The Oliver Wolcott Library offers a wide range of programming for adults, from continuing series like Monday
Scholars,
to lectures, book discussions, and author talks. All events are free and open to all.
Continue your journey of lifelong learning with us!
July Events:
FULLY BOOKED - Adult Summer Reading Challenge
OWL’s Fully Booked Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2025!
Register above, then come to the library to receive your challenge card. Starting Monday, June 23, the first 30 people who register AND come to the library to pick up their challenge card will receive a $5 gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts.
Your challenge card includes a list of 16 different prompts for you to try throughout the summer. However, you are not required to complete all of them. Participate at your own pace in whatever way works best for your reading habits!
One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a bookish prize basket. For each completed challenge, participants earn one entry towards the prize. Be sure to visit the library before the end of the program to enter your prize slips for the drawing.
Participants who complete at least 6 challenges will gain entry to an exclusive finale event on Tuesday, September 2nd at 6 PM. At this event, Vanessa Fasanella will help attendees create their own floral grapevine wreaths!
Gift cards generously donated by Litchfield Dunkin.
Cork Beavers
July Adult Take & Make
Available beginning July 1*
*while supplies last!
Calling all busy beavers! Get your crafting stations ready because our new July take-and-make is coming in strong! With a little elbow grease and ingenuity, you can build your very own cork beaver. We recommend having a glue gun and wire cutters handy for this craft, but all other materials you will need to construct your beavers will be provided in our FREE take-and-make kits.
America 250: The President's Club, George Washington
with Historian Peter Vermilyea
In-Person & on Zoom:
First Meeting: Monday, July 7 from 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register here
Zoom link: click here at 3:15 PM July 7
Join us each month for one year as we explore 12 influential Presidents through selected biographies spanning from George Washington through John F. Kennedy.
About the Series:
When selecting biographies, we decided an author should only appear once on our list and that their work should be accessible. Each month, read the selected biography then join us as historian, author and teacher Peter Vermilyea leads the discussion exploring Presidential personalities, opportunities and failures, challenges, and legacies. Through lecture and discussion, we will delve deeper into our Presidential and shared history.
July Selection:
In July, we will be exploring Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow - A Pulitzer Prize winning book.
Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, and his magnificent performance as America's first president.
About the Presenter:
Peter Vermilyea teaches history at Housastonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, CT and at Western Connecticut State University. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he serves as the scholarship director of his alma mater’s Civil War Institute. He is the author or editor of five books and fifteen articles, most on aspects of Civil War history.
Physical books are available at OWL to borrow, and e-books and e-audio books are instantly available for OWL card holders.
Click here to read about upcoming book talks in this series.
ECAD: Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities
Learn About Fostering a Pup: How to help prepare a dog to assist people with disabilities
In-Person:
Wednesday, July 9 from 1:30 - 2:30 PM
Registration required - Register here
Come and see the puppies!! Nothing brightens your day than puppies, and we will have plenty on hand to meet, greet and connect with during this special presentation.
ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities) is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to training and placing service dogs. ECAD has placed hundreds of service dogs with individuals all over the country, making a positive impact in many lives. Companion service dogs assist people with a variety of daily life challenges. Recipients of these amazing animals might be children with autism or veterans with PTSD for example.
Volunteer puppy fosters help raise and socialize future service dogs! Fosters provide love, care, and basic training to young puppies in their own homes for 6 months, preparing them for their life-changing roles. Join us to learn more about how you can get involved and help change lives—one puppy at a time!
For more information about ECAD, visit their website at https://www.ecad1.org/
Non-Fiction Discussion Group
Thursday, July 10
Non-Fiction Group: 2:00 pm
Meeting will be held in the Library's Jamie Gagarin Community Room.
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
This book exposes the toll taken on the people and environment in the Congo by cobalt mining. Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75% of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo. Moderated by Laura
Fiction Discussion Group
Thursday, July 10
Fiction Group: 3:30 pm
Meeting will be held in the Library's Jamie Gagarin Community Room.
The Substitution Order by Martin Clark
A high-flying attorney hits rock bottom. Short on cash, he lands a job at SUBstitution, the world's saddest sandwich shop. He's determined to set his life right again, but the troubles keep coming. And when a mysterious stranger wanders into the shop armed with a threatening "invitation," he will need his legal savvy to use the law's tricks and avoid hidden trapdoors. Moderated by Banjie
Monday Scholars: Take My Course, Please! The Philosophy of Humor
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On Zoom only:
Mondays from 1:00 - 2:30 PM
June 2 - July 14*
*no class on July 7
ZOOM LINK: Click here at 1 PM on Mondays beginning June 2 to zoom to this program.
Monday Scholars combines the best of online learning and engaging discussion!
Join us for the full 6-weeks or drop in to explore your favorite topics. Each week, we will watch two video lectures together and then engage in lively conversation afterwards. The conversation will be facilitated by OWL's Caroline Ugurlu.
About the course:
Join us as we explore 12 insightful, informative, illuminating, and (yes) humorous lectures. Professor Steven Gimbel of Gettysburg College will take you through the philosophical theories and explanations of humor, from blatantly obvious puns to complex narratives to sly twists of language. Drawing from both analytical and continental philosophy, the natural and social sciences, and the observations of thinkers ranging from Aristotle and Jonathan Swift to Sigmund Freud and Immanuel Kant, this course will leave you with a stronger appreciation of the jokes you tell and the jokes you hear. What's more, it may just leave you with a clearer idea of the true meaning of life. And that's no laughing matter.
Click here to read more about this series.
Armchair Travel: Nepal
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With Nancy & Ed Schuler
In-Person:
Wednesday, July 16 from 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Registration required - Register here
Nestled between India and China, Nepal is a country rich in tradition and culture.
Join Nancy and Ed Schuler as they present the beautiful temples, discuss the delicious food, and introduce you to a nation of warm and friendly people. Enjoy the colorful foliage and the impressive views of the Himalayan and Annapurna mountain ranges.
Armchair Travel: Antarctica
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With Hugh Schoelzel, Alan Cohen, Ken Blazier and Al Macchioni
In-Person:
Thursday, July 24 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Registration required - Register here
Join Hugh Schoelzel, Alan Cohen, Ken Blazier and Al Macchioni as they take you on a photographic journey of their recent trip to Antarctica. Learn about the wild life and be awed by the vistas.
Tales Well Told: My Summer Vacation
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A Live Theatrical event with Michèle LaRue
In-Person & on Zoom:
Thursday, July 31 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM
In-Person registration required - Register here
“It's difficult to find the words to describe the wonder of what you do!” “Riveting...” “Spellbinding...”
The stories in My Summer Vacation bring gasps and giggles. In “The Nice People” (1890), a charming young couple innocently brings mystery to a rustic resort: well, they seem nice . . . A different surprise is “Miss Esther’s Guest” who—although invited—is thoroughly unexpected.
Michèle LaRue has toured nationally performing her one-woman plays for more than 23 years. As an editor and writer, she has collaborated on numerous prominent theatre publications. Visit her website at
http://michelelarue.com
Move Your Mind; Move Your Body
In-Person & on Zoom:
Tuesdays: 10:15 - 11:00 AM
Registration required for in-person. Register here
Zoom Participants: Zoom Link - click here on Tuesdays at 10:15 AM
This Class is designed for senior women.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021 to 2030 The Decade For Healthy Ageing. The OWL has always been committed to expanding minds and now we would like to help our community expand their physical strength.
Join Nancy Schuler in this exercise class for senior women. You can attend the class in person, here at the OWL, or online in the privacy of your home. The class features stretching and exercises that can be done in a chair or standing, and lifting of 1 or 2 lb. weights. All exercises are gentle and easy to understand. Exercise has been proven to help one's cognitive abilities, blood pressure, insomnia, digestive issues, depression, strength and independence. The Alzheimer's, Diabetes and Heart Associations all recommend exercise for healthy ageing.
No prior experience is necessary. Bring in a set of light weights for this class - 1 to 2 lbs.
August Events:
Oliver Wolcott Jr.
A Lecture Presented by John Lizzi
In-Person & on Zoom:
Thursday, August 7 from 6:30 - 7:30 PM
In-Person registration required - Register here
As many of our patrons and guests likely know, a substantial section of the Oliver Wolcott Library is located inside the home of Oliver Wolcott Jr., a key political figure in the early history of Connecticut. Please join us for this special lecture presentation about Wolcott, delivered by historian John F. Lizzi.
Oliver Wolcott Jr. (1760-1833) was the nation’s second Treasury Secretary and a key figure on the national stage during the Federalist administrations of Presidents George Washington and John Adams. Upon his resignation from the federal government in 1800, Wolcott prospered for many years as a private citizen, and was later elected Governor of Connecticut, serving for ten years.
Lizzi will examine Wolcott’s contributions to both national and state government during his nearly forty years of public service, as well as discuss to what extent Wolcott evolved politically during his long career. Wolcott’s success can be attributed to his steadfast commitment to his principles including personal integrity, nationalism, the need for a strong national government, and the promotion of manufacturing and industry.
John Lizzi has taught social studies and history at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the past thirteen years. He completed his doctoral dissertation on Oliver Wolcott Jr. earlier this spring, and has plans to adapt his work into a book. He lives in Burlington, Connecticut with his wife and two young children.
Photo of Oliver Wolcott Jr. courtesy of the Museum of Connecticut History
America 250: The President’s Club - John Adams
with Historian Peter Vermilyea
Second Meeting: Monday, August 11 from 3:15 - 4:15 PM
Join us each month for one year as we explore 12 influential Presidents through selected biographies spanning from George Washington through John F. Kennedy.
About the Series:
When selecting biographies, we decided an author should only appear once on our list and that their work should be accessible. Each month, read the selected biography then join us as historian, author and teacher Peter Vermilyea leads the discussion exploring Presidential personalities, opportunities and failures, challenges, and legacies. Through lecture and discussion, we will delve deeper into our Presidential and shared history.
August Selection:
In August, we will be exploring John Adams by David McCullough - A Pulitzer Prize winning book.
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution and his love and dedication to fairness and American democracy.
About the Presenter:
Peter Vermilyea teaches history at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, CT and at Western Connecticut State University. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he serves as the scholarship director of his alma mater’s Civil War Institute. He is the author or editor of five books and fifteen articles, most on aspects of Civil War history.
Physical books will be available at OWL to borrow, and e-books and e-audio books are instantly available for OWL card holders. Click here to read about upcoming book talks in this series.
About Our Zoom Events:
All of our Virtual Zoom Events are live. They are not recorded. To participate/join the event, you need to use the exact link connected to the event. Once you click on the link at the specified date and time, you will be prompted to open Zoom, the virtual meeting program we are using. All you need is an internet connection and a device or computer with a webcam and audio. Most computers have built-in webcams. No passwords or confirmation codes, just click the link and follow the prompts.
More security, more privacy: In response to concerns about privacy in a virtual meeting space, we have enabled additional security features in Zoom and updated our meeting links to be protected, private, and secure. These new, unique links can also be accessed through our e-newsletters. To receive secure information regarding these events, please subscribe to our e-newsletter! Click here to learn more about our e-newsletter offerings.