Library 133: Brandon Free Public Library

No pole dancing. Yes baby pineapple.

Library 133! The Brandon Free Public Library was the 133rd stop on my quest to read, write, and knit in all of Vermont’s public libraries.

• I read: Meeting Families Where They Are, a book about advocacy and discrit by Beth Harry & Lydia Ocasio-Soutenburg. Jargon alert: discrit is the critical study of how disability and race impact our experience in a world built on ableist, racist systems and structures.

• I wrote: notes on the library.

• I knit: a non-secret test knit for Maxim Cyr in fluff + British DK from Les Garçons in Montreal

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I visited this library on March 20, 2025.

This was my first library visit since January 20, 2025. Things have happened since that day. I find myself in one of the most time-demanding semesters of my career. No day like the day the president orders the shut down of the Department of Education to seek shelter in the warm fuzzy cocoon of a Vermont public library. I needed a library today.

They had an embosser. I love an embosser. Some days, that’s enough.

Hello library my old friend.
I’ve come to knit with you again.

Molly the director kindly gave me a tour of this newly remodeled building, which now includes a lift and a staircase with banisters topped with wood from local trees, crafted by local kids. Such a thoughtful touch.

I have three regrets about this visit. The first is that I failed to find Falcor. That meant no sticker. The second is that the metal beams you see in the grand room are holding up the second floor by suspension from the roof. That meant no pole dancing. The third is that I only had an hour here. That meant no lingering.

Why was it so great to be back in a library? The brazen display of unique personality I have come to expect from each and every one. Brandon did not disappoint. Unique finds include: A brass bust named Melville. A display of locally mined rocks. 300 cranes hanging from the second floor. A hidden friend named “Falcor” kids (and hopefully also adults) can locate and deliver to the front desk in exchange for a sticker. A collection of locally mined rocks. A card seed catalog. A free book cart named “Boris Cartoff.” A fiber arts group named “pins & needles.” A neighborhood-based catalog scheme in the children’s space.

A baby pineapple.

Last but not least: a SECRET DOOR opens to the teen room. This is an excellent way to attract both teens and also adults who enjoy watching The Traitors mainly to ogle at the castle decor. Alan Cumming approves.

A request: this library is seeking a new name for a new all-encompassing arts group. It’s crafty! It’s makery! It’s art! It’s knitting! Any suggestions? Punny ideas welcome.

Another request: Please support the American Library Association and tell your members of congress to overturn the executive action that guts federal library funding. Defunding public libraries and public schools is part of this authoritarian playbook.

Fight. Naps. Knit. Read. Fight.

Secret door into the teen room is approved by Alan Cumming and this excellent wool vest.