* * * *     JANUARY 2016    * * * * 
  www.edgartownlibrary.or g   * * * *    508-627-4221  
Library Hours

Monday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Looking Ahead to Our Move
Into a New Library Building
Downstairs, seating areas await their first patrons.
It's really happening -- the library construction project that began with groundbreaking ceremonies in March 2014 is in its final days. December was a busy month inside the new facility at 26 West Tisbury Road, as crews readied the building for occupancy and use. 

In this fisheye-lens view of the main building's second floor, looking toward the West Tisbury Road, the public computer bench is in the foreground. Beyond the stairwell is where the main collection will be shelved.

At year's end, progress on the site included seeding and planting, site lighting, cedar fencing and metal panel and caulking installation. Inside, mechanical units were on and systems were operating well. Plumbing was finished, and the last lighting fixtures were being installed. Throughout the project, finish painting, flooring and millwork installation were all near completion. 

Viewed from the top, the  stairwell of the main building. (There's also a full-sized elevator.)

Furniture deliveries began in December, and the last shipments of shelving are expected in early January. At this writing, our plan is to close at the North Water Street location late this January and to reopen at the new site sometime in February 2016. We'll keep the public posted with announcements on our website as moving dates shift into sharper focus -- but our expectation is that the move will necessitate a break in library services of perhaps as much as three weeks.

The children's room of the new library is filled with light.

Donna Blackburn, at left, celebrates with longtime colleague Kathleen Malmquist.
Thanks, Donna, for 21 Years
Of Service to Edgartown

A good number of townspeople turned out on Dec. 22 for a library reception honoring Donna Blackburn for her more than 21 years of service to our patrons. 

There was delicious chicken stew cooked by the gourmet chef of the library staff, Virginia Munro. There was a song "roasting" Donna, composed by Nis Kildegaard and lustily sung by the library staff -- two tables full of refreshments both sweet and savory, and dozens of well-wishers to bid Donna all the best in this new chapter of her life. 

The inscription on the cake said it all: "Here's to the art of retirement!"
Library Book Club Meets
Wednesday, Jan. 13
 
The Edgartown Library Book Club meets at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to discuss Lauren Groff's audacious new novel, Fates and Furies. Named as a finalist for the National Book Award, Fates and Furies is a portrait of a marriage replete with all the elements of Greek tragedy. This novel is most remarkable, writes reviewer Robin Black in The New York Times, for its insistence "that the examination of a long-term relationship can be a perfect vehicle for exploring no less than the nature of existence -- the domestic a doorway to the philosophical."

A ll are welcome in the book group, which is led by author (and new Edgartown resident) Jean Stone. 

For a copy to read, visit us at the library front desk.
Please Help the Friends, Who Help Us

All our programs at the Edgartown Library are supported by the Friends of the Edgartown Library, who have their own page on our website. We hope you'll consider supporting or joining the Friends today.