While winter weather may make spring seem far away, it's just around the corner! We'll be kicking off the season with our new annual Friends Membership Month. Read on for information about Membership Month, a special Members Only Preview Sale at our new Bookshop in May, and a big author event coming up in April.

Speaking of our new Bookshop, as the opening draws near, we will be looking for volunteers to sort materials and staff the new bookshop. Please email me If you are interested in volunteering: candace.schmidt@crrl.org

Thank you for all you do to support the library!

Sincerely,

Candace Rhyne Schmidt

President, Friends of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library

April is Membership Month

This April we will move away from rolling membership renewals to an annual Friends Membership month. To usher in this change, we'll be holding a membership drive in April. A single renewal period will allow for better publicity and make it easier for members to keep track of their membership status. We anticipate such targeted publicity will increase our membership.

Beginning this year, Friends of the Library memberships will begin April 1 and be valid through March 31 of the following year. Membership will be extended to April 1, 2020, for any Friends who registered between May 2018 - March 2019.

Members Only Preview Sale: Friday, May 3

Those who renew memberships or join will gain access to a special Members Only Preview Sale on Friday, May 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the new Friends of the Library Bookshop at 125 Olde Greenwich Drive, Suite 150, Fredericksburg, VA, 22408.

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NEA Big Read: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

CRRL is proud to be the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read grant to host a community read of Tim O'Brien's Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried (available for loan in multiple formats). CRRL is one of only 79 NEA Big Read grant recipients nationwide! The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

In conjunction with the NEA Big Read, the library is exploring Perspectives on the Vietnam War through events and exhibits, including a visit by author Tim O'Brien on Saturday, April 27.

Perspectives on the Vietnam War:Vietnam-Era Photo Project

Our Vietnam-Era Photo Project is part of our exploration of Perspectives on the Vietnam War. Please share YOUR memories.

Photo: Vietnam, Oct. 1967, 25th Infantry Division, 9th Regiment, 4th BN, C Company. Merv Chapman, Prince Jones, and Ed Episcopo after returning to Cu Chi from the HoBo Woods. Photo credit: Edward Episcopo