FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
November is gratitude month. I am so grateful for our community of library kids, library teens, and library grown-ups who fill our building with curiosity, creativity, and connection. I get a kick out of seeing people find their next great read or watch; meet new friends; and learn a new skill. It is fun to see our mission in action, where visitors and staff are learning, connecting, and growing together. We know you have library choices in the Farmington Valley, and we are thrilled to see our Farmington and Unionville neighbors taking advantage of our resources. During our strategic planning conversations last year, we heard from community members who were unsuccessful in registering for some of our programs. In response, we are piloting a few early-bird registration opportunities to give our local neighbors a first chance to register for programs. Specifically, there are a couple of programs in the Youth Services Department and in Information Services, where we have early-bird registration for our popular Take & Make monthly craft kits. Keep your eye for these early-bird opportunities.
 
Speaking of libraries in the Farmington Valley, The Farmington Libraries are partnering with UConn Law, Avon, Canton, and Simsbury libraries to bring a year-long America 250 series of lectures by historians and law professors titled “To Form a More Perfect Union”. Join us at the Canton Public Library on Thursday, November 20 for our kick-off lecture featuring Canton native Wes Horton. Horton has argued more than 135 cases before the Connecticut Supreme Court and is one of the leading scholars on the Connecticut Constitution and its significance in the formation of the United States. Horton will discuss exactly that during his talk. For those looking toward the future, we’ll be in Simsbury in January, talking about George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt and environmental law; Avon in February, discussing civil rights and fair housing, and we conclude in April here in Farmington with a talk from the State Historian.
 
Read on for more about what is happening here at the Farmington Libraries and I’ll see you around the library!
Jocelyn Kennedy, Executive Director
 
IMPORTANT DATES
The Farmington Libraries will be closed Tuesday, November 11 and Wednesday, November 26 - Friday, November 28. 
 
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
Tellabration!
WED, Nov 5 | 2:00 PM
Barney Library, 71 Main Street
 
Tellabration is a mammoth storytelling event - and that's no Tall Tale! It's a storytelling phenomenon, made up of storytelling happenings all over the world. Its purpose is to introduce adults, as well as children, to the pleasures of the oral art of storytelling.  It is one of the programs offered by The Connecticut Storytelling Center, based in New London.
Toddler Learn and Play
SAT, Nov 8 | 9:30 AM
Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive
 
Drop in with your child and play freely in our program room with toys and tools to help grow your child’s curiosity and motor skills. No registration required.
 

Financial Planning and Advisement
Wed, Nov 12 | 6:00 PM
Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive
 
Join Financial Advisor Cindy Shi for a lecture that can help you grow your wealth, reach financial goals, and live life comfortably! Shi will discuss Financial Planning for adults and is excited to take questions from the audience.
Into the Archives: The Farmington Room
TUE, Nov 18 | 3:00 PM
Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive
 
Local History Librarian Jerusha Neely will follow the Farmington Collection’s journey from storage closet to Farmington Room. Using archival materials, photographs, newspaper articles, and ephemera, she will highlight gifts, donors, local history librarians, environmental disasters, and major projects of all kinds that have shaped this treasured collection

Virtual Author Visit with Rick Heinz
TUE, Nov 18 | 6:30 PM
Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive
 
Rick Heinz will visit virtually to share his thoughts on writing fiction, as well as writing for TTRPGs and science fiction/fantasy worlds. Join us at the library to ask questions, hear about his experiences, and learn about his works. 
The Gingerbread Man A Musical Concert
SAT, Nov 22 | 1:00 PM
Farmington Library, 6 Monteith Drive
 
We are dependent on honey bees for at least one third of the food that we eat everyday. Learn about our most important pollinators and the Beekeepers that tend to them as well as the benefits of protecting our pollinators. Examine endangered species and how important honey bees are to our crops.

FROM THE FARMINGTON ROOM
After two decades...the Cow Goes Home
 
If you’ve lived in Farmington/Unionville for a long time, you probably remember seeing a large cow whose body is in the shape of the Old State House in Hartford. For many years, “The Old State Cowse” lived on the second floor of the library, in the Adult Information Services Department. At some point the cow was moved into the Farmington Room, where it stood in the middle of the reading room for at least several years—it was here when I started working at the library in the Spring of 2022.
 
Read more from Jerusha Neely, Local History Librarian.
 

Find out what else is happening at the libraries by visiting our 
Event Calendar
 
The Farmington LibrariesFarmington Library | 6 Monteith DriveBarney Library | 71 Main Street860-673-6791 | https://www.farmingtonlibraries.org/