Mary L. Blood Memorial Library, Brownsville, West Windsor, Vermont

06/25/2026

This Saturday, following our dinosaur-themed story time and activity at 10am, head across the street to the Town Hall for music and origami with Sakiko and Orli!

06/24/2026

Thank you Branch & Thorn Flower Farm for the beautiful gift of flowers to our library!

06/16/2026

Congratulations to Caitlin, who earned her Certificate of Public Librarianship! Caitlin provides youth programming and library services to our community and we’re thrilled to celebrate this achievement!

06/16/2026

Shout out to our Library Board Chair Michael Epstein for winning the Trustee of the Year award! This is a great honor from the Vermont Library Association and emblematic of what great work communities like ours can accomplish when they work together on a shared goal. Michael was presented this award for his leadership in getting the library funded and expanding services and hours for the people in our town. Thank you to all of the Trustees, Friends members, our Selectboard, and our patrons for supporting the library's growth as we hit our 125th anniversary.

The Vermont Library Association (VLA) presented its awards for outstanding service to and support of the state’s libraries during its June 1 annual conference. The recipients are:

Birdie Award
Richard Pritsky, Assistant Director, Carpenter-Carse Library , Hinesburg, and Vermont Organization of KOHA Automated Libraries (VOKAL) Executive Committee member

Sarah C. Hagar Award
Starr LaTronica, Director, Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro

Trustee of the Year Award
Michael Epstein, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Mary L. Blood Memorial Library, Brownsville

Senator Patrick Leahy Library Advocate of the Year Award
Senator Ruth Hardy (D), Addison County District, Seat 19

There was no Green Mountain Award recipient this year.

In addition, these retiring librarians were honored:
Starr LaTronica, Director, Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro
Richard Pritsky, Assistant Director, Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg
Theresa Czachor, Library Assistant, Chittenden Public Library
Erna Deutsch, Assistant Youth Librarian, Brownell Library, Essex Junction

Carpenter-Carse Library Brooks Memorial Library Chittenden Public Library Mary L. Blood Memorial Library, Brownsville, West Windsor, Vermont Brownell Library

https://vermontlibraries.org/vermont-library-association-honors-2026-award-recipients-at-annual-conference

06/16/2026

We had a lovely story time brunch to kick off summer reading. Thank you Brownsville Butcher & Pantry for donating delicious pastries! We appreciate you!

06/16/2026

As a participant in the July 4th festivities, the library, school, and Independence Day Committee are partnering to share youth voices. Details below:

🎨 Brownsville Independence Day Art & Writing Contest ✍️
Celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary: Our Hopes for the Future

In honor of America’s landmark 250th anniversary, we are looking toward the future! We invite young artists, thinkers, and writers from the Brownsville community to share their visions, dreams, and wishes for the next chapter of our nation's history.
What do you hope the future of America looks like in the years to come? Show us through your creativity!

Contest Details
Eligibility: Open to all children and youth ages 5 to 18.
Submission Deadline: July 1st at 4pm

Categories: Participants may submit one entry in any of the following categories:
Story: A short story or essay (max: 1000 words).
Poetry: A poem of any style reflecting your hopes for the nation.
Artwork: A drawing, painting, mixed-media piece that visually captures your vision.

Rules:
No AI creations, or use of AI to write a story or poem.
Must be age appropriate to the individual submitting work.
Hateful, discriminating language or content is not allowed and will cause an automatic disqualification from the contest.

Prizes will be awarded to children in the age categories of 5-8, 9-12, 13-18 and will be given out to children who have the best pieces of work in the areas of:

Essays/stories
Poetry
Drawing/painting

Submissions will be put on display for people to see during the Brownsville Independence Day Celebration on July 4th on the stage at the Town Hall and can be included in the Time Capsule which will be buried at the school.

Submissions can be dropped off at the Mary Blood Library or the Town Hall by July 1st. Don’t forget to include your name and age to be considered for a prize.
Winners will be announced at the July 4th celebration.

06/10/2026

Summer Reading is fast approaching! This year's theme is "Unearth a Story." Over the summer, we will be exploring fossils, dinosaurs, archaeology, history, and more through books, art, and activities. Story times and activities will take place every Saturday at 10 am throughout the summer.

Kick-off Brunch
On June 13th, join us at 10 am for stories, activities, and brunch foods as we kick off a summer of reading.

Mystery Artifacts: How Museums Help Share the Past
On July 11th, we welcome the Vermont Historical Society for a special program where we will investigate how museums help share the past! The program includes a read aloud of Paul Fleishman's The Matchbox Diary and a close-looking activity with artifacts from the museum collection. All participating youth will receive a free family pass to continue their exploration at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier.

Stay tuned for more special Saturday story times and events.

05/27/2026

Summer is approaching, and that means Summer Reading! Beginning in June, we are switching our story times from Wednesday to Saturday mornings, with a kick-off on June 13! (No story time on June 6)
In addition to story times, we have several other events happening. You can find descriptions for all of them on our website.

Saturday, June 6
5 pm: The Library's 125th Anniversary Reception
6:30 pm: A Dramatic Constitution

Thursday, June 11
7 pm: Writer's Group

Saturday, June 13
10 am: Summer Reading Kick-off Brunch!

Saturday, June 20
10 am: Summer Story Time

Sunday, June 21
1:00 pm: School House Rock Live! (at the Town Hall)

Thursday, June 25
9:30 am: Savvy Seniors - Storyworth
7 pm: Writer's Group

Saturday, June 27th
10 am: Summer Story Time

05/26/2026

A Dramatic Constitution: A Vermont Humanities Program

Saturday, June 6, 2026
6:30 PM 8:00 PM

While the United States Constitution is small in size, it is large enough to support our most dramatic disagreements. Beginning with the clash between slave states and free states, we have staged all of our controversies on the Articles and Amendments. Even during the Civil War, the Constitution held.

Once again we are divided on the merits of the Constitution: can it redeem us or is it a convenient cloak for white supremacy? Neither a divine document nor a tool of elites, the Constitution might also be seen as an invitation to develop the habits of political engagement through deliberation and adjudication.

In this presentation, Meg Mott considers how the Constitution both forces and frames our disagreements. In the first two centuries, citizens regularly debated public matters, drawing on the Constitution as a shared authority. What does it mean for our republic when only legal professionals take the stage?

This Program is Supported by the Vermont Humanities Council.