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In This Issue
JEL Staff Picks
Town of Southbridge Patents Exhibit
Book Club: Twelve Drummers Drumming
Film Screening: Broken
The Box in the Closet: Finding Clues to Your Family's History
An Evening of Music for Voice & Piano
Gardening for a Lifetime
Children's Corner

Quick Links

Library Hours

Monday:

9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Thursday:

9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Saturday:

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Sunday:

Closed

Closings
Closed Sign

The library will be closed on 
Monday, May 26th 
for Memorial Day.

Also, please note that Saturday, 
May 24th will be our last open Saturday for the summer - Saturday hours will resume after 
Labor Day.

Contribute to the 100th Anniversary Memory Project!

    

 

The 100th Anniversary year of the library will begin in May 2014. We would like to invite all of our patrons, past and present, to share your memories of the library!

 

The notebook is available at the Information Desk to anyone interested. Anything you may recall about visiting the library and what it meant to you in the past is welcome! 

Craft Corner

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Feeling crafty? Whether you are looking for knitting patterns for yourself, or a fun activity for the kids to enjoy, check out 

Craft Corner!

 

JEL subscribes to this resource from WorldBook, which includes instructions on crafting projects ranging from knitting and quilting to stenciling and wreath making! 

 

Also includes crafts and activities for kids with the option to browse crafts by age range. 

 

All you need is your library card number to log on from home.

Museum Passes

   

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Did you know that the library offers free and discounted admission to area museums and attractions? 

 

Roger Williams Zoo, Ecotarium, and the Mystic Aquarium are just a few of the available passes. For a full list and more information, see here.

 

Thank you to the Friends of the Library for their support of the Museum Pass program!

Citizen Alert System

  

Click HERE to Sign Up

 

Receive alerts about emergencies and other important community news by signing up for the Town's Emergency Alert Program. 

 

If you or a family member need assistance or access to a computer to sign up, stop by JEL! A staff member will be happy to help.

 

"This system enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. 

 

You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email address, text messages and more.

 

 You pick where, you pick how."

Library eBooks!

 

You can download FREE ebooks from the library!

Library ebooks, MP3 audiobooks, and videos are available to download for Nook, Kindle, iPad/iPhone, Androids, and other devices! 

 

Just visit the Digital Catalog to get started.

Ongoing Programs 

 

Anime Club for Teens

The Anime Club meets every Tuesday in the Pioppi Room, from 3:10 - 4:30 p.m. Stop by for manga, video games, cosplay, movies, and more!

 

Knitting with Sonya

From 10:30-12:30 every Tuesday, come knit with Sonya in the Reading Room! Assistance will be given to anyone needing help with a pattern. Any handcrafters are welcome to join!


Friends of the Library

Book bags

 

The Friends meet in the Mills Room at

6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 19th.

 

The Friends extend an invitation to all library patrons to join their group. To find out more, please visit 

The Friends Page 

on our website.

Board of Trustees 

 

JEL Sign

 The Board of Trustees of the Jacob Edwards Library will meet on Tuesday, May 20th at 12:00 Noon.  

 

All meetings are open to the public.

Join Our Mailing List

JEL News & Events

May 2014

  

This month, Jacob Edwards Library turns 100!


The Jacob Edwards Library Board of Trustees invites you to join us in officially kicking off the year-long celebration of the Library's 100th Anniversary.

Thursday, May 1st
4:00 - 6:00 p.m

For more information on our 100 Years celebration and upcoming events, please visit our Anniversary page.

 
Please read on for information on all of this month's programs, library news, and more!
 
  
   Find us on Facebook

May'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.

Exhibit: Town of Southbridge Patents
Highlights of the Patents and Inventions of Southbridge Residents & Employees of Southbridge Based Industries, Curated by Jackie Mushinksy
Reception Thursday, May 1st at 6:30 p.m.

 

The Southbridge Patent Exhibit highlights a number of the many patents related to Southbridge, MA, as well as a brief history of the patenting process. There have been many inventions by Southbridge residents and employees of businesses located in Southbridge. A number of the patents will be featured with the hope that the exhibit will spark interest in the rich industrial history of the town.

 

As a member of the Gordon Library Exhibits Committee at

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Jackie Mushinsky has curated many small to medium sized exhibits in the library and co-curated several large exhibits.  She has curated two previous exhibits at Jacob Edwards Library, one on the Native American Code Talkers of WWI and WWII and one on the history of hot air balloons and airships.

Book Club reads Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Benison
Monday, May 5th at 6:30 p.m.

 

The book club will meet to discuss Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Bension in the Reading Room. New members are welcome! If you need a copy of the book, just ask at the Information Desk.


"The Reverend Tom "Father" Christmas, the newest vicar of Thornford Regis, an idyllic rural town in England, turns detective when one of his parishioners turns up dead in a drum, and everyone in town seems to have something to confess. 

 

Tom Christmas came to picturesque Thornford Regis with his young daughter to escape the terrible experience of losing his wife in the city. Her murder sent him packing to the bucolic and charming town, where violent crime isn't supposed to happen and the greatest sin is supposed to be nothing a member of the clergy can't handle. Then, at the town fair, a woman is found murdered. Tom soon learns that everyone in Thornford Regis has a secret to hide--infidelity, theft, even past murders. Twelve Drummers Drumming showcases a lovely place to live and/or die, and marks the debut of a planned twelve-book mystery series featuring the brilliant Father Christmas."

Library Box Office:  Broken
Thursday, May 8th at 6:00 p.m.

 

"The summer holidays have just begun and 11 year-old Skunk's afternoons are full of day dreams and curious wanderings around her neighborhood - with the exception that she must regularly give herself injections to combat her type 1 diabetes. 
 
When, one day, Skunk (Eloise Laurence) discovers her bitter and angry older neighbor, Mr. Oswald (Rory Kinnear), savagely beating Rick, a psychologically-troubled boy from the neighborhood whom Mr. Oswald's daughter has callously and fictitiously accused of rape, Skunk's innocence begins to vanish. 
 
Trying to find solace with her loving nanny (Zana Marjanovic) and father (Tim Roth), with whom she is very close, Skunk is unwittingly drawn into her neighbors' unfolding melodrama involving violence, sex, and life-shattering illness. Her home, her neighborhood and her school all become treacherous environments where the happy certainties of childhood give way to a fear-filled doubt, and the promise of a complex, broken future. Overwhelmed by her experiences, Skunk herself is drawn into an ethereal chaos from which she may only return through the intense love of those closest to her."
 
In English. Running time: 90 minutes.
All screenings are held in the Pioppi Room, lower level.

About the Library Box Office: Most true independent and foreign films get squeezed out of commerical theaters by Hollywood blockbusters, and face skyrocketing costs that make it daunting - if not impossible - to reach appreciative audiences. JEL subscribes to the Film Movement series to bring "art house" independent and foreign films to you.
The Box in the Closet: Finding Clues to Your Family's History, Charlene Key Sokal
Thursday, May 15th at 6:30 p.m.

 

grandma-photo-album.jpg The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host this genealogy program as it is a frequently researched topic at the library. We hope that attendees will be inspired to taking advantage of some of the resources that are available at the library and start filling out those empty sections of the family tree.

Charlene Key Sokal, MSLS, AB, is a Professional Genealogist with more than 20 years' research experience in Genealogy and Local History. She specializes in immigration genealogy and all types of genealogical research in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Massachusetts. She has so far traced her German ancestors back to 1655. She is a retired Reference Supervisor of Worcester Public Library. 

An Evening of Music for Voice & Piano with Elizabeth Harmell Clements 
& Tom Kosakowski
Thursday, May 22nd at 6:30 p.m.
 
Well-known accompanist Tom Kosakowski will perform with vocalist Elizabeth Harmell Clements. Light refreshments will be provided by Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library. All welcome!

 

Elizabeth Harmell Clements started taking voice lessons at the age of 12. Although her first foray in the performing arts was in musical theater (she had leading roles in Annie Get Your Gun, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, and Guys and Dolls), she quickly developed a passion for the classical repertoire, participating in piano_keyboard.jpg

 many choral and solo competitions in her home state of California. She attended the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Program for Vocal Performance and as her high school career came to an end, she auditioned at conservatories from coast to coast. Ultimately, Ms. Clements matriculated at the Boston University of Fine Arts as a Vocal Performance Major where she studied with Carole Haber. These days, Ms. Clements performs locally in her community as well as to her 7 and 5 year old boys, Ben and James, and her husband John. She also volunteers with the Grafton Farmers Market and the Grafton Public Schools.


Tom Kosakowski was born and raised in Southbridge. His parents were Thaddeus and Nellie (Rewinski). Music was a vital part of his family heritage. He fondly remembers how his mother literally sat by him during his childhood practicing sessions. His first piano teacher, Joseph Swiacki, not only taught him the standard solo repertoire, but also set the foundation for developing his sight reading. At Mary E. Wells Junior High School, music teacher Mrs. Rubinstein launched his accompanying career. Tom continued accompanying at Southbridge High School, Bowdoin College, and Occidental College (Los Angeles), where he received his M.A. He met his wife and musical partner Cheryl in 1979 at L.A. City College, where Tom was Staff Accompanist; they have been a director-accompanist team ever since. Besides accompanying, Toms other music passion is playing the piano in small church settings. He has certainly played in different parts of the country: Pasadena, CA, Miller, SD, and at Charlton City United Methodist Church. Tom and Cheryl have one son, Philip, and one daughter, Rachel, and one granddaughter, Avery Lynn.

Gardening for a Lifetime
Thursday, May 29th at 6:30 p.m.

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Have you lived with the same plantings for many years and now found they don't fit the way you want to live anymore? Has your garden become a burden instead of a joy? Reconfiguring your garden for new uses as your family grows and your life and interests change, makes sense and may be less work than you thought. 


Betty Sanders is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association. Her website Betty On Gardening is chock full of ideas for ones garden and she shares her experience and expertise. She is nationally accredited flower show judge and has studied gardening everywhere from Arnold Arboretum to the New York Botanical Garden and the New England Wildflower Society. She is also a scientist, with a degree in Chemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
 

 

MA Cultural Council

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Also supported by the Board of Trustees of the Jacob Edwards Library in celebration of the 100th Anniversary.

 

Children's Corner
Upcoming and Ongoing Children's Programs
 
Special Programs

May Display: West Street School
2nd Grade Art Show Spring Chickens
All Month
For the children's show in our centennial year, the Jacob Edwards Library presents the artwork of students in Grade 2 at West Street School, which will be displayed in the Children's Room all month. Charlene Cloutier, art teacher, has been working with her young students in the oil pastels medium. The show will explore the theme of chickens! Reception Monday, May 5th, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Mother's Day - Make a Silk Flower
Friday, May 9th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
For teens and kids! An opportunity to show your Mom your appreciation. Bring home a beautiful silk flower in honor of Mother's Day! Supplies are limited, first come, first served. Instruction by Beverly Thomas.

Community Baby Shower
LaSalle Reception Center at Notre Dame Church
Wednesday, May 14th, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Are you expecting or have a baby under the age of 6 months? Join us for food, prizes, gift bags, and information!

Regular Programs

Pajama Story Time & Movie

Monday nights at 6:30 p.m.

Listen to some stories, sing some songs, and watch a short film.

Pajamas optional!  Geared towards ages 4-8, but all ages welcome. 

 

Crafty Wednesdays

All day, every Wednesday all year long!

For the Under 12's.  Drop by and make a special craft!  Display of future crafts to make on view.

 

SuperKids

Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Stories and songs aimed at the preschool crowd, but all ages welcome!

 

LEGO Club

Thursdays 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. - Noon

We'll bring the LEGO bricks - you bring the skills and ideas!  Best for builders 5 years and older. Work on your own project or work as a team!

 

Babytime Playgroup

Fridays from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Designed for children under three, this is a time for babies and their families to get together and play in the library. This is a 'drop in and leave' program, you are welcome anytime between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.

 
No registration necessary for any of our regular programs!
Questions? Call 508-764-5426 or email Karola.

Even when our doors are closed you can visit our website to access databases, renew and request materials, download ebooks, and so much more.  

 

Staff

Jacob Edwards Library

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