For further information, and to register to play, please contact Director Sharon Hawkes at 637-2630 or shawkes@lenoxlib.org.

IT’S BEEN 15 YEARS since the Library put out a bridge table with a few books on it. They sold quickly – and the Book Sale was born. We have expanded from a bridge table to an 80-foot tent plus the Welles Gallery and are getting ready to process the last of the 30,000 donated books.

Giant Book Sale at the Lenox Library

The Lenox Library’s 15th giant annual book sale will be held this year on Friday, August 27 through Sunday, August 29, at 18 Main Street.  This year’s “Bargains in Books” event will feature over 30,000 books gathered from Berkshire homes.  Book lovers will find thousands of children’s books, specialized cookbooks, books on art, poetry, military history and WWII,

New Age, computers & science, how-to, first editions, sets, lots of old and new fiction at bargain prices, and many other categories including a new genre, graphic novels. Plus CDs, DVDs, sheet music, Rockwell prints, and much more.   Prices start at 50 cents.

The grand opening at the Library will be on Friday, August 27, from 11am to 6pm ($5 donation until 2pm, then free).  The sale continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm when admission is free all day. There will be a large collection of gifts to choose from for anyone spending $15 or more on Saturday or Sunday.

All proceeds from the book sale, which is staffed entirely by volunteers, will benefit the Library’s many educational programs and activities offered to the public year-round free of charge.

To send yourself a reminder via email, visit our Calendar of Events, go to the Book Sale event listing on the 27th of August and click “remind me”.

For more information call 413-445-5679 or 413-637-0704 or email ibrowner@roadrunner.com.

Where and When?

Lenox Library Association
18 Main Street, Lenox, MA
August 27-29, 2010

Friday 11am-2pm, $5 admission donation requested
Friday 2am-6pm, free admission
Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm, free admission

The grand opening at the Library will be on Friday, August 27, from 11am to 6pm ($5 donation until 2pm, then free).  The sale continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm when admission is free all day.  There will be a large collection of gifts to choose from for anyone spending $15 or more on Saturday or Sunday.

All proceeds from the book sale, which is staffed entirely by volunteers, will benefit the Library’s many educational programs and activities offered to the public year-round free of charge.

To send yourself a reminder via email, visit our Calendar of Events, go to the Book Sale event listing on the 27th of August and click “remind me”.

Call 413-445-5679 or 413-637-0704 or email ibrowner@roadrunner.com for information.

THE LENOX LIBRARY and THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENT

Jeremy Yudkin’s

PRE-CONCERT LECTURES

FOR THE TANGLEWOOD SEASON

“All you need are willing ears and a love of music.” So says Jeremy Yudkin, the Tanglewood pre-concert lecturer, who will once again be presenting his series of lectures about the Tanglewood concerts at the Library every weekend during the summer season. Participants rave about the experience: “He really brings the music alive,” says one. “He is entertaining, warm, and brilliant, all at the same time!” says another. Come to the free opening lecture on Saturday July 3 at 2:30 and see for yourself!

All lectures take place on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 2:30 to 4 in the Welles Gallery of the Lenox Library.

$25 Per Day, $40 for the weekend
$245 for the entire season
(Season passes entitle you to a 20% discount on all Tanglewood concert tickets!)

For more information or to sign up now, email:
yudkinjaf@gmail.com
or visit
www.summermusicseminars.org

The 2010 Tanglewood Pre-Concert Lecture schedule is below

JEREMY YUDKIN has been teaching at Tanglewood every summer since 1983. He is Professor of Music at Boston and Oxford universities, and his interests are wide and varied, including everything from medieval music to the music of the Beatles. Jeremy has written 8 books: on medieval music and manuscripts, on a sixteenth-century music primer, and on jazz. His most recent publications include The Lenox School of Jazz and Miles Smiles, Miles Davis, and the Invention of Post Bop. He is also the author of one of the most successful music-appreciation textbooks. It is entitled simply Understanding Music. Helping all people understand music is one of his greatest passions. He founded the Pre-Concert Lecture Series to create a place for music listeners to learn. Every year his lectures illuminate all the concerts played at Tanglewood. He is a compelling, lively, and friendly speaker. Participants rave about the experience.

2010 TANGLEWOOD PRE-CONCERT LECTURE SCHEDULE

Sat. July 3 “A Tanglewood Preview” FREE

Weekend No. 1

Fri. July 9 “Opening Night at Tanglewood: Mahler’s Magnificent Symphony No. 2(“Resurrection”)”

Sat. July 10 “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Third Piano Concerto: The Secrets of What Makes Them Great

Weekend No. 2

Fri. July 16 “Mozart’s Requiem: His Last Great Work. But Who Was it Written For?”

Sat. July 17 “The Great Mahler Third Symphony: Music for the Creation of the World”

Weekend No. 3

Fri. July 23 “Mozart’s Wonderful Comic Opera: The Abduction from the Seraglio”

Sat. July 24 “All Brahms: The First Piano Concerto and the Second Symphony”

Weekend No. 4

Fri. July 30 “The Russians are Coming!: Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Glinka ”

Sat. July 31 “Richard Strauss and His Greatest Masterpiece: The Four Last Songs, Plus Elgar’s Gorgeous Cello Concerto”

Weekend No. 5

Fri. August 6 “Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony (“Pathetique”), Together with Mendelssohn and Mozart”

Sat. August 7 “Two Violin Concertos, Two Violinists, Two Composers: Beethoven and Sibelius”

Weekend No. 6

Fri. August 13 “Music for the Incas: Robles, Frank, and Golijov”

Sat. August 14 “A Little Jazz Music: Concert Jazz by Gershwin, Bernstein, and Schuller”

Weekend No. 7

Fri. August 20 “Mozart, Morlot, and Mother Goose!”

Sat. August 21 “A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Beethoven and Mendelssohn”

Weekend No. 8

Fri. August 27 “Music of the Spheres: Holst’s the Planets”

Sat. August 28 “Music from the New World: Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony”

For more details go to:

www.SummerMusicSeminars.org

Boenel Records recording artists, Too Human, will be performing at the Lenox Library Association, Lenox, MA on Sunday, June 6, 2010 from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, with Bryan Rizzuto on upright bass.

About Too Human

Whether performing breezy, jazzy, toe tapping swing, a bluesy, heartfelt ballad, or a familiar standard from the American Songbook, Too Human will move you with their music.  With vocals, guitar, percussion and upright bass, they have a jazzy / bluesy feel with a lot of heart.  Their original songs touch on many topics all related to the human condition.  And they will bring back fond memories with songs like “Pennies From Heaven,” “It Had To Be You,” “I’ve Got A Crush On You” and many others from the 30s and 40s.  Ellen’s earthy voice combines perfectly with Roger’s unusual percussion style and sweet vocals.  High quality musicianship with humor and passion, totally in sync with each other, they create a strong and intimate atmosphere.  As one reviewer has said, “Singing with passion and joy … Too Human put smiles on our faces.”

As songwriters their songs have been recorded by a broad spectrum of recording artists including Cher, Pat Benatar, Teddy Pendergrass, Anne Murray and Nancy Wilson.  As performers Too Human has opened for or shared the stage with 10,000 Maniacs, Janis Ian, Martin Sexton, Livingston Taylor, Kenny Rankin, Kim & Reggie Harris, Susan Werner, Jack Williams, Les Sampou, David Amram, Dave’s True Story, Dean Friedman, Fishken and Groves, and Sloan Wainwright.

They perform steadily at libraries, festivals, schools, coffeehouses, clubs and concerts (The Bottom Line in New York, The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, and The Tin Angel in Philadelphia, and Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA among many others) and they have appeared live as featured artists on WFUV with Meg Griffin and John Platt, WXPN with Gene Shay, WRPI with Sonny Ochs, WKZE with Frank Matheis, WVIA with George Graham, WWUH with Ed McKeon, WPKN with Mike Horyczun, Pam Smith and Stephan Allison, and many others.

Their CD, True, is getting airplay all over the country and “New Surrender,” one of the tracks from True (co-written with Margo Schepart) was chosen to be included on the 2nd compilation CD release from the Garland Appeal, Familiar Mysteries. The Garland Appeal was established with the support of Paul McCartney to honor the memory of Linda McCartney and raise funds for cancer research and prevention.  Information about the Garland Appeal is available at www.cdbaby.com/garland.

Too Human’s CDs and touring schedule are available on their website, www.toohumanonline.com and you can contact them at boenel@verizon.com.

This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Lenox Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

For more information, contact Jenny Rae at (413) 637-2630 or jrae@lenoxlib.org.

With employee cutbacks, it has been difficult to have all desks staffed adequately at all times. With the summer season fast approaching, we have decided to delay opening until 11:00 a.m. each day, beginning June 1. The change will allow us to concentrate the same number of employees in fewer hours, so that enough people will be in place during the summer to assist you when you need them. We hope this will be a temporary measure only, and I thank you for your patience and support.

We have a lot of interesting programs in the works: the Tanglewood lectures, the summer reading program, the book sale, artwork by Robert Taylor, BUTI, Terry a la Berry, and lots more family fun. So we hope you will keep us in mind for your summer schedule, and I look forward to seeing you.

Regards,

Sharon

Our summer hours, beginning June 1, will be:
Tuesdays through Saturdays: 11AM to 5PM

Thank you for your support of your public library at the town meeting. We look forward to continuing to provide great reads and friendly service in the coming fiscal year.

Regards,
Sharon Hawkes

Please join us at the town meeting on Thursday, May 6, at 7:00 p.m. to propose an increase to our warrant and to vote for a new appropriation.

The Board of Selectmen has recommended a cut to next year’s library budget of $36,452, a 15.4% cut down to $200,000. Such a deep cut would threaten our certification with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and take away many of our core services to the Town of Lenox, such as the ability to borrow from other libraries, receive state funds, apply for state grants, and receive discounts on library materials and supplies. Patrons would not be allowed to use their cards at other libraries, which are not required to work with non-certified libraries. Circulation at Lenox Library would drop by over 20,000 items per year, further cutting into revenues due to fines and fees. The combined potential revenue loss is over $50,000 in actual dollars, along with the borrowing loss of some $216,000 worth of materials.

Support our Library by attending the Lenox Annual Town Meeting and voting in favor of enough funding to keep us operating with full services!

Sincerly,

Sharon Hawkes

ps. Let us know you plan to attend! Find us on facebook, sign in, and give us your RSVP. Click “Attending”!

More information:

• If we received the recommended cut of 15.4% to the library’s appropriation, we would be forced to apply for a waiver from the state. To read about what this process entails, click here.
• Follow the link below to see the Annual Town Meeting Warrant. You will find the proposed budget for 2011 town operating expenses, including Article 8, the proposed appropriation to the Lenox Library Association of $200,000.00.
  http://www.townoflenox.com
• To read the article from the Berkshire Eagle, click here. This link is no longer functional. We have pasted the article below. It is being used with permission from The Berkshire Eagle.

Lenox limits library funding

Updated: 04/13/2010 12:07:56 AM EDT

Tuesday April 13, 2010
Berkshire Eagle Staff

LENOX — The Board of Selectmen on Monday approved a final budget proposal while maintaining funding cuts to the library — cuts that run the risk of losing the library’s accreditation.

Last Wednesday, the board approved all parts of the budget proposal except funding for the Lenox Library Association, after library officials said the decrease in funding could impact the library’s accreditation.

The board stuck with its projected decrease of $36,452, or 15.4 percent, to the library, while acknowledging extra funding is available if the state revokes its accreditation.

The proposed budget for the 2011 fiscal year is $23.3 million, an increase of $300,426, or 1.31 percent. The proposed funding to the library is $200,000.

The private, nonprofit library receives funding from the town for services provided. Its funding decreased last year and had been level funded in previous years.

Because the town is below the funding levels typically provided to public libraries, the association has had to receive a waiver in the past to remain an accredited library.

State law requires that funding to libraries increase yearly, and the decrease in funding could impact the Main Street institution’s status and bar involvement in the inter-library loan system.

Board members said they appreciate what the library does but can’t cut back further in other departments.

“We cannot risk losing an employee, losing services for our town,” said Board of Selectmen Chairwoman Linda Procopio Messana.

If the library were to lose its accreditation, it is possible the town could reinstate some of its lost funds during an appeals process that could take months to complete. Those funds would be acquired from the $40,000 in reserves the town has budgeted for next year.

The matter will now come before voters at this May’s annual town meeting.

© 2010 The Berkshire Eagle.  Used by permission.

On Tuesday, April 27, at 5:30 p.m., the Board of Managers invites the public to come discuss the Town’s proposed cut to library funding, what it will mean to the community, and what we can all do to prevent it.

The Board of Selectmen has recommended a cut to next year’s library budget of $36,452, a 15.4% cut down to $200,000. Such a deep cut would threaten our certification with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and take away many of our core services to the Town of Lenox, such as the ability to borrow from other libraries, receive state funds, apply for state grants, and receive discounts on library materials and supplies. Patrons would not be allowed to use their cards at other libraries, which are not required to work with non-certified libraries. Circulation at Lenox Library would drop by over 20,000 items per year, further cutting into revenues due to fines and fees. The combined potential revenue loss is over $50,000 in actual dollars, along with the borrowing loss of some $216,000 worth of materials.

Please attend and bring your questions and concerns.

To view the email version of this post or to forward the email version, click here.