clipart of deskFrom the Director's Desk

STAVROS ACCESS AWARDED to the EAST LONGMEADOW PUBLIC LIBRARY

The East Longmeadow Public Library is proud to announce that it has received a Stavros Access Award for 2008.  Every year the Stavros Center for Independent Living in Amherst, MA sends their clients Access Award nomination forms. They in turn visit local organizations and businesses that they feel have improved access for people with disabilities.  The East Longmeadow library received a Paul Winske Award, given to business, organizations or individuals who have taken new or innovative steps to improve access to members of the community.  Among other things, the library, which was newly renovated in 2004, was recognized for having power-assisted entrance doors, elevator access to the second floor, and an extensive large print collection. The late Paul Winske was an advocate at Stavros who worked hard to make communities in the Pioneer Valley more accessible.  He founded the first "handicapped parking" patrol in western Massachusetts and was the driving force in establishing annual awards for businesses that made themselves more accessible.   

 

    Making Tracks through the Stacks – November and Early December
clipart of footprints

"Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains;
They crown'd him long ago
On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds,
With a diadem of snow."
-- Lord Byron

In my opinion, November is a bleak month-- the daytime hours are few, a chill is in the air, and my attention turns inward remembering warmer, sunnier days.  My thoughts invariably turn to making plans for the coming year.

A couple of months ago I was fortunate (and daring enough?) to travel to Europe where I  joined a group of fellow hikers from the Adirondack Mountain Club on a circuit hike of the Mont Blanc massif called the “Tour du Mont Blanc”, a world-famous 100+ mile route that passes through three countries while circling this “roof of Europe”.  It certainly was a strenuous journey, but it was a rewarding one as well--one that I will remember forever. 

mountain

Aiguille Verte - a beautiful and prominent mountain of the Mont Blanc Range (el. 13,523’, 4122m)

mountain2

Above Chamonix, France


mountain3

Near the Grand Col Ferret (Swiss/Italian border)
(el. 8372', 2537m )

Having now recovered from all the “ups” and “downs”, it made me wonder what other journeys may await me in the future.  I remembered some of the accounts of other hikers and others who liked to wander about, as I went searching through the stacks for some “inspiration”.   Reading these accounts also made me forget how dreary November can be.  I hope it has the same effect on you.  Happy reading! (and happy trekking)

Here is my selection listed alphabetically by author:

Blum, Arlene.  Breaking Trail: a climbing life.  Scribner, 2005.  Arlene Blum is a legendary trailblazer by any measure. Defying the climbing establishment of the 1970s, she led the first teams of women on successful ascents of Mt. McKinley and Annapurna, and was the first American woman to attempt Mt. Everest.  In her long, adventurous career she has played a leading role in more than twenty expeditions and forged a place for women in the perilous arena of high-altitude mountaineering.   Complemented with breathtaking personal photos and detailed maps, Breaking Trail is a deeply moving account of how one woman overcame adversity to become one of the world's most famous climbers, and a testament to the power of taking risks and pursuing dreams. 

Bryson, Bill. A Walk in the Woods: rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail.  Broadway Books, 1998.  Well-written and just hilarious in places, traces the author's adventurous trek along the Appalachian Trail past its natural pleasures, human eccentrics, and offbeat comforts.

Fletcher, Colin.  The Complete Walker, IV.  Knopf, 2002.  An updated edition of the classic guide to hiking provides an overview of the latest developments in backpacking, evaluating a wide range of hiking equipment, discussing wilderness etiquette, and providing practical information on hiking techniques, clothing, first-aid, cooking, and selecting a campsite. Consult this book first before you start out on your adventure!
 
Haddock, Doris.  Granny D.: Walking across America in my ninetieth year.  Villard Books, 2001. A ninety-year-old activist from New Hampshire chronicles her fourteen-month walk across the country to raise awareness of the issue of campaign finance reform, and describes her lifelong commitment to activism and adventure.

Jenkins, Peter.  A Walk across America.  Morrow, 1979.  A young New Englander celebrates a rarely seen and almost forgotten America as he recalls the people he met and the situations he experienced during a journey in search of his country and himself.

McKibben, Bill.  Wandering Home: a long walk across America's most hopeful landscape, Vermont's Champlain Valley and New York's Adirondacks. Crown Journeys, 2005.  The best-selling author of The End of Nature offers an evocative account of his walk from his home in Vermont to his former home in the Adirondacks, reflecting on the wonders of the natural world, what it means to be truly wild, and the impact of human intervention as he describes the Champlain Valley of Vermont and vast Adirondack wilderness.

Thayer, Helen.  Walking the Gobi: a 1600-trek across a desert of hope and despair.  Mountaineers Books, 2007.  The author provides a day-by-day account of her 1600-mile journey across the Gobi Desert at the age of sixty-three.
   
Thoreau, Henry David.  Walking with Thoreau: a literary guide to the mountains of New England.  Beacon Press, 2001.  With literary commentary by William Howarth printed alongside Thoreau's writings, this work allows the present day hiker to retrace Thoreau's footsteps up some of New England's most popular mountain destinations.          

Wren, Christopher.  Walking to Vermont: from Times Square into the Green Mountains, a homeward adventure.  Simon & Schuster, 2004.  Traveling with an unwieldy pack and a keen curiosity, Christopher Wren bids farewell to the New York Times newsroom in midtown Manhattan and saunters up Broadway, through Harlem, the Bronx, and the affluent New York suburbs of Westchester and Putnam Counties. As his trek takes him into the Housatonic River Valley of Connecticut, the Berkshires of Massachusetts, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and along a bucolic riverbank in New Hampshire, the strenuous challenges become as much emotional as physical.  From the author of the acclaimed bestseller The Cat Who Covered the World, this will delight not just hikers, walkers, and other lovers of the outdoors, but also anyone who contemplates retirement, wonders about foreign correspondents, or relishes a lively, off-beat adventure, even when it unfolds close to home.

             In case you missed last month's column... click here.

 

Adult Book Discussion
book jacket for A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

This month our book groups are reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The Adult Book Discussion Group now meets at two different times. The next meeting for the Saturday morning group will be November 22, 2008 at 10:00 am. The Monday evening group will meet at 6:00 pm. on November 24th. Both groups will meet in the library Community Room. For more information you may contact Sue French at (413) 224-1050 or email her at french64@charter.net. In subject box please enter Re: discussion group.

By the way, if you belong to a Book Discussion Group and are looking for a guide on a particular title, try NoveList, a Readers' Advisory database. NoveList has a growing list of book discussion guides developed for this purpose. Click on http://www.eastlongmeadow.org/Library/directoryofresources.html to use NoveList.

 clipart of calendar  Library Community Calendar Form

The East Longmeadow Public Library has added a calendar to its web page and would like to encourage community groups (municipal, civic and other non-commercial organizations) to post their events.

Please submit information about your event one week in advance.

Contact Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Event Name:
Date or Date Ranges:
Start and End Times:
Brief description of event:

graphic of suggestion boxLibrary Suggestion Box Form

We are interested in hearing your comments and ideas about our services. Please take a moment to suggest ways in which we can better serve your needs. Thank you.

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