I have been coming to Darien Library for 35 years. This is the best organization there is. I have never seen an organization that is run better than the Library.
Ileana Sonnabend: Ambassador for the New
Written by Erin S on 02/26/2014
Thursday, March 6th at 7 p.m.
Molleen Theodore will join us from MoMA to discuss Ileana Sonnabend: Ambassador for the New. In a career as gallerist and noted collector, Sonnabend helped shape the course of postwar art in Europe and North America. In addition to introducing American Pop art and Minimalism to Europe and in bringing Italian Arte Povera to the United States, Sonnabend sought out and championed many of the most significant artists of her time.
Molleen Theodore is the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Fellow in the Education Department at the Yale University Art Gallery and a lecturer in the Education Department at the Museum of Modern Art. She received her Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center in 2010 with a specialization in twentieth century art, photography, and film studies.
This event is part of Darien Library’s collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan in 2013-14. Stay tuned for special library programs and additions to our collection like modern art books, iPads, and museum passes. This collaboration is designed to enhance the Darien community’s appreciation for and knowledge of modern art.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Registration Now Open for the 2014 Gala
Written by Amanda G. on 03/06/2014
Saturday, April 5th at 5:30 p.m.
Please join us for Darien Library’s 2014 Gala, “Technology, Engineering, and the Arts." This year’s gala will embrace the Library’s connection to these fields. Please join us for cocktails and entertainment at our “ART – T|E|A – Party.”
There will be cirque-style entertainment as well as music from the Doug Allen Band.
Please purchase your tickets before they sell out!
Tax Aide at the Library
Written by Erin S on 02/25/2014
Every Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., February 7 through April 11
Tax-Aide, a FREE tax preparation and e-filing program administered by the AARP Foundation in conjunction with and under the auspices of the IRS, is coming to Darien Library. Tax-Aide is the nation’s largest volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service and is available to all individual filers regardless of income or age.
This service will be available every Friday, February 7 through April 11, from 9:30-1:30. Appointments are optional but can be made by calling 203-669-5236. There is no charge for the Tax-Aide service. Individuals should bring all 2013 tax forms (W-2s, 1099s, brokerage statements, etc.) Social Security and other official identification, and their 2012 return, if possible.
Friday Night Feature - 'Nebraska'
Written by Erin S on 02/24/2014
Friday, March 7th at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. - Nebraska (2013) Starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte; Rated R; 114 minutes. Closed captioned for the hearing impaired.
When a father and his adult son embark on a journey to claim a million-dollar prize, what begins as a fool's errand becomes a search for the road to redemption.
"One of the best films of the year..." -- Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Nebraska is the work of a great director hitting his stride." -- Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
For more information, please watch the film's trailer. Check out what else we're screening in March.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Registration for Spring 2014 Storytimes
Written by childrens library on 12/05/2013
Registration for the Spring 2014 storytime lottery will open on Monday, March 3rd, 2014 and run through Monday, March 17th. Registration is a lottery, and notification will be Saturday, March 22. Storytimes will begin the week of Monday, March 24, 2014.
Brochures are available now. We look forward to seeing you and your children for our upcoming season of storytimes!
Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Story of Gertrude Bell
Written by Erin S on 02/23/2014
Tuesday, March 11th at 7 p.m.
Join filmmakers Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbuhl for a screening and discussion about their work-in-progress documentary - Letters from Baghdad – the story of trailblazer Gertrude Bell.
Adventurer, spy and diplomat, Gertrude Bell left the confines of Edwardian England to seek freedom and independence in the Arabian desert and became the most powerful woman in the British Empire. In the aftermath of World War I, she drew the borders of Iraq, installed its first king, and founded the Baghdad Museum of Antiquities. Bell left behind a rich cache of letters and photographs that document her extraordinary experiences in the Middle East in the early 20th century and reveal a complex woman grappling with the challenge of making her mark in a world being rapidly transformed by major political and social events.
Oelbaum and Krayenbuhl will discuss how the film, the first feature-length documentary on Gertrude Bell, explores the choices that trail blazing women almost always have to make, and specific to Bell, how circumstance and personality came together to create a woman who turned her back on comfort and privilege in the pursuit of knowledge, power and the passion for making a difference. They will also discuss how the decisions that Bell and her British colleagues made in the formation of the modern state of Iraq continue to influence current events in the Middle East today.
Executive Producer Elizabeth Chandler grew up in Darien and is a graduate of Darien High School.
Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs available on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen's).
Pick Up Your Farm Share at Darien Library this Summer!
Written by Erin S on 01/30/2014
You may have heard of a “CSA,” “vegetable box,” or “farm share” before. CSA stands for ‘Community Supported Agriculture” and it means community members get together to invest in a farm during the winter or early Spring and then when the harvest season rolls out, they pick up a weekly package of vegetables at a designated pick-up location (like us, the Library).
In 2014, Darien Library will be the pickup location for Stoneledge Farm’s CSA. The farm share pickup will be every Wednesday evening in our Community Room from 4:30-7:30 p.m. running from June 4th until November 12th (24 weeks).
To take part, you have to sign up for a vegetable share. If you do, you can also sign up for a fruit, mushroom and/or coffee share, too.
There is the option to split a share. When you sign up and add the share to your cart, provide your share partner's name, phone number, and email address.
Costs for a share are as follows:
Vegetable $505.00
Fruit $235.00
Mushroom $96.00
Coffee $126.00
Click here for more information, and here to register. The vegetables are grown locally so they are fresher than anything you’ll find in a grocery store, and incredibly varied.
As a member of the CSA, you will be asked to complete two hours of volunteer work during the season. Volunteers do things like check people in when they pick up their share, make sure the vegetables are replenished, or move boxes.
Questions? Please contact Erin Shea, Head of Adult Programming, at eshea@darienlibrary.org.
Introducing: You Are What You Read Next
Written by sholcomba on 01/13/2014
The Darien Library is proud to offer You Are What You Read Next, a new online Reader's Advisory service offering personalized book recommedations. If you've spoken with our readers' advisors at the Welcome Desk before, you know that we have a full staff of trained librarians to help you find that perfect next read. Whether you're in the mood for the hottest new mystery, want to go back to the classics, or have a few questions about the book all your friends are reading, we're here with answers and recommendations. Now we're taking that show online with our online form You Are What You Read Next!
If you take just 5-10 minutes to answer a few questions about what you're looking for in your next few books, we'll send you a list of 5 hand-picked books in whatever format you prefer. You don't even have to answer all the questions--just the ones that you think are necessary. Click here to get started. We can't wait to hear from you!
Darien Library, 1441 Post Road, Darien, Connecticut, 06820-5419 · 203-655-1234