Gordon Avenue Library

Gordon LibraryHours
Monday: 9am - 9pm | Tuesday: 9am - 6pm
Wednesday: 12 -9pm | Thursday: 10am - 6pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday - Closed

Phone: 434.296.5544
Fax: 434.295.8737
gordon@jmrl.org

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Programs for Adults

Literary Masterpiece Book Group

Meets at 10am on the first and third Fridays of each month to discuss literary classics. The group meets from September to May. For further information, call Tod Oliver (434) 296-4041. Program listings are below.

Want to see what has already been read? Try Searching the calendar.

Wednesday Night Book Group

This group meets at 7:30 pm, the second Wednesday of each month to share insights on a variety of classic and contemporary fiction. Program listings are below.

Want to see what has already been read? Try Searching the calendar.

Literary Masterpiece Book Group

plutarch"ALEXANDER" and "CAESAR" by Plutarch

February 03, 2012
10:00 am

Plutarch introduces the reader to the major figures and periods of classical Greece and Rome. Check the Catalog arrow

Computer Help

February 06, 2012
11:30 am

Meet with a library staff member for help in a variety of computer skills. Sign up for just one or a whole series. Registration is required; call 296-5544 or visit the Reference Desk to sign up. Mondays, 11:30am-1pm

Series 1

  • Jan 23: Just Starting Out: Using a Mouse and Keyboard
  • Jan 30: Word Processing and Printing
  • Feb 6: Searching the Internet
  • Feb 13: Email Basics
  • Feb 27: Files, Folders, and Flash Drives

Sponsored by the Virginia Employment Commission

VECJob Search Assistance

February 07, 2012
1:00 pm

First Tuesday of each month: no appointments necessary.
Walk-ins welcome: 1pm - 3pm
SERVICES PROVIDED:

  • Career Exploration
  • Resume Writing Assistance
  • Interviewing Skills
  • Job Skills Development
  • Other Work/Career Related Services

Downloading eBooks and audiobooks

February 08, 2012
7:00 pm

Learn how to download free eBooks and audiobooks for Kindles, nooks, iPads/iPhones, and other electronic readers. Registration is required; call 296-5544 or visit the Reference Desk to sign up.

Wednesday Night Book Group

BLESS ME, ULTIMABLESS ME, ULTIMA by Rudolfo Anaya
THE BIG READ

February 08, 2012
7:30 pm

Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will test the bonds that tie him to his people, and discover himself in the pagan past, in his father's wisdom, and in his mother's Catholicism. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world-and will nurture the birth of his soul. Check the Catalog arrow

Downloading eBooks and audiobooks

February 11, 2012
3:00 pm

Learn how to download free eBooks and audiobooks for Kindles, nooks, iPads/iPhones, and other electronic readers. Registration is required; call 296-5544 or visit the Reference Desk to sign up.

Literary Masterpiece Book Group

THE ASPERN PAPERS by Henry James

February 17, 2012
10:00 am

An American editor travels to Venice to find some papers of a deceased 19th century poet which he believes are being held by the poet's former love. Check the Catalog arrow

Game Night

February 27, 2012
7:00 pm

game
Come unplug and enjoy great board and card games. Bring a game to share or come find a new favorite. Call or visit the library to be added to the games email list. Meets monthly on Mondays.
Jan 30, Feb 27, Mar, 19, Apr 30, May 21

Page to Screen

handcraft

February 29, 2012
7:00 pm

A film series on the final Wed of each month at 7pm. A screening of a popular film adaptation of a book, and perhaps a discussion afterwards. Refreshments provided. Call or visit the library for details, or to be added to the film email list.
Jan 25, Feb 29, Mar 21, Apr 25, May 30

Handcraft Group

handcraft

March 01, 2012
3:00 pm

If you're crafty, this is the group for you. Chat, snack, and meet your neighbors, as we knit, stitch, bead, and sew. Bring any project you're working on, or come just to be inspired. All ages and levels of experience welcome. Call or visit the library for details, or to be added to our handcraft email list.
Meets monthly on Thursdays: Jan 5, Feb 2, Mar 1, Apr 12, May 3

Literary Masterpiece Book Group

secret sharerTHE SECRET SHARER by Joseph Conrad

March 02, 2012
10:00 am

Conflicting loyalties of a ship's officer depict man's potential for good and evil. Check the Catalog arrow

Live Poets Society

March 07, 2012
7:00 pm

The Live Poets Society meets the first Wed of every month (except April) at 7pm. Come and share original poetry, or just listen. For more information, contact Tony Russell at 293-7838 or go to the society blog.

Terrarium Workshop -- part of THE BIG READ

March 12, 2012
7:00 pm

"For Ultima, even the plants had a spirit..." Bring nature into your home with a terrarium. Learn the basics of making these miniature landscapes in this hands-on workshop. Space is limited, so call or email to register starting Mar 1. For ages 15 to adult.

Wednesday Night Book Group

Warmth of other sunsTHE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS by Isabel Wilkerson

March 14, 2012
7:30 pm

An epic history covering the period from the end of World War I through the 1970s chronicles the decades-long migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West through the stories of three individuals and their families. Check the Catalog arrow

Downloading eBooks and audiobooks

March 15, 2012
3:00 pm

Learn how to download free eBooks and audiobooks for Kindles, nooks, iPads/iPhones, and other electronic readers. Registration is required; call 296-5544 or visit the Reference Desk to sign up.

Literary Masterpiece Book Group

secret sharerTHE DOUBLE by José Saramago

March 16, 2012
10:00 am

Renting a recommended video to ease his depression, divorced history teacher Tertuliano Maximo Afonso is unsettled to see a man in the video who looks exactly the way he looked five years earlier. Check the Catalog arrow

Future Readings:

History of Gordon Avenue

The Gordon Avenue Library opened for public service on November 19, 1966. It was the McIntire Library’s first major addition built expressly for library purposes since 1921. The construction was funded jointly by the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, which had been contributing to the operation of the Bookmobile since 1946 and had joined smaller branches in Scottsville (1960) and Crozet (1964) to the city’s system.

This new branch was sorely needed to serve a growing population west of the city, to ease crowded conditions at the McIntire Library (which occupied the building now housing the Albemarle County Historical Society), and to provide a headquarters for the Bookmobile operations.

Gordon Avenue Library
Gordon Avenue Library

Designed by the architectural firm of J. Russell Bailey in Orange, Virginia, the two-story red-brick trim 12,384 square foot building was designed to hold 25,000 volumes (with an additional 10,000 in the Bookmobile "garage" downstairs), seated 38 in the Adult Room and 26 in the Children’s Room and boasted three public meeting rooms, seating 134 in all.

The Perry Foundation donated the site. Forty-five percent of the construction costs or $120,262 was provided by Federal Library Aid through the Commonwealth. Charlottesville and Albemarle County appropriated $75,000 each. Additional funds were donated by individuals and groups, notably the America Association of University Women, who helped equip the meeting rooms, and the Friends of the Library who purchased a film projector and screen.

The Seventies & Eighties: A Time of Growth

Gordon Avenue interior
Gordon Avenue interior

During its first full year of operation, Gordon Avenue was open for 48 hours per week and circulated 49,748 volumes. The staff of five included three professionals, a library clerk and a janitor. The branch experienced remarkable growth in the 1970’s. By 1975, Gordon Avenue offered 73 hours of service a week (5 hours on Sunday).

When the new Central Library opened in May 1981, Sunday hours were dropped at the branch, and budget cuts in 1982 made further cuts necessary. The book collection continued to grow, however, and by 1988 the library had squeezed in 54,000 volumes, twice its designed capacity, and had to reduce seating by a third. The South Room, third of the public meeting spaces, and the Bookmobile area were given to the Friends of the Library in 1984 for storage and sales space for their remarkably successful annual book sales. Circulation continued to rise, however, and in 1987/88, the first year of the automated catalog, 174,732 books were checked out.

The Nineties and Beyond

Gordon Avenue Children's program
Gordon Avenue Children's program

With the opening of the Northside Branch in 1991, Gordon Avenue lost its role as the largest branch, but it has retained its reputation as a friendly accessible neighborhood library. Programs for children are varied and well-attended, and the strong collection and relative flexibility of a smaller branch allow for innovative programming. An art program in cooperation with the Bayly Museum in the 1980’s; a rental library to allow quick access to the most popular books; the African-American collection, named for Roland Beauford, an original staff member; and the first public computer workstation in a branch are some of the more successful initiatives at Gordon Avenue.

Presently, five full-time and two part-time staff members serve the public for 52 hours per week. The attractive foliage put in on the grounds by volunteers symbolize the branch today— bright and peaceful.