Richmond Memorial Library

Press Release:

The Spring 2024 session of Books Sandwiched In will take place on Wednesdays in April at Richmond Memorial Library! The theme for this series is “Remarkable Journeys,” as reflected in the book selections. 

First started in 1981, Books Sandwiched In is a program that invites guest speakers to review books, which are generally non-fiction. Each session will take place from 12:10 - 1 p.m. in the Reading Room and will include coffee, tea, and cookies. 

All who attend can enter for the door prize of a gift certificate to a local lunch spot. Feel free to bring your lunch. You do not need to read the books in order to attend!

Sessions will also be recorded and available to view on the library’s YouTube page following the presentations. The fourth session will feature a raffle of a signed copy of The Wager by David Grann!

Spring 2024 Lineup: 

Wednesday, April 3: Take a Journey to Space

Recent Batavian (and avid reader) Jessica Postle will review The Six: The Untold Story of America’s First Women Astronauts by Loren Grush.

“When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots - a group then made up exclusively of men - had the right stuff. It was an era in which women were steered away from jobs in science and deemed unqualified for space flight. 

Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000 six elite women were selected in 1978--Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon.” (from publisher summary)

Wednesday, April 10: Take a Journey to Freedom

Holland Land Office Director Ryan Duffy will review Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo

“In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. 

Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles crisscrossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day.” (from publisher summary) 

Wednesday, April 17: Take a Journey of Faith 

Retired teacher Jim Kelly reviews: Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain by Jack Hitt. Jim will also share about his own personal pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago!

“When Jack Hitt set out to walk the 500 miles from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, he submitted to the rigorous traditions of Europe's oldest form of packaged tour, a pilgrimage that has been walked by millions in the history of Christendom...Along the way, Jack Hitt finds himself persevering by day and bunking down by night with an unlikely and colorful cast of fellow pilgrims. In the day-to-day grind of walking under a hot Spanish sun, Jack Hitt and his cohorts not only find occasional good meals and dry shelter but they also stumble upon some fresh ideas about old-time zealotry and modern belief.” (from publisher summary) 

Wednesday, April 24: Take a Journey at Sea 

RML Media Services Librarian Laura Dumuhosky reviews The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.

“On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon...it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes. But then... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes - they were mutineers.” (from publisher summary)

This session will also feature a raffle for a signed copy of The Wager!

Press Release:

Richmond Memorial Library Trustee Position

Any qualified voter of the City School District of Batavia and a resident of the City School District for at least 1 year immediately preceding the date of the election (May 2, 2024) can run for one of two Richmond Memorial Library Board of Trustees seats. They are for 3-year terms which start July 1, 2024.  

Petitions for the positions can be picked up at the circulation desk. At least twenty-five (25) signatures are required from qualified voters of the School District. The petition must be turned in at the circulation desk between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on or before April 2.

Public Hearing April 8

A Public Information Meeting on the 2024-25 Richmond Memorial Library Budget will be held in the Richmond Memorial Library Gallery Room on Monday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m. Future plans for the Library will be presented along with the 2024-25 budget. The regular monthly meeting of the Library Board of Trustees for April will take place immediately following the public meeting.

RML Voter Registration Day April 9

Any person qualified to vote who is not currently registered under permanent personal registration in the election district in which he or she resides, or who has moved to another residence within that district following the date of such registration, or who has not voted at a general election at least once in the last four successive calendar years, should, in order to be entitled to vote, present himself or herself personally for the registration or otherwise register at the Genesee County Board of Elections. 

Voter Registration for this year’s Library Vote will be held at Richmond Memorial Library on April 9 from 1 - 5 p.m. and from 7 - 9 p.m.

Richmond Memorial Library Budget Vote/Trustee Election May 2

Richmond Memorial Library’s Annual Budget Vote/Trustee Election will be held in the Library’s Gallery Room on Thursday, May 2 from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Any registered voter residing in the Batavia City School District is eligible to vote.

For the first time in decades, Richmond Memorial Library will be taking care of its own financial duties versus allowing the city school district to provide an in-kind service as part of its landlord-tenant relationship.

The district was made aware of the change with a letter from library Board President Jessica Ecock-Rotondo, who wrote to inform the district that as of 2024, the library “will be departing our accounting and payroll from the Batavia City School District” and will be working with RPM Payroll and Rupert Accounting. 

Given that the library had receive this as an in-kind service at no extra charge, The Batavian asked library Director Beth Paine, who just celebrated her first year in Batavia, about the additional costs now being incurred, and how to explain that to taxpayers. 

Paine said that this new arrangement was something that she had been used to from her previous position before coming to Batavia.

“The board and I agreed that we prefer to have everything in-house so that we have direct control over our finances. In my previous director position at a school district library, all financial functions were done in-house and it made the whole process more streamlined and it was much easier to deal with time-sensitive issues,” Paine said. “It could be difficult to deal with any changes that needed to be made quickly when we needed to contact the district each time before we could proceed. We also preferred to do our own payroll as it was easier to track our staff leave time and again to make any changes that were needed immediately.”

She has taken over the payroll and related duties, she said, and the library accounts payable clerk and accounts receivable clerk have taken over the bookkeeping tasks. The library has hired an outside accountant to “oversee all of these functions, and we have hired a payroll company to process our payroll.,” she said.

“The cost of the change was minimal, as we were already paying Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES for the financial software and administration of the accounting functions,” she said. “We also recently switched from a higher-priced human resources company to a company with a much more reasonable pricing scale for the same services. The savings from that change more than cover the small increase in our accounting costs.” 

Batavia School Superintendent Jason Smith said the district has a “long history of providing this in-kind support to and for the Richmond Library.”

“And have been glad to do so, as the library was bequeathed to the district by Mary Richmond many, many years ago,” he said. “We essentially have a "landlord/tenant" relationship with the library, where we provide for upkeep (a part of our recently approved Capital Project includes improvements at RML), and up until Dec. 4, 2023, provided in-kind financial support.”

The district has been providing these financial services to the library for “a very long time,” he said and also performed purchasing on behalf of RML before that was taken back as well. 

“The district has the capability, understanding and staff to perform the accounting and payroll functions for RML,” he said. “These are the main reasons why the district performed these tasks on behalf of RML.”

The library’s tax levy this year was $1,381,469, with a tax rate of $1.19 per $1,000 assessed value. So for a house assessed at $100,000, that’s an extra $119 a year for library services in addition to city school taxes of $17.18 per $1,000, or $1,718.

Press Release:

Interested in participating in a small program that is taking over libraries around the country? Richmond Memorial Library is excited to announce the first-ever Tiny Art Show.

Starting Friday, March 1 register online to reserve a kit that will be available for pick-up starting Monday, March 4 from the library’s Reference Desk. Each take-home kit includes a 4”x4” canvas, paints, a palette, and brushes. 

This program is for ages 12+ and is open to the first 30 who register. Using the supplies provided and/or your own materials, create a tiny artwork (no larger than a 4-inch cube). 

This is an art show for ages 12 and up please create your art with that audience in mind. The artwork must be suitable for display in a public space for all ages. 

Objects, paper, and materials of any kind except food may be glued to the canvas or turned into a sculpture, but artwork must be 4" in all directions or smaller. 

Nonfiction and IT Librarian Elizabeth Beardslee shares that, “We are excited to offer this program to our patrons! We hope they love the idea as much as we do. We look forward to the tiny art bringing people into the library to see the displays. Our hope is that this is a program that can grow and get bigger each year!”

These tiny artworks will be displayed in the main area of the library, as well as on the library’s social media pages starting April 1. 

The deadline to return the artwork to Richmond Memorial Library by March 29 to be included in the Tiny Art Show. One entry per artist. 

Artwork can be retrieved from the library by the artist after the show, starting May 6. Artwork that is not picked up by June 31 will become the property of Richmond Memorial Library and may be discarded. The library reserves the right to exclude any work. 

The registration link will appear online at batavialibrary.org/calendar on March 1. For more information, contact Librarian Elizabeth Beardslee at ebeardslee@nioga.org or Teen Services Library Assistant Ellen Caton at ecaton@nioga.org.

Press Release: 

Richmond Memorial Library is pleased to partner with volunteers from the New York State Department of Tax and Finance to offer income-eligible citizens assistance with filing their taxes online this tax season.

Tax Department employees will walk you through your income tax returns, step-by-step, as you complete and e-file your tax return for free.

• If you earned $79,000 or less in 2023, you qualify.
• Safe and secure online tax software.
• Use on-site computers, or your own laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
• You only need basic computer skills and an active email account.

Sessions will be offered on Thursdays in February, March and April:

• Feb. 1
• Feb. 8
• Feb. 15
• Feb. 22
• Feb. 29
• March 7
• March 14
• March 21
• March 28
• April 4
• April 11 

Appointment slots are 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Those interested must schedule an appointment. For more information or to make an appointment, contact the library at 585-343-9550 x3, or visit the reference desk Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. Find the library online at batavialibrary.org.

Press Release:

Byron-Bergen Public Library and Richmond Memorial Library are pleased to co-host a virtual event; Steeped in Secrecy: The Boston Tea Party, 250 Years Later. 

The program will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. To register, visit batavialibrary.org/calendar. This is a chance to attend a library program from the comfort of your own home!

The story of tea has always been infused with intrigue, particularly when it became a flash point for tensions between England and Colonial America. 

Learn about the brewing political problems tea presented in its history with Anglophile and former UK resident Claire Evans. Next, author, genealogist, librarian, and former UK resident Debra Dudek examines the history of the Boston Tea Party’s most famous partiers (and phonies), as well as how to trace bona fide participants through lineage societies and historical groups.

Registration is required at batavialibrary.org/calendar. A recording of the program will be available to view for one week following the event. Those who register will also receive an informational resource packet via email.

About the presenters: 

Claire Evans is an author, former journalist, attorney, and college lecturer who started her love of most things British as she and her mother watched countless Britcoms on PBS. She studied abroad in London and, against the odds, she married a Brit she met in Peoria, Illinois. They lived in England for several years. Her business, Tea with Claire, grew from friends asking for travel advice. Her memoir, High Tea and the Low Down is the true story of what it's really like to marry a witty Englishman and move to Britain.

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. She holds a post-graduate certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

For more information about Byron-Bergen Public Library, byron-bergenpubliclibrary.org. For more information about Richmond Memorial Library, visit batavialibrary.org.

Press Release:

Richmond Memorial Library invites adults and teens to participate in A Blizzard of Reading from January 8 – March 1! The program is open to any adult or teen ages 13 – 17. 

In order to be eligible for prizes, participants must have a valid library card from any library in the NIOGA system. Each participant can earn up to 6 grand prize entries! Read four books (or three books and a magazine) to earn entries for a chance to win prizes. Attend a library program and play our literary locations scavenger hunt around the library for a
chance to earn more entries. 

Grand prizes:

• Adult Grand Prize 1: Wooden book valet- conveniently holds your book and a mug of something warm and cozy.
• Adult Grand Prize 2: $25 to Author’s Note Bookstore in Medina 
• Teen Grand Prize: Play for a chance to win your very own book cart! 

All prizes and information are on display in the lobby of the library.

All who participate will receive a custom Blizzard of Reading bookmark at the end of the program. Registration begins at 9 am on Monday, January 8 at the library or batavialibrary.org and continues throughout the program. For more information about upcoming library events, visit batavialibrary.org/calendar.

The folk tradition of music and art in Ireland informs the work of Batavia artist Adrian Morris, featured in the Winter Show of the Batavia Society of Artists at the Richmond Memorial Library.

The show opened Thursday and features 35 paintings by Morris, both his Irish landscapes and his portraits of musicians, writers, political figures, and commissioned work.

'I'm painting every day, painting all the time, in my spare time," Morris said. "It's just, I can't stop doing it. It's a passion that I've had from a young age."

In 2008, Morris immigrated to the Batavia area to be with a woman from the area. He is with a new lady now, but he stayed and has become embedded in the local art community.  His works are included in showings regularly with the BSA and at GO ART!

His Irish accent is unmistakable, as is his love for his homeland, but his love for America's musical traditions is also expressed through his work.  His portraits on display in the show include Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, John Lennon, Neil Young, and three of Johnny Cash.

What is the fascination with The Man in Black?

"Because I'm Irish," Morris answered. "And we're into folk music, traditional folk music, and he takes a lot of bluegrass and folk stuff into his music. I love folk music, like (Bob) Dylan and Johnny Cash and all those guys, you know. There is honesty in their songs and the stories that they tell. It's all about storytelling."

One of Morris's most stunning pieces is a portrait of James Joyce, the early 20th-century novelist known for his often inscrutable prose and stories deeply rooted in his native Dublin.

All these decades after Joyce's death, with his legacy enshrined in the scholarship of great literature, it might be hard to see Joyce as a folk figure, but that is how Morris sees him, and what draws him to Joyce.

"If you're in Dublin -- Ulysses is set in Dublin -- you can literally track every part of the book," Morris said. "You can go along the train, ride along the train along the coast, and everything he described in the book is in Dublin, and his cadence of the people (in the book), the way they talk, is purely Irish. A lot of Americans say it's very hard to read, but for me, it's just like, it's, it's my tone, the way their slang words work, you know, it's a rhythm and a regional accent to Dublin,  it's very Dublinesque, and, and so that's the beauty of his prose."

Joyce, he said, brings the complexities of life into a real world of real people just trying to get through their daily lives, like any folk artist.

"He goes through the gamut of philosophy and life and all these things, but he does it in a common man's way," Morris said. "You know what I mean? There's no airs about him."

Morris's love of Ireland and folk traditions is also expressed in a portrait that might surprise some -- Frederick Douglass.

"Frederick Douglass is a big he's a big part of Ireland," Morris said. "Anti-slavery with the whole British thing, the colonization, so he was a big part of it.  He was about the abolishment of slavery and so I really respected him even before coming here, and little did I know respecting him as a child that he was such a part of Rochester and the area. I was just like, 'Wow. So I felt like I wanted to pay tribute to him."

In Ireland, Douglass is revered for a speech he gave there.

"I don't know if it's true, but some Irish people had some part in paying for his freedom (NOTE: Irish and British residents raised the 150 pounds to purchase his freedom)," Morris said. "When he went over there, he moved the Irish people so much, that might have sown the seed for them to launch a free country because they were under the rule of the British for so long, and they wanted their freedom. So it's a political thing, but it's rooted in my culture."

The BSA Winter Show is on display through December and is open during regular library hours.

Press Release:

The Zonta Club of Batavia-Genesee County has partnered with the Richmond Memorial Library to tackle Period Poverty in our community. On Wednesday, Nov. 1, members of the Zonta Club delivered $500 of menstruation products for the library's ‘Comfort Boxes’.

Richmond Memorial Library began providing these ‘Comfort Boxes’ in their restrooms to anyone in need of personal hygiene products. The Journal of Global Health Reports disclosed that two-thirds of the 16.9 million low-income women in the United States were unable to afford menstrual products in the past year, with half of this number having to choose between menstrual products or food. 

The Zonta Club of Batavia-Genesee County partnered last year with donations to the Community Closet and will donate further products to Community Action of Orleans and Genesee later this month.

Press Release:

Join the Richmond Memorial Library on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. as Perry Ground shares “Re-Thinking Thanksgiving: A Native American Perspective on an American Holiday.” This program is free and open to all. Recommended for families with children in 4th grade or higher and all adults.

Much of what people ‘know’ about Thanksgiving is actually a blend of fiction, myth, and history that has become widely accepted as truth. But the events of what we call “the First Thanksgiving” are nothing like our traditions today.

The creation of this holiday has little to do with the feast that took place in 1621 between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Storyteller and Cultural Educator, Perry Ground will give an overview of this very misunderstood holiday.

The presentation will discuss the actual events of 1621, including the feast, and the relationship between English settlers at Plymouth and the Wampanoag, the Native people who inhabited the area. The concept of Thanksgiving held by many Native Americans will be emphasized through the presentation. Learn the true story and re-think Thanksgiving- a great educational opportunity for all ages.

Presenter Perry Ground is a Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy.  He has been telling stories for over 30 years as a means of educating people about the culture, beliefs, and history of the
Haudenosaunee. Perry learned many of the stories he shares from elders of Native American communities and feels that practicing and perpetuating the oral traditions of Native people is an important responsibility. 

Professionally, Perry has worked in several museums including The Children’s Museum of Houston, Sainte Marie among the Iroquois, and Ganondagan State Historic Site. He has shared stories at countless museums, libraries, classrooms, and festivals throughout the northeast and has guest lectured at numerous colleges. 

Perry is the former Project Director of the Native American Resource Center within the Rochester (NY) City School District and served as the Frederick H. Minett Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for the 2021-22 academic year.

For more information about Perry Ground, visit https://talkingturtlestories.com/ Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. For more about the library, visit batavialibrary.org.

Press Release:

Join Richmond Memorial Library staff from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 to watch the partial Annular Eclipse! We will have our Sun Spotter telescope available for viewing, and science stations to learn about citizen science and how you can help record data for NASA. 

The event will include lawn games and Genny the Cow from the Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for pictures. Each registered participant will receive a free pair of eclipse glasses, too!

An Annular Eclipse occurs when the Moon obscures all but an outer ring of the Sun. For this reason, glasses must always be worn for viewing, even in areas that are in the direct path. 

GeneSEEtheEclipse commemorative ISO-certified-safe eclipse glasses will be given to each participant. When you look up, do NOT remove eye protection at any point. The moon will partially cover the sun. Looking directly at the sun can cause serious damage to your eyesight or blindness.

This event is free to attend, but please register at batavialibrary.org/calendar. Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia.

Press Release: 

Thursday, September 28, in the Stuart Steiner Theatre from 6 - 7 p.m. Musician and Educator Haley Moore will present a lecture and play Appalachian music from the 1920s. The presentation and performance are based on Jeannette Walls novel "Hang the Moon." 

Listen to music that was popular during the time and hear all about the story of an indomitable young woman in prohibition-era Virginia. The presentation will be both educational and entertaining and is free and open to the public.

Richmond Reads is a community one-book program designed for the Richmond Memorial Library community. Each year, a committee selects a book and builds programs around the selection, culminating with a visit from the author. The 2023 selection is "Hang the Moon," the latest publication from New York Times bestselling author Jeannette Walls. This year's events include historical programs, book discussions, a film screening, and more. 

The library is excited to partner with Genesee Community College and Batavia High School as they incorporate "Hang the Moon" into their curriculum and participate in a student book review contest. Richmond Reads is generously sponsored by The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library. 

To learn more about attending events or supporting the Richmond Reads program, visit the library or batavialibrary.org/richmond-reads. Live Stream link: https://vimeo.com/event/3701652. For more information please contact: Kathleen Klaiber at kmklaiber@genesee.edu.

Press Release:

The 2023 Richmond Reads program will be in full swing in September, with events and programs to celebrate the 2023 selection, Hang The Moon by Jeannette Walls. Richmond Reads is a community one-book program designed for the Richmond Memorial Library’s community of readers.

Jeannette Walls will visit Richmond Memorial Library on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. for a talk and book signing. Published in March of 2023, Hang the Moon was an instant New York Times Bestseller. The book centers around Sallie Kincaid, a young woman who inherits a bootlegging empire in prohibition-era Virginia. Registration is full for the event, but those interested may be added to the waitlist and may opt to view a live stream of the event from another space in the library. For more information on this Speaker please visit www.simonspeakers.com.

The Richmond Reads committee has planned a full slate of events! This year’s program also features a partnership with Batavia High School and Genesee Community College for events geared toward their students.

Richmond Reads Schedule of Events: 

Friday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.: Battle of the Library Celebrity Bartenders at Go-Art! Library Director Beth Paine will face off against Board of Trustees President Jessica Ecock Rotondo to see who can earn the most tips! The event will include snacks, a cash bar, a basket raffle, and 50/50. All proceeds will go to The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library in support of Richmond Reads. Basket tickets are also available to purchase at the library until 5 p.m. on September 8.

Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.: Rolling Out the Barrels- A Look at Prohibition Historian Lynne Belluscio will present about the local history of prohibition. This event will take place in the Reading Room at Richmond Memorial Library. No registration is required.

Thursday, Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.: Richmond Reads Reel Discussions Join us as we screen the 2017 film The Glass Castle, based on the memoir of the same name by Jeannette Walls with a discussion to follow. This event will take place at Richmond Memorial
Library in the Gallery Room. No registration is required.

Thursday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m.: Music of Appalachia with Haley Moore at GCC Fiddler Haley Moore of the Eastman Community Music School will lecture and perform music from the time of Hang the Moon. Sponsored by GCC’s Inclusive Excellence Committee and the GCC Library. Free to attend and all are welcome. This event will take place in the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College.

Monday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m.: Community Book Discussions The only requirement to attend is to read Hang the Moon. These discussions will take place in the Reading Room at Richmond Memorial Library. Book Review Contest- Opens Friday, September 1. Write a review of Hang the Moon for a chance to win a dinner with the author on October 10! All rules and information available beginning September 1. The contest closes on Saturday, September 30 at 5 p.m. Visit the library or batavialibrary.org for all information and link to the review form.

For all information about the book, author, and events, please visit the library or batavialibrary.org/richmond-reads. Richmond Reads is made possible by the generosity of The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.

Press Release:

Richmond Memorial Library will host the Fall 2023 Series of Books Sandwiched In on Wednesdays in September from 12:10 p.m. - 1 p.m. Rounding out its 42nd year, this program invites speakers to present reviews of books, often non-fiction, and features coffee, cookies, and door prizes. Each session will feature a door prize of a gift certificate to a local lunch spot.

This fall’s session brings a little something special – author Will Bardenwerper will present about his own book, The Prisoner in His Palace: Saddam Hussein and the Twelve Americans Who Guarded Him, published by Scribner in 2017. Described by BookPage as  “a behind-the-scenes look at history that's nearly impossible to put down...a mesmerizing glimpse into the final moments of a brutal tyrant's life," The Prisoner in His Palace takes readers inside the last days of Saddam Hussein. A journalist who has contributed to The New York Times and The Washington Post, Bardenwerper is also a veteran of the United States Army, having quit his job in finance after 9/11 to enlist. Bardenwerper’s latest venture, a book for Doubleday exploring small-town baseball and community, has recently brought him to Batavia.

September’s Books Sandwiched In Line-up: 

• Wednesday, September 6 at 12:10 p.m.: RML Library Visits Coordinator Lucine Kauffman reviews: The Book of Charlie Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man by David von Drehle, published in 2023.
• Wednesday, September 13 at 12:10 p.m.: Holland Land Office Museum Director Ryan Duffy reviews: The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott, published in 2019 (this is a special tie-in with Richmond Reads!).
• Wednesday, September 20 at 12:10 p.m.: Author Will Bardenwerper reviews his book The Prisoner In His Palace: Saddam Hussein and the Twelve Americans Who Guarded Him, published in 2017 (feat. a giveaway of a copy of the book). Copies of the book will also be for sale for $20 and can be signed by the author.
• Wednesday, September 27 at 12:10 p.m.: Dr. Brenda McQuillan, Associate Professor of Social Work and the MSW Program Director at Roberts Wesleyan University reviews: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, published in 2014 (feat. a giveaway of a copy of the book).

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. For information about all upcoming programs, visit the library or website at batavialibrary.org.

Press Release:

Join Batavian Tony Johnson on Saturday, August 12 at 10 a.m. in the Reading Room at Richmond Memorial Library for a book talk and signing. 

Tony will discuss his epic fantasy series, "The Story of Evil." The event will include a talk, Q&A, and book signing. There will be book giveaways, cookies made by Simply Scrumptious, customized bookmarks, and more!

Books in the series include "Heroes of the Siege," "Escape from Celestial," "Three Visions," "The Cursed King," and "Battle for the Kingdom." Tony published the first volume in the series in 2013.

Copies of the book will be available to purchase and will also be available to check out from Richmond Memorial Library.

Tony Johnson is the author of "The Story of Evil," a five-part epic fantasy saga. Tony is an avid reader who enjoys fantasy, classics, and Christian literature. He is a fan of movies, video games, and football, and loves being a husband and father. 

This event is free to attend and all are welcome. 

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross St., Batavia. For more information about the library, visit batavialibrary.org.

Singer Melzie Case, accompanying herself on piano, and drummer Bob Chaplin, performed a free concert at Richmond Memorial Library on Tuesday.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

Join the Richmond Memorial Library for summer reading programs for all ages with the theme of “All Together Now”! Visit batavialibrary.org/calendar to see all of the upcoming events for the summer. Summer Reading Programs are sponsored by the Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.

Children’s Summer Reading Program (June 26 - August 4, ages birth - 12)

This year’s children’s program includes:

• The Read & Bead reading challenge.
• Family Fun Fridays at 2 p.m. (beginning June 30).
• Monday Story Time at 10 a.m. for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. 
• Music and Movement on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. for ages 0 - 4 (please register in advance). 
• Summer Play Café on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. 
• Lunch Bunch on Thursdays at 12 p.m. for ages 6 and up who enjoy a longer story.
• NEW! Agriculture Wednesdays at 3 p.m., Celina Bartz from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County will be here to teach us something about agriculture. 

More info about all of our programs is available at batavialibrary.org.

Teen Summer Reading program (June 26 - August 19, ages 13 - 17) 

Summer reading programming for teens aged 13-17 at the library includes:

• Classes by Mandy Humphrey of Art of Mandy
• Tween Walk & Talk
• Resin Summer Camp
• Craft Classes
• And more! 

Sign up online or in the Teen Corner for Teen Summer Reading BINGO – complete 25 challenges like “Watch a documentary” or “Read a funny book” for a chance to win weekly prizes and a grand prize!

Adult Summer Reading Program (June 26 - August 19, ages 18 and up)

Adults are invited to participate in RML’s Adult Summer Reading BINGO Challenge! Complete library and reading challenges for a chance to win weekly and grand prizes. Participants in the adult summer reading challenge must have a valid library card in the NIOGA system to play for prizes. Register at the reference desk or at batavialibrary.org beginning June 26. Complete rules and information will be provided with registration and a sample BINGO board will be on display at the library. 

The three grand prizes are:

1. A book lover’s basket stuffed with bookish goodies valued over $100
2. A Kindle Paperwhite eReader
3. A $50 gift certificate to Lift Bridge Books in Brockport. 

Weekly prizes include gift certificates from local businesses! 

Challenges range from “read a book about friendship” to “watch a film adapted from a book or play” to “attend a library program.” Programs planned for this summer include book discussions, the Richmond Reads title reveal, craft classes, bookish trivia, concerts, film screenings, an author visit and more! Visit the library or batavialibrary.org/calendar for more information about programs.

For information about library programs, visit batavialibrary.org, call 585-343-9550, or stop by the library at 19 Ross St, Batavia. The library is open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Summer Reading is sponsored by the Friends of Richmond Memorial Library.

Press Release:

Richmond Memorial Library will host its Spring program of History by the Hearth on Thursday, June 8 at 7 p.m. 

City Historian Larry Barnes will share his research as presented in a new monograph:  "Black Batavians: Who they are, their local history, and aspects of our larger culture that have especially shaped their experiences."

Deborah Wood, Special Collections Librarian at Richmond Memorial Library, will finish the evening with Within the Collective Memory: Why now? And a sneak peek at the exhibit Juneteenth: A Day of Celebration, on display June 15-21.

Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. Find the library online at batavialibrary.org. 

Classical guitarist Peter Fletcher performed an afternoon concert at the Richmond Memorial Library on Saturday.

Fletcher has been recording and performing classical guitar music for more than 40 years. He holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester.  He has studied with David Leisner, David Russell, Oscar Ghiglia and Pepe Romero. He has performed recitals throughout the U.S., including two recitals at Carnegie Hall in New York.  He's also made numerous appearances on radio and television. 

He currently resides in Detroit and New York City.

His CD releases include The Art of Classical Guitar, A Peter Fletcher Recital and Federico Mompou: Guitar Works. In 2005, Centaur Records released Peter Fletcher plays Erik Satie.  Peter Fletcher Plays Baroque Music for Guitar was released in 2008 on the Tower Hill Recordings label.   His current release is 

For more information about Fletcher, click here.

Photos by Howard Owens.