We begin Women's History month with the documentary

Bombshell  and end with  Ramona Garcia's presentation on

Louisa May Alcott. 

Think April. Jazz and Poetry month. We will celebrate on  April 5 at the Norwalk Inn with music by Neddy Smith and poetry by Laurel Peterson.

Chris

Norwalk in Winter!

Sledding on the Golf Course, Ice-Skating on frozen ponds, decorating for the Holidays! Lights strung around homes and trees! Shoveling piles of white stuff and building snowmen! Warm and cozy indoors, relaxing by a lit fire in the fireplace, a mug of hot chocolate in hand watching Holiday movies or reading a good book. Local Buildings covered with a sprinkling of snow!

Calf Pasture Beach Looking Towards the Lighthouse Photo Credit: Van Collins

Do you have photos of Norwalk in Winter that you would like to share? Scan them and email them to Cynde Bloom Lahey , clahey@norwakpl.org at the Norwalk Public Library and they will be displayed in the ArtSpace at the Main Library and on the Library website, Norwalk Library Photo Gallery  Identify the location, describe the memory and see what happens.

Contact Chris Bradley, Director of Norwalk Public Library, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15126, or  cbradley@norwalkpl.org  for more information about this event.

Caffe' e Conversazione with members of Vini, Vitti, Dici! -- an Italian community salon dedicated to promoting Italian language and culture in an informal setting will meet on Saturday,  March 2 & 23 at 10am in the Carnegie Room of the Norwalk Public Library on Belden Avenue. 

American Job Center Career Coach 

Free Job Search Assistance

Monday, March 4
10:00 - 12:00 
1:00 - 3:00 
Curb in front of library

  American Job Center Southwest

Kim Kovach teaches fiction writing and creative nonfiction writing for adults. The author of six fiction books, Kim writes a weekly column for Halston Media newspapers, as well as lifestyle articles for Westchester Wellness and Westchester Senior Voice. As a writing coach, Kim provides guidance for adults starting a novel or memoir and moving the manuscript forward. For more information, visit her website at www.kimkovachwrites.com

Registration is required for this program. Register online or contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org. .

Saturday, March 16

3:30 - 4:30 pm

Main Library Auditorium

Register

The Norwalk Public Library invites adults and children aged 10 and older to attend a presentation by Holocaust survivor Werner Reich. Mr. Reich's message on being a JUST person (Judge Situation, Understand Problem, Solve, Take Action) is particularly important for kids aged 10 and up. For the past 25 years he has kept a busy schedule speaking to groups about his experiences.

Now 91, Mr. Reich survived two years of internment in several concentration camps and a 35-mile "death march" through the snow. At age 17 he weighed only 64 pounds when he wound up in another concentration camp, in Mauthausen, Austria, where he was liberated by American troops in May 1945.

While at Auschwitz, Mr. Reich's bunkmate was Herbert Levin, a kind man in his late 30s, who was a professional magician, known as the Great Nivelli. He managed to survive by performing magic for the camp's guards. Mr. Reich learned some tricks from him as well, and remembers the fatherly tenderness shown him by Mr. Levin. In his adult years, Mr. Reich has continued to pursue magic.

Please register for this program by contacting Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org.

During this presentation we will educate you on some of the following topics that will help you understand the value of planning and staging your retirement to potentially be prepared for these events. 

For further information, or for a list of other Norwalk locations for free tax preparation and filing, please call NPL's Information Desk at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15109, or visit our tax page.

Wednesday, March 6

12:00 - 1:30 pm

Main Library Auditorium

A light lunch will be provided by the library

Register

32 Mondays Weight Management Program, which is not a diet, but rather a transformational program to teach people how to manage their weight for the rest of their lives. A trained biologist, nutrition specialist, and weight management mentor, Arantxa was born in Barcelona, Spain. She was an overweight child, but as a teen discovered she could take control of what and when to eat. Learn how her personal struggles combined with her education in biology and nutrition led to the development of   32 Mondays.

Friday. March 15

12:00 - 1:30 pm

Main Library Auditorium

A light lunch will be provided by the library

Register

When Margie discovers the murdered body of her CFO, John Surely in his office, Diana and the gang mobilize to save Margie's career, reputation and company, the Society of Aging Parents (SOAP). Their investigation leads them to a worldwide drug cartel and money laundering schemes. The road to solving the murder seems obvious until they hit a dead end. 

Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or  clahey@norwalkpl.org.

A stressful, protracted divorce. A difficult, painful death of a beloved husband. And suddenly, after age 50, you're on your own again. Your children have moved out, your parents are aging fast or deceased, your friends' lives continue onward, seemingly unchanged. Being suddenly single after age 50 can be terrifying, but eventually it can also be liberating. It can be fraught with worry and decisions you're unprepared initially to make, but it can also be a time to reevaluate, reestablish, and reinvent. It can be financially and emotionally unstable at times, but it can be the start of a new chapter, or the discovery of someone you didn't know you were, or could become, after the grief of a loss so difficult. 

Suddenly Single After 50 is told with authenticity, wit, and compassion. The authors discuss living alone, attending social events alone, eating by themselves, sleeping alone, walking and traveling alone, then how they also came to feel they were not alone, not really, with loyal friends and family. They share how their once right-sized houses suddenly felt empty, too big, and too full of stuff that no longer made sense. They write about all the legal and accounting woes that befell them. And they tell readers what it's like to be over 50 and dating again-after decades out of that scene, which had changed in unfathomable yet often hilarious ways. Suddenly Single After 50 addresses what life is really like when it's suddenly shaped as single. It helps readers understand the grief, frustration, and sadness alongside reawakening into the world. Anyone who finds themselves suddenly single in middle age and beyond--or knows someone who is--will find in these pages both advice and reflection, support, and a way forward.

An award-winning journalist, author, blogger and speaker, Barbara is the co-author of 17 other books, including The Garden Bible and The Kitchen Bible. She and Margaret Crane write a weekly blog, www.lifelessonsat50plus.com, and are working on another book, You're Not Dead Yet. Barbara graduated from Barnard College and has a Master's in Art from Hunter College. This AuthorSpeak program is co-sponsored by the Barnard Club of Connecticut.

Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext. 15133, or clahey@norwalkpl.org.

Ramona Garcia Presents

In Honor of Women's History Month

Louisa May Alcott author of  Little Women "Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen"

Friday, March 29 12:00 - 1:30 pm Main Library Auditorium A light lunch will be provided by the library Register

From the little girl who grew up determined to "paddle my own canoe" please join us as we
explore the life of Louisa May Alcott, the author who gave us Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

Wednesday, March 20

6:00 - 8:00 pm (check in starts at 5:30)

Main Library Auditorium

In starting a new business, social media has become a very cost-effective way to get your message out to the masses. But just how do you do that without becoming "white noise" online. Learn how to market your business without breaking the bank!

• How to create a Facebook Business Page and advertising.
• Tapping into Twitter and Instagram to build your business.
• Utilizing automation tools to give you an online presence when you are not online.

Bring your lunch and join Reference Librarian Susannah Violino for a lively discussion of Code Girls by Liza Mundy.

The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the American women who secretly served as code-breakers during World War II--a "prodigiously researched and engrossing" (New York Times) book that "shines a light on a hidden chapter of American history" (Denver Post).

Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as code-breakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.

Books Sandwiched In meets the last Thursday of every month.

For further information, please contact Susannah Violino at (203) 899-2780 ext 15115, or sviolino@norwalkpl.org

Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance Tuesdays 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Auditorium Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance is an evidence-based fall prevention program that transforms traditional martial arts movements into a therapeutic regimen aimed at improving postural stability, awareness and mindful control of body positioning in space, functional walking, movement symmetry and coordination, range of motion around the ankle and hip joints, and lower-extremity muscle strength

Low Impact Aerobics with Linda Tuesdays & Thursdays   1:30 - 2:30 pm  Teen Room Linda Lombardo is known to local residents for her work as a Silver Sneakers instructor, Linda has been a Business Education teacher with the New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Greenwich and Stamford Public School Systems for over 20 years. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a health fitness instructor, personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Stop by on Tuesday or Thursday to welcome Linda and try out a new version of Low Impact Aerobics.

QiGong by Bill Wrenn Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:00 pm Main Floor Reference Area

For additional information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780 ext 15133 or clahey@norwalkpl.org

Norwalk's Role in the Underground Railroad

Since the founding of Norwalk, in the 17th century, the city has participated in many important historical events. One of these included providing assistance to African Americans escaping captivity through the Underground Railroad. We believe there were at least two homes used hide the refugees on their journey north to Canada. One house is reported (unsubstantiated) to be located on County Street, near Norwalk High School. The other was a house on East Avenue, on the site of the original Thomas Betts Tavern (from an undated "Norwalk Hour" article). Horatio T. Strother in his book The Underground Railroad in Connecticut, tells of how the former slaves were guided to Norwalk, via a "conductor", Mr. Weed, to a "station" (safe house) in Norwalk, possibly owned by David Lambert. From here, the pathway was north on the "Danbury Road" (now Route 7) to William Wakeman in Wilton, who had helped moved sometimes as many as six persons at one time from the 1830s until 1850s. Strother suggests many other refugees may have traveled along Long Island Sound from Norwalk up to New Haven, then found their way to Canada.

Our first online records are postcards of Norwalk scenes, most dating from the beginning of the 20th century. We will follow these with regular additions from our collection of thousands of documents and photographs. Search by keyword or use the advanced search feature.  The postcards can also be viewed randomly. 

The Norwalk History Room and archive combines the library's former Local History Collection with the archival collections of the former Norwalk Museum. The lower level of the main library building at 1 Belden Avenue houses this large array of published and unpublished books and papers, photographs and maps, and more, covering over 300 years of Norwalk history.

The mission of the Norwalk Public Library History Room is to preserve the archival materials, including manuscripts, photographs, maps, newspapers, and books, which illustrate the history of Norwalk, Connecticut. This History Room online database will further our goal of promoting knowledge and appreciation of the long history and rich cultural heritage of the Town of Norwalk. 

NPL has partnered with drivers-test.org to bring you the current CT DMV driver's practice tests for free! Included are car, motorcycle, CDL practice test, and the driver's manuals for each test. Also included are accessibility tools    that let users hear selections read aloud, make them into MP3s, translate pages into other languages, magnify text, and mask portions of the screen for greater visibility on the practice tests.  

This driver education program contains the following CT-specific information: