(For more information, contact Sandy Young: 203-291-4829; syoung@westportlibrary.org.  To register, click here.)

I have no idea if the River of Names mural on the lower level will be part of the Great Race. But there's a great Westport story behind this tile. Do you know it? (Photo courtesy of fotki.com)

I have no idea if the River of Names mural on the lower level will be part of the Great Race. But there's a great Westport story behind this tile. Do you know it? (Photo courtesy of fotki.com)

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Talks With Substance

Posted on October 25, 2009 | 1 comment

Joseph Califano was scheduled to talk about his book — How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid:  Straight Dope for Parents  — long before Staples’ Homecoming jolted Westport into a community-wide conversation about teenage drinking.  (Alcohol is a key component of Drug-Free Kid.)

So tomorrow’s 7:30 p.m. event at Bedford Middle School — co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library and Positive Youth Development — is both fortuitous and important.

Joseph Califano

Joseph Califano

An added attraction:  Califano — founder and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, and a former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare — is a Westport resident. 

The national expert on adolescent drug and alcohol use will be speaking to a hometown audience, about a national — and yet very local — issue.

He hopes his neighbors will listen.

“Most parents don’t realize the enormous influence they have on kids — for better or worse,” Califano says.  “Research shows that kids who see their parents drunk are much more likely to drink, or do drugs.”

Many parents, Califano adds, “are unlikely to use their positive power” to help their teenagers avoid illegal substances.  One major reason:  “They’re too concerned about what their kids might say, or what other parents are doing.  There’s pressure on parents, as well as on kids.”

Joseph Califano bookTomorrow, Califano will help parents identify the times when youngsters are at higher risk for using alcohol and drugs:  the beginning of middle school.  The beginning of high school.  Events like Homecoming.

“Schools can help deal with this,” Califano says.  “But parents are key.”

The drug and alcohol problem will be solved, he believes, “not in courtrooms, but in living rooms and dining rooms” across the country.

Califano speaks throughout the US.  From what he’s seen, his home town is “not much different from any affluent community where kids have the resources to get and use” drugs and alcohol.

Tomorrow he travels only a mile or two to talk.  The national expert looks forward to seeing his neighbors — parents, teachers and teenagers — in his own back yard.

(A 2nd event — “Community Conversation:  Underage Drinking — Whose Responsibility Is It?” — is set for this Wednesday, October 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Westport Library.  Co-sponsored by the Staples PTA and Smilow Family, the free-flowing open forum will include high school principal John Dodig.)

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Posted in Library, Organizations, Staples HS, Westport life

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Speaking Ill Of The Dead

Posted on August 5, 2009 | 3 comments

Charles Gwathmey — the Modernist architect who died Monday — developed what the New York Times called “sometimes controversial public buildings.”

Few Westporters would disagree.

In the early 1980s Gwathmey Siegel & Associates was selected to design a new library.  The site — just across the Post Road from the 1908 building on the corner of Main Street — was controversial from the start.  Critics thought the location — on landfill that was once the town dump — was dangerous.  Methane buildup, they warned, would result in health hazards, explosions or worse.

Those fears never materialized.  But when the building opened in 1986, it faced other withering criticism.

The modern design was not in keeping with Jesup Green, some said.  It looked big and blocky when seen from across the river, others complained.

Inside, the high ceiling magnified every voice.  The collection immediately filled every shelf, with no room for expansion.  And — perhaps most remarkably — there were no real river views, looking out.  The dramatic site was wasted.

In 1995 another firm — Herbert S. Newman and Partners — designed an addition, renovating much of the existing space.  Construction grew more challenging when it was discovered the building had settled unevenly.  The library was closed — with books sent to storage — while minipiles were driven to bedrock.

The renovation of the less-than-decade-old library resulted in a 2-story stack wing for books, a new AV center, a fresh children’s library, more flexible space throughout, and quiet reading rooms overlooking the Saugatuck.

The nearly full page New York Times obituary rightly celebrated Charles Gwathmey’s many architectural triumphs.

Unfortunately, the Westport Public Library was not one of them.

(Thanks to library assistant director George Wagner for background information.)

The Westport Public Library, after the renovation to upgrade Gwathmey Siegel's original design.

The Westport Public Library, after the renovation to upgrade Gwathmey Siegel's original design.

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Posted in Library, Looking back

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A Book Story

Posted on July 19, 2009 | 7 comments

I’ve written over a dozen books.

It’s bad enough that some are already out of print.

It’s worse that I saw 1 of them — a project that took me a year to research and write — on a long table yesterday, at the Westport Public Library‘s annual book sale.

Even worse, people skipped over it like it carried swine flu.

Worse than that, it was a signed copy.  Inscribed to somebody.  As a gift from me.

I suppose worst of all will be if I go back Tuesday, when everything is free.  And find it still there.

One of my books is somewhere among the masses.

One of my books is somewhere among the masses.

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Posted in Library, Media

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Stacy Bass: The Library’s Bag Lady

Posted on July 16, 2009 | Comments Off on Stacy Bass: The Library’s Bag Lady
The autumn bag

The autumn bag

Long before Westport’s plastic shopping bag ban, the Westport Library sold cloth bags.

They were fine — plain, with a logo — but when supplies ran low, director Maxine Bleiweis saw a chance to jazz things up.  She asked photographer Stacy Bass to design a new one.

With typical panache Bass came up with not 1, but 4:  a bag for each season.

The images came from her archives.  Photography was always Bass’s passion, but the 1984 Staples grad took detours through law school, the movie industry and motherhood before returning to it as a career.  Her clients now include home and garden magazines, architects and designers.

“It’s nice to give something back to Westport,” Bass says.  “And now I’m making my mark visually.  My previous work for the library was more behind the scenes, and a lot less creative.”

Bass spent 10 years on the library board, including 1 as the youngest president ever.   She also chaired the development committee.

The winter one

The winter one

The 1984 Staples grad has fond memories of the Westport Library, including the original building across the Post Road (now Starbucks).  “It’s nice to maintain the connection,” she says.

Though Bass has not yet seen anyone tote her bag, she will soon.  They’re on sale at this weekend’s book sale.

“It’ll be interesting to see which one is the favorite,” Bass says.

Or how many people buy all 4.

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Ready To Read

Posted on June 30, 2009 | Comments Off on Ready To Read

This month’s rain has been a boon to a few groups:  gardeners.  Umbrella salespeople.  And the Westport Public Library.

Each year, the library sponsors a kids’ summer reading program.  Youngsters who fill out a Reading Journal receive a cherished “slap” bracelet, plus scavenger hunt questions they take through the library during the summer.  They also get “summer cents” to use at the store or cafe.

The program is open to all — summer residents, visitors, even kids who live in nearby towns.  So far, over 1200 children — in Westport and beyond — have signed up.

Children’s librarians promoted the program in schools.  This year they did not have to compete with blue skies and beaches.  “The rain helped with a big kickoff,” library director Maxine Bleiweis says.

What do youngsters read?

“Everything!” Bleiweis reports.  A 6-year-old girl is devouring books on Egyptology; her friend is reading about sharks.

“It’s especially fun to see the ones who struggle to read at the beginning, and then ‘graduate’ to chapter books at the end,” says Bleiweis.

Children who find it easier to listen than read take out audiobooks.  Those are also great for road trips, Bleiweis says.

For every 3 books read, a funky shape is hung from the children’s room ceiling.  For every 12, a shape is placed on the board outside the room.  Already, the 2nd floor is festooned with creative images.

Personalized service is key to the program’s success.  “Kids say, ‘I really enjoyed xyz,’ and the librarian says, ‘then try abc,'” Bleiweis adds.  “They return with thanks, and want more.  A new relationship with an adult starts, and keeps going all through their library life here.  It’s community at its best.”

Each shape represents 3 books read.

Each circular wall hanging represents 3 books read.

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Posted in Children, Library

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