Upcoming Library Events & News
May, 2018
 

Coming Soon -- Borrow a Bike from the Library!

May is National Bike Month! 
We are celebrating by announcing our upcoming Bike Lending Program!

In support of recreation and fitness, the Jacob Edwards Library will be providing three bicycles for the community to enjoy, and to expand library services. 
We are hoping to have the bicycles available to borrow in June, and they will be available through October, weather permitting. 
Please see a staff member for more details in the meantime, and be on the lookout for our official announcement when the program launches.


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Please read on for all of this month's upcoming events and news.



-Featured Artist: Wild Vine Studios

 Ongoing Events: Book Club & Knitting

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 Memorial Day, Monday, May 28.

Saturday, May 26 will be our last open Saturday for the summer. We will resume our Saturday hours after Labor 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.
artistOpening Reception: Wild Vine Studios
Thursday, May 3 at 6:30 pm

Please join us for an Opening Reception with the artists! The 'wonderful, wacky women of  Wild Vine Studios' will be displaying a variety of their artwork. We hope to see you there! Light refreshments will be served. 
If you are unable to make the opening, their work will be on display throughout the month of May in the Main Hall.
boxofficeFilm Screening -  Victoria & Abdul
Thursday, May 10 at 6:00 pm

Queen Victoria strikes up an an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

Rated PG-13. Running time 112 min.

Presented as part of the Library Box Office series, sponsored by the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library.
 tomatoThe Science & Art of Tomato Culture
Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 pm

For the last century the Tomato has been America's favorite garden vegetable - actually a fruit. Gardeners still have many questions about planting, feeding, watering, pruning and supporting their tomato plants. In addition, new tomato health problems have challenged the grower. This program will offer information and inspiration for growing this very popular plant.
 
 
Bio: Christie J. Higginbottom, Research Historian and Garden History Consultant
Christie has worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village since 1981.  From 1984 to 2004 she coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re-created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum's historic households.  She also supervised the Village's Herb Garden collection, a garden exhibiting over 300 varieties of historic herbs.

Christie writes and consults on historic gardens and their interpretation, antique plants, and herb use; and she lectures at museums and historic sites, garden clubs, historical societies, colleges and libraries. She teaches home gardening classes at the Adult Education program at Bay Path Regional Vocational High School, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and the Northeast Organic Farmers Association.

Sponsored by the Friends of Jacob Edwards Library and the Southbridge Historical Society
authorWicked Game of the Hunter by Tracey Ryan
Monday, May 21 at 6:30 pm

You are invited to a book talk and signing with local author Tracey Ryan who is promoting her first mystery: Wicked Game of the Hunter.

"Dangerous secrets lurk behind closed doors.  When two former sweethearts re-connect, they uncover long-buried family secrets, triggering a flood of terrifying threats, seemingly from beyond the grave. Can they escape with their love - and lives - intact?

This suspenseful Massachusetts-based mystery, the first in a series, bring old loves back together, right as they are pushed to the brink."

About the Author:
Tracey Ryan holds an undergraduate degree in marketing from Westfield State University, as well as an MBA from Anna Maria College. She has been a devoted reader and writer her whole life and is currently working on the follow up to  Wicked Game of the Hunter. Tracey grew up in Hardwick and currently resides in central Massachusetts with her husband.

The author's website is www.traceylryan.com

Sponsored by the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library
potteryThrowing Back Pottery Demonstration 
with Pied Potter Hamelin
Thursday, May 24 at 6:00 pm

Rick Hamelin, otherwise known as Pied Potter Hamelin, will present his workshop on the development of pottery and the trade called "Throwing Back Pottery."

This is a wheel-thrown pottery demonstration of techniques and forms throughout history with a discussion of the potters' trade in Massachusetts, with particular reference to Southbridge/Sturbridge, from 17th to 19th centuries.

All welcome! Light refreshments will be provided by the Southbridge Historical Society.

Master potter Rick Hamelin and Gariné (ga-renée) Arakelian, a third generation artist, have been making pottery together since 1990, the year they got married and moved to Warren, Massachusetts. 
Rick has been potting since 1976 and has been committed to researching in depth the historical Redware potters and clay industries of New England, and especially, Massachusetts. Like Gariné, he had been a teacher and worked in museums. He is also a popular demonstrator and lecturer. The Pied Potter Hamelin pottery dates to 1985. Pied Potter Hamelin can be taken linguistically apart and understood as a "Colorful Potter from a Small Town". Pied means multi-colored. Potter is the trade. Hamelin translates into "one from a small town".

MA Cultural Council Supported in part by a grant from the Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is support by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Also generously sponsored by the Friends of Jacob Edwards Library and the Southbridge Historical Society.
habitantsFrom Habitants to Immigrants: French Canadian Settlement in Central Massachusetts
Thursay, May 31 at 6:30 pm

Please join us for a discussion with Author Jacqueline Lessard Finn and Leslie Choquette, Director of the French Institute at Assumption College.

"From Habitants to Immigrants: The Sansoucys, the Harpins, and the Potvins, is the story of three French Canadian families, from the forays of the Carignan Salières Regiment in 1665-66, to settlement in the Canadian wilderness, dependence on a family economy, the pain of epidemics and war, the loss of French Canada, the ensuing cultural conflicts, the end of available farmland, and finally, emigration to the mill towns of Massachusetts and the creation of a Franco-American diaspora across the United States. 
The chronicle of the Sansoucy, Harpin, and Potvin families reveals the strength of French Canadian families, parishes, and communities, their sorrows, limitations and joys. It is the story of generations of oppressed but resilient people in the context of the social, economic and political events of their times, their emigration and eventual assimilation as industrious and patriotic American citizens. The book contains oral histories, family letters, and photographs."

Jacqueline Lessard Finn, classroom teacher, public school administrator, and adjunct professor of reading and language arts, has nurtured a life-long passion for history and languages. She holds a B.A. from from Rivier College, M.A. and C.A.G.S. from Worcester State University, and an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Massachusetts, with post graduate studies in ethnography and discourse analysis.

Leslie Choquette is Professor of History, L'Institut français Professor of Francophone Cultures and Director of the French Institute at Assumption College. Her courses have included "France Since 1789," and "The History of Canada." She received her undergraduate degree from Radcliffe College and her master's and doctorate from Harvard University.
She is the author of "Frenchmen into Peasants: Modernity and Tradition in the Peopling of French Canada," which won the Alf Andrew Heggoy prize in French colonial history. Professor Choquette has also written many articles about the French presence in North America. In November 2012, she received Le Prix du Quebec from the Quebec Government for her contribution to the field of Quebec Studies.
 
Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library

ongoingOngoing Events

Book Club 
Monday, May 7
6:30 pm

This month the book club will discuss

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. 
Extra copies of the book coming up for discussion  are available at the Information Desk for checkout.

Up next month - 
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!

teenTeen Events
Magic at the Library
Friday, May 25, 3:00 pm

If you play Magic: The Gathering, stop by to play with others! Other games (Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon) also welcome!

All skill levels!


childrensWelcome to the Children's Corner!

Check here to find out about upcoming events in the Children's Room.
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Mother's Day Planting
Saturday, May 5
10:30 - 11:30 am


Come plant some seeds for a great Mom's Day Gift!



*NEW* Monday Night Coding
Mondays at 6:30 pm

Code is a practice used to introduce children of all ages to computer science. Join us!
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*NEW* Happy Book Birthday!
Tuesdays

Did you know that new books are released on Tuesdays? Come in every Tuesday to "read a book that is celebrating a birthday"!
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Story Times

Join us for a story time! All story times are geared towards the noted age ranges, but all ages are welcome!

Story Time:
Wednesdays at 10:30 am.
Ages 3-4

Toddler Time:
Fridays at 10:30
Children under 3

Hora de Cuentos
Monday, May 21 at 6:30 pm
Join us for a bilingual story and craft 
in Spanish and English
Tinkering Thursdays
Thursdays, 3:00-4:00pm

STEM-related hands on activity using everyday and recycled items to design your own creations!
Crafty Wednesday
Every Wednesday

Stop by the Children's Room any time on Wednesdays to do 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 Crew
Tuesdays,  3:00 - 4:30 pm
Saturdays, 10:30am - 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
Springfield Museums
Zoo at Forest Park *NEW*
Mystic Aquarium
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Tower Hill Botanic Gardens
Worcester Art Museum
Salem Witch Museum 
The Trustees locations
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 main collection, click here. On your device, download the Overdrive app to get started.

We also now have some new collections, thanks to a statewide eBook project, Commonwealth Collections. Axis 360 provides more popular options, similar to Overdrive. Biblioboard is great for homework and research, and also has a great collection of 'For Dummies' titles available.

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 or 
email  to schedule an  appointment.


Jacob Edwards Library
Upcoming Meetings

The Friends of the Library will hold their next meeting on  Monday, May 21
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.
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  The  Board of Trustees  of the Jacob Edwards Library will next meet on 
Tuesday, May 22
at Noon 
in the Mills Room. 
 
All meetings are open to the public.
We hope to see you at the library soon!

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 © 2018. All Rights Reserved.