The Tolland Public Library was filled with poetry, author visits, genealogy searches and even “Laughter Yoga” in 2013 thanks to $9,835 in grants from the Tolland Public Library Foundation.
     The grants brought more young people into the library, helped patrons “Lighten Up @ at the Library” and enhanced services beyond what the town budget provides.
     The funds also enabled the library to host award-winning authors, hold informative sessions on paying for college, host its second poetry slam and provide residents with useful databases including Ancestry.com, Consumer Reports and a new auto repair database.
     “The Foundation’s support enriches the library experience for Tolland’s patrons in terms of materials, databases and programs,’’ Library Director Barbara Pettijohn said. “I am very grateful for the grants that we have received.”
    The Foundation’s board of directors supported the $2.6 million expansion of the library into the former Hicks gym that was approved by voters on Nov. 5.
     “The Foundation was pleased to support library programs in 2013 that benefitted patrons of all ages,’’ Foundation President Linda Byam said. “We’re excited about the library expansion and will be looking for ways to help bring even more patrons into the Tolland Public Library in 2014.”
    Early in 2013, the Foundation funded the “Lighten Up @ the Library” series to give residents more laughter in their lives. The series included a visit by ventriloquist Larry Noiva of Tolland and a talk from Craig Elkin, a retired Middletown police sergeant, who shared amusing tales from his years on the beat. Instructor Laura Le combined humor and fitness during her “Laughter Yoga” workshop.
     The Foundation continued its goal of offering more programs and materials of interest to students aged 11 to 18 through its “Young Adult Initiative.”
     In May, the library resounded with the creative voices of teens from Tolland and surrounding towns who competed in the Foundation’s second poetry slam. A third slam is being planned for April 3, 2014.
    The Foundation also paid for extra copies of the Tolland High School and Tolland Middle School’s summer reading books, and more than 140 people have attended talks on how to pay for college by financial advisor Craig Breitsprecher.
     In June and October, the library hosted young adult author Dawn Metcalf. During her second visit, she conducted a sensory workshop for writers that drew a number of her teenaged fans.
     Another grant enabled the library to introduce the “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, which encourages parents of young children to read that many books to their children before they attend school.
     Adult patrons looking for work or how to fix their cars benefitted from Foundation grants in 2013. A grant enabled the library to offer a useful resource called JobNow!, which provides online career assistance, including one-on-one mock interviews, lists of common interview questions and professional critiques of resumes and cover letters.
     Thanks to another Foundation grant, library patrons can now access the Auto Repair Reference Center for free at the library or from home using their library cards.
     The database features repair instructions for more than 37,000 vehicles made from 1945 to the present as well as 110,000 technical bulletins and recall notices.
     A Foundation grant also paid for the LibraryAware service, which allows the library staff to market its programs using flyers and other promotional materials.
    Grants to the library have also funded the Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series, which in March brought Pulitzer-Prize winner Dan Barry of The New York Times to the library. The series has also included award-winning writers Caragh O’Brien, Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Ken Davis, Jeff Goldberg and Lucy Anne Hurston.
     Many of the grants have been made possible through the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth King Eaton Endowment.

    TOLLAND – Young Adult author Steven Parlato will speak Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at town hall as part of the Tolland Public Library Foundation’s popular Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
     Parlato is a published poet, an artist, occasional actor and an award-winning assistant professor of English at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury.
     His debut novel, “The Namesake,” has been described as the searching story of a boy’s too-early coming of age. It tells the tale of 15-year-old Evan Galloway, who searches for his family’s secrets after his father commits suicide. It is intended for readers who are 14 and over.
    The novel won a 2011 Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature from the Connecticut Shoreline Arts Alliance.
     Parlato, who lives in Waterbury, will speak and sell and sign copies of his book in Conference Room A at Tolland Town Hall at 21 Tolland Green.
     The free talk is open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620.
     The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought writers Dan Barry, Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam, Ken Davis, P.W. Catanese and Dawn Metcalf to town.

Author Dawn Metcalf

TOLLAND – Young Adult author Dawn Metcalf will lead “Come to Your Senses: A Unique Sensory Writing Workshop for Adults and Teens” on Oct. 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Conference Room A at town hall.
Her workshop is aimed at teens and adults who want to improve their creative writing by becoming aware of sensory details, the thing that makes writing – all kinds of writing – come alive on  the page.
“So often the things that strike us as   most memorable about our favorite books are the sensory details that linger:  the exotic foods, the dazzling sights, the strange sounds, the telltale scents,” Metcalf said. “This unique sensory workshop will awaken our senses in order to enhance our creative writing and deepen our craft.”
A Chicago native who now lives in northern Connecticut, Metcalf is the author of “Luminous” (Dutton, 2011) and “Indelible,” (Harlequin Teen, 2013.)
The event is sponsored by the Tolland Public Library and the Tolland Public Library Foundation as part of its popular Eaton-Dimock-King Authors Series.
The free workshop is open to the public, but registration is required. To register, call the library at 860-871-3620. Participants should bring a pen and a notebook to the workshop.
The series, funded by the Phoebe Dimock King and Elizabeth C. King Eaton Endowment, has previously brought Metcalf and writers Denis Horgan, Susan Schoenberger, Jeff Goldberg, Lucy Anne Hurston, Jane Haddam, Ken Davis and P.W. Catanese to town.
About the Tolland Public Library Foundation
The Foundation was established in 1996 to receive donations to benefit the Tolland Public Library and to enhance library services beyond what the town budget provides. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the Tolland Public Library Foundation, Inc., 21 Tolland Green, Tolland, CT 06084.