The Serviceberry & The Smithsonian
By Sarah Spira
Bath Public Library Book Club to Discuss The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Bath Public Library Book Club will meet on Monday, August 10, at 5:00 PM at the Bath Public Library to discuss The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, the bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow and a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology. She is the founder of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment.
As Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests Serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the Serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of interconnectedness and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth—its abundance of sweet, juicy berries—to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, “Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, rather than accumulation, where wealth and security come from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.”
Copies of the book are available to borrow at the Bath Public Library. Patrons are encouraged to pick up a copy and participate in what promises to be a thoughtful and engaging discussion. New members are always welcome.
Library hours are Monday and Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Thursday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
For more information, contact the Bath Public Library at 603-747-3372 or bathlibrarynh@gmail.com.
Smithsonian Museum On Main Street Comes to Barnet Public Library
How many times can I say it? We are so excited to have been chosen to host the Smithsonian Museum’s traveling SPARK! PLACES OF INNOVATION exhibition from July 29-September 9th! Barnet is one of only three towns in Vermont to have been awarded this unique opportunity.
So, what is this exhibit, anyway? In small towns across America, people are creating new products, taking risks, meeting challenges together, and seizing upon exciting opportunities that change local life and sometimes reach far beyond. “Spark!” features stories from over 30 rural communities across the nation (one even in our brave little state of Vermont) that reveal the dynamic relationship between place and creativity.Technical, social, cultural, artistic, or a combination of all of these—every innovation is as unique as each community.
The Barnet Public Library initially applied for this exhibition because a library is, above all, a place that makes information accessible to as many people as possible. Barnet Library is many things, but it has never had the opportunity to be a museum. We decided to give it a try. We are not only installing the Smithsonian museum panels, but with this exhibit comes some funding to create something innovative of our own for the good of the community; something significant, something long-lasting.
The Barnet Historical Society has recently experienced some renewed attention with the move to the beautiful upstairs space in the library, and with the addition of a few new, enthusiastic members interested in organizing, archiving, and exhibiting the collections. The Barnet Library has initiated a memorandum of understanding between the two organizations in an effort to ensure that the historical collection will be stewarded under the banner of the library, even in the event of the dissolution or low membership of the Historical Society. We are installing a permanent place for display in the library so a rotating exhibit and wall for historical photographs will always be available to the public. We are hoping this sparks excitement and renewed interest in our Historical Society and our town history. We believe that understanding the past, can build a stronger sense of who we are as a community today, and inform where we hope to go in the future.
We are hosting a fantastic free speaker series during this time. Please see the flyer, or our website, for details. Our first speaker is our own Peggy Pearl on July 30th at 6:30 pm at the Barnet Town Hall. After the talk we will walk across the road to the library to see the exhibit and enjoy refreshments.
This exhibit will be open during all library hours and is free to the public. Please join us in this unique opportunity to visit the Smithsonian in rural, Northeast Kingdom, Vermont! Many thanks to the Smithsonian Institution and the Vermont and New Hampshire Humanities Councils for this opportunity. FMI: www.barnetpubliclibrary.com, 802-633-4436, barnetlibrary1@gmail.com or our social media pages.