Freedom to Read Day, October 19!
In 2023, book banning and censorship reached an all-time high, with a record 4,240 unique book titles targeted for removal, a 65% increase over the 2,571 unique titles targeted in 2022 and a staggering 128% increase over 2021 numbers. 47% of the books targeted for censorship were titles representing the voices and lived experiences of people of color and people who identify as LGBTQ+. Coordinated censorship attempts continue to happen at an alarming rate, impacting schools and public libraries nationwide and threatening the First Amendment rights of all Americans.
Public and school libraries should be safe havens of knowledge and community, offering access to diverse viewpoints and empowering students and the public to engage with the issues of our time. The Freedom to Read Community Day of Action will unite libraries and elevate the voices of readers nationwide. Stand with us against book bans on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
Witches of Orford – Join us for our annual Halloween tradition, with treats and fun for all ages! Thursday October 31, 5-7 pm
Make a Tote Bag – Thursday, November 14, 6:30 – 8 p.m.. Learn to sew and make a simple project.
Book Discussion with Author Michael Wejchert: Hidden Mountains: Survival and Reckoning After a Climb Gone Wrong : December 9 @ 7 p.m.
NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD WINNER
Hidden Mountains is the story of a climbing adventure gone wrong in a remote Alaskan mountain range, the impossible rescue attempt that followed, and the fraught cost of survival.
In 2018, two couples set out on an expedition to Alaska’s Hidden Mountains, one of the last wild ranges in North America. A rarity in modern climbing, the peaks were nearly unexplored and untouched, a place where few people had ever visited and granite spires still awaited first ascents. Inspired by generations of daring alpinists before them, the four friends were now compelled to strike out into uncharted territory themselves.
This trip to the Hidden Mountains would be the culmination of years of climbing together, promising to test the foursome’s skill and dedication to the sport. But as they would soon discover, no amount of preparation can account for the unknowns of true wilderness. As they neared the top of an unclimbed peak, rockfall grievously injured one of the team while he was out of sight, leaving him stranded and in critical condition.
Over the course of the next nine hours, the other three climbers worked to reach their companion. What followed was a pulse-pounding rescue attempt by Alaska’s elite pararescue jumpers in one of the most remote regions in the country—raising difficult questions about wilderness accessibility, technology’s role in outdoor adventure, and what it means to weigh risk against the siren song of the mountains.
With visceral prose, Michael Wejchert recounts the group’s rescue and traces the scars left in the wake of life-altering trauma. Weaving the history and evolution of rock and alpine climbing with outside tales of loss and survival in the mountains, Wejchert gives a full picture of the reward—and cost—of following your passions in the outdoors.
Weekly Programming
Story Hour – Saturdays, October 19*, November 9 @ 10 a.m.
Mah Jongg – Mondays 1-3 p.m.
German Conversation – Mondays 4-5 p.m.
Knitting – 2- 3:30 p.m. October 23, November 13
Bridge – Thursdays 3-5 p.m.
French Conversation – Thursdays 4-5 p.m.
Crokinole – 5:30 -7 p.m. October 17; November 7 & 21
Tech Help – Second Saturdays 9:30 – 11 a.m., October 12, November 9
Book Discussions @ 7 p.m. Pick up copies of the book at the library
October 28 : Pageboy, memoir by Elliot Page
December 9 : Hidden Mountains: Survival and Reckoning After a Climb Gone Wrong, Michael Wejchert. The author will join us for this discussion.