Adult

Programming Annual Report July 2012-June 2013

To: Louise Berry From: Erin Shea Date: October 1, 2013

Evolving Author Programs In Darien, we know that libraries are so much more than books. And in the same vein, author events have evolved to be so much more than an author standing at a podium reading his opening chapter. This year, weve had an author perform magic tricks (Alex Stone, Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks, and the Hidden Powers of the Mind), introduce us in person to the characters described in her memoir (Becky Aikman, Saturday Night Widows), and even toast the audience as he sipped his hand-selected wine recommendations (Eric Asimov, How to Love Wine). Drinking wine with Eric Asimov New Series This fiscal year we launched three unique series, each designed to attract a different type of library user. Read, Ride, Imbibe is a book discussion designed to appeal to commuters who may not otherwise have time to visit the Library. For this program, librarians bring 14-Day copies of a carefully selected title to the train platform during rush hour. About a month after this in- person promotion, we host a discussion of the book at The Goose, Dariens local watering hole located kitty-corner from the train station. Some attendees show up still in their suits, and our discussion of Sheryl Sandbergs Lean In attracted the attention of our First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, who attended the program. Our monthly Science Caf Series brings in hosts to talk about science-related topics like predicting the weather, 3D printing, and microcontrollers. This Friday night program attracts different generations and Ive seen a lot of new faces since the series has started to gain momentum. When Stephanie Anderson came on board at the beginning Science Cafe: 3D Printers of this fiscal year, she and I worked together to create a series that would support debut novelists who historically do not bring out a huge audience for their events. From our discussions, First Look: Darien was born. Three times a year, Library staff members choose a debut novel to highlight in this series. Then, we pitch it to local book groups, promote it with a display on Main Street, and encourage all of our staff members to read it so they can be poised and ready to recommend it to interested patrons. Finally, before the authors talk, we invite users who have read the book or are planning to read it to a special

reception in our conference room with the author. Our readers in town have loved this intimate meet and greet with the author and weve loved seeing our attendance for debut author events increase from an average of about twenty attendees to well over fifty. One Book, One Community This year we really put the community in our One Book, One Community series by inviting a committee of readers in town to help select the town-wide read. Starting in Fall 2012, representatives from local organizations met in our conference room to pitch ideas for the next community reads title. After much deliberation, David Benioffs City of Thieves was clearly the best fit. His novel follows the adventures of two adolescents in Leningrad as they try to David Benioff, author of City of Thieves locate a dozen eggs in a city that is starving. The book lent itself to a lot of fun programming like a cake baking contest, chess competition, and my personal favorite: a town-wide scavenger hunt culminating at the Library. We Are the Heart of Darien After seeing and catching up with some of my favorite patrons, being entertained for an hour or two, and perhaps even meeting a favorite author, I almost always leave library programs in a really good mood. But there are certain programs that give me a very different feeling, a certain je ne sais quoi, a dang it feels good to be a librarian feeling. Last year, in the midst of Hurricane Sandy when people were evacuating their homes, desperate for electricity, and questioning how to even access the local news, Gretchen Caserotti suggested we host a Darien Community Hurricane Potluck in our Community Room. The purpose of this was two-fold: one, to provide a hot meal for those in town still without power, and two, to provide those with power a way to help their neighbors. The results were incomprehensible: with over 300 people attending, the food just kept coming and coming and coming. At a time when our users felt powerless (figuratively and literally) we were grateful to play host to such an unforgettable event.