Happy May,

Despite the wind and colder temperatures, it really looks like spring now, summer can’t be far off.

Without going through a great deal of trouble it is possible to create an “National Awareness Day or Month” to call attention to a cause or a favorite pastime.  We were happy to discover that among the 70 causes/activities assigned to May, May is “Get Caught Reading Month”.  So go for it – get caught reading! (veabout.com/may-is-national-month-calendar-3514991)

Are you a Sy Montgomery fan? Sy is a New Hampshire naturalist and best-selling author (who has spoken at the Bachelder Library).  Sy gave a presentation on her new book, The Hawk’s Way, on Tuesday, May 3rd at Gibson’s Book Store in Concord. Please go to Gibson’s website to find out more details: gibsonsbookstore.com/event/hawks-way.

Please support our best, youngest readers by taking part in the East Andover Village Preschool fundraiser: The East Andover Village Preschool Everyday Heroes 5K Fundraiser on May 22nd. Please check out their website: runsignup.com/Race/NH/Andover/eavpkids to sign up and learn more about the races.  There will be three categories: a 5K walk/run, a 1 mile run for kids ages 6 to 10, and a fun run for kids ages 5 and under. The theme this year is Everyday Heroes. On the website you may submit a hero you’d like to honor. EAVP will be recognizing some of our local heroes and will be hosting a touch a truck event with both a fire truck and police cruiser at the East Andover Fire Station. Participants are encouraged to dress up and there will be prizes.

The Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, May 25th at 7PM at the Bachelder Library to discuss Jessica Bruder’s Nomadland; Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century. “From the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads. Author Jessica Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy―one that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, she celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these quintessential Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive. Like Linda May, who dreams of finding land on which to build her own sustainable “Earthship” home, they have not given up hope. (Goodreads). As you may recall, Chloé Zhao’s film adaptation of Nomadland won the academy award for Best Picture in 2021.

Hoopla: May is a Bonus Borrow month. This means that there will be e-books, audio books, movies, and TV shows in various categories that you may borrow without the libraries being charged,  and they will not count towards your four borrows a month.  The categories: Sci-Fi Fantasy, Suspenseful Tales, Discover a New Series, Learn a New Skill, Criminal Mysteries, Finding Your Voice, Just for Kids, and Your Travel and Culture Companion. Take advantage of May being a Bonus Borrow Month. (hoopladigital.com/collection/15683)

We do have State Park Passes: to refresh your memory on how they work: The pass provides entry to most New Hampshire State Parks, including historic sites, for two adults and up to four dependents, (normally $4 per adult and $2 per child). The pass is not valid at Wallis Sands, Hampton Beach State Park, Flume Gorge, or Cannon Mountain Tramway, camping fees, or metered parking. It can be used for multiple parks in one day. We cannot print a pass for the same day requested, due to the online booking system setup, so you will need to reserve it with us at least one day in advance. Please stop by, call, or email the Andover Public Library (603 735-5333,  andoverpl11@nullgmail.com) or the W.A. Bachelder Library (603 735-5076  wablibrary@nullgmail.com) to reserve your pass.  We can only issue one pass per day, but you may request a pass more than once. Please check out the New Hampshire State Park website: nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks.  An important change from past New Hampshire State Park passes is that due to increasing popularity and overcrowding many parks are limiting how many people may enter per day. This pass DOES NOT guarantee access to any park. Advanced day-use reservations are the only way to guarantee access to a park. When requesting a reservation, the patron will be charged a $1 non-refundable reservation fee charged by the software company. To avoid being charged the admission fee, you will indicate that you have a library pass when making the reservation. The system will remove the admission fees, however you will be responsible for the $1 reservation fee. Having a reservation is  especially important on weekends and on holidays.

Now that the weather is so much better, take advantage of the WABL Walkers – leaving from the Bachelder Library every Monday and Wednesday at 10:30 AM for a roughly 4 – 5 mile walk .

Please check out the Beacon for our recent acquisitions. Let us know if there are any titles you’d like us to order for our collections or get for you through Inter-Library Loan.

Best,
Priscilla and Lee