The Spoken Word committee celebrates the 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote with programs and lectures.The Library and the Westport Country Playhouse celebrate the re-opening of the renovated Playhouse with community-wide programs organized under the banner Before Act I.Arthur Mitchell, founder and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, is honored with the 7th annual Westport Public Library Award at the “Booked for the Evening” event. July heralds the access by library users to nearly 1,000 downloadable audiobooks using MP3 compatible players. Multiple access allows the entire community to listen to the same book at the same time. WestportREADS selection is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. Carol Gluckman receives the Friends of the Library Special Friend Award. Demand for meeting space leads to the creation of three conference rooms on the Library’s main level. Credit cards are accepted for payment of fines. 2,003 children register for the summer reading program. The Malloy Lecture in the Arts on the Genius of Mozart features violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Frederic Chiu.
