I was at Al’s Seafood in North Hampton to pick up a take’n’bake stuffed haddock for dinner and, while waiting, I watched a man cleaning their salt water aquariums: siphoning waste into a barrel, gently scraping the sides of the tanks, cleaning the glass and raking the gravel. He pointed out a new fish - a smelt - which he was introducing to one of the tanks because it’s indigenous to our area. After learning that he comes by once a week to perform this ritual, I asked why he was adjusting the aeration. "It’s a small tank, so it’s good to make sure the water is circulating well to keep them healthy." Who knew that fish tanks and libraries had so much in common??? All you have to do is substitute books for water and the same principle hold true...I’m happy to report that our circulation is healthy – approximately 12 books per library patron were checked out in 2007 – and we’ll keep our supply of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish well-stocked for upcoming programs! (Note: if you haven’t tried Al’s stuffed haddock, you owe it to yourself. Just put it into a baking dish and add a little white wine to keep it from sticking, pop it into the oven at 350 for 20 - 25 minutes, and serve with rice and a salad. Delicious!

In addition to our "TGIF at HFFL" from 3-4:30 on the second and fourth Friday afternoons each month, we’ve planned the following for March and April:

If you’ve ever wondered what being NH’s First Lady is like or whether living inside the Washington Beltway holds lots of surprises, join us for "Coffee and Conversation with Nancy Sununu" on Wednesday, April 23 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and get to know one of our newer neighbors.

IF BLING IS YOUR THING, Carol is leading a grown-up workshop for a lovely Hugs & Kisses beaded bracelet on Wednesday, March 26^th from 6:30-7:30 p.m. At this point in time, class size is limited to 6, and you need to pre-register with Carol by Friday, March 21^st to get a list of supplies.

We have an assortment of completed wool squares that are literally begging to be pieced together to become baby afghans that we can give to a local charity. Carol has scheduled three opportunities for volunteers to come and join them together: Monday, March 10^th at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 11^th at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 12^th at 6:30 p.m. Please come and be part of the many hands that make light work!

Our book discussion for March is on THE SEA CAPTAIN'S WIFE: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE, RACE, AND WAR IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, which tells of an ordinary New England working-class white woman who, in 1869, married a black sea captain from the West Indies. History professor Hodes used over five hundred family letters along with census records and local history to lend authenticity to her characterization, making it a biography hard to put down. In April, we’ll discuss Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky, a study of human nature written in the 1940s and set in the French countryside that recounts three interlocking stories of love and betrayal over two decades, when the hot-blooded affairs of youth threaten the cool calm of middle age. Whew! Should be good! The group meets on the 4^th Monday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. and is always open to new members.

As we watch the results of the political primaries, this thought comes to mind: "If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?"

Be well,

Judy Haskell

I would like to thank the group of Hampton Falls students attending Winnacunnet who participated in the panel discussion held in late January. They did an outstanding job relating to 8^th grade LAS students and their families about the transition to Winnacunnet. We’re planning on doing this very worthwhile program again next year. Thank you to Sara McLean, Danielle Brouillard, Gunnar Nelson, Andrew Webster, Ben Wentworth, Noelle Brouillard, Sam Brown, Kiley Remiszewski, Jessie McLeod and James Brown.

Baby-Toddler Story Times continue to run on Tuesdays from 10:30 to 10:50ish AM. It is a fast paced and fun program for newborns through the 2’s. There will be no story time on April 29^th. The program will run through June 3^rd. We will begin again in late June. If you are not already signed up for this program and are interested, please give me a call.

Story Times for pre-schoolers through kindergarten will continue through June 5^th. There will be no Story Times on March 27^th, May 1^st and May 22^nd. Story times are held on Thursdays, one session running from 10:30 – 11 AM and a second running from 1:30 – 2:15 PM. There is still space in both sessions.

The current session of the After-School Story Time will run through June 5^th. There is no space available in this program at this time. There will be no Story Time on March 27^th, May 1^st and May 22^nd.

The Novel Ideas 5^th – 8^th grade Book Discussion Group typically meets the third Wednesday of the month from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. The up-coming discussions are March 19^th and April 16^th. Books for the discussion are available at the Library.

Bead Club – The Bead Club for 5^th – 8^th graders will meet Monday, March 10^th and Monday, April 14^th from 3:30 – 4:30 PM. Sign-up is required in advance as space is limited. There is a $2 fee per participant each month to help pay for the cost of the supplies. Donations of seed beads and quality beads are also welcome!

Guitar Hero is back – really! Guitar Hero will be held on Wednesday, March 5th from 3:30 – 5 PM. This program is for 5^th – 8^th graders. Please sign up in advance.

Read to Harry and Puddin’! Therapy dogs Harry and Puddin’ are enjoying all of the stories the children are reading to them. Harry will be here on Tuesday, March 11 and April 8^th. Puddin’ will be here on March 25^th. Reading time slots are at 3:30, 3:50 and 4:10 PM. Advance sign up is required.

April is National Poetry month! Celebrate it at the Library by bringing in a poem to hang on our Poet Tree. Children ages 12 and under will receive a coupon for a free Kids Meal at T.G.I. Fridays. Those 13 and up who bring in a poem will receive a free hot beverage at the Library.

Manga Drawing for 5^th to 8^th graders will be held on Wednesday, April 2^nd from 6:30 – 7:30 PM. Please sign up in advance as space is limited. We have a guest coming to the Library to conduct this program.

Puppet Show! Join "Carol and Crew" for some fun. This is in celebration of the National Day of Puppetry. Each child attending will participate in the Grand Finale of the show, "Old McDonald’s Farm". No sign up is required.

Wednesday, April 30^th from 3 – 4:30 PM the Sixth Annual Mother – Daughter Tea (or Grandmother, Aunt, etc.). This has always been a special event at the Library. Fancy dress for ALL who attend is encouraged, but not required. As with other special events, there will be a sign up as space is limited. Also, we love the boys, but this is an event for JUST THE LADIES.

--Carol Sanborn

1.) Warrant Article 27: To see if the town will vote to reduce the number of members on the Board of Library Trustees from 6 to 5 members in accordance with RSA: 202- A6. Such trustees shall serve staggered 3 year terms or until their successors are elected and qualified.

This seems like an unusual request and has its start in a petition with the Rockingham County Probate Court which we will be filing this year. The petition is called a petition for Cy Pres. In it, we will ask the court to make the Hampton Falls Free Library a fully public library and to turn over the old library building (now the Historical Society) to the town. Why are we doing this and aren’t we already a public library? In order to fully understand this, we need to start with the historical background of our library.

On April 29, 1902 J.T. Brown donated the building and land formerly known as "The First Christian Baptist Church" to the town to be used as a library.  Mr. Brown stated that as a condition of his gift, the Library would be governed by a Board of Trustees consisting of 5 gentlemen (one of whom should be the chairman of the Board of Selectmen, ex officio) and 2 ladies. The six trustees were to be elected by town meeting, and serve terms of six years in length. The trustees were to retire, in alphabetical order, and be replaced by another trustee who was elected at the annual town meeting. These trustees were to report at the annual meeting of the town on the condition of the building and work done throughout the year. They were also to raise an appropriation at town meeting for the maintenance and operation of the Hampton Falls Free Library.

Our library was set up before there were state laws defining the governance of libraries. One hundred and six years later, some of his provisions look a little strange to us. In fact, the Board of Library Trustees received a legal opinion in 1982 stating that whoever won the elected seat should become trustee, regardless of whether they were a "Gentleman or a Lady", and that the term should be three years in length in keeping with current state law.

We have been in discussions for some time now with Terry Knowles of the NH Attorney General’s Office Division of Charitable Trusts about the old trust. It turns out that many libraries in the state were set up under a trust at the turn of the century and are actually considered private libraries. This results in a situation of "legal limbo" where the library is private, but operates as a public library and is accorded tax exempt status as a public library would be. Unless we dissolve the trust as set up by J.T Brown by going through the probate court, we must follow the provisions of the trust to the letter. Unfortunately, we are already in violation of the trust, and have been since at least the early 1980’s, possibly longer.  The Attorney General’s office has recommended that we file a petition of Cy Pres with the probate court to dissolve the old trust in favor of becoming a fully public library, following all current state laws regarding library governance. We are very happy with our "new" (now six year old) library building and, as part of the legal proceedings, look forward to turning over the title to the old library building to the town so that the building may continue to be used by the Historical Society.

 Now that the Attorney General’s office has clarified our status, The Library Board of Trustees feel that it is time to end our state of confusion and become a fully public library. When that happens, we will be following RSA 202-A:6 Library Trustees; Election; Alternates. – The library trustees shall have the entire custody and management of the public library and of all the property of the town relating thereto, including appropriations held pursuant to RSA 202-A:11, III, but excepting trust funds held by the town. Any town having a public library shall, at a duly warned town meeting, elect a board of library trustees consisting of any odd number of persons which the town may decide to elect. Such trustees shall serve staggered 3-year terms or until their successors are elected and qualified. There may be no more than 3 alternates as provided in RSA 202-A:10.

As we transition to a fully public library, we will be asking the voters in town to approve a board of 5 Library Trustees so that we have an odd number of trustees. We are not sure when our petition for Cy Pres will clear the probate court system, but would like to have all the pieces in place to continue governance of the library in an uninterrupted manner. We would like the town to approve a board of 5 members which we feel is an adequate number of trustees to fulfill the duties required of us.

--Linda Coe

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