Sunday, June 4th @ 2:00 pm: Interested in elections and voting in Connecticut? What is the status of early voting now that it has been passed in Connecticut and how will it work? Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas will speak about these and other related topics at the League of Women Voters of Ridgefield’s Annual Meeting. The League’s business meeting will be held prior to Thomas’s presentation. Members of the public are invited to attend the Keynote speech at 2:00 pm.
Secretary Thomas has spent her entire career in public service. Prior to her election as Secretary of the State, she served as State Representative for Connecticut’s 143rd District – Norwalk, Wilton, and Westport. As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, she sponsored and helped pass a variety of voter-focused bills, such as automatic voter registration and resolutions to advance early voting and universal access to absentee ballots. Secretary Thomas is committed to protecting voting rights and strengthening civic education in Connecticut.
Thursday, June 1st @ 7:00pm: Journalist, documentarian and Ridgefield resident Todd Brewster will discuss his new book, a remarkable collection of over 200 stunning photographs of children—from the Civil War era to the present—that captures the ever-changing experience of childhood throughout American history.
Did Americans “invent” childhood? Brewster believes we did, or at least childhood as “a period of life cordoned off from that of full maturity, covered with a veil of protection, and subject to a program of nurture.” That’s the inspiration behind this rich, compelling volume of rarely seen historical images drawn from the photography collections at the Library of Congress, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the Magnum Photo Agency as well as dozens of other archives, flea markets, and antique shops. The result is a carefully curated paean to American youth: 200-plus photos from all parts of American history, joined by a series of deeply insightful essays on the topic of the American child.
Books on the Common will have copies available for purchase and signing.
Saturday, May 20th @ 6:00pm: The Ridgefield Library Great Expectations Gala honoring Suni and Woody Harford on Saturday, May 20th is sold out! If you are interested in attending the event, please email Jane Lindenburg, [email protected]. We will put your name on a waiting list and notify you if tickets become available.
Gala Donations / Auction Items / Paddle Raise
Thursday, May 25th @ 7:00pm: The Ridgefield Library and Lyme Connection welcome Ross Douthat to the Library to discuss his new book, The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery. Douthat, a New York Times opinion columnist and author, will discuss his battle with a devastating sickness, ultimately diagnosed as a chronic form of Lyme disease. In The Deep Places, Ross details the struggles faced by many Lyme patients as they seek a proper diagnosis and appropriate medical care—and explores the controversies that surround these insidious tick-borne diseases. During his journey, Douthat discovers the many pitfalls of modern medicine, as well as the strength and courage needed to reclaim his health
Books on the Common will have copies for purchase and signing. Please register to attend.
Join us for an exciting schedule of in-person author talks in April. Talks are held in the Main Program room on the Library’s Lower Level and begin at 7:00pm. For more information and to register, please click the dates below.
Tuesday, April 11th — LeBron, Jeff Benedict
Wednesday, April 19th — Next! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work, Joanne Lipman
Thursday, April 20th — The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson and the Extraordinary Collaboration That Won World War II, Edward Farley Aldrich
Wednesday, April 26th — American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal, Neil King
Our partners, Books on the Common, will have copies of books available for sale and signing.
The Library is again hosting AARP Foundation Tax-Aide on Thursday mornings from 8am – 1pm through April. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides in-person and virtual tax assistance to anyone, free of charge, with a focus on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. Tax-Aide volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to make sure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code. Jon Elkow leads the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program for Ridgefield. Contact Jon directly at (203) 438-4288 to book your appointment to have your 2022 tax returns prepared. Appointments are limited and fill up fast!
April 8th @ 9:00am to 5:00pm: The Friends of the Ridgefield Library invite you to stop by the Friends Sorting Room on the Lower Level of the Library for their monthly Secret Stacks Book Sale, held on the second Saturday of the month.
- Sorting Room open from 9:00am to 5:00pm
- Items for all ages and interests – fiction, mysteries, trade paperbacks, children’s books and more
- Cash or charge accepted (charges over $10)
The Friends of the Ridgefield Library accept book donations! Leave your donated books on the cart(s) outside the Friends Sorting Room on the lower level of the Library during regular open hours. (Please do not leave donations in the Library Lobby or anywhere outside the building.)
Save the Date for the Friends Big Book Sales in May!
Children’s Sale: May 5th – 7th
General Sale: May 12th – 15th
We’re in the running! The Ridgefield Library is honored to be one of the charities in contention for Fairfield County Bank’s Charity of the Month for March. PLEASE VOTE and help us to receive a $1,000 donation from the bank. Anyone can vote daily by 1. heading to the Charity of the Month page on the Fairfield County Bank website to vote online, 2. in person at one of the bank’s branch offices and drive-ups, and 3. by calling the bank’s Customer Care Center at (203) 431-7431. Thank you, Fairfield County Bank, for your support of local Fairfield County non-profits!
The Ridgefield Library Association is seeking applications from Ridgefield residents for membership on its Board of Directors. Self-nominations are encouraged. Three-year terms begin on July 1.
The Library Board is a working board, with up to 16 members who are responsible for the organization’s fiduciary oversight, strategic planning and policy-setting. Board members take an active role in helping the Library raise the nearly 30% of its annual operating budget that comes through fundraising, donations and gifts.
The Board seeks diverse, broad and balanced representation of people, skill sets and experience from the community. Examples of particular skills in demand for new members include, but are not limited to, development, finance, legal, marketing, technology and nonprofit governance. We encourage all interested parties to apply.
Completed applications must be received by March 31, 2023 for consideration. For more information on the roles and responsibilities of Library Board members, and to apply, please contact Library Director Brenda McKinley at [email protected]
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