In partnership with Planet New Canaan and New Canaan Land Trust, New Canaan Library presents a unique, virtual Earth Day celebration that taps into the creativity of your neighbors. The event will begin, via Zoom, on Wednesday, April 22 at 4:30 PM EST. Those who plan to ‘attend’ may register online, https://newcanaanlibrary.org/calendar/. By selecting the event on the calendar and registering, attendees will receive sign in information. The expo’s “Show and Tell” is comprised of the responses from community residents, who were asked to submit their sustainable life hacks– successful or not–that they have tried to employ in their everyday lives.
As our state land use has shifted from pasture to lawn and from forest to subdivision, Connecticut’s remaining habitat and food production has become threatened. Dina Brewster, farmer and director of CT Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), will teach homeowners how to become land stewards by caring for their lawns organically. Tune into the live webinar on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. EST to learn the ways in which this problem can be turned around. Please register for the event and receive webinar instructions by registering online at https://newcanaanlibrary.org/calendar/. Zoom in for an evening of information and discussion on bringing organic land and lawn care to New Canaan.
In today’s Q&A, we hear from New Canaan Library Executive Director Lisa Oldham about services that the organization is offering through the COVID-19 emergency and how the staff is faring, among other matters.
Here’s our exchange. New Canaanite: I want to talk about the library. First, though, how are you faring?
Lisa Oldham: Thank you. I’m well. Give me a rundown on what library services are available while the building is physically closed. There are a lot! Digital lending, live-stream programs and technology help are three of the big ones. Our digital collections are excellent and we continue to add more digital content to meet the huge increase in demand. Many library members have not previously borrowed e-books or e-audio books from us so we’ve created how-to videos to help them get them started.
New Canaan Library is seeking permission to install a “mirror house” at South Avenue and Maple Street where people could preview the organization’s widely anticipated rebuilding project.
The temporary 230-square-foot structure would use “interactive 3-dimensional tour from inside,” according to an application filed with the Planning & Zoning Commission.
“From the outside the look of the structure is that of a ‘mirrored glass house’ due to the fact that it has very highly reflective surfaces on three sides running the full height,” owner’s agent Paul Stone of Karp Associates said in a Special Permit application filed on behalf of the library. “Essentially, it’s a mirrored box, no gables. From the interior one can see out as though it’s clear glass, but from the outside it appears as a mirror.”
P&Z is to take up the application during a regular meeting Tuesday, one week after the library won a key signal of support from New Canaan’s legislative body.
The Town Council on March 24 voted 10-2 to deny a motion that would have effectively halted the library’s project for one year so that preservationists could figure out a use for the original 1913 building building and fundraise for its restoration and maintenance. The library is seeking a $10 million contribution from the town toward its overall $30 million project and is fundraising the balance. Those in favor of the delay—preservationists as well as Councilmen Tom Butterworth and Cristina A. Ross among them—argued that the century-old building is a rare architectural and historic gem of New Canaan that lends to the look and feel of the downtown.
New Canaan Library is pleased to announce that Brian Lehrer, host of National Public Radio’s “The Brian Lehrer Show,” will be guest lecturer for the Library’s 2020 Salant Lecture. Lehrer will speak about current national and global events, including the upcoming election and other headline stories in the news. The lecture series is named for Richard Salant, the late President of CBS news, and honors his dedication to integrity in broadcast journalism. The event will be held on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room, preceded by a light reception. The lecture is open to the public; please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org.
