From the State Librarian Under...

Under Construction

Merritt Parkway WPAWatercolor Found

How Reliable Is It?

The Case of theMysterious ConnecticutFarm

With None of theSpectacular

Still Beautiful at 70

Mighty, Mighty Hartford

User-Friendly, That's Us

A Few of My FavoriteThings

Read To Me

Milestone: Bonnie Delaney

October 2008, Vol. 10, No. 4

From the State LibrarianUnder Construction

As noted elsewhere in this issue, it was 100 years agothat work began on the State Library and Supreme CourtBuilding. The building represented a major advance inmeeting the information needs of State Government andthe people of Connecticut. It also represented a majorfinancial commitment by the State.

Today the State Library is at the threshold of anothermajor advance in meeting the information needs of stategovernment, students, and the general citizenry.

The prevalence of the Internet, the World Wide Web, andthe exponential growth of digital publishing and electronicgovernment (e-government) all present challenges andopportunities for the State Library.

The State Library must seize the moment and builddigital collections and online services that provide thecitizens of the state with the same long term,comprehensive access to the historical record as hasbeen achieved in the State Library’s tangible library,museum and archival collections.

The challenges are many, but key among them aredeveloping systems to capture and preserve current andfuture government information that is created only indigital form, i.e. born digital. It is also critical to createdigital surrogates for those resources that only exist intangible form.

T h e C O N N e c t o r , V o l . 1 0 , N o . 4 , O c t o b e r 2 0 0 8

Under construction, 1908To build what I will call theVirtual Connecticut StateLibrary will take the creationof bits and bytes instead ofbricks and mortar; skilledlibrarians and technical staffinstead of laborers and

craftsmen; and a technical infrastructure as state-of-theart as was the State Library and Supreme Court buildingwhen it first opened in 1910.

Such a virtual library will not replace the existingtraditional print and object collections of the State Library,Archives and Museum; nor will it replace on-site access.But it will break down many of the existing barriers toaccess (hours of operation, parking, and non-compliancewith the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)). TheVirtual Connecticut State Library will provide citizens withcutting-edge discovery, visualization and access toolssupported by professional staff.

The cornerstone of a Virtual State Library will be an e-Government Program, a Digital Collections Program, aVirtual Museum and an ongoing Web PresenceDevelopment Program.

The ground has been broken and the work begun, butover the next several years the State Library will have tofind the political support and financial resources tocomplete the task. --By Kendall Wiggin


Merritt Parkway WPA Watercolor FoundBy Mark Jones, State Archivist

It's very gratifying, but difficult, to find any of the artworkcreated in Connecticut under the auspices of the WorksProgress Administration (WPA). The watercolor abovewas one of the missing Merritt Parkway Series of elevenwatercolors.

This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the opening ofthe first 14 miles of the Merritt Parkway, which isdescribed elsewhere in this publication. In 1938, theMerritt was the largest public works project inConnecticut’s history and was the first median dividedhighway built in the state. Before the opening ceremony,a WPA artist named Howard Heath completed a MerrittParkway Series of eleven watercolors. The watercolorswere transferred to the Stamford Town Hall in 1938. Afterthat, no one knows what happened to the series.[1]

The Museum of Connecticut History in the State Librarywas able to acquire one Heath watercolor whenit suddenly reappeared. This particular Heathwatercolor of Merritt Parkway bridge construction hadbeen, for some unspecified period of time, in thepossession of an unknown state agency. That stateagency eventually sent the painting to State Surplus inWethersfield. When the Museum learned that several


WPA works of art were available at surplus, theypurchased the Merritt Parkway work and others for$5.00.

Fortunately, random chance led to the watercolor’spreservation. We have black and white prints of some ofHeath’s Merritt Parkway Watercolor Series, but theMuseum’s copy is the only one extant that shows thevibrant colors.

How many other WPA works of art lay abandoned inunvisited storage rooms?

For the past year, the State Archives has been creating adigital database of information about 160 artists whoworked for the Connecticut Federal Art Project (FAP),1935-42. The FAP documented all the individual workscreated by artists engaged by the project, and it was notuntil the State Archives began tabulating all of this datathat the scope of the FAP become apparent. During theseven years of the Connecticut FAP, over 5000 works ofart were created.

This new database of FAP records is part of the ongoingState Library’s Works Progress Administration (WPA) ArtInventory. The purpose of the inventory is to locate WPAartwork still existent in the state. The records of the FAPare part of the State Archives Record Group 033, “TheWorks Progress Administration”, and includeadministrative reports, artist’s work cards, allocationcards, and photographs for the one or more pieces of artcreated by 90 of the artists.

Unfortunately, only a small percentage of the 5,000works were “allocated” to public and private institutions inConnecticut. Thus, the database will facilitateidentification, but it will be very challenging to discoverthe fate of the total inventory.

Identifying and finding any of the WPA art produced inConnecticut will be significant for our state's culturalhistory. The inventory project is also assembling detailedbiographical files for most of the 160 artists which, staffhopes, will serve the art and cultural historian community


in the future.

Heath was born in Boulder, Colorado on October 2,1879. He completed three years of high school and wenton to study at the Colorado Springs Art School, theDenver Art School, the Art Institute of Chicago and theArt Students League in New York City. While he was inChicago, he worked as an illustrator for the ChicagoTribune. For the WPA, Heath completed around 192easel paintings and block prints and 2 murals.

[1] Queries to the Town of Stamford failed to locate thewatercolors. There are few, if any, persons alive whoknew that these paintings ever hung in the old town hall.

--Editor's Note: Ironically, for someone with roots inColorado, he lived in Silvermine, Connecticut when hecreated the watercolor series. Silvermine was an artists’colony in Norwalk, Connecticut.

For further information, contact Mark Jones at 860 757-6511 or [email protected]

How Reliable Is It?

A recent survey revealed the startling fact that manyonline resources which have replaced print as the officiallegal resources are not protected from sabotage.

See the August issue of Information Outlook: TheMagazine of the Special Libraries Association for anarticle by CSL Library Specialist, Steve Mirsky. "TheProblem with Paperless", Vol. 12, No. 8 (August 2008):pp. 33-34 discusses the use of current technologies ofauthentication, such as encryption andwatermarking, which have been implemented by somestates.

Mirsky, who is the Bill Room Supervisor at the Law &Legislative Reference Unit at Connecticut State Library,is also the Government Relations Committee Chair forthe American Association of Law Libraries.


The Case of the Mysterious Connecticut Farm

The “History Detectives” Investigates an East HaddamFarm at the Connecticut State Library

Mark Your Calendars: The Connecticut affiliate of PBS,CPTV, will rerun the “History Detectives” show with theConnecticut Jewish farm segment on Thursday, October2 , 2008 at 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 11:30a.m.; and Sunday, October 5, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.

A production crew for the popular PBS series "HistoryDetectives" spent much of Wednesday, May 14, 2008 atthe Connecticut State Library filming part of a segmentfor the show’s sixth season. The segment involves acase in which “A resident of rural East Haddam,Connecticut owns an old home that he believes has astory to tell.”

The house was occupied by a number of different peoplefrom 1891 to 1906, and their names seem to suggest aRussian or Eastern European background. Many EasternEuropean Jews immigrated to America at this timebecause of the political situation in Russia. Could therebe a connection? The episode, which originally aired onPBS "History Detectives" on Sept. 8th, was pre-emptedlocally, but will be rerun on the dates above.


To complement the episode, the Connecticut StateLibrary has created an online exhibit focusing on thehistory of Jewish farmers in Connecticut. It featuresimages of Connecticut agricultural scenes from the late1800s through the mid 1900s. Additional photographs ofold East Haddam houses are included in the WPAArchitectural Survey.

For the full story of the History Detectives’ visit to theState Library, please see the article “HistoryDetectives” Visit the State Library in the July 2008edition of the CONNector, the Connecticut State Librarynewsletter.

--by Jeannie Sherman and Richard Roberts, History andGenealogy Unit

With None of the SpectacularBy Nancy Peluso, Librarian

"With none of the spectacular, ground was broken lateWednesday afternoon, July 29,1908, for the new state librarybuilding at the corner of CapitolAvenue and Lafayette Street”1.The reporter who filed this storywith the Hartford Courant mayhave been puzzled anddisappointed about the lack ofceremony

After all, the man who headed upthe Commission responsible forthe new building was none other

than the illustrious Morgan G. Bulkeley, U.S. Senator forConnecticut and President of Aetna Insurance Company.A colorful, larger- than- life figure, Bulkeley had alreadybeen Governor of Connecticut, Commissioner of theNational Baseball League and Mayor of Hartford.As noted elsewhere in this issue, he would eventually

have an important Connecticut River bridge named forhim.


But the official groundbreaking for what would later bedescribed as “one of the most beautiful structures in thecountry and said by some to be the handsomest buildingin New England” 2 was a low key affair. Perhaps it wasmuted out of deference to the late Dairy Commissioner,J. B. Noble, whose funeral would occur the following day.The State Capitol building was closed the next day from2:30 to 3:30 p.m. during Noble’s funeral.3

“Senator Morgan Bulkeley, chairman of the commission,took a new shovel furnished for the groundbreaking byContractor Edward Balf and said; 'Gentlemen of theCommission, by your authority, representing the state ofConnecticut, I shall now break ground for the buildingthat in future years shall be devoted to the literary,historical and judicial purposes of this commonwealth.",according to the Courant. Excavation began the nextmorning. 4.

Prior to 1910,the StateLibrary waslocated in theState Capitolwhere it hadbeen housedsince 1878. By1906, thespace for theLibrary wasinadequate andState LibrarianGeorge Godardactively lobbied

for a new building where “all the books of the librarycould be brought together, where the several portraitsand paintings [of the Governors] could be properly andsafely hung, where regularly constructed vaults forinvaluable records and papers might be accessible, andwhere rooms or special apartments for study could beprovided…” 5

“The Commission to Make Repairs on the Capitol and toProcure A Site for New Building for State Officials”decided to combine the State Library and Supreme Court


into one building and retained architects Donn Barber ofNew York and E. T. Hapgood of Hartford. Their designfor a building across the street from the State Capitolconsisted of a central lobby with three wings: the StateLibrary on the eastern wing; Memorial Hall on a smallsouthern wing; and the Supreme Court on the westernwing.

Construction of the building took two years of painstakinglabor under the supervision of the builder and generalcontractor, Marc Eidlitz & Son, Fifth Avenue, New YorkCity. Horses and wagons were used to excavate the siteand haul the granite, marble, cement, tools and millionsof bricks necessary for the project.

Concern about the horses prompted a site visit from theConnecticut Humane Society: "Dwight W. Thrall, agentfor the Connecticut Humane Society, visited the newState Library Wednesday and found that the horsesbeing used for the heavy teaming there were beingdriven up steep grades that were full of ruts and madehard work for the animals. He took the matter up with thecontractors, with the result that cinders have been thrownover the temporary roadways in and out of the librarygrounds, making it easier work for the horses.” 6

The Library opened to the public in November 1910.State Librarian Godard reflected in his 1910 AnnualReport: “We have seen gradually brought to completionour new State Library and Supreme Court Building,dignified and beautiful in its architecture, solid andsubstantial in its construction, and complete andconvenient in its arrangement.” 7

1. "State Library Begun", The Hartford Courant, July 30, 1980,page 4; 2. "Capitol Annex About Ready", The HartfordCourant, December 17, 1910, page 18; 3. "Capitol Closed AnHour This Afternoon", The Hartford Courant, July 30, 1980,page 1; 4. "State Library Begun", The Hartford Courant, July30, 1908, page 4; 5. Report of the State LIbrarian to theGovernor for the Year Ended 1906, page 41; 6. "Looking OutFor The Horses", The Hartford Courant, March 19, 1909, page14; 7. Report of the State LIbrarian to the Governor for theYear Ended 1910, page 5.


Still Beautiful at 70

By Lynne Newell, Director, Information ServicesDivision.

Born of a need that resonates today, hailed for its beautyand its bridges, the “Queen of Parkways” opened 70years ago on June 29th, 1938. Growing traffic congestionon the Post Road led to clamors for an alternate orexpanded road.

The Merritt was the answer to this problem, and to theunemployment woes of the Great Depression. Theproject also generated controversy, scandal, and acriminal case.

The 38 mile road running from the Greenwich border withNew York to the Housatonic River on the Stratford-Milford border was named for nine-term ConnecticutRepublican Congressman and Stamford residentSchuyler Merritt who had promoted the new road. At theopening ceremony, Merritt rode in the governor's car.


The State Library’s web exhibit athttp://www.cslib.org/merritt/ explores the history,construction, and controversy surrounding this uniqueConnecticut roadway. Using materials from the Libraryand Archives collections, the exhibit covers the story ofthe Merritt from planning and funding to opening andpreservation.

Designed to “provide a peaceful, lovely drive that wouldrevive the senses, instill an appreciation for nature, andprovide an edifying rest from the pace of modern urbanlife”, the Merritt project was notable for its landscapingand its bridges.

Landscape architect Weld Thayer Chase worked to saveas many existing trees as possible, and used new nativetrees, shrubs, and other plants along the hills and on the“landscaped dividing strip”. Chase remained interested inthe Parkway throughout his life. In his 80's he wasleading the fight against the destruction of the charm ofthe Parkway by proposed highway projects.

Even more famous than the landscaping are the thirty-five unique bridges crossing the parkway. Designed by

architect GeorgeDunkelberger ofthe State HighwayCommission, thesteel frameconcrete bridges inall variations of theArt Deco style arehighly prized now,but were muchcriticized by some

towns along the parkway who wanted stone bridges.

Recently, the Merritt Parkway Conservancy and othergroups have submitted petitions, and testified before theConnecticut General Assembly and U. S. Congressopposing any alterations to these cherished structures.

Controversy ensued when Dept. of Public Works head,and future governor, Robert A. Hurley alleged grossmismanagement by the State Highway Department,


criticized construction of the Merritt Parkway, anddeclared the bridges were unsafe. HighwayCommissioner John A. MacDonald answered the Hurleyreport’s accusations in his own report. Both the Hurleyand McDonald reports are online in the web exhibit,along with photographs, and other documents that tellthe story of the Merritt.

Acquisition of the land for the project led to a criminalcase over the real estate commissions paid onunreasonably high purchase prices. Real estate agentand former Republican state representative from DarienG. Leroy Kemp, who had been the State Purchaser ofRight of Way for the Parkway, was convicted ofconspiracy and spent four years in prison.

To answer charges of potential traffic danger at thebridges, Governor Cross hired engineer Charles Bennettwho found nothing wrong with the bridges andrecommended that construction go ahead, thus savingthe famous bridges that we know today. Bennettconcluded: “…that the construction of bridges on theMerritt Parkway is not a serious traffic hazard and thatwith careful study of traffic control and protective markingthis highway can be considered an excellent piece ofhighway construction. There is no reason to expectcalamitous accidents on account of the bridgeconstruction.”

The bridges are now a unique part of the parkway’scharm. At the opening of the parkway, The BridgeportPost proclaimed: “One can build a concrete highwayanywhere. But the Merritt Parkway is different. More thanany ‘Futurama’ at the World's Fair, more than any dreamof the futuristic designers, it shows what the highway ofthe future should look like: a highway where the eye isfilled with beauty and the mind with peace as the carpurrs safely along.”

In addition to those in the web exhibit, more Merrittdocuments and images can be found in theConnecticut State Library Digital Collections ‘Roadsand Bridges’ collection.by Lynne Newell, Director, Information Services Division, basedon research by State Archivist Mark H. Jones.


Mighty, Mighty HartfordBy Dave Corrigan, Curator, Museum of Connecticut History

One hundred years ago this October, Hartford celebratedthe opening of the Bulkeley Bridge with a three-dayextravaganza jubilantly described as "The GrandestCombined Electrical Display, Historical Pageants,

Military, Civil andIndustrial Parades EverSeen on thisContinent!", accordingto the HartfordCourant. Hartford wasat the zenith of itsmanufacturing prowessin 1908 and had

struggled for decades with an inadequate and decrepitbridge. Finally, Hartford had a bridge worthy of itsneeds. The new Hartford Bridge, as it was initiallynamed, connected Hartford and East Hartford. The newstone arch structure was a replacement for the oldwooden bridge that had burned in 1895.

Seventy-five thousand people reportedly participated inthe various parades and pageants, which were viewed bythousands more each day who filled the specially-constructed, twenty-two thousand seat grandstands andbleachers which provided good views of all thefestivities. The celebration ran from Monday, October 6,to Wednesday, October 8, 1908.

The revelry included a parade of 15,000 school children;a reenactment of the 1636 arrival of Thomas Hooker andhis party and a 500-man strong "Historic MarchingPageant" which showed every type of military equipmentused by Connecticut soldiers from the Pequot War to theSpanish-American War. There was a water carnival of300 decorated yachts on the Connecticut River andtwelve historical tableaux depicting major events inConnecticut history such as the arrival of the Dutch in1614, the signing of the Fundamental Orders in 1639, thehiding of the Charter in 1687 and the meeting betweenWashington and Rochambeau in 1781. Ten thousandKnights Templar and Masons marched on the last day.After officials of the Connecticut Grand Lodge laid the


last stone of the bridge there was another parade of6,000 men, band concerts and a $5,000 fireworksdisplay.

Industrial Day: This was designated as October 7,1908. The major event was a parade of 8,000 workingmen and 80 floats, representing most of the majormanufacturers of the greater Hartford area. The Courantdescribed it as "the day of the workingmen, of the menwho by their daily labor earn the money necessary to thesupport of their families, marching for the honor of theirshops, for the men who give them employment. It was athing worth seeing.

.

First in line for the industrial parade were the Underwoodtypewriter floats, probably because the company'sPresident, Charles D. Rice, was Chairman of theIndustrial Committee. One of these floats was a hugereplica of the Underwood No. 5 Typewriter, which was210 times larger than the original. It was "perfect inevery detail" and was mounted on a rotating base so thatthe crowd could view every angle of the model. Fifteenhundred Underwood employees marched behind wearingwhite caps and carrying a banner with the monogram"UT".

One thousand workers from the Cheney Brothers' silkmanufactory in Manchester marched behind theircompany's silk, velvet and brocade covered float.

The Hartford Machine Screw Co. float carried a giant


hexagonal bolt and nut which was painted to imitatemetal. The head of the bolt was four feet across. The

Courant reported that it would have weighed 18 tonsif the bolt and nut had been made of metal. Threehundred men marched for this company.

The Henry & Wright Manufacturing Company's floatexhibited several examples of their single-and multiple-spindle ball-bearing drilling machines.

The float from Colt's Patent Fire Arms ManufacturingCompany was described by the Courant as a "smallarsenal". Featured prominently on the float was the largewooden Model 1873 Single Action Army, the gun thatsupposedly "Won the West". It had been removed fromabove the entrance to the company's office just for thisspecial occasion. The float also included examples ofthe company's revolver production and examples of theMaxim guns, Gatling guns and Colt Automatic guns.


The Courant described the attire of many of thecontingents of working men and reported that each groupwas roundly applauded by the crowd as they marchedpast, over the bridge and into East Hartford.

These surviving photographs of the industrial paradecapture the civic pride in the accomplishments of athriving city poised at the beginning of a new andpromising century.


User-Friendly, That's Us

Making User-Friendly Changes at iConn

By William Sullivan, Administrator

Making library systems more usable ("user-friendly") is atopic that we have taken to heart at iConn.

Toward that end, we make it easy for users to providefeedback (pro or con) about their "iConn experience",and we continually monitor that feedback to identifyopportunities for improvement.

Using that feedback, we recently implementedtwo noticeable improvements.

Streamlined display for search results:

Previously, when entering a search at the main keywordsearch screen, the system would automatically searchand present separate search results for over 25databases, including several databases with overlappingcontent.

We found that displaying this many search result liststended to overwhelm and confuse users, especiallynovice users who are not knowledgeable of how contentis organized in iCONN. It reinforced the perception thatiCONN is "too complex."

The solution we settled on was to reduce the number of


resources searched and presented to just three thattogether comprise the majority of iCONN's content.

This change resulted in a much cleaner and lessconfusing display of search results. At the same time,we preserved the user's ability to search over 25databases simultaneously, in any combination, orindividually.

Separate menu screens for each grade level ofschool libraries: elementary, middle and high:

Previously, school libraries, which tend to use the classicmenu screens rather than the main keyword searchscreen, had only one classic menu screen that listed alliCONN databases regardless of grade level.

It was a "one-size-fits-all" presentation of all availabledatabases in iCONN. While this may have beenworkable for high schools, it was less so for middle andespecially elementary schools.

The obvious solution was to create separate menuscreens for elementary, middle and high schools and toinclude the ability to toggle between these screens.

We also added a search box to the high school menuand are exploring whether this can be done for themiddle and elementary school menus as well.

Reactions to the changes have been positive. If youwould like to comment on iCONN, you can use the onlineform at http://www.iconn.org/SendComments.aspx.


A Few of My Favorite Things

By Patrick Smith, Curator of Education, Museum ofConnecticut History

Two Programs InspireYoung Inventors andHistorians

Plastic straws, a Frisbie pietin, Silly Putty®, tapemeasures, a 1930’s toaster,a copy of the Royal Charter

of 1662 and a Hartford Dark Blues baseball cap. Theseare just a few of the things I bring with me whenpresenting one of my education programs to schools,libraries and historical societies across the state. Makinghistory fun, engaging and of course, educational, is mygoal as I help students of all ages discover forthemselves Connecticut’s truly amazing past. TheMuseum of Connecticut History currently offers twooutreach education programs to do this: ConnecticutInvents!; and A Connecticut Sampler.

Connecticut Invents! Is an exploration of famous andnot so famous Connecticut inventors and their inventionsfrom the 18th century to the present. Through guideddiscussion and hands-on activities, participants discoverthe simply amazing inventive heritage our state canclaim. Kids learn about the “serious” Connecticutinventions like the submarine, Sam Colt’s revolver, thehelicopter and John Fitch’s steamboat. Balancing thoseare the “fun” Connecticut inventions such as the Wiffle®Ball, Silly Putty®, the hamburger, the sub sandwich,and the Frisbee®. Using the Museum’s Patent Databasehttp://www.cslib.org/patent.asp, I also highlightinventions from the kids’ hometowns. This really driveshome the idea that inventions and inventors come fromall across our state. And, of course, the kids get to inventa couple of things themselves. Not giving away anyprogram secrets, let me just say I have gone throughover 10,000 straws in the past two years!


The newest program themuseum offers is “AConnecticut Sampler”. Thisprogram was created as a wayto introduce or summarizedifferent aspects ofConnecticut’s past for buddinghistorians. Using objects,images and documents,students are introduced to the

political, industrial and military history of Connecticut. Anoverview of pre-contact Native American life inConnecticut leads to a discussion of Connecticut’s firstEuropean settlers. We re-enact the legend of the CharterOak using simple props and role-play that keep the storyfun and educational. Other topics include Connecticutnicknames and place names, state seals and symbolsand a bit of local history of the town where the program ispresented. Plus a few other fun facts and stories aboutthe Nutmeg state just to keep things light! This programwas piloted in several schools last year and was wellreceived. As with Connecticut Invents!, this program hasbeen designed to meet a number of State Department ofEducation Curriculum Standards.

Both these education programs are offered free ofcharge to schools, libraries and other groups inConnecticut. To learn more about them or to schedule aprogram, please contact Patrick Smith, Curator ofEducation, at 860-757-6693 or [email protected]


Read To Me

By Susan Cormier

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read themmore fairy tales. "

Did Einstein really say this? Maybe not, but studies showthat children whose parents read to them develop lifelonghabits of intellectual curiosity, imagination and love oflanguage. At the Connecticut State Library, we workto foster parental involvement in early reading.

That's why the Connecticut State Library's Division ofLibrary Development is offering Connecticut librarians afull-day workshop on October 22, 2008. Dr. BetsyDiamant-Cohen will present her award winning,research-based program for babies and toddlers.

It is called "Mother Goose on the Loose" because it usesrhymes and songs to help babies and toddlers catch thecontagion of reading. It incorporates music, movement,ritual, repetition, positive reinforcement, developmentaltips, nursery rhymes, illustrations, puppets, musicalinstruments, colored scarves, and book reading into fun-filled sessions.

The program is designed for the child and its parent orcare-giver. It takes "patty cake" and "baby talk" to a newlevel and has been a stunning success with anunderserved population in rural Lebanon, where aversion has been running since January of 2008. At theTrumbull Library in Lebanon, children's librarian LindaSlate, received a modest federal grant with which toadminister her "Read, Rock and Rhyme" program.

"Baby talk" is sometimes used as a synonym forsomething so simplistic that it is almost mindless. But inreality, adequate early language development is an


absolutely critical process that starts a child on a lifetimeof academic, social and economic success. Babies startacquiring language and literacy skills as soon as they areborn. Reading, talking, singing and rhyming are all waysthat infants learn to respond to sound, distinguishauditory patterns, focus their vision, and produce theirown sounds. Reading, talking, singing, and rhyming aresimple acts with amazing results. Children who haveengaged in these activities show increased bonding withtheir parents and caregivers, strongervocabularies, better reading skills, and greater success inschool than children who have not had the opportunity tohear and use language from an early age.

To register for the workshop waiting list click herehttp://evanced.info/cslib/evanced/eventcalendar.asp

Susan Cormier is Director of the CSL Willimantic LibraryService Center and Children's Consultant. To contacther for more information: 860-456-1717 Ext.301 or

[email protected]


Milestone: Bonnie Delaney

Bonnie Delaney, Editor of the CONNector, theConnecticut State Library Newsletter, retired on August1, 2008, after more than 22 years of State service. Shehad served in the capacity of editor since the newsjournal was begun in 1999.

Early in her tenure as editor, the Governor ordered thestate to stop issuing paper publications and switch to anelectronic format. Shortly after the paperlessnewsletter had been firmly established, sweepingchanges in the state e-mail system made it necessary tochange again, this time to a format which facilitateselectronic delivery. Faced with swift and relentlesschange, Bonnie graciously continued to produce aquarterly newsletter.

Bonnie was also the Organizational Development andTraining Specialist for the State Library. She organizedeach annual Connecticut State Library All Staff Day. In2007, the facility chosen for All Staff Day was severelydamaged by fire shortly before the scheduled event. Notonly was Bonnie able to secure a new venue on shortnotice, but participants rated the event as the best ever.

Bonnie had an extensive background and many contactsin the field of organizational training. She started workingfor the Department of Administrative Services as aTrainer 2 on June 16, 1986; was promoted two yearslater to a Curriculum Specialist; and in 1993 toOrganizational Development and Training Specialist. OnJune 5, 1998, she transferred to the State Library.

Before she began State service, she had worked in theprivate sector as Vice President of a Greenwich-basedmanagement and sales training company; as an editor inLondon at a British publisher; and in various positions insales, merchandising and publicity in Manhattanfor Coca-Cola Headquarters, Vogue Magazine and PRN,Ltd.

While at Connecticut State Library, Bonnie developedand produced an iConn training video to be used by stateemployees http://www.cslib.org/iconnvideo.htm and


oversaw the creation and printing of a colorful “rack card”for the Museum of Connecticut History which is now ondisplay at state tourist offices. In 2006, the brochure sheproduced describing all the Library's operations won"Best in Show" at the American Library Association'sAnnual Meeting. Additionally, she surveyed theagency’s training needs and at the time of her retirementhad just completed a major project to update theagency’s policy documents.

NEW EDITOR:State Librarian Kendall Wiggin has named Hilary Frye as the neweditor of the CONNector, replacing Bonnie Delaney who retired fromthe State Library in August."Hilary brings enthusiasm and experience to the position and I knowour readers will be pleased', stated Wiggin. Hilary is a LibrarySpecialist in the Law & Legislative Reference Unit and has worked atthe Library for the past 25 years.We hope you enjoy this issue and will share any suggestions youhave for future issues with her at [email protected]. Visit our web site

at http://www.cslib.org/.

The Connecticut CONNector Editorial Board

Kendall F. Wiggin, State LibrarianHilary T. Frye, EditorMark Jones, State ArchivistRichard C. Roberts, History and Genealogy Unit HeadWilliam Sullivan, CT Digital Library AdministratorCarol Taylor, Director of the Library for the Blind andPhysically HandicappedDavid Corrigan, Museum of CT History CuratorSheila Mosman, ReviewerDenise Jernigan, Reviewer

Connecticut State Library 231 Capitol Avenue Hartford, Connecticut 06106

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