At the Library - By Sally Holt

"Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time." 

Rochlin, The Front Porch, in, Home, Sweet Home

I have been thinking lately about how a library is like a front porch. Though the popularity of a front porch has waned in American culture, a public library is still a thriving community gathering place. On any given day, you may see old friends who have not seen each other in a while gladly greet each other and have a catch up chat or a new resident in town strike up a conversation with someone who has lived in the area for much of their lives. Many young parents upon moving to the area seek out the library so that their children can attend story times and they can socialize with other parents. Diverse program offerings ranging from book groups and author visits to financial literacy and technological advances are common place in today's library.

This month, some of the "porch-sitting" offerings at Raymond Village Library include the following:

Russell Warnberg, author and third speaker in our Maine Author Series will be at the Raymond Village Library on Wednesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Warnberg, who resides in Windham, will be speaking about his suspense title, The Chalk Line Killer. Call 655-4283 to reserve your spot. 

On Monday, April 20 at the Raymond Public Safety Building beginning at 10:30 a.m., a presentation by Wildlife Encounters and its focus on animal habitats, safety and how people can save species from being endangered or extinct. It will feature a wide variety of non-releasable wildlife. Some will be interactive so the children will have a chance to touch and get close to certain animals. For all ages. This special event is sponsored by the Raymond PTO and Engineered Construction Services.

On Sunday, April 26, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. you are invited to join us at the library to knit or crochet a scarf to donate for breast cancer. Come and enjoy the company of others in this worthy group effort. If you wish, you may bring a favorite pattern to share. We have pink yarn and some knitting needles and crochet hooks or you may bring your own.

Our book group welcomes new members so join us on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. to discuss the book, God’s Hotel, by Victoria Sweet. Dr. Sweet writes about the 20 years she spent practicing medicine at San Francisco’s old Laguna Honda Hospital, a giant chronic care facility for the city’s destitute and ill, where patients could live for months, years, as long as it took. The old Laguna Honda was a sole survivor and known as the last almshouse in America. The book is available upon request at the Raymond Village Library.

Thanks to a generous donation from one of our library trustees at the Raymond Village Library, a pass to the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine is now available for library patron’s use. Please check our new website www.raymondvillagelibrary.org for more information on library programs.