Reading Is a Group Effort in Old Lyme

The Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library recently won a $2,500 grant from the Connecticut Center for the Book at Connecticut Humanities, but it didn't do it alone. 

The Library teamed up with the town of Old Lyme, Friends of the Library, Old Lyme Historical Society, Federation of Beaches and the Lyme-Old Lyme School District, all united in a mission to build community and literacy with a Community Reads program. 

 So what book is everyone going to be reading? The program is built around Barbara Kingsolver’s book, “The Bean Trees.” The book explores themes of ethnicity, adoption, immigration, Native American heritage and the environment. Programs are intended to reach people of all ages.

The library and its partners will host three facilitated book discussions accompanied by presentations on major themes in different locations in town.

• A legal expert will discuss immigration
• A social worker will talk about adoption 
• An environmental expert will give a presenation on nature, botany, and the greening of America. 

The three programs will focus on the novel’s most prominent themes while drawing on the protagonist’s growing awareness of how all people are interrelated.  

All programs are free and open to the public. The Library is located at 2 Library Lane, off Lyme Street, in Old Lyme. Check the library's web site for times and dates of upcoming events.          

This was one of 10 grants totaling $23,500 which the Connecticut Center for the Book awarded to libraries, nonprofits, community colleges and community groups from around Connecticut under its Community Reads initiative. The goal of the Community Reads program is to encourage residents from all walks of life to read and discuss books and the subjects they explore.

Connecticut Humanities launched Community Reads as its first initiative since becoming the new home of the Connecticut Center for the Book. The program aims to promote reading, writing and Connecticut’s literary heritage while creating community dialogue around civic issues. The Connecticut Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Library of Congress.  

This article includes a press release originally posted on the Town of Old Lyme's Web site.