• The Cobra-Ferrari Wars: 1963-1965 (Michael L. Shoen)

Personal recollections range from Shelby's greenest mechanic to Ferraris chief engineer, from forgotten privateers to world-class drivers. Acclaimed by Ferrari and Cobra enthusiasts alike, this is the definitive history of the epic struggle that changed sports car racing forever. The work is based on interviews of 53 of the original participants, conducted over 18 years. Over 530 archival photos, drawings, blueprints and documents, including 57 large-format color prints.

• Doggie Paddlin' (David & Linda Mullaly)

That first moment you learn to paddle is almost as much fun as the first time you take your dog along with you. Whether on a canoe or kayak, surf board or stand up paddle board, dogs can’t get enough of the water. From paddling poodles to surfing sheepdogs, bring your furry best friend along for the ride and uncover hidden depths to their unique personality. Professional photographer David Mullally captures a dog’s love of being on the water through a series of breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and hilarious images while Linda Mullally provides need-to-know information to help you get your dog on the water. Explore, laugh, and learn as these energetic dogs show us the true meaning of happiness.

• Finding Shelter: Portraits of Love, Healing, and Survival (Jesse Freidin)

Without volunteers, our nation’s animal shelter system simply would not exist. Volunteers speak for those that cannot speak, pick up the pieces for abandoned animals that have been let down by previous owners or unfortunate circumstances, and do whatever it takes to heal the deepest of wounds.In Finding Shelter, award-winning photographer Jesse Freidin shows the softer side of this story. He witnessed firsthand how many of the volunteers were able to mend their own emotional hurts with the love the shelter animals gave back to them, and how the power of these relationships transforms shelters into places where humans and animals can heal together. This realization propelled him to take a two-year journey across the country to document the tenderness and healing, beauty and joy he encountered within the shelter system. The result is a heartwarming inspiration for people to look differently at how to save shelter pets. In Finding Shelter, Freidin sparks a new discussion about animal rescue and what it feels like to truly love an animal.

• First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne (John D. Howard)

• Foodie Snob (Kevin Nelson)

Food-lovers will enjoy this fun and lighthearted look at their obsession with trendy food and restaurants. Food Snob is both be a send-up of foodies and an affirmation of certain aspects of the foodie way of life. While laughing at this satire of the habits, attitudes and lifestyle of foodies, foodies will laugh at themselves and also get solid advice and tips on the activity they love.

• Running Snob (Kevin Nelson)

Runners will enjoy this fun and lighthearted look at running enthusiasts who, of course, resemble them in many ways. This is both a send-up of runners and an affirmation of certain aspects of the running life. While laughing at this satire of the habits, attitudes and lifestyle of runners, they are laughing at themselves and also getting solid advice and tips on the activity they love.

• The Long Term Missing: Hope and Help for Families (Sylvia Pettem)

When loved-ones go missing, the lives of their family members are turned upside-down. As the days and months turn into years, some families are caged in by their grief, while others become proactive –– renewing police contacts, keeping up with the latest technologies, and educating themselves as they strive to become their long-term missing persons’ advocates. By inspiring hope, as well as providing answers and practical advice, The Long Term Missing: Hope and Help for Families assists families in navigating the uncharted territory they never chose to enter.

• The Most Low-Down, Lousiest, Loathsome Things Ever Said: 1,292 Cutting and Sharp-Tongued Quotations (Steven D. Price)

A nasty insult (is there any other kind?) can be offensive and infuriating, but we’ve all had those moments when we’ve employed one or just wished we had come up with the perfect nasty thing to say. Even better, having the perfect comeback to one of these rude remarks brings us all the personal satisfaction in the world. The Nastiest Things Ever Said gathers together the very sharpest of these barbs from a wide variety of sources with some of the wickedest put-downs from the literary, political, and entertainment worlds, and everywhere else people say nasty things to each other.

• The Real "Tales of Hoffman": Origin, History, and Restoration of an Operatic Masterpiece (Vincent Giroud and Michael Kaye)

Of all operas in the standard repertory, none has had a more complicated genesis and textual history than Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. Based on a highly successful 1851 play inspired by the short stories by the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the work occupied the last decade of Offenbach’s life. When he died in October 1880, the work was being rehearsed at the Opéra-Comique. At once cut and rearranged, the work was performed from the start in versions that ignored the composer’s final intentions. Only a few decades ago, when previously unavailable manuscripts came to light, it became possible to reconstitute the score in its real form. Vincent Giroud and Michael Kaye’s The Real 'Tales of Hoffmann' tells the full story for the first time in English.

• 30 Days a Black Man: The Forgotten Story that Exposed the Jim Crow South (Bill Steigerwald)

In 1948 most white people in the North had no idea how unjust and unequal daily life was for the 10 million African Americans living in the South. But that suddenly changed after Ray Sprigle, a famous white journalist from Pittsburgh, went undercover and lived as a black man in the Jim Crow South. Escorted through the South’s parallel black society by John Wesley Dobbs, a historic black civil rights pioneer from Atlanta, Sprigle met with sharecroppers, local black leaders, and families of lynching victims. He visited ramshackle black schools and slept at the homes of prosperous black farmers and doctors. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter’s series was syndicated coast to coast in white newspapers and carried into the South only by the Pittsburgh Courier, the country’s leading black paper. His vivid descriptions and undisguised outrage at "the iniquitous Jim Crow system" shocked the North, enraged the South, and ignited the first national debate in the media about ending America’s system of apartheid. Six years before Brown v. Board of Education, seven years before the murder of Emmett Till, and thirteen years before John Howard Griffin’s similar experiment became the bestseller Black Like Me, Sprigle’s intrepid journalism blasted into the American consciousness the grim reality of black lives in the South.

• Seeing Life through Private Eyes: Secrets from America's Top Investigator to Living Safer, Smarter, and Saner (Thomas G. Martin)

For over three decades Thomas G. Martin has been the secret weapon of choice. Now America’s PI has combined his life experiences, cautionary tales, and insider information into a valuable guide for the rest of us. Seeing Life Through Private Eyes is an invaluable resource for living smarter and safer in today’s complicated world.

• Tyranny of the Textbook: An Insider Exposes How Educational Materials Undermine Reform (Beverlee Jobrack)

Educational reforms and standards have been a topic of public debate for decades, with the latest go-round being the State Common Core Curriculum Standards. But time and again those reforms have failed, and each set of standards, no matter how new and different, has had little impact on improving student achievement. Why? The textbooks. Textbooks sell based on design and superficial features, not because they are based on the latest research on how children learn and how well they promote student achievement. In Tyranny of the Textbook, Beverlee Jobrack, retired from educational publishing, sheds light on why this happens. She gives an engaging and fascinating look behind-the-scenes of how K-12 textbooks are developed, written, adopted, and sold. And, perhaps most importantly, she clearly spells out how the system can change so that reforms and standards have a shot at finally being effective.

• Women Who Surf: Charging the Waves with the World's Best (Ben Marcus and Lucia Griggi)

Mavericks and more, a celebration of feminine beauty, athleticism, wisdom, and skill when the surf is bombing—Women Who Surf profiles some of the world’s most inspiring female surfers ranging from Bethany Hamilton to Wrenna Delgado. Each surfer tells her story, highlighting her personal challenges, accomplishments, and philosophy, as well as inspiring readers and providing them with practical how-to suggestions on maximizing not only their own potential in surfing but in life as they lead the charge and push their limits at infamous big-wave spots like Teahupoo in Tahiti, Waimea Bay, and Peahi/Jaws in the Hawaiian Islands.

• Maxims Minimus: Reflections in Microstyle (T. Byram Karasu, MD)

• Kicking Gas and Taking Charge! (Duane Leffel)

Would you take off on a trip across the U.S. without knowing where you could get gasoline along the way? I did…in a way. Only instead of looking for gas stations, I had to find 220 volts of electricity to charge an all-electric car! With 8 people I had never met! Take a fascinating behind-the-scenes journey across the U.S. using over 600 color photos as I try to set a Guinness World Record in an all-electric Nissan LEAF. Finding 220 volts of electricity is not as easy as it seems! Also, learn why everyone should care about sustainability. I got educated. You should too. You CAN make an impact!

• A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment (Spring Washam)

Spring Washam is a founder of the East Bay Meditation Center, one of the most diverse and accessible Dharma centers in the United States. In A Fierce Heart, Washam shares her contemporary, unique interpretation of the Buddha’s 2,500-year-old teachings, with short chapters that get to the heart of mindfulness, wisdom, loving kindness, and compassion.

Dear reader, the Green Mountain Book Award (GMBA) reading committee is looking for new members!

Each year, the GMBA committee selects the 15 GMBA titles that make up the following year's GMBA list. Committee members must be able to:

• Read and recommend YA books throughout the year
• Meet 4 times per year for 2-3 hr meetings + 1 full day-long meeting in March*
• Locally promote the current GMBA list & teen involvement
• Fulfill other committee duties, as needed

*Meetings will be virtual until it is safe to meet in-person. In-person meetings are usually held at the VT Department of Libraries in Barre.

The committee is searching for two new adult members and two new teen members to join the team! Interested adult and teen applicants should send the following materials to this email address: gmba.award@gmail.com

• Brief resume or activities list
• Paragraph stating your interest in the committee
• Two paragraph long book reviews (one positive and one negative) for YA titles published within the last three years
• Teens Only: a letter of recommendation from an adult who can speak to your ability to read consistently, to discuss books, and to participate in meetings 

The deadline to apply is Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 11:59pm.

If you have any additional questions, please contact Committee Chair Shannon DeSantis Gile (shannon.gile@lsuu.org) or Youth Services Consultant Jonathan Clark (jonathan.l.clark@vermont.gov).

Back to GMBA Main Page

Event Press Release

State Librarian Jason Broughton will be presenting with other Agency of Administration commissioners at the South Burlington Public Library on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 from 2:00pm-3:30pm.

A Vermont Department of Libraries New Employee Announcement from State Librarian Jason Broughton:

I'm happy to let you know that Janette Shaffer has accepted the position of Assistant State Librarian for Library Advancement and joined the Vermont Department of Libraries on November 25, 2019. We are absolutely certain that she will add another layer of success to our efforts on offering diverse and robust programming, to our grants management efforts, and for opportunities for the libraries across Vermont.

Janette comes to us with an MSLIS from University of Illinois and a BS in Marketing from University of Maryland. She started her library career in medical libraries—first at University of Nebraska Medical Center, then at Georgetown University Medical Center. She held a variety of positions starting as a reference and instruction librarian, and slowly moving into library administration. She came to Vermont in 2007 when she was offered the Assistant Library Director position at Hartness Library—the library system shared by Vermont Tech and Community College of Vermont. Janette’s interest in project management and marketing led her to take the opportunity to serve as Director of Marketing and Communications at CCV for several years, and then as Marketing & Operations Director at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine. She is excited to return to the library field and apply her experience in a more impactful way.

Janette grew up in Germany in a place that looks very much like Vermont. In her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen and singing in various groups, as well as exploring the outdoors with her two mutts. She is also a big fan of traveling the world, both near and far, looking for new experiences.

Feel free to wish her warm words of welcome and success! Janette can be contacted at janette.shaffer@vermont.gov.

Painting by Diana D. Dunn, 2019

Back row (L to R): Norah Ryan, Charlotte Bodin, Axel de Boer, Magnolia Rice

Front Row (L to R): India Danyow, Allegra de Boer, Katherine LeVine

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The Vermont Letters about Literature winners were honored at a ceremony at the State House in Montpelier on Friday, May 31.

The Letters about Literature (LAL) writing contest, now in its 26th year, is sponsored by the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.  The Vermont Department of Libraries receives support from the Library of Congress to facilitate the Vermont state competition.

The LAL writing contest, which opens in the fall, asks students in grades 4-12 to write a letter to an author (living or dead) of a book, short story, poem, essay, or speech that changed their view of themselves or the world. These letters are meant to be deeply reflective and illustrate just how the author’s work had a personal impact on the letter-writer. Past winners have written to authors as diverse as Dave Ramsey of The Total Money Makeover to Anne Frank of her Diary of a Young Girl. Our Vermont students are living a multitude of vibrant, and often challenging, lives, and every genre or type of work has the potential to strike a chord.

This year, the guidelines for letters were more stringent. Letters had to be between 400 and 800 words and follow a very specific format. This year was also the first year that students or their teachers could upload their letters onto a web platform to expedite the judging process. Despite these changes, Vermont students submitted 138 letters to the Library of Congress for initial round 1 judging. Of those letters, 112 met the criteria for entry into round 2, which is our Vermont state competition.

Letters are divided into three different levels of judging: level 1 (grades 4-6) level 2 (grades 7-8) and level 3 (grades 9-12.) VTLIB employees read all 112 round 2 letters and judged them according to the same rubric. First place winners were entered in the national Letters about Literature competition, competing against other state winners from all of the country. National winners receive a cash prize and are honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. We expect those results very soon, so stay tuned.

The Winners

• Level 1 winner: India Danyow, a sixth grader from the Bridge School in Middlebury who hails from Brandon. India wrote a letter to Robie H. Harris, author of the book It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health.

Watch India Read Her Letter *coming soon*

• Level 2 winner: Katherine LeVine, a seventh grader from The Dorset School in East Dorset. She wrote a letter to Jerry Spinelli about his book Stargirl.

Watch Katherine Read Her Letter *coming soon*

• Level 3 winner: Charlotte Bodin of Middlesex, an eleventh grader from U-32 High School in Montpelier. She wrote a letter to Madeline Miller about her book The Song of Achilles.

Watch Charlotte Read Her Letter *coming soon*

The Runner-Ups

• Second place for Level 1- Allegra de Boer, Bridge School, Middlebury, who wrote to Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo about their book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women
• Second place for Level 3- Magnolia Rice, Woodstock Union High School, Woodstock, who wrote to Julie Murphy about her book Puddin'
• Third place for Level 1- Axel de Boer, Bridge School, Middlebury, who wrote to Tamora Pierce about her book The First Test
• Third place for Level 3 – Norah Ryan, U-32 High School, Montpelier, who wrote to Margaret Atwood about her book Cat's Eye

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For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Contact:

Rebecca Kelley, Office of the Governor

802-828-6403; Rebecca.Kelley@vermont.gov

GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT APPOINTS JASON BROUGHTON AS VERMONT STATE LIBRARIAN

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced the appointment of Jason Broughton as Vermont state librarian, effective April 1, 2019. Broughton will lead the Department of Libraries within the Agency of Administration and will be the first African-American to serve as Vermont state librarian.

Broughton came to Vermont with extensive experience in library services with a focus on creating and nurturing a lifelong love of knowledge. He served as assistant state librarian, supervising library staff consultants who provide training and assistance to community libraries, as well as staff of the Audio, Braille, Large Print and E-Book (ABLE) Library. He has served as the interim Vermont state librarian since August 2018.

“Since joining the Vermont Department of Libraries, Jason has worked diligently to initiate and carry out strategic planning for the Department, including the establishment of a long-term vision for the State Library and its programs that meet the challenge of the rapidly changing environment of digital media,” said Secretary of Administration Susanne Young. “Jason will lead our library, through its programs and staffing, so it reflects established and newly evolving library technologies, programs and procedures, as well as lead change to ensure that the State Library continues to provide innovative, user-driven library resources and services over time.”

For nearly a decade, Broughton held various library roles, including workforce development trainer and outreach coordinator at the South Carolina State Library; and director of Library Support Services, assistant director of Public Service and interim librarian at the Live Oaks Public Library in Savannah, Georgia. Prior to his library career, he spent over a decade as an educator.

“Vermont and its libraries are fortunate to have a talented professional like Jason leading the Department and supporting community libraries in their important and evolving role as community centers,” said Governor Scott. “Jason has reintroduced many of us to our local libraries during my ‘Capitol for a Day’ events, and I thank him for his knowledge and enthusiasm as we promote the role of libraries in Vermonters’ everyday lives.”

Broughton earned his M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina, a M.S. in Public Administration from the University of South Florida and a B.S. in Biology from Florida A&M University.

“I am honored to serve as Vermont’s next state librarian,” said Broughton. “Libraries across Vermont are doing amazing work that is forward thinking and community engaged. I believe libraries can play an important role in helping Vermonters access portals to the world's knowledge and information for leisure, labor, literacy and the love of reading,” Broughton added.

As Governor Scott has made strengthening and expanding Vermont’s workforce a top priority, libraries play an integral role in helping Vermonters thrive in today’s workforce. Job seekers continue to come to the library for resources and support, and libraries continually work to find new ways to respond to this essential community need. Workforce literacy impacts a variety of patrons, including small businesses looking to grow, young first-time job seekers, military personnel and veterans, those looking to re-enter the workforce, and older adults seeking new skills to stay in the workforce. Governor Scott and Commissioner Broughton will continue to evolve the services libraries provide to support workforce development.

Click here for Broughton's headshot.

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109 State Street | The Pavilion | Montpelier, VT 05609-0101 | www.vermont.gov

TELEPHONE: 802.828.3333 | FAX: 802.828.3339 | TDD: 802.828.3345

Vermont Department of Libraries is proud to partner with Girls Who Code to bring free computer science opportunities to elementary, middle, and high school girls across Vermont.Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. We would love for your school and public library to host a club!

Girls Who Code Clubs are free programs for 3rd-5th and 6th-12th grade students to join a sisterhood of supportive peers and role models using computer science to change the world. Clubs are completely free and offer fun activities through a flexible curriculum that adapts to your unique needs. Clubs can take place after school, on weekends, or during the summer, and they can be held in-person or entirely online.Clubs are led by Facilitators, who can be teachers, computer scientists, librarians, parents, or volunteers from any background or field. Many Facilitators have NO technical experience and learn to code alongside their Club members.

Girls Who Code Clubs program:

• Is completely free
• Now offers swag and $300 for extra supplies during the academic year
• Provides flexible turnkey programming as a book club model for 3-5th graders or a project-based club model for 6-12th graders that can also be customized to supplement programming you already have planned
• Includes everything you need to run a Club from start to finish, like student recruitment flyers, training, new coding video tutorials, live help from a dedicated Girls Who Code staff member, and more
• Does NOT require any prior coding experience for an adult 18+ to lead a Club
• Creates a girls-supportive environment that welcomes library patrons of any gender

APPLY TO START A CLUB HERE

Recorded Girls Who Code Webinar: Features programming and a coding demo with Valerie Tomici (GWC Community Partnerships & Outreach Manager), and Lisa Dion, (Burlington GWC chapter leader).

*Please Note: It is important that you indicate our partnership affiliation on the Clubs Application in order to receive partnership benefits! Please list Vermont Department of Libraries as your partner affiliation for the following question: Is your Club affiliated with a Girls Who Code Community Partner (school districts, library systems, nonprofit organization, afterschool networks etc.)?

Please contact Jonathan Clark ((802) 249-3920, jonathan.l.clark@vermont.gov if you have any questions about how to get started.

Thanks for supporting our partnership with Girls Who Code!

The 2018 Public Library Directors' Summit was held on November 9. Find hand-outs from this event below.

• Agenda (PDF)
• Special Populations/ABLE Library
  • ABLE Library Updates (PDF)
  • Marrakesh Treaty Information (Link)
• State Library Updates (PDF)
  • Fuel Assistance Program (PDF)
  • Vermont Statutes for Libraries (Link)
  • Green Mountain Passport Program (PDF)
• Paul Carnahan, Librarian - Leahy Library at Vermont Historical Society (Link)
• VTLIB Financial Updates & Grant Information (PDF)
• Decennial Census 2020 & The Complete Count (Michael Moser, Vermont State Data Center at UVM- Link)
  • 50 Ways Census Data  Are Used (PDF)
  • Libraries and the 2020 Census (PDF)
  • Debunking the Myths about Citizenship Questions (PDF)
• Continuing Education Updates (PDF)
  • Universal Class Flyer (PDF)
  • Creative Economy Panel/Resource Sheet (PDF)
• Information & Access Updates
  • Services for Public Libraries (PDF)
  • Services for State Employees (PDF)
  • Resources on the Vermont Online Library (PDF)
• Conversations on Using Volunteers and Library Safety Issues
  • Questionnaire on Code of Patron Conduct, Volunteers, and Security (PDF)
  • A Selection of Resources for Library Security and Volunteers (PDF)
  • Toolkit: Engaging New and Active Library and Friends Volunteers (PDF)
  • Article: Company to Supply Free Narcan to Libraries (PDF) (Link)
• Evaluation (PDF)