Upcoming Library Events & News
May, 2019
 

Spring has sprung at the Jacob Edwards Library!  There are many new additions to the collection - stop in a find a new book on gardening, cooking, travel, healthful living and much, much more!

This month's special programming includes an interactive ukulele demonstration by Julie Stepanik on May 16, and an informational presentation on 19th-century herbal remedies by Christie Higginbottom on May 23.  Local artist John Lewis exhibits his work in sculpture and hand-blown glassware throughout the month.

Mother's Day will be celebrated in the Children's Room on Saturday, May 4. Stop in at 10:30 am to make a craft for the special Mom or Moms in your life.  May 4th is also Star Wars Day in the Children's Room.  Check out a Star Wars-themed book or movie in celebration of this fun commemoration!

The bicycle program is launching May 1 in celebration of National Bike Month.  There are three bicycles available through loan.  Please see the bicycle lending policy here.  The Library's "Collection of Things" is growing - stop in to learn more about the bicycles, telescope, glasses and other objects available for loan!

There is always something going on or something to do at the library! Feel free to drop in anytime!
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Please read on for all of this month's upcoming events and news.



Featured Exhibit:  Harmony in Glass & Metal: A Retrospective Exhibition
- Learn Ukulele with Julie Stepanik
- The Family Nurse by Christie Higginbottom

Ongoing Events: Book Club & Knitting
Community Yoga & Quinebaug  Chess Club

 Teen Events
Children's Corner

Library Hours & Holiday Closings:

Monday: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tuesday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Thursday: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm 
Sunday: Closed

The Library will be closed on Monday, May 27, 2019 for Memorial Day.



staffpicksMay's JEL Staff Picks

Looking for a good book? Here are some that JEL staff have recently enjoyed! Clicking on the title will take you right to  the library's catalog, where you can check to see if it's available, and put a hold on popular titles.

The Midnight Witch by Paula Brackston
Milkman: A Novel by Anna Burns
Run Away by Harlan Coben
I Owe You One: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg

 

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a retrospective show of artist John Lewis during the month of May. There will be a reception on Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 pm. All welcome and light refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Born in Torrance, California in 1947, John joined a family of established thespians, creative writers and craftspeople.  The creative nature of his family and the natural inquisitiveness of a young boy combined for a love of mechanics and the arts at an early age. John attended the Brooklyn Museum School of Art in 1971, and after made his way north to the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, from where he graduated in 1975.  While at Mass Art, John studied sculpture, and discovered glass blowing under the tutelage of Dan Daily. With colleagues and fellow Mass Art alums Susan Haddad and Sonia Blomdahl, John designed and built Berkshire Blown Glass Studio in West Stockbridge, MA in 1974. A year later, glassblowing brought him east, where John was the facilities manager at local fiber optics company Incom Inc. He has been with the company ever since. 

John continues to produce art nearly fifty years after he first began.  He blows glass at the Worcester Center for Crafts and finishes pieces in his home studio.  He works in varied media, including steel, copper, bronze, glass, and low-voltage electricity.  The works on display here show the range of his craft and form a visual timeline, beginning with early pieces in metal followed by later pieces in glass and lighting.  His pieces can be seen in the town of Southbridge, and in the personal collections of glass enthusiasts throughout the country.

Sponsored by Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library.
boxofficeFilm Screening - Glass
Thursday, May 9 at 6:00 pm

"David Dunn hunts down the Beast, as Mr. Glass begins to put his own plans into action." -- Movie Licensing website Swank.com.

Rated PG-13. Running time 110 min.

Presented as part of the Library Box Office series, sponsored by the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library.

Movie poster image copyright Universal Pictures.
Thursday, May 16 at 6:30 pm


Julie Stepanik is a well-known name in ukulele circles, as she has traveled far and wide, teaching folks the basics and beyond of playing the ukulele. You are invited to bring your Uke along or borrow one from Julie, and participate in this fun workshop.


All welcome! Light refreshments provided by the Friends of JEL. 

Sponsored by The Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Refreshment sponsorship provided by Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library.


Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 pm

Christie Higginbottom will return to Jacob Edwards Library to present a program titled The Family Nurse: Home Medical Care in the Early Nineteenth Century.

The presentation will consist of an illustrated program portraying the role played by home-grown, wild-gathered, and purchased herbal remedies in the treatment of common health problems in Early American households. Christie will describe plant varieties and  preparation methods including infusions, decoctions, ointments, poultices, fomentations, and tinctures.

Both traditional European and Native American remedies will be described with documentation from 19th- century published sources, diaries and letters.

"Those who have a little patch of ground, will do well to raise the most important herbs, and those who have  not, will do well to get them in quantities from some friend in the country; for apothecaries make very great  profit upon them."
Lydia Maria Child, The Frugal American Housewife. Boston, 1833.
 
Christie Higginbottom is an established presenter in the horticultural field with years of experience at Old Sturbridge Village, both in research and creating authentic historical gardens. She has attained an excellent reputation as a presenter at many historical societies and garden clubs, as well as delivering lectures at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Monticello, Society for the Preservation of NE Antiquities, the Garden Club Federation of MA and Massachusetts Horticultural Society among others.

Sponsored by The Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.




ongoingOngoing Events

Book Club 
Monday, May 6
6:30 pm

The book club will meet to discuss The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean  this month.
  
This is a no-commitment book club, attend as many or as few meetings as you like! The group meets on the first Monday of every month. 

Copies of June's discussion book 
will be available at the Information Desk 
for checkout.
Knitting
Knitting with Sonya
Every Tuesday, 
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Stop by and join our knitting circle in the Reading Room every Tuesday! 

All handcrafters (not just knitters!) are welcome to join, whatever your level experience. Stuck on your current project or wanting to learn a new technique? Chances are one of the group will be able to lend a hand!  Drop by for a few minutes or stay for the full two hours. 
We hope to see you there!




Community Yoga with Jennifer Brouillard of Roots To Fly Wellness
Saturday, May 4, 2019
9:30 - 10:30 am

Bring water and a mat if you have one; extra mats will be available to borrow.  This will be a vinyasa class with modifications for all levels.  Class will focus on positive affirmations, breath work and movement.  Come and build some positive energy in our community. 

"Individually we are one drop. Together we are an ocean."
-Ryunosuke Satoro

Through Saturday, May 25, 2019 at 9:30 am


The Quinebaug Chess Club continues to meet on Saturday mornings, through May 25, 2019.  This drop-in club is held in the reference area of the Library, and has lessons tailored for children and adults.  All are welcome to attend!

Instructor Ben Marinelli will lead attendees through chess strategy, and guests will be able to test their skills using available game boards.  For those who wish to time their play, four newly acquired clocks are also on hand.



childrensWelcome to the Children's Corner!

Check here to find out about upcoming events in the Children's Room.
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Eastford Road School 
First Grade Art Show
Throughout the Month of May

Mrs. Krasinski's first graders and Mrs. Rivers are proud to present to the Southbridge community a year of art masterpieces.  The talented students have learned about famous artists such as Georgia O'Keefe, Pablo Picasso, Wayne Thiebaud and Jasper Johns, and have created works of art in similar styles.  Join us on Monday, May 6 at 6:30 pm in the Children's Room to celebrate these amazing young artists!
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Mother's Day Craft
Saturday, May 4 at 10:30 am

Stop by the library on Saturday, May 4 at 10:30 am to make a special craft for the Mom or Moms in your life

May The "Fourth" Be With You! 

Star Wars Day is also being celebrated!  B orrow a Star Wars  themed book or movie! 
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Eastford Road School First Grade Show - Artists' Reception
Monday, May 6 at 6:30 pm

Join us on Monday, May 6 at 6:30 pm to celebrate the first grade artists of Eastford Road School on their exhibition at the Jacob Edwards Library.

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Story Times

Story Time
Wednesdays at 10:30 am
Stories & Songs for 3-4 year olds, but all ages are welcome to join us. Come for story time, and stay for the craft!

Toddler Time
Fridays from 10:30 - 11:15 am
Stories & songs for 2-3 year olds, but all ages welcome. Playtime and music before and after.




STEAM/STEM Nights

Monday Night STEAM
Mondays, 6:30-7:30 pm
Kinetic sand, Snap Circuits, Picasso Tiles  and more!!   Each Monday Night will feature one fun activity, every week will be different.   Come in and see what fun you can have on a Monday Night !

Tinkering Thursdays
Thursdays, 4:00-5:00 pm*
STEM-related hands on activity using everyday and recycled items to design your own creations!

*please note later time 
Crafty Wednesday
Every Wednesday

Stop by the Children's Room any time on Wednesdays to make a special craft. This is a drop-in program that runs all day. Simply stop by the Children's Room desk to get your craft supplies, and take home a masterpiece! 

 
Construction Club
Tuesdays,  3:00 - 4:30 pm
Saturdays, 10:30 am - Noon

We'll bring the LEGO bricks, you bring the ideas! This is a drop-in program, so there is no need to register. Best for children over 5.

Completed Lego projects go on display in the Children's Room for a whole week. If you are in the library, stop by the Children's Room to see different Lego projects on display. 

librarynewsLibrary News

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Discounted and Free Admission to Museums & Attractions

Did you know? The library offers passes to a variety of area museums and attractions! 
 
Locations include:
Old Sturbridge Village
Eric Carle Museum
Ecotarium
Zoo at Forest Park
Magic Wings
Mystic Aquarium
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Tower Hill Botanic Gardens
Worcester Art Museum
Salem Witch Museum 
USS Constitution Museum
Massachusetts ParksPass
AJ Petro Pool (seasonal)
 
See  our website for details.
Thank you to the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library for sponsoring this program!
Stargaze with our Telescope!

The library now has a telescope which can be checked out and taken home - just like a book. Use it to spend a night stargazing in your own back yard! Who knows what you will see?


Instructions and tips on what to look for are included. Must be checked out by an adult 18 or older. 
Please ask at the desk for more details!

Library eBooks

Looking for free eBooks? Look no further than the library! You can download FREE ebooks to your computer or device, as well as digital audiobooks.

To browse our collection, click here. Or on your mobile device or eReader, download the Overdrive app to get started. All you need is your library card number!

If you have questions or are having trouble, please ask us! Drop by, call, or email!

 
New bags available!

The Friends of the Library now have these fantastic new book bags available for sale! You can purchase bags at the Information Desk.

All proceeds support FOJEL, who provide funding for library events and programs (including, but not limited to, Summer Reading & Museum Passes).

Only $5 each, available in black, navy and maroon, 
they are perfect for carrying your library materials home!




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bookBook a Librarian!


You can now "Book a Librarian!" 


Contact us to schedule a personalized 
20-30 minute session.


Possible topics include:
-Help downloading eBooks
-Using your new mobile device or tablet
-Book recommendations
-Using the library catalog
-Placing holds & using your online account
-Setting up an email account
-Getting started on your research paper
-Formatting a Word document



Call 508-764-5426  
to schedule an  appointment.


Jacob Edwards Library
Upcoming Meetings


The Friends of the Library will hold a
monthly meeting
on 
Monday, May 20
at 6:00 pm.

 
The Friends extend an invitation to all library patrons to join their group. To learn more, please visit  FOJEL's page on our website.


______________________


  The  Board of Trustees  of the Jacob Edwards Library will next meet on 
Tuesday, May 28
at Noon 
in the Mills Room. 
 
All meetings are open to the public.
We hope to see you at the library soon! Maybe you will drop in and play a game of chess, complete a mindful coloring sheet or contribute to our ongoing jigsaw puzzle? 

April showers bring May flowers! Stop by the library for some new spring reads!

Sincerely,

The Jacob Edwards Library Staff
Programs at Jacob Edwards Library may be recorded for Southbridge Public Access TV 
and/or photographed for promotional purposes.

Copyright © 2019. All Rights Reserved.