Gay-Kimball Library Troy Communicator – November 2026
By Erin George, Director
We have so much to be thankful for! October was busier than ever at GKL! From a fantastic presentation with Judith Black as Lucy Stone, thanks to a humanities grant, to a visit from Author Peter M. Harahan, who talked with us about his book Dead Man’s Ridge, we’ve heard your requests for more adult programming at the library. We are thrilled to see such enthusiastic participation. Thank you! You are what helps us to make our library a community hub we can be proud of.
On a personal note, I attended two conferences with the support of our board of trustees. Many have asked about the biggest of these – the ARSL Conference. My trip to Montgomery for this conference proved to be extremely fruitful for our rural library. I was able to meet in person with our latest grant provider – WETA! The same can be said for my more recent experience at the NELA conference in Burlington; a success that brings with it many new programming ideas for our library. As a speaker at both conferences, I was not only able to learn from other participants, but to share some of our library’s own methodologies with librarians from all over the country. When an unexpected turn of events meant no PowerPoint technology, my audience and I played a game of “human card catalog,” which turned out to be something we’ll turn into a statewide workshop and may even play with our patrons! That experience certainly makes for a good story…
But that’s only the beginning. We are super excited to officially announce receipt of a mini grant aimed at 250th programming through WETA. This $750 grant will allow us to put on two events: 1. A screening of Ken Burns’ Revolutionary War PBS ‘Under the Stars’ movie series, and 2. A special interactive event for adults and teens: Powder Road. This event will run somewhat like a murder mystery but with many plot twists – think Escape Room meets Murder Mystery all while adding in a touch of education, connection, and community! This event will begin at 5 pm on November 19, is free to the public, and does not require registration. Light refreshments will be provided.
Event details: Step into the unsettled world of 1776, when the area that would become Troy, New Hampshire, was still a rural settlement—not yet a town.
Participants will take on the roles of real local residents, examine historical documents, follow clues across an old regional road, and debate a central question: Who supported the Patriot cause, who may have favored the Crown, and who was simply trying to protect family and livelihood?
This interactive historical mystery combines local history, Revolutionary-era records, maps, rumors, and role-play. No prior knowledge of history is required.
The Story
In 1776, residents in the area were asked to declare their loyalty to the American cause. Most signed. Several refused.
At the same time, men from the settlement were leaving to fight at places such as Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Bennington. An old road through the region may also have carried troops and supplies toward Vermont.
Participants must determine:
● Who fought for the Patriot cause?
● Who refused to sign the loyalty declaration?
● Why might someone have refused?
● Who stayed home, and why?
● What may have traveled along the Powder Road?
As for the screening, we are waiting on details that will be announced shortly.
With all the adult programming in the works, we haven’t forgotten about our kids. As we come off the sugar highs from a spooky Trunk or Treat, we’re also watching the paint dry on a beautiful mural the Storytime kids painted in our children’s room with the help of the Children’s Literacy Foundation. CLiF not only supported our efforts to bring literacy to life, but they also brought a film crew for a documentary they are making on children’s literacy. Thank you to all who were patient about our filming day, we can’t wait to show you how that turns out!
Last month, we held a Jabberwocky Tea with Miss Mary Lee, who has the whole poem memorized! And finally, we Cooked the Book farm-to-table style with families. Some used parts of our harvest from our community garden to create delicious recipes.
We just added forty VOX books to our library for kids and young adults. These books come thanks to our ALA grant and are great for long trips where parents would rather their younger children were reading than on a tablet. Ask us about how these audiobooks could make long car rides to Grandma’s house easier and even educational during the holiday season.
Going forward, we are working on setting up a Grinchmas for the kids in December. And, as always, we love suggestions for events! Please don’t be shy about talking with us.
The next time you visit the library, you will likely notice new technology, including patron computers, keyboards, and screens that help to eliminate accessibility issues. Thanks to our ALA grant, we are working to help people with vision and hearing challenges, and we want our technology to reflect that. We have also purchased a 75-inch screen and equipment to make screenings and presentations more accessible in our conference room. Thank you for bearing with us as we get these up and running! We want the library to be a place where everyone is included and has their needs met.
As this season of thankfulness is upon us, we would like to give a special thanks to those who have stepped up to volunteer to help with our increasing number of patrons; particularly the children. We could not continue to serve the public as well without your help and it’s heart-warming to see the generations working together and making those new connections.
Our Hours:
Tuesday – 10:00 am – 7 pm
Wednesday & Thursday – 2 pm – 7 pm
Saturday – 10 am – 2 pm
Do those hours not work for you? You can make use of our 24/7 Library Lockers!
