Library Director Leads Rotary Cultural Exchange Team to England

Liz Metzger, the Director of the Canastota Public Library is going to England this September. Metzger has been an active member of the Canastota Rotary since 1999. This year, she is representing the Central New York Rotary District 7150 and the United States of America as she leads a Rotary International Cultural Vocational Exchange Team.

Metzger’s team is comprised of non-Rotarians from the area who work in the medical field. The team includes a Physician’s Assistant, an Orthopedic Nurse, a Pharmacy Technician and a Massage Therapist. These medical professionals will meet with their counterparts in Manchester, England and the Isle of Man. The goal of this month-long trip is to exchange ideas and provide inspiration to both parties.

“Over the course of the years, my family life has been enriched by hosting three exchange students from Italy, Venezuela and Germany. We learned about the food, customs, politics, educational systems, and much more from these lovely young women.” Noted Metzger.

She is thrilled to be traveling to Manchester, England and the Isle of Man for this adult vocational and cultural exchange.

“It is the closest I will ever get to being an exchange student and I am really excited!” said Metzger.

The exchange groups will be living with British Rotarians, speaking at Rotary Club meetings and learning about how medicine is practiced in the UK. Liz will also have the opportunity to visit public libraries and exchange ideas with other librarians.

When the knitting groups at the Canastota Public Library learned of Metzger’s upcoming trip, the groups quickly began clicking their knitting needles to create beautiful Potato Chip Scarves. They created over thirty scarves for the Rotary Group. The Potato Chip Scarves will be used as gifts for the team to offer to their Host Families and other Rotarian Dignitaries in England.

“I am grateful for our Canastota Knitters who have produced some simply stunning scarves that I will be distributing as gifts,” said Metzger.

Metzger will be emailing regular updates and photos to her staff at the library, which will be posted on the Canastota Library’s Facebook page. If you’d like to share in her adventure, please visit the page!

September Exceptional Art At the Canastota Library

Exceptional Artworks will be on display in the Lawson Community Room for the entire month of September.  Exceptional Artworks are the creative expressions of artists with developmental disabilities.  The mission of the Exceptional Artworks Program is to increase public awareness of the talents and creativity of people with developmental disabilites, and to provide the artists with  opportunities to express their thoughts and feeling through the arts.  Staet and voluntary agencies from Oneida, Herkimer and Madison Counties participate in the Exceptional Artworks Program. 

The Exceptional Artworks commitee is comprised of 24 representatives from seven non-profit agencies including:  The CNY DSO; Oneida-Lewis Chapter, NY-SARC; Madison-Cortland ARC; Herkimer Area Resource Center; Resource Center for Independent Living; Heritage Farm and Arise (Madison County).

There will be an Artist's Reception where the public is welcomed to attend and meet some of the artists.  That event will be held on Thursday, September 10th beginning at 10am.  There will be light refreshments served. 

We hope you might be able to stop by!