Teen Community Service Club
2025-07-24 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
Thursdays, July 3 through August 21 at 6 p.m.

Want to make a difference in your community and earn service hours?

Drop by one of our Community Service Club meetings!

Exclusively open to students aged 13+, the Community Service Club’s mission is to promote and grow library services for teens and others by:

Planning and running teen events at the library;
Recommending books, movies, music, manga, and magazines for the library;
Promoting library events and services within the community and in schools;
Encouraging expression by and for teens via the creation of displays, flyers, and booklists.

Tales to Tails: Read to a Dog!
2025-07-25 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-07-30 11:30 - 12:30, 2025-08-01 11:30 - 12:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Come read to a furry friend! 🐶
Kids are invited to boost their reading confidence by reading aloud to a gentle, trained therapy dog named Orla. Our Tales to Tails program provides a calm, playful, and nonjudgmental space where young readers can practice their skills, build fluency, and enjoy the company of a four-legged listener.
Reading to a dog makes learning feel like play—which is essential to literacy development! Through play, children engage their imagination, build language skills, and gain the confidence they need to become lifelong readers.
Perfect for emerging and reluctant readers—because dogs make the best audience! 📖
Kathleen Karl, a registered therapy dog handler and seasoned educator with over 20 years of experience helping children become successful readers, will be on hand to support young participants. Kids are welcome to bring their own book or choose one from the library.
When: July 2 – August 1📖 Wednesdays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM📖 Fridays from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
🐾 Prefer a different time? Appointments are welcome! Contact Carrie to request a time that works for you—we’ll do our best to accommodate your schedule.
🔖 Reserve your reading time with Orla:Email Carrie King at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org

Drop-in Friday Crafternoon: Sharpie-dyed Silk Scarves
2025-07-25 13:00 - 16:00
Unleash the artist within! Join us for crafting and fun. We will provide refreshments, craft materials, coloring books, and colored pencils; you bring the conversation. If you want, bring a craft you are working on or try something new! The featured activity this week involves dying scarves.

Playgroup for Wee Littles (0-5) & Caregivers
2025-07-29 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-09-09 10:00 - 11:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Whiting Library is home to a weekly playgroup for the Wee Littles (0-5 years old) and their caregivers on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. This is a free, fun and relaxed gathering where little kids play while their grown ups supervise and socialize.
No need to pre-register, simply drop in to the library Community Room. Stay as long or as little as you like. Geared towards Caregivers who want to find friendship and build connections in the greater wee little people (0-5 years old) community.
Fun & games, plus art & craft projects in the community room downstairs!
Everyone learns best through play! Contact our Youth Librarian, for more information via youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org or call 802-875-2277.

Last Day to Report Reading and Summer Reading Challenge Accomplishments
2025-07-30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Dear Summer Readers and Their Grown Ups,
As I prepare for our exciting Summer Reading Awards Party on 8/2/25, I kindly ask all participants to turn in their summer reading challenge accomplishments and the final tally of hours they have read by July 30th. This will help us ensure that everyone’s hard work is recognized and celebrated.
Please submit your reading logs and any additional challenge materials to the Youth Library by this deadline. I can’t wait to honor your dedication and celebrate your achievements!
Thank you for your participation and happy reading!
Carrie King, Youth Services Librarian
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Story Time
2025-07-30 10:00 - 11:00 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Story Hour is geared toward preschoolers, but all ages are welcome to join the fun! Each session runs from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, with approximately 15-30 minutes of focused storytime, where children will enjoy engaging stories, hand plays, music, and occasional new book previews from the library. The remaining time is free choice, allowing children to explore hands-on learning through play, crafts, and social interaction.
Whether listening to a story, making a craft, or engaging in imaginative play, kids are strengthening the skills they need for future reading success!
Look for us in the Community Room downstairs, or, if the weather is nice, we may be outside in the backyard.
Preregistration is appreciated but not required—drop-ins are always welcome! To sign up, call the library at 802-875-2277 or email Carrie at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org.

Summer Unplugged - Super Scat! Species & Their Feces
2025-07-30 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
What’s for dinner? We learn a lot from the natural world by investigating the scat that animals leave behind! Get ready to digest information on identifying excrement from our local fauna, and participate in creating your own oatmeal-based “scat” for identification! Please note, this activity involves touching food items.
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

On the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains with Pria Anand
2025-07-31 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Online
You’re invited to a fascinating conversation with neurologist and author Pria Anand to chat about her new book The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains (forthcoming June 10, 2025). Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
The Mind Electric speaks to the stories we tell ourselves about our brains, and the stories that our brains tell to us.
A girl believes she has been struck blind for stealing a kiss. A mother watches helplessly as each of her children is replaced by a changeling. A woman is haunted each month by the same four chords of a single song. In neurology, illness is inextricably linked with narrative, the clues to unraveling these mysteries hidden in both the details of a patient’s story and the tells of their body.
Stories are etched into the very structure of our brains, coded so deeply that the impulse for storytelling survives and even surges after the most devastating injuries. But our brains are also porous—the stories they concoct are shaped by cultural narratives about bodies and illness that permeate the minds of doctors and patients alike. In the history of medicine, some stories are heard, while others—the narratives of women, of Black and brown people, of displaced people, of disempowered people—are too often dismissed.
In The Mind Electric, neurologist Pria Anand reveals—through case study, history, fable, and memoir—all that the medical establishment has overlooked: the complexity and wonder of brains in health and in extremis, and the vast gray area between sanity and insanity, doctor and patient, and illness and wellness, each separated from the next by the thin veneer of a different story.
Moving from the Boston hospital where she treats her patients, to her childhood years in India, to Isla Providencia in the Caribbean and to the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, she demonstrates again and again the compelling paradox at the heart of neurology: that even the most peculiar symptoms can show us something universal about ourselves as humans. Register now to join this intriguing virtual conversation!
About the Author: Pria Anand is a neurologist at the Boston Medical Center and an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Medical School, and she trained in neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neuroimmunology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Summer Reading Ice Cream Party: Celebrate Summer Readers at the Youth Library!
2025-08-02 11:30 - 12:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
This event will honor the fantastic readers who took on the summer reading challenge! Everyone is invited, whether you read or not, and all summer readers will be recognized for their efforts and receive special awards. Let’s give them a round of applause and fabulous recognition for their commitment to reading and the library!
Join us for an Ice Cream Social to honor all of our Summer Reading Champions!
RSVP by emailing youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org or calling 802-875-2277. Join us for this delightful celebration of reading!
All families with young children are invited to sign up for the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program at Whiting Library. We will be registering new participants on-site!

The Stories, Science, and History of Birds with Smithsonian Biologist Jay Falk
2025-08-05 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Online
Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
Delve into the fascinating world of birds through astonishing photography and clear explanations in this absorbing global guide, The Bird Book: The Stories, Science, and History of Birds.
Birds are dinosaurs with a history going back millions of years. Our fascination with them runs deep in history, and our close association is reflected in creation stories, myths, legends, songs, and children’s stories.
This book and presentation explore:

Both the natural history of birds and that deep cultural connection. From their evolution and anatomy to their behavior and diversity.

Hawks, finches, swans, or birds of paradise, moving the focus away from a predictable species-by-species account and allowing for truly global coverage.

The bold nature of European Robins and why they are associated with Christmas; the mythical Phoenix, which rises from the ashes; and learn about eagles, from their hunting prowess to their myriads of stories and symbolism.

Packed with information, beautiful photography, and illustrations, The Bird Book is a must-have for nature enthusiasts. Register today to learn more about your very own backyard friends!
About the Author: Dr. Jay Jinsing Falk is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Colorado. He is an evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist fascinated by the diversity that can be found within species, especially in sexual traits. During his PhD, he began studying White-necked Jacobin hummingbirds as a STRI Short-Term Fellow, and later as a Smithsonian Predoctoral Fellow. His findings, that some females of this species look like males while others do not, has become the cornerstone of his research program. He is inspired by the dizzying array of feather coloration that can be found in hummingbirds. After completing his PhD at Cornell University, he moved to the University of Washington to study hummingbird movement and metabolism. Now at the University of Colorado, he is investigating the genetics and development of feather coloration. Jay currently lives in Gamboa, Panamá, where he studies the hummingbirds that visit the feeders at his house on the edge of the forest.

*Note: While the book will be discussed, please be aware the presenter may explore other topics in the related fields suiting their additional expertise. Presenters can be expected to be experts in the field; however, for the Smithsonian and Library Speakers Consortium Collaboration they may not always be the author of the book being highlighted.

Feeding the Family Without Losing Your Mind
2025-08-06 10:30 - 11:15
Say goodbye to mealtime battles and hello to realistic, nourishing meals the whole family will actually eat. In this class, you’ll learn how to build balanced plates for kids and adults alike, creative ways to sneak in nutrient-dense foods, and strategies to reduce stress and guilt around food. Perfect for busy parents who want to raise healthy eaters without becoming short-order cooks.

Summer Unplugged - Fairy Houses!
2025-08-06 13:00 - 13:45 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Calling all Fairies, Elves & Imps! Fire up your imaginations by creating your own Fairy Village. We inspire students by teaching them some building basics, showing them some inspiring examples and reading a fairy story. Then, students take to the outdoors to create fairy houses, parks, gardens, or whatever they’re inspired to build! We will take a look at each other’s magical creations, hear what inspired each creator, and explore what they learned in their building process. This collaborative outdoor experience encourages creativity, problem solving, and taking a fresh look at nature’s small wonders. Some materials may be provided but bringing your own is encouraged! Note: Fairy houses will be built to remain where they are with natural materials that you bring and we provide. Please only bring biodegradable and native materials.
The Nature Museum aims to engage and educate in order to spark a lifelong connection and responsibility to the natural world. Our vision is that we help all people be inspired to explore the wonder, science, and beauty of the natural world and to protect the regional and global ecology.
Thanks to the generous support from Great River Hydro, The Nature Museum is excited to once again bring free environmental education programming to public libraries throughout the Middle Connecticut River Valley and at the Bellows Falls Fish Ladder and Visitor Center during the summer of 2025.
These programs aim to be engaging and highlight topics related to the unique ecology and landscape of Northern New England. These programs are geared towards youth ages Pre-K through elementary grades, but all are welcome! Programs will be approximately 45 minutes long with dedicated time for a story reading and any nature related questions you may have for our expert educators. Library programs will be both outdoors whenever possible and indoors as needed depending on weather and location. Join us to unplug, discover, and learn!

Susan Schwake's Art Lab: Japanese Paper Dyeing for all ages!
2025-08-08 13:00 - 14:30
Discover hands-on, engaging art projects from Art Lab for Kids by Susan Schwake.
Susan Schwake has written six books about creating art with children (and daring adults). She runs a gallery/studio/art academy called Artstream Studios in Rochester, New Hampshire, where she’s been teaching art to children and adults since 1993.

Sleep, Stress & That Second Cup: A Real Talk for Tired Parents
2025-08-13 10:30 - 11:15
Still wired at bedtime but dragging all day? Relying on coffee to survive? This class explores the science behind your sleep cycles, stress response, and caffeine habits—especially for parents and busy professionals. You’ll leave with simple strategies to improve your sleep, reduce cortisol spikes, and feel more energized without another latte.

Closed for Staff Day
2025-08-15
We’re working to make sure our staff can serve you best…
CLOSED FOR STAFF DAY
on Friday, August 15

Strong, Soft & Wise: Holistic Health for the Aging Body
2025-08-20 10:30 - 11:15
Aging doesn’t have to mean decline—it can mean deeper connection to your body. This class dives into how nutritional needs shift with age, how to support hormones, bones, metabolism, and mindset in perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Learn how to nourish your body, honor the changes, and thrive through every season of life.

Summer Flicks: Tea for Two
2025-08-20 13:00 - 15:40
This intergenerational movie series for individuals with dementia, their friends, and families is open to everyone. This afternoon’s presentation is Tea for Two.
An aspiring actress takes a bet that she can answer “no” to every question posed to her for 24 hours in order to win the opportunity to finance and star in her own Broadway musical. Based on the 1920s stage play and feature film “No, No, Nanette.” The score features songs by George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Al Dubin and Harry Warren.
Stars Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Gene Nelson, Billy De Wolfe, Patrice Wymore.
Warner Bros., 1950, 98 minutes, Rated PG

Returning to Romance Through Food and Flirty Fun in Fiction with Casey McQuiston
2025-08-20 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Online
Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
Bring an appetite for sizzling drama as we discuss New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s latest romantic comedy, The Pairing.
When two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour, they challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other—except they’re definitely not.
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It’s in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
Register now to join our discussion about Casey McQuiston’s spiciest book yet!
About the Author: Casey McQuiston is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies, including One Last Stop, Red, White & Royal Blue, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and The Pairing. Red, White & Royal Blue was adapted into a movie in 2023 and released on Amazon Prime. Casey was recently named on the 2022 Time100 Next List. Their writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bon Appetit. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, Casey now lives in New York City with a poodle mix named Pepper.

Fat without a Gallbladder: How to Digest & Thrive - CANCELED
2025-08-27 10:30 - 11:15
Gallbladder removal doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy—or need—healthy fats. In this class, we’ll break down how digestion works post-cholecystectomy, what symptoms might be signs of poor fat absorption, and what you can do nutritionally and supplementally to support digestion, reduce discomfort, and keep your energy and hormones in balance.

How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos with Organizational Psychologist Dr. Tasha Eurich
2025-08-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Online
Register for this online event here: https://libraryc.org/whitinglibrary/upcoming.
Learn how to master the daily grind and become shatterproof in a tumultuous world with key insights by Dr. Tasha Eurich as she talks about her newest book, Shatterproof: How to Thrive in a World of Constant Chaos (And why resilience alone isn’t enough).
Are you working too much but feel like it’s never enough? Have you turned the act of pretending you’re “fine” into an art form? Does self-care feel like one more item on your already long to-do list?
We’ve been taught that resilience is the secret to navigating life’s most difficult moments. But according to New York Times bestselling author, organizational psychologist, and researcher Dr. Tasha Eurich, there is one problem with this assumption. Scientifically, resilience isn’t an unlimited resource, especially with the growing pressure and uncertainty we’re experiencing today.
Whether you’re grappling with work stress, personal challenges, or the chaos of everyday life, Shatterproof offers an urgent alternative to stoic endurance as the only strategy for survival. Combining cutting-edge research, practical tools, and insights from her own struggle with a life-defining health crisis, Dr. Eurich will overturn your beliefs about what it takes to thrive through adversity, offering a scientifically supported system to help you feel better, do better, and live better than before. You’ll discover how to:

Reclaim your best self when stress turns you into someone you barely recognize
Uncover the unmet needs that keep you stuck in self-limiting patterns
Turn stress into strength, exhaustion into energy, and confusion into confidence
Find peace in the present and be prepared for what the future holds, and much more!

This timely discussion with Dr. Eurich is sure to unlock powerful new ideas about how to show up as our best selves. Register now to be a part of the conversation!
About the Author: Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times bestselling author on a mission to help people and organizations thrive in an ever-changing world. Recognized as the world’s leading self-awareness coach (Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Awards) and communication expert (Global Gurus), she’s spent over two decades teaching people practical strategies to supercharge their self-awareness, sanity, and success. Her work has been featured in outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, NPR, CNN, NBC, and Fast Company, as well as peer-reviewed journals. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, rescuing dogs, and is a proud and unapologetic musical theater nerd.

Story Time
2025-09-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-09-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
This weekly program is geared toward children ages 0–5 and their caregivers. You’re encouraged to arrive between 10:00–10:15 AM to give little ones time to get settled. We’ll begin with about 10-15 minutes of songs, poems and stories, followed by free play and art activities designed to support early learning.
Story Time is essential for building literacy skills—it fosters language development, imagination, and social-emotional growth. The program wraps up at 11:00 AM.
Look for us in the Community Room downstairs, or, if the weather is nice, we may be outside in the backyard.
Preregistration is appreciated but not required—drop-ins are always welcome! To sign up, call the library at 802-875-2277 or email Carrie at youthlibrarian@whitinglibrary.org.

Hannah Nicole Maehrer
2025-09-03 19:00 - 20:00

Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs)
2025-09-09 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-09-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Embark on Epic Adventures with Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TTRPGs)!
Calling all gamers aged 13 and up! Dive into a world of imagination, strategy, and camaraderie at Whiting Library’s weekly tabletop gaming sessions.
🎲 Games We Love to Play: Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and more!
Whether you’re an experienced player or brand-new to the tabletop scene, there’s a seat for you at the table. Meet fellow enthusiasts, take on thrilling quests, and immerse yourself in epic adventures—all while building new friendships.
When: Tuesdays at 3:00 PM
Where: Whiting Library
Ready to roll the dice and start your next adventure? The table is set—let the games begin!

Adult Book Discussion: Mr. and Mrs. Prince by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
2025-09-10 16:30 - 17:30
The selection for today is Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-century Family Moved Out of slavery and into Legend by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina.
If you want to participate in the book club, contact the library at director@WhitingLibrary.org or call 802-875-2277 to reserve a copy.

Dragon Tales at the Whiting Library
2025-09-20 11:00 - 11:30 | Whiting Library, 117 Main St., CHESTER, VT, 05143, United States
Join us for an enchanting, dragon-filled library adventure! Carrie King, Youth Librarian, will be reading 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli along with other fiery dragon tales sure to spark your imagination. After the stories, families can pick up fun dragon-themed art activities to make at home.
Held in the backyard of the library or in the Jr. Fiction Room in case of rain.
Visit the library and let your imagination take flight!
