Library News

'Most Eloquent Man in the World' to Discuss Latest Novel at Greenwich Library

2010-03-04T18:32:51Z

Master storyteller and best-selling author Frank Delaney will discuss his latest book, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, Thursday, March 11, at 7 p.m., in the Greenwich Library's Meeting Room. Renowned for his gift of language and signature Irish wit, Delaney's work has, so often, scrutinized the nature of the spoken word. ]]> Best-selling author of Shannon, Tipperary and Dublin, he has been a Booker Prize judge, and master interviewer of the great literary names of our time. Delaney has been called "the most eloquent man in the world" by NPR's Scott Simon.

Set in Ireland in 1932, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show is more than just a novel for fans of Irish culture and historical fiction. Filled with humor and social observation, the book is an entertaining read for those that love theater or politics.

In the current phase of his work, Delaney is writing a series of novels exploring his native Ireland's history in the 20th century, one decade at a time. Like all his books, they are multi-layered and aim to be read on a number of levels.

This event is part of Greenwich Library's ongoing author series. For more information, please call Marianne Weill at (203) 622-7933.

Peter Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg L.P., to be Honored at Library's 2010 Peterson Business Award Dinner

2010-03-02T17:27:54Z

Peter T. Grauer, Chairman of Bloomberg L.P., will be honored on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, as the seventh recipient of Greenwich Library's Peterson Business Award. Former Chairman & CEO of JPMorgan Chase, William B. Harrison, Jr., will present this prestigious award to Mr. Grauer. Mr. Harrison was the third recipient of the Peterson Business Award. ]]>

Peter T. Grauer is Chairman of Bloomberg L.P., the global financial media company that was founded in 1981. He has been a member of the Bloomberg Board since October 1996 and was named Chairman of the Board in March 2001, succeeding Michael R. Bloomberg. Mr. Grauer joined Bloomberg full time in his executive capacities in March 2002. Prior to this, he was a Managing Director of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from 1992 until 2000 when DLJ was acquired by Credit Suisse First Boston. He served as a Managing Director and Senior Partner of CSFB Private Equity until March 2002. Mr. Grauer is a founder of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and DLJ Investment Partners. Mr. Grauer graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1968 and the Harvard University Graduate School of Business, Program for Management Development in 1975. Mr. Grauer serves as lead director of Davita, Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a healthcare services company based in California, and has been on the board of directors of over twenty-five public and private companies. He is also a member of the Business Council and serves on its Executive Committee.

Mr. Grauer is President of the Board of Trustees of the Inner City Scholarship Fund in New York City, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of The Big Apple Circus and Chairman of the External Advisory Board of the Undergraduate Honors Program and the Johnson Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill National Development Council and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Foundation Board, President of the Pomfret School Board of Trustees and a member of the Board of the USA Cycling Development Foundation, a member of the Board of the Prostate Cancer Foundation and a trustee of Rockefeller University. Mr. Grauer has served as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Irvington Institute for Immunological Research and as a trustee of Greenwich Academy. He is a recent recipient of the Papal Order of Merit. Mr. Grauer is married and resides in Greenwich, Connecticut. He and his wife Laurie have three daughters.

Mr. Harrison is Former Chairman & CEO of JPMorgan Chase where he retired as Chairman at year-end 2006. Previously he had held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Chase Manhattan Corporation from June 1, 1999 and presided over the mergers with J.P. Morgan in 2000 and Bank One in 2004.

Mr. Harrison joined Chemical Bank in 1967 in New York, moved to San Francisco in 1976 to open the bank's first regional office, and then spent five years in London managing the firm's European business. He returned to the U.S. in 1983 and was put in charge of the bank's Global Banking and Corporate Finance Group. Beginning in 1992, he played a leading role in managing and merging the major firms - Chemical, Manufacturers Hanover, Chase Manhattan, J.P. Morgan and Bank One, in addition to Hambrecht & Quist, Flemings and Beacon, creating one of the leading global financial institutions in the world. Mr. Harrison is a director of Merck & Co., Inc., and a director of Cousins Properties, Inc. He is a member of The Business Council. He serves on the Board of Directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, is a member of the Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a member of the Board of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Aurora Capital Group, the Advisory Board of Chilton Investment Company, and is a member of the U.S. Advisory Board of Spencer Stuart. He serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Foundation Investment Fund.

Mr. Harrison, who was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, received an A.B. degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's International Senior Management Programme in Switzerland. Mr. Harrison and his wife, Anne, have two daughters.

The award will be presented at the 2010 Peterson Business Award Dinner, which benefits the Greenwich Library. Library Trustees Jennifer Baldock and Susan Bevan are serving as co-chairs of the event. The event committee includes Nancy Better, Steve Brecher, Ginny Day, Roberta and Steven Denning, Anne Farrell, Regina Pitaro Gabelli, Gary Matthews, Sharon Phillips, Larry Ricciardi and Annette Wilson.

The Peterson Business Award was established by the Greenwich Library and the Peterson Foundation to "recognize and honor an individual whose innovative thinking, leadership, and sustained record of achievement has had a profound impact on the national and global economy, and whose words and deeds have demonstrated a commitment to intellectual freedom and open access to information."

"We are pleased to present the seventh Peterson Business Award to such a distinguished honoree," said David Brownwood, president of the Greenwich Library Board of Trustees. "Peter Grauer exemplifies the leadership and vision cited in the award's creation."

The Peterson Business Award Dinner will be held on March 3, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenwich, with an expected attendance of 400 prominent business and community leaders. The dinner is held every other year and is the Library's only major fundraiser. It comes at a time when patrons are turning to the library in record numbers and when its funding is significantly threatened.

The Peterson Business Award is named in honor of Clementine Lockwood Peterson, whose 1992 bequest of $25 million made possible a new 32,000 square-foot wing at the Greenwich Library. Designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, this wing contains expanded business and music collections. Mrs. Peterson's gift was made in memory of her son, Jonathan, and her husband, J. Whitney Peterson. The Peterson Business Award was conceived in order to celebrate Mrs. Peterson's extraordinary generosity and to recognize outstanding business leadership.

Past honorees and presenters include:

1997- Honoree: Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IBM Presenter: Former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford

2000- Honoree: Sanford Weill, Chairman of Citigroup Presenter: Former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin

2002- Honoree: William B. Harrison, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JP Morgan Chase Presenter: Lynne Cheney, author and wife of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney

2004- Honoree: Dr. Henry A. McKinnell, Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc. Presenter: Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History

2006- Honoree: Thomas J. Neff, Chairman of Spencer Stuart Presenter: Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General Electric Corporation

2008- Honoree: Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Presenter: Yale President Richard C. Levin

For additional information or tickets to this event, please contact Sharlene Cameron, Greenwich Library Development Director, at (203) 622-7957 or scameron@greenwichlibrary.org.

Grammy-Winning Klezmer Band to Play Cole Auditorium

2010-03-01T18:00:54Z

Globally-renowned music superstars, The Klezmatics -- the only klezmer band to win a Grammy award -- will bring their culturally and spiritually vibrant music to the Cole Auditorium on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at 3:30 p.m.

]]> The band emerged out of New York City's East Village in 1986 with klezmer steeped in Eastern European Jewish tradition and spirituality. The Klezmatics incorporate contemporary themes such as human rights and anti-fundamentalism and eclectic musical influences including Arab, African, Latin and Balkan rhythms, jazz and punk into their music. In the course of more than 20 years and nine albums they have stubbornly continued making music that is wild, mystical, provocative, reflective and ecstatically danceable.

The Klezmatics have topped the Billboard world music charts on numerous occasions and have garnered numerous awards and accolades throughout their career, including a GLAMA (Gay and Lesbian American Music Award) and the German Critics Prize (twice), They were the recipients of the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for their CD Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.

The Klezmatics will come to Greenwich Library as part of the Peterson Concert Series. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, please call David Waring at (203) 622-7917.

Introduce Your Children to Jazz through the Westchester Jazz Orchestra

2010-02-27T18:06:12Z

Children will be introduced to the various style and elements of jazz, as well as the role and responsibility of each instrument, when the Westchester Jazz Orchestra visits the Cole Auditorium on Saturday, February 27, at 2 p.m. A special sextet from the award-winning Westchester County-based jazz orchestra will demonstrate the fun of jazz in their exhilarating presentation, "Intro to Jazz." ]]> The mission of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra is to promote jazz, contribute to its evolution and advance the appreciation and understanding of this uniquely American cultural treasure. Drawing upon the talent of renowned Westchester-based professional musicians, composers and arrangers, the Orchestra performs a broad range of jazz works from classic standards to commissioned pieces. It is also committed to inspiring young listeners with outreach programs in jazz education.

The Ashforth Children's Concert Series is designed to expose children to classical and jazz music performance. The 45-minute long show is appropriate for elementary school children.

Pick up free, unassigned seating tickets (limit six per person) at the Cole Auditorium at noon, and return when doors open at 1:50 pm. For more information, please contact the Public Relations Office at 622-7965.

Snow Alert: How to Find Information About Library Closures

2010-02-25T15:47:25Z

The Library's criterion for closing due to inclement weather differs from those of Town Hall and the Board of Education. When conditions are poor, please call 622-7900 for the most current information regarding closings or delayed openings. Current information regarding closings and/or delays will be posted on the Library News blog. Patrons can also check for announcements of delayed openings and early closings on Greenwich Radio WGCH 1490, News 12 Connecticut.

Any delays or closings will also pertain to the Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branch libraries.

If Greenwich Public Schools are closed due to inclement weather, storytimes at Greenwich Library are cancelled. If school openings are delayed, morning storytimes are cancelled.

Inexpensive and Easy Home Make-Over Tips at Cos Cob Library

2010-02-11T21:18:03Z

HGTV and TLC make home make-overs look simple. Now get first-hand tips on how to recreate your "problem room" in an easy, inexpensive way from a local interior design professional. Adele Raspe, owner of the newly opened interior design firm Adele R LLC, will present "Home Make-Overs for the Busy Homeowner" Saturday, February 27, at 10:30 a.m., at the Cos Cob Library. Raspe's presentation will offer the best kept secrets to a good design and show "before" and "after" photos that will teach you the essential tools and techniques for re-thinking, re-arranging and re-designing your home. Along with an interactive discussion, Raspe will unveil the 10 most common mistakes made in home decorating. Participants are encouraged to bring photos of their living spaces for valuable input.

Adele's approach to interior design is not about discarding what you own and cherish but about seeing your home in a new light. She received a Certificate in Interior Design from Parsons in New York City.

For more information, please call the Cos Cob Library at (203) 622-6883.

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Rowe Bookplate Museum's Abraham Lincoln Collection on Display at Greenwich Library

2010-02-11T21:09:15Z

A selection of the Rowe Bookplate Museum's Abraham Lincoln collection will be on display at the Greenwich Library throughout February. The exhibit contains bookplates, or ex libris, devoted to the life of Lincoln. ]]> Bookplates use original designs to identify a book as the property of a particular person or library. The Library's Lincolniana display ranges from bookplates with the 16th President's bust to his Illinois log cabin and photos and drawings of Lincoln reading. Lincolniana encompasses book collections or artifacts that have been given to the Library of Congress, college museums or to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill.

Robert Weinberg, founder and curator of the Rowe Bookplate Museum, began collecting bookplates about 47 years ago. A resident of Greenwich, he created the museum's name by merging the first two letters of his first and last names. Weinberg created the museum about 17 years ago to help improve his collection efforts. After nearly five decades of collecting, Weinberg's collection stands at approximately 400 bookplates.

For more information, please call Carl White at (203) 622-7948.

Bring Farm-Fresh Northern Italian Cuisine to Your Kitchen Table

2010-01-26T16:33:26Z

Get a taste of Northern Italy's agriturismi and learn easy ways to bring Italian farmhouse cuisine to your table. Matthew Scialabba and Melissa Pellegrino, authors of The Italian Farmer's Table, will share their experiences of a four-month journey exploring 30 agriturismi (working farms with accommodations and restaurants) to learn authentic farm-to-table regional Italian cuisine, Wednesday, February 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Greenwich Library Meeting Room.]]> Scialabba and Pellegrino, a husband and wife cooking and writing duo, transcribed more than 150 recipes from family farms and adapted each for the home kitchen, to ensure ease in recreating these wonderful dishes with readily available ingredients accessible to the home cook. These authentic Italian recipes include Swiss Chard and Ricotta Tarts, Fried Butternut Squash Ravioli, Lavender Encrusted Chicken with Pancetta, Rabbit with Olives and Pine Nuts, Frozen Chocolate Ricotta Cream Cake and Carpaccio with Gorgonzola Sauce, Pears and Walnuts.

The Italian Farmer's Table is also packed with photographs, anecdotes and the pulse of agriturismi the authors gathered while exploring the eight most northern regions of Italy.

Matthew and Melissa met while both living in Italy. Their shared passion for Italian food and culture led them to embark on many culinary journeys throughout the country. These experiences include apprenticing at a Roman bakery, studying winemaking at a Ligurian vineyard, graduating from a professional culinary school in Florence and working and cooking together at several Italian agriturismi. They live in Guilford.

For more information, please contact Wayne Campbell at (203)-622-7922.

Library Hosts Annual Chinese New Year Celebration

2010-01-26T15:37:01Z

Mid-February, according to the lunar calendar, brings about the Chinese New Year. The public is invited to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, as the Greenwich Library welcomes the CBA Culture & Arts Center of New York City on Sunday, February 7, at 2 pm, in the Cole Auditorium. Festivities will include dancing, acrobatics, magic, martial arts and music. ]]> CBA is dedicated to the development of traditional Chinese arts in the spirit of exchange and dialogue with other cultures in the world. While seeking to preserve Chinese folk flavors, CBA programs continue to develop fresh ideas and techniques as artists come in contact with other traditions in the eclectic art scenes of the west.

The program is appropriate for all ages. No registration required, free and open to all. For more information, please call Yang Wang at (203) 622-7924.

Author Dr. Dana Brand to Discuss "Last Days of Shea"

2010-01-26T15:22:52Z

Dr. Dana Brand, author of The Last Days of Shea: Delight and Despair in the Life of a Mets Fan, will speak at Greenwich Library on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room. Dr. Brand is a Professor of English and American Literature at Hofstra University. He was born in New York City in 1954 to a pair of Brooklyn Dodger fans who were heartbroken when their team left New York in 1957. He began his personal love affair with baseball in 1962, the first season of the New York Mets. ]]> As a scholar, Dana Brand has published extensively in the fields of 19th and 20th century English, French and American literature, philosophy and film and was chair of the Hofstra English Department at Hofstra from 1993-2001. In 2007, he published Mets Fan, a memoir of his lifelong enthusiasm for baseball and for his team. The success of Mets Fan inspired him to write his new book, The Last Days of Shea: Delight and Despair in the Life of a Mets Fan, in which he focuses on his love for the now-demolished Shea Stadium, and his experiences following the Mets' misfortunes.

The Last Days of Shea is not just a book about baseball. It is a book about family life, community, hope, fun, and suffering. The Last Days of Shea has a foreword written by Mets announcer Gary Cohen who observes that it is "a truly terrific book. Filled with passion and sincerity, it offers a deeper understanding of what it means to be a fan." The book has also been praised by Mets announcers Ron Darling and Howie Rose, as well as by the great Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman. It has also received recognition in the world of literature where it has been praised by the novelist Jonathan Lethem and the essayist Phillip Lopate. In November 2009, the book was the focus of an article in the New York Review of Books by Michael Kimmelman, the chief art critic of the New York Times who called Professor Brand "the Proust of Mets bloggers."

Dr. Brand received his Ph.D. in English from Yale, where he studied with A. Bartlett Giamatti, the Yale English professor who became the Commissioner of Baseball just five months before his untimely death in 1989. Brand often talked about baseball with Giamatti, who was an inspiration to him.

Copies of the book will be available to purchase. This program is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Local History Librarian Carl White at 203-622-7948.

Free Tax Assistance at Greenwich Library

2010-01-26T15:15:26Z

Get free tax assistance from the VITA Volunteers every Monday and Saturday, February 6 to April 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interested should bring last year's tax return, all W2s and 1099s, all wage and salary information, information on interest and dividends received and paid, and taxes on real estate, property and vehicles. Check the website for room location. For more information, please call the Reference Desk at (203)-622-7910.

Great Decisions: "Preventing Genocide"

2010-01-26T15:00:48Z

World Affairs Forum Great Decisions program on Monday, February 22 at 7 pm, in the Cole Auditorium. ]]> Professor Kiernan is an expert on the history of Asia and the global history of genocide. His many publications include The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power and Genocide under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-1979, the award winning collection, Conflict and Change in Cambodia and Blood and Soil: Genocide and Extermination in World History from Sparta to Darfur. He was the founding director of the Cambodia Genocide Project and convener of the Yale East Timor Project. For more information, please contact Wynne Delmhorst at (203) 622-7921.

Haiti Earthquake Relief: How you can help

2010-01-14T17:46:57Z

For more information on how you can help the people of Haiti, please review the following article on the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html

Libraries Will Close for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2010-01-13T16:59:58Z

The Greenwich Library and its Byram Shubert and Cos Cob Branches will be closed on Monday, January 18 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The libraries will reopen on Tuesday, January 19.

Tessera Quartet to Kick off 2010 Ashforth Children's Concert Series

2009-12-31T18:19:36Z

One of the most exciting chamber ensembles currently emerging on the concert scene, the Tessera Quartet, will perform on Sunday, January 24 at 2:00 pm in the Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library. A compelling mosaic of four accomplished young soloists, this New York City-based classical string quartet captivates audiences with its glowing sound, energetic presence and bold interpretations. ]]> The quartet will present "You're the Composer." Children will stand in the composer's shoes and make decisions that composers make such as which accompaniment goes with the melody, should it be fast or slow, loud or soft. The music the audience helps create will then be compared to pieces by such composers as Sibelius and Mendelssohn.

The Ashforth Children's Concert Series is designed to expose children to classical and jazz music performance. The concert is free and open to the public through the support of Georgie and Henry A. Ashforth. The 45-minute long show is appropriate for elementary school children. Pick up free, unassigned seating tickets at the Cole Auditorium at noon, and return when doors open at 1:50 pm.