Friends Of Rathbun Memorial Library

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Colonel Elisha Bostwick's pocket watch is more than just a time keeper. It's an object that carries us across the ice-choked Delaware with George Washington to Trenton New Jersey on a journey to battle German soldiers.

Learn about Elisha Bostwick, his pocket watch, and the journey to battle on this weeks episode of Small But Mighty: Connecticut's Revolution. Find it on the podcast listening app of your choice or on the podcast website https://underthecharteroak.buzzsprout.com/

Connecticut State Library

05/27/2026

Readers experience magic every time we open a new book. Every page, every chapter, transports us to new worlds. Seems like magic to me.

05/24/2026

Due to communist hysteria before and after World War II, many organizations and publications were under suspicion of being affiliated with or promoting the Communist party. One curious suspect of this scrutiny was Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, the product testing and consumer advocacy magazine. In the late 1930s, Consumers Union faced unsubstantiated accusations of communism. Despite the fruitless claims, Consumers Union was placed on a list of subversive organizations by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1944.

In 1951, representatives from the Better Business Bureaus drew attention to Consumer Union’s status on the House Committee’s list. As a result, Ohio schools banned the use of Consumer Reports in the classroom. While the Ohio schools' ban of the magazine was short-lived, questions about it were not, and the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) noticed the attempts to ban the publication.

The IFC received inquiries from librarians as far away as Hawaii, asking about the supposedly communist Consumer Reports. The committee provided librarians with information outlining the facts of the accusations against Consumers Union, concluding that “the case against Consumers Union is, at best, tenuous and without evidence of subversion.” This wasn’t an endorsement of the publication, and the committee urged that library materials should be selected to fit local needs, recommending that “all librarians should resist the pressures of those who want to prevent American citizens from being informed.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3RkeaQ0

05/24/2026

This is a library!

05/22/2026

Books have so many wonderful things to teach us, and these are just a few.

05/22/2026

Calling all teen bookworms! Join us at EHFPL on Wed, June 10 from 4-5pm for Enchanted Fiction, a book club run by teens for teens in grades 7-12. We’ll choose a new book each month, exploring a variety of young adult fiction. This month we'll be discussing Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Sponsored by the EHLS's Teen Advisory Board.

05/22/2026