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Book discussion group for early birds

By Billie Owens

The Adult Book Discussion Group will meet at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday May 13 at Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St. in Batavia.

The discussion will be about "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," written by Mary Ann Shaffer. The books are available at the front desk. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call the library at 343-9550 ext. 8 or log onto www.batavialibrary.org.

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Books Sandwiched In

By Billie Owens

An ongoing series called "Books Sandwiched In" will be held from 12:10 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 in the Gallery Room at Richmond Memorial Library.

The theme is "forgotten bestsellers through the decades." This week's focus will be the 1940s with reviews by John Holder and Mike Carragher. They will talk about Irwin Shaw's "Young Lions" and William L. White's "They Were Expendable," respectively.

The series is sponsored by Friends of the Library. It's free. Bring lunch if you like. Coffee, tea and cookies will be provided.

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Read Across America at Richmond Memorial Library

By Philip Anselmo

From Richmond Memorial Library:

The National Education Association is once again sponsoring Read Across America. This is a nationwide reading celebration held annually in conjunction with Dr. Seuss’ Birthday. Now in its twelfth year, the program focuses on the importance of motivating children to read and helping them master the skills necessary for reading literacy.

Dr. Seuss is turning 105 this year! Join Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia as we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Richmond Memorial Library will be joining thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers across the nation on March 2^nd to promote the importance of reading across America.

Please join us at the library to celebrate this exciting event. Special visitor, the Cat in the Hat will be visiting the library for stories, games, crafts and fun. We will be celebrating with a birthday cake and beverages. The library will also be giving away treat bags for every child in attendance. Please RSVP for this exciting event being held in the children’s room at Richmond Memorial Library March 2^nd at 6:30 P.M. To register call the library at 343-9550 extension 4.

*On March 2, the National Education Association is calling for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult. We hope you can join us!*

Women's History Month at Richmond Memorial Library

By Philip Anselmo

From Richmond Memorial Library:

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the American Girls at the Richmond Memorial Library. Every Saturday in March we will explore the era of a different American Girl through games, skits, crafts, and snacks. We will discuss the character’s book and time period, so be sure to start reading or re-read the series. 3/7 @ 10:30am *Meet Molly, *3/14 @ 10:30am *Meet Addy, *3/21 @ 10:30am *Meet Kirsten, *3/28 @ 10:30am *Meet Felicity.* Recommended for ages 7 and up. Please be sure to register early 585-343-9550 x4.

Former GCC librarian remembers the first day of school

By Philip Anselmo

Betty Lane recently retired from her post as archivist at Genesee Community College, where she worked as a librarian for more than 40 years. In fact, Betty started work the very day the college opened its doors in August of 1967.

Officially, Betty was the assistant dean of the library at GCC up until 1990 when she (sort of) retired only to return to work part-time as the archivist until her recent (really this time) retirement. She initially came back on staff to compile the history of the college.

"As a brand new institution, you don't necessarily think about those things," she said, "but I had been saving materials from 'day one' and other departments within the college had their own records as well."

We caught up with Betty in of all places the archive room at the library—"bursting at the seams," she told me—to talk about that first day on the job at a college that was so young, they barely had books to fill the shelves, which they didn't have yet anyway!

You can visit the college site for a brief bio of Betty. Here's some of what is included there:

Aside from her part-time work at Genesee, Betty is an avid reader, she enjoys sewing and knitting, and with 10 grandchildren and three great grandchildren she keeps very busy. She has served on the Board of Trustees for Woodward Memorial Library in LeRoy since 1991, and she is a long term member of the Batavia-Genesee County Zonta Club. Betty and her husband reside in LeRoy.

Library budget passed

By Philip Anselmo

Voters passed the Richmond Memorial Library budget tonight. The results were: 245 votes in favor, 54 against. The total budget is about $1.15 million — about $40,000 more than last year. Also, library Board member Tracy Stokes was elected to a five-year term with a total of 284 votes.

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