The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project has digitized over 11,000 pages of old Vermont newspapers, including the early years of Brattleboro’s Vermont Phoenix.  Read all about it on the VDNP blog, or go right to the papers at Chronicling America, a project sponsored jointly by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

More papers are coming, including a precious handful of issues of the Windham County Democrat, edited by noted feminist Clarina Howard Nichols.

George J. Brooks, 1818-1886, our original benefactor  

Happy Holidays!

FREE 30 min Webinar:
Your Library Presents: Information 24/7

Find out how your library offers resources for job seeking & career exploration, lifelong learning, genealogy, and small business development. All available to you 24/7 from any computer with Internet access!

This webinar is easy to participate in wherever high speed Internet access is available.
Please log in 5 min. before the session begins and turn on your computer’s sound/speakers.

Tuesday November 8^th, 12:00 – 12:30 pm or
Thursday November 10^th , 6:00 – 6:30 pm or
Tuesday, November 15^th, 12:00 – 12:30 pm

No registration required. Go to the webinar link at www.e4vt.org

Active Weather alerts around state: http://www.vermont.gov/portal/alerts/

Road and Travel conditions – some complaints that it is not up to date:
http://www.511vt.com/

Windham Regional Road Status:
http://windhamregional.org/roadstatus

Crisis Landing: This map displays information about current crises for which the Google Crisis Response team has collected geographic information. http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2011_flooding_vermont

VPR Irene Blog:
http://vprnews.wordpress.com/

Compiled by Marlboro College – Resources describing Vermont’s attempt to recover from the damaging flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene on August 28, 2011.  http://libraryguides.marlboro.edu/irene

Windham Status: one-stop switchboard for county information post-Irene
http://windhamstatus.wordpress.com/

Vermont Grassroots Help and Volunteer Site:  http://vtresponse.wordpress.com/

Red Cross Resources for Vermont:
http://www.redcrossvtnhuv.org/index.asp?IDCapitulo=44W8UXGL8L

FEMA disaster relief:  http://www.disasterassistance.gov/

CVPS Power Updates:
http://www.cvps.com/Jobs2.aspx

Green Mountain Power Updates:
http://greenmountainpower.com/stormcenter.html

Individual Town Information:

Newfane/Williamsville Facebook Bulletin
https://www.facebook.com/NewfaneBulletin

Town of Marlboro Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Town-of-Marlboro/

Marlboro Message Board
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marlboro-Vermont-Message-Board/

Dover Town Website (contains information on Wilington):
http://www.doververmont.com/dover-news/wilmington-flood-info-updates

You will find NoveList Plus and NoveList K-8 by clicking Resources > Books & Authors on the Library’s website.

• How many amendments does the Constitution have?
• If both the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
• What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
• There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote.  Describe one of them.
• And for extra credit: who was Publius?

How did you do?  (answers below)

I you are you studying for the Naturalization Test to become a U.S. citizen, or if are you a citizen who hesitated before answering any of those questions, the Library has free study guides to help you brush up on your knowledge of U.S. history & government.  They are shelved in the Reference area and are free for the taking (one of each title per person, please).  You will find guides to the naturalization process, test lessons, a pocket edition of the Constitution & Declaration of Independence, and a lovely illustrated compendium of important facts and documents called The Citizens’ Almanac.

Online, the Citizenship Resource Center has lots of useful material for prospective citizens and teachers, and WelcometoUSA.gov has practical links for new immigrants, including: find a job, learn English, get a Social Security Number, get a green card, and get a driver’s license.

Answers (from Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons for the Naturalization Test from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services):

• 27 amendments
• Speaker of the House
• Louisiana Territory
• A male citizen of any race can vote (15th); women as well as men can vote (19th); you don’t have to pay a poll tax to vote (24th); citizens 18 and older can vote (26th)
• Extra credit: James Madison (his pen name for the Federalist Papers, which he wrote with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay)

E Pluribus Unum!  And can you name a major U.S. holiday that happens in July…?

…and Hermit Thrushes, and Downy Woodpeckers, and Hooded Mergansers…

Vermont eBird is the hub for all bird-related data, a place for birders to record their observations for use by scientists and the birding community.   eBird is a “vast and powerful database co-sponsored by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon,” and the Vermont section is sponsored by an ecological hall of fame team that includes the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, North Branch Nature Center, Birds of Vermont Museum, Vermont Audubon, and VINS.  Don’t miss the Resources list, which includes links to the BirdsEye phone app and eBird Rare Bird Google Gadget.  Who knew? 

Enjoy the music!

JMW