Library Events

BSJDG: Emergency Preparedness for the Elderly
Nov
7

BSJDG: Emergency Preparedness for the Elderly

Our November Social Justice Discussion is to be about challenges facing seniors, and instead of hosting a zoom program we’re teaming up with the Bristol Recreation Department to PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO MIDDLEBURY for some great programming being offered by Elderly Services. These programs are 4:00-5:30pm in Middlebury:

"Emergency Preparedness for the Elderly" presented by retired Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley. According to Hanley, older adults are more vulnerable during a disaster because they are more likely to have impaired physical mobility, diminished sensory awareness, chronic health conditions, or social and economic limitations.

TRANSPORTATION:
If you want to join the BSJDG field trip and go in the Recreation Department Van together, email me to reserve your space (and I will RSVP to Elderly Services for us). We will meet in front of Holley Hall at 3:15pm and the van will depart Holley Hall at 3:30pm sharp!

If you want to drive to Middlebury on your own or with friends, RSVP to Elderly Services by calling Eileen Lawson 388-3983.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 4
Nov
7

Art Play for Adults: Session 4

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Four sessions available — come to any or all!

Registration required. Please register below.

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Foraging Vermont with Marisa Hamilton
Nov
9

Foraging Vermont with Marisa Hamilton

Join Marisa Hamilton, an educator of over 30 years and foraging expert, as she explores the fascinating world of local foraging. This informative session will highlight the nutritional and medicinal benefits of different plants and mushrooms available in our area. Space is limited to 10 folks, please register below.

PLEASE NOTE: The program is now full and we are only accepting waitlist registrations. Please register if you would like to be contacted in case a space opens.

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Game Night @ LML!
Nov
11
to Dec 9

Game Night @ LML!

Game Night returns to LML!
Join our volunteer host, Mark Gibson, for an exciting evening of fun and games from 6:15 to 9:00 p.m. on the Second Monday of each month. All ages are welcome, and no registration is required, so come join the fun!

Upcoming Game Nights:
Monday, September 9th
Monday, October 14th
Monday, November 11th
Monday, December 9th

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BSJDG: You Are Not Alone—Navigating Caring for an Aging Loved One
Nov
12

BSJDG: You Are Not Alone—Navigating Caring for an Aging Loved One

Our November Social Justice Discussion is to be about challenges facing seniors, and instead of hosting a zoom program we’re teaming up with the Bristol Recreation Department to PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO MIDDLEBURY for some great programming being offered by Elderly Services. These programs are 4:00-5:30pm in Middlebury:

"You Are Not Alone—Navigating Caring for an Aging Loved One" presented by ESI clinical social worker Eileen Lawson and Joanne Corbett, a clinical social worker heading up the new ESI Center for Positive Aging.


TRANSPORTATION:
If you want to join the BSJDG field trip and go in the Recreation Department Van together, email me to reserve your space (and I will RSVP to Elderly Services for us). We will meet in front of Holley Hall at 3:15pm and the van will depart Holley Hall at 3:30pm sharp!

If you want to drive to Middlebury on your own or with friends, RSVP to Elderly Services by calling Eileen Lawson 388-3983.

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LML Community Storytelling at Holley Hall
Nov
21

LML Community Storytelling at Holley Hall

Join the Library at Holley Hall on Thursday, November 21st at 6PM for a celebration of local storytelling! We invite you to come listen as neighbors and fellow Vermonters share their true, spellbinding, and reflective narratives with the community.

Interested in sharing a story? Please contact Samara Anderson at anderson_samara@yahoo.com. First time storytellers are encouraged and welcome!

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BSJDG: Bess Obrien’s “Just Getting By” Documentary Screening @ MAUHS
Dec
12

BSJDG: Bess Obrien’s “Just Getting By” Documentary Screening @ MAUHS

Join us in person at Mt. Abe for a Screening & Discussion of “Just Getting By” with Filmmaker Bess Obrien!

To support our neighbors who face food insecurity, please bring one of the non-perishable items below to donate to our local Have A Heart Food Shelf:

  • Peanut butter

  • Beans (kidney, black)

  • Fruit

  • Veggie

  • Soup

  • Spaghetti sauce

  • Diced tomatoes

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Art Play for Adults: Session 3
Nov
1

Art Play for Adults: Session 3

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Four sessions available — come to any or all!

Registration required. Please register below.

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BSJDG:Veterans Town Hall
Oct
24

BSJDG:Veterans Town Hall

All are invited to a Vets Town Hall at Holley Hall on Thursday, October 24th at 7pm in Bristol, Vermont. Veterans are invited to speak about what their service means to them. Non-veterans are encouraged to attend and listen. This event is non-political, and all perspectives are valued. There will be no debate on American foreign policy.

For more info and to register please visit VT Vets Town Halls

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Craft Cinema Night
Oct
18

Craft Cinema Night

It’s movie night on the big screen at the Library, but with a crafty twist! Join us and Hermit Thrush Fiber Co. for a feature-length film and bring your knitting, crochet, or any handheld-friendly craft to work on while you watch. We'll be showing the Practical Magic (1998), starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Light conversation is allowed, and the Library will provided popcorn. Folks are welcome to bring their own snacks and a drink.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 2
Oct
18

Art Play for Adults: Session 2

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Four sessions available — come to any or all! Registration required. Please register below.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 1
Oct
4

Art Play for Adults: Session 1

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Four sessions available — come to any or all!

Registration required. Please register below.

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Talking Politics: Getting Beyond Us vs Them
Sep
26

Talking Politics: Getting Beyond Us vs Them

While elections are about making choices, the political questions that inform those choices are much more complicated. How can we create generous and interesting discussions with our neighbors, family, and community members? Join us in person for a discussion at the library (40 North St.) with Sarah Stroup, Professor of Political Science at Middlebury College and Director of the KWD Collaborative in Conflict Transformation. Professor Stroup will lay out the ways that binary thinking prevents productive conversations and suggest ways to improve our interactions and the quality of our political discussions.

Registration required, please register below.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 3
Aug
7

Art Play for Adults: Session 3

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Three sessions available — come to any or all!

Registration required. Please register below.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 2
Jul
31

Art Play for Adults: Session 2

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Three sessions available — come to any or all! Registration required. Please register below.

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Author Spotlight: Kyra Freeman
Jul
29

Author Spotlight: Kyra Freeman

In her two recent collections of poetry, former Bristol resident and long-time school librarian Kyra Freeman celebrates the small moments of midlife soaked in heartbreak and humor. She offers an invitation for all to collect seeds of wonder and plant them for ourselves.

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Art Play for Adults: Session 1
Jul
24

Art Play for Adults: Session 1

Art Play for Adults is a space for you to play with art and enjoy stress-free creativity and camaraderie! The focus is on process, not outcome, so bring your curiosity and take a break from it all.

Each workshop will begin with a simple prompt, with art supplies provided (although you're welcome to bring your own). Fun for all levels. Three sessions available — come to any or all!

Registration required. Please register below.

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Mushroom Walk with Meg Madden
Jul
17

Mushroom Walk with Meg Madden

Interested in learning about the world of wild mushrooms?

Join Lawrence Memorial Library and naturalist, mycologist and professional photographer Meg Madden for a curiosity walk at the Watershed Center on Plank Road in Bristol, VT. Meg will take participants on a two-hour guided hike and dive into the fascinating world of fungi, help participants learn more about local specimens.

Wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. The walk will take place rain or shine. Registration is required and is limited to 20 participants. Carpooling to the site is encouraged as parking is limited.

Please Note:
This is not a foraging program. If you need to cancel please contact, Katie at director@lawrencelibraryvt.com.

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Book Vs. Movie: The Outsiders
Jun
7

Book Vs. Movie: The Outsiders

Which one will win the vote?! The book or the movie?! 

Join us as we watch the movie The Outsiders at the library on June 7th at 6:00 PM. Bring a folding chair, pillows, blankets to view the movie in comfort. Come dressed as Pony Boy or Cherry? Maybe wear your Madras like a Soc? Or just come as you are! 

We will have popcorn and a few bologna sandwiches just like Pony and Johnny ate in the story. 

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Gender & Bias with Linnea Johnson from Atria Collective
May
30

Gender & Bias with Linnea Johnson from Atria Collective

Linneau Johnson joins the Bristol Social Justice Discussion Group to discuss how we can all have a better understanding of human sexuality. Recognizing that comprehension does not equal compassion, and how we can move away from harmful stereotypes and assumptions about people’s identities.

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Equity in Health Care with Deb Richter
Apr
25

Equity in Health Care with Deb Richter

Dr. Deborah Richter practices primary care and addiction medicine in Vermont and is a past president of Physicians for a National Health Program. She currently serves as president of Vermont Health Care for All, an organization that educates the Vermont community about the structure and features of universal health care systems. Dr. Richter will discuss the issues many Vermonters face regarding access to healthcare. Time will be available for questions after her presentation.

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LML Seed Exchange
Apr
13

LML Seed Exchange

Due to the anticipated snow storm on March 23rd, the Seed Exchange will be rescheduled to Saturday, April 13TH from 10AM-12PM.

Whether you have seeds to share (saved from your garden or extra leftover from seed company packets) or are just looking to grab some from the libraries collection, we’re inviting all gardening enthusiasts into the library on April 13th for a community seed swap and giveaway! Exchange seeds and find resources to support you on your gardening journey this year. We’ll be welcoming UVM Extension Master Gardener (EMG) Volunteers, Nora Woolf and Courtney Vengrin, into the library to help answer all your gardening and soil questions! Registration Encouraged but not required.

If you plan on attending and bringing seeds, please bring them in separate envelopes, jars, or other containers, marked with the following information:

Plant Name (ex: Chard)
Variety (ex: Rainbow Chard)
Year Grown (ex: 2023)
Origin/Seed Company’s Name (ex: High Mowing)
GMO/Non-GMO
Organically Grown
Hybrid or Open Pollinated


We will provide small envelopes for taking home traded and gifted seeds.

Special Thanks to UVM Extension Master Gardener Program, Red Wagon Plants and Vermont Garden Network for their wealth of knowledge and generous seed donations.


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Eclipse Programming at the Library
Apr
8

Eclipse Programming at the Library

Join the Library on Saturday, April 6th to pick up free solar eclipse glasses and enjoy some solar eclipse activities before the event!

We'll be distributing glasses on a first come, first serve basis, one per person or three per family. Plus, we'll have a special Eclipse display to teach community members all about this once-in-a-lifetime event and a family-friendly activity upstairs.

For folks who registered, please pick up your glasses on Monday, April 8th on your way to viewing festivities. Pick up will be from 10am-1pm. Thanks and happy viewing!

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Book Chat: Beaver Land
Apr
2

Book Chat: Beaver Land

Join the Library and facilitator, Caitlin Cusack of Vermont Land Trust for a book discussion on Leila Philip's critically acclaimed 2022 book, Beaver Land, and explore how we can learn from beavers to restore the land we care about.

Copies of the book are available to check out from the library. Registration is not required but encouraged.

About the author: Leila Philip
…For me, writing is always a journey with a wonderfully uncertain end; I write to discover what I don’t know yet. I strive to find the story, then shape that story with words and share. We live in a time of ongoing environmental crisis and fear is an appropriate response once we acknowledge the extent to which we have altered every aspect of life on earth. But so is hope. In writing Beaverland I discovered the natural wonder of beavers and the powerful ways they restore damaged environments. Beavers demonstrate the incredible powers of resilience and healing available to us as concrete solutions to help us meet the urgent challenges of climate change. Beavers can teach us. We can learn.” Visit Leila’s website for more info

About the Facilitator: Caitlin Cusack
Caitlin is a forester at the Vermont Land Trust and lives in Bristol, VT with her daughter and husband. She is co-owner of the sugaring business, Little Hogback Farm. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, skiing, running, and dancing.


April 18th | 7:00 pm at Shelburne Town Hall

Did you love the Book Chat at LML?! Then join Flying Pig Bookshop in welcoming author Leila Philip to Shelburne Town Hall for a conversation and lecture. For more information about this event CLICK HERE

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BSJDG: Food Insecurity in Addison County
Feb
29

BSJDG: Food Insecurity in Addison County

Food Insecurity - What Is It? What Are the Causes and Effects? and What Are We Doing about it in Bristol and Addison County? We will address those questions and engage in a discussion about how we can work together to create a culture locally where no one goes hungry and where people feel safe, welcome, and unashamed seeking food assistance.

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The History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State with Mercedes de Guardiola
Jan
25

The History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State with Mercedes de Guardiola

Join Mercedes de Guardiola via zoom as she discusses her book on Eugenics in Vermont.

In “Vermont for the Vermonters”: A History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State, Mercedes de Guardiola examines how the state’s eugenics movement emerged out of the public policies of the nineteenth century and led to state-sanctioned programs of institutionalization, sterilization, family separation, and education aimed at the most vulnerable Vermonters. Exploring the social and political legacy of the movement, de Guardiola brings new scholarship and context to one of Vermont’s darkest chapters.

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5 Town Friends of the Arts presents The Winter into Spring Library Tour
Jan
18

5 Town Friends of the Arts presents The Winter into Spring Library Tour

We’re kicking the five town library concert series off with DaddyLongLegs at Bristol’s Lawrence Memorial Library! Join us at the library at 7:30pm on January 18th for a foot tapping night filled with music!

All are welcome. Concerts are free and open to the public with donations optional.

Upcoming Concerts and Locations:

March 21st

Nate Gusakov
@ New Haven Community Library

April 18th

Tim McKenzie
@ Lincoln Library

May 6th

Rodrigo Placencia
@ Starksboro Public Library

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Bartered, Displaced, and Hired: A history of medical racism and slavery in the American Academy
Dec
14

Bartered, Displaced, and Hired: A history of medical racism and slavery in the American Academy

This talk will explore the history of medical racism and slavery in Early American colleges. Using extensive financial and administrative records from multiple institutions it will detail the experiences of Black men and women whose life was shaped by harrowing experiences with the American academy.

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Arrested Mobility
Nov
30

Arrested Mobility

Why are Black Americans and other people of color disproportionately victims of overly aggressive police enforcement and brutality while walking, running, riding bicycles, taking public transit, or while driving? This virtual presentation and discussion explores the ways in which people of color have had their mobility arrested.

Hosted by Charles T. Brown, the founder and CEO of Equitable Cities LLC—an urban planning, policy, and research firm working at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity. In each place, he’ll ask: What can we do to change the outcomes when people of color step out their door to exist in the world?

Click here to learn more about Arrested Mobility

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13th Documentary Screening and Discussion
Oct
26

13th Documentary Screening and Discussion

Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.

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Au Revoir, Coco!
Oct
26

Au Revoir, Coco!

Coco has done so much for our library and community – let’s celebrate her!

Join us at the library for light refreshments and to send her off on her next big adventure!

No registration required - we hope to see you there!

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Author Spotlight: Jackie Tuxill
Oct
10

Author Spotlight: Jackie Tuxill

In her memoir Whispers from the Valley of the Yak, Jackie Tuxill takes us along on her profound midlife search for meaning and authenticity. This intergenerational story - about the power of forgiveness and being true to oneself - takes us from China, where she was born to medical missionaries, to Alaska, Vermont, and the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau. No registration required.

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Rebuilding Notre Dame with Will Gusakov
Oct
3

Rebuilding Notre Dame with Will Gusakov

Bristol native and timber framer Will Gusakov spent the first six months of 2023 in France, working to rebuild the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral. He was part of a team of traditional carpenters working in Normandy to re-create the medieval timber roof frame of the cathedral's nave and choir, using Gothic tools and techniques.
Join us at the library where he'll share an informal presentation about the experience and about the medieval timber frame project.

No registration required.

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