Welcome to The G.A.R. Memorial Library's newsletter! 
 
We're excited to be able to keep you informed and hope you'll be able to use these newsletters to get even more enjoyment out of your local library. Please use the links at the right to get more information from our website, which is updated regularly.  
 
Sincerely,
The Staff of the
G.A.R. Memorial Library
How can we help?

It's May, yay! Everything is starting to green up. Make time to enjoy the outdoors; you can even download an audiobook and take it with you. We're here for you and are happy to help with any questions you may have.

We have free WiFi from the parking lot and our Adirondack chairs are out, appropriately spaced, of course! Stop by and sit a spell. Great change from the indoor office. Choose network "mwy" and PW: garlibrary.

Anyone who does not have a library card and would like one is welcome to apply for a library card.
Call the library at 978-363-1105 and leave a message
or

We wish all Moms a very Happy Mother's Day!

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Missing Miss Kate?

Get your favorite stuffie, Miss Kate's got a story for you!
We know you've all been missing Miss Kate. Well here she is! She's put together a couple of Story Time videos for you to enjoy and will be making more every week.


Kate also misses all of you! She’d love to hear back from you. Record yourself or your family reading a favorite children's book and we'll post all approved videos on our YouTube channel for everyone to enjoy! This is your chance to be in the Story Time seat! Send videos to: ask@westnewburylibrary.org

Bring the Library Wherever You Go
What's new at the Library? Here are some resources that you may not have known were available to you:

  • Author Alerts - Want to know when your favorite author has published a new book? Author Alerts is a new digital service that enables you to receive email or text message notifications when MVLC libraries acquire titles by your favorite authors. Click here to sign up for author alerts. The sign up can also be found on our website and catalog page.
  • Gaiam Workout Videos - Available on Overdrive, 25 workout videos which are always available, no waitlist. Check out Gaiam Workouts.
  • Hoopla Bonus Borrows - Hoopla has numerous bonus borrows for all ages - movies, books, audiobooks, graphic novels These are free and do not count towards your monthly checkouts. Be sure to check out all the extras available to you.
  • MVLC Mobile - MVLC Mobile is an app that lets you search the library catalog, check your account, see your library's upcoming events, and more; you can even scan an ISBN to see if it's available in our consortium. Available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.


~ ~ Readers' Advisory ~ ~

Five Audio Autobiographies - Tracy has 5 autobiographies to recommend, each one is read by the author and is a delight to listen to! Find them on Overdrive or Hoopla (also available as eBooks). Click here for her suggestions . Tracy also updated her blog, Joy of Books . Check out her newest reviews .

BookPage for May - Free access to the BookPage May issue . Usually available at the library, BookPage has moved online! Find your next great read!  

Have you ever tried a Podcast? Corinn has been enjoying The Nerdette Book Club . Nerdette is a fun podcast that covers a wide range of topics and this year they added a book club! If you really want to nerd out, you can join the Nerdette Book Cub Group on Goodreads .

We Made It Through - There is a new curated list on the OverDrive Kids' Room page , titled We Made It Through . This list features children's historical fiction set during challenging moments in history.

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More online activities for all ages:

T  his lively book group is meeting via Zoom! Their next meeting is just around the corner on Thursday, May 14th at 11:30 am. This month's book is The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen. If you'd like to join, email us at ask@westnewburylibrary.org and we will send you a Zoom invite.

Podcasts are a welcome alternative to screens and something the whole family can enjoy. Common Sense Media has a few they recommend: Try them out here.
And here's one just for the parents: Parent Trapped ;)

Help Scholastic help kids! The more you read, the more Scholastic donates! Join Scholastic’s Summer Read-a-Palooza program and help get books into the hands of kids who need them! Log your reading, create an avatar, play games and more . Click here to go to Scholastic's site.

Here, you'll find a collection of educational and entertaining videos, submitted by librarians and volunteers across Massachusetts. New content is added regularly, so check back often to find more videos featuring: story times, art projects, science experiments, sing-a-longs, and more. Click here for Video Library

Everything has moved online! Here, you'll find a calendar of ALL the virtual events happening in libraries across the state! Attend The Wonders of Migration at the Stockbridge Library or try out Virtual Bounce and Rhyme Baby Time in Monson.
Maybe you have a story to share and want to join the virtual memoir group in Chatham?  Ready, set, explore! Click here for Virtual Events Calendar


Updates at the Library
Some have asked about what's going on at the Library. Those hard-working guys who have been working on the building are Brian Richard and Rusty Myers and they've been replacing the fascia boards and cladding on the pillars, which hasn't been done for many, many years. They're doing an amazing job! Give them a honk to thank them the next time you drive by.

The Friends of the Library report the new bricks will be coming. 30 more commemorative bricks have been ordered for the walkways. Thank you for your generosity in supporting the library. Especially in these times, we appreciate these gifts to the community. You can continue to order bricks by visiting Bricks R Us . We'll let you know as soon as they are installed.