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Picture
courtesy of Pete Vertefeuille not to
be used elsewhere without
permission.
Library Hours:
Monday
9AM-noon; Tuesday 6PM-8PM;
Wednesday 2PM-8PM; Thursday 9AM-noon
&
6PM-8PM;
Friday
CLOSED; Saturday
10AM-4PM;
Sunday
CLOSED
Fletcher
Memorial Library is a library association maintained by a Board of
Directors and operated by the Library Director and a group of dedicated
volunteers. The library serves as the library for the Town of Hampton
and is part of the Connecticut State Library Inter-Library Loan system
(iCONN) . Fletcher Memorial uses the state library database to
maintain and update a complete record of the Library’s entire collection
of books, videotapes and disks, and audiotapes. The library loans out
books to other libraries through Inter-Library Loan, and takes requests
from Hampton residents to borrow materials from across the state.
The
library is housed in a 19th century dwelling on Main Street donated to
the town by Austin Fletcher to be used in perpetuity as a public
library. The Library public rooms are on two floors of rooms with
classical moldings, wood floors and a curving staircase, and has a
disabled entrance and bathroom.
Fletcher Memorial is one of the few libraries still to maintain a card
catalog in an old wooden drawer file and to check out books with hand
written signatures. But, Fletcher has kept up with the times by
offering patrons use of two computers with Internet service and by
building up a collection of DVDs, CDs, and audio books.
FML volunteers welcome their friends and neighbors, and newcomers and
visitors, to a beautiful building that has been the home of the local
library for almost a hundred years. Even when the library is busy,
volunteers give every patron individual attention. We try to fill every
request, even if we have to get back to a patron later, and we set aside
the work of the circulation desk until everyone has been helped.
Serving as an FML volunteer keeps alive the beautiful tradition of the
local library that serves as a public “living room” for the residents of
a small town, a place where they can find knowledge, entertainment, and
the company of good friends.
Hampton Authors
Hampton is home to several authors. Their books can be found
in a special display area at the
library.
Penny Newbury
Penny
is a Hampton resident for several years and has just had her first book
published. "Remember Me" is a collection of her short stories.
Edwin Way Teale
Edwin Way Teale,
(1899-1980), was a naturalist, writer, and photographer who captured the
imaginations and hearts of Americans in his many books about nature. He
is ranked with John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, and John Burroughs as one
of the best and most influential nature writers in America.
In 1959, the Teales
moved from Long Island to an old farm in Hampton, Connecticut. He and
Nellie lived there for the rest of their lives. They named the farm,
Trail Wood.
Over the years the plants and animals of the farm unfolded their secret
worlds to the Teales. They came to know and to be a part of the land and
the community of living things there. Teale wrote about his experiences
at Trail Wood in his book, A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm
(1974).
Alison Brown Davis
Alison and her husband, Wendell, are long time residents of Hampton and
carry an extensive history of the town in their heads.
"Hampton Remembers" - a series of interviews with some of Hampton's
oldest residents.
"A
Sense of Wonder"
"Beloved Companion"
Janet C. and James O. Robertson
"All Our Yesterdays: A Century of Family Life in an American Small Town"
From Library Journal:
After buying an old house in Hampton, Connecticut, the Robertsons--James,
an academic, and Janet, an author--discovered that their home had been
owned by only one family since it was built in the 1790s. Through
papers, love letters, books, visiting cards, and travel records they
have been able to reconstruct the history of America through the lives
of the previous owners. A captivating narrative portrays this microcosm
of life; we are able to share in the shaping of American history as we
know it today. The unique aspect of this book is that history is told
through the lives of the people who lived through it. We share the
everyday lives of everyday people as they define and shape what is to
become an integral part of our national past. Recommended for all
libraries.
- Barbara Zaborowski, Cambria Cty. Lib., Johnstown, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Irene Q. Brown and
Richard D. Brown
"The Hanging of Ephraim Wheeler: A Story of Rape, Incest, and Justice in
Early America"
From Harvard University Press:
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Library Hours:
M 9-12; Tu 6-8p
Wed 2-8p;
Th 9-12
&
6-8p;
Sat
10a-4p;
Friday & Sunday
CLOSED
_________
Library News
Our
library is being automated! Thanks to a grant from the Savings
Institute, over the summer, the Fletcher Memorial Library will be
installing a new automated circulation and catalogue system.
Stop by to peruse the
"New Arrivals" section. New books arrive weekly.
_________
Volunteers
The
library is staffed totally by volunteers and is always looking for more.
If you are able to give a few hours, please call Linda Gorman at the
library 455-1086.
Library Volunteer Handbook
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Board of Directors
Chair:
James
Ryan
Vice
Chair:
Regina DeCesare
Secretary:
Janice
Trecker
Treasurer:
Ellen Rodriguez
Melanie Johnston
Regina DeCesare
Renee
Cuprak
Randy Thompson
Scott
Deshong
The library board meets on the 1st Friday of
each month at 4:00pm. Meetings are held at the library and are open to
the public. |
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Historical Information about the Library
A rare
book room - including an extensive archive of Connecticut history - is
only a small portion of what awaits you in this family friendly Public
Library. There is a treasury of genealogical records, lots of current
fiction, non-fiction and biographies, a children's room, a sun-filled
reading room and 2 computers to access the Internet.
The
building is special too. This simple Italianate home was built for
Caroline Soule sometime between 1860 and 1865. It still has many of its
original features.
In
1923, Austin Fletcher established an endowment to support a future
Library that included his family's collection of books. In 1924, when
Charles Chadwick bought and donated this house for that purpose, the
match was made!
When
you visit, be sure to read the Proclamation in the front entry hall.
This historical document, as well as vintage maps in the reference room,
are "must sees."
To
learn more about Hampton, ask the Librarian for these titles: "Hampton
Remembers," by Alison Davis; "All Our Yesterdays," by James O. and Janet
C. Robertson; "Discovering Hampton," by Janice Trecker; "A Naturalist
Buys and Old Farm," by Edwin Way Teale.
There
is ample parking in the adjacent Church parking lot.
Text
from 'Hampton... a very special place'; used with permission.
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