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WESTFORD — Assistant Library Director Kristina Leedberg has shared the most recent edition of “What’s Happening at the Library?” with WestfordCAT.
Director’s Corner: Due to increased construction costs, all 12 libraries (including Westford) who are currently on the wait list for construction grants from the MBLC are reaching out to the Governor, State Legislators and the Legislative Library Caucus requesting state ARPA funds in the October Commonwealth supplemental budget.
Click here if you wish to send an email to your state representative and state senator asking them to allocate these funds in the state’s supplemental budget. Town residents must vote on funding at both the October 17 Special Town Meeting and at the November 8 ballot.
Virtual Job Search Help For 50 & Over – Create A LinkedIn Profile: Wed., Oct. 5, 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Massachusetts Library Collaborative’s 50+ Job Seekers Group meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, from 9:30am to 11:30am, via Zoom. If you are unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your “Encore Career”, this networking group program is perfect for you! Register here.
Middle School Book Clubs: Book Clubs are hosted at Blanchard (every third Tuesday) and the Stony Brook School (every first Wed. of the month). The meetings are held after school and end in time for students to catch the late bus. Reach out to our YA Librarian, Jess Dyment, or your school librarian to sign up and be added to the Google classroom. Check out our Events Calendar for dates and details.
Adult Nonfiction Book Club: Tues., Oct. 11 (one week later than usual) at 7:00 p.m. – We’ll meet in the downstairs Meeting Room. We’ll discuss Breathe: the New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor. Copies are available at Main Desk or download a copy from Overdrive . Email Charles Schweppe at cschweppe@westfordma.gov for details!
Virtual The Forgotten Nations-Native Tribes of New England: Thu., Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Meeting via email. Colonization happened early on in the New England area, as early as 1609, so many Native Nations and tribal histories were lost. Learn about the Nations that called this land home, where they are now and the thriving communities keeping their histories alive. Led by Heather Bruegl, an Independent Indigenous Consultant and Historian. Bruegel is a citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a first line descendent Stockbridge Munsee. She is the former Director of Education at Forge Project and travels frequently to present on Native American history, including policy and activism. Hosted in collaboration with the Tewksbury Public Library. Register here.
Adult Book Club: Thu., Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Our meetings take place in the downstairs Meeting Room. Join us to discuss The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave. Copies are available at the Main Desk. The e-book and audiobook are both available to download from Overdrive Email Kristina Leedberg at kleedberg@westfordma.gov for details!
Diwali Crafts: Sat., Oct. 15 at 2:00 p.m. We will have a variety of Diwali themed crafts; something for everyone. Older kids can decorate a clay diya and try paper quilling. Younger kids can make a firework craft with colorful cellophane paper and straws. We will also have coloring sheets for the very young. It is up to the parents what you want to try with the kids! Register here.
Friends’ Annual Meeting and Featured Speaker-In Person: Tue., Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m. Bina Venkataraman is an American journalist, author, and science policy expert. She is currently Editor-at-Large at The Boston Globe and a fellow at New America. Since 2011, she has taught in the program on science, technology, and society at MIT. In The Optimist’s Telescope, she draws on her reporting from around the world and new research in biology, psychology, and economics to explain how we can make decisions that benefit us over time. She highlights the surprising practices each of us can adopt in our own lives—and the ones we must fight for as a society. The Optimist’s Telescope is a book brimming with the ideas and insights all of us need to forge a better future. There will be a short business meeting preceding the program. No registration required.
YA Writers’ Club: Fri., Oct. 21 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Calling all writers! Get together to support each other through the ultimate writing challenge: National Novel Writing Month! Many successful authors have written their first drafts during NaNoWriMo! We will draft our novels, track our progress online, and meet to share ideas and advice. If you don’t want to participate in NaNoWriMo, you’re welcome to come share ideas and encourage others. Register here.
Friends of the J.V. Fletcher Library October Book Sale: Fri., Oct. 21, Sat., Oct. 22 and Sun., Oct. 23 A Friends Members Only Sale will be held on Friday evening from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. A Friends membership (which may be purchased at the door) is necessary for attending this sale. The entire public is invited Saturday for an all-day sale, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and for the $5.00 Bag Sale on Sunday, from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. So much stock! So little time!
Did You Know? The proposed Library Building Design devotes almost all new space to the public and to the residents who use it most — creating space to put “the public in the public library!” This design:
- More than doubles the space for Children
- Triples the space for young adults and emerging adults
- Doubles public meeting spaces
- Centralizes Circulation functions
- Increases silent and collaborative study options
- Offers improved technology
- Offers improved traffic flow & increased parking
- Offers flexible spaces to accommodate future trends and uses
- Is fully handicapped-accessible and meets current fire, safety and building codes
Staff Recommends: If you love animals and are looking for a true story that will make you laugh and cry, Kristina recommends, Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life With 600 Rescue Animals, by Laurie Zaleski. “Funny Farm is an inspiring and moving memoir of the author’s turbulent life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. Laurie had planned to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues–horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs–when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals. Funny Farm is Laurie’s story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It’s the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it’s the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued”
If you have questions or need assistance, please call us at 978-399-2300 or send us an email at westfordlibrary@westfordma.gov.
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