T H E Y A R D A R M
The Yarmouth Port Library Newsletter
297 Main Street (Route 6A), Yarmouth Port, MA 02675
yarmouthportlibrary.org * 508-362-3717 * Fax: 508-362-6739
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Yarmouth Port Library...Where you find more than
just books for readers young and old
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Happy Summer. The library is open and events and programs are scheduled! Please take the time to read through this issue of The Yardarm — there is updated information for everyone. And please note that the library is now open until 6 PM on Thursdays! Enjoy the summer and all the "beach reads" that await!
Lee Peters, Editor
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UPDATES:
Library Hours: Sunday Closed Monday Closed Tue., Wed & Fri.
10 AM — 3 PM
Thursday
10 AM — 6 PM (new)
Saturday
10 AM — Noon
Plant Sale: We DO plan on having our annual Plant Sale this summer! Saturday,
July 10th from 9 AM to 2 PM.
The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival: Saturday, July 17th. Yarmouth Port and Cummaquid.
Benefits YPL.
Book Donations: At this time we are NOT accepting book donations. We hope to resume accepting some donations soon. Please check the website for updated information.
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YPL is open and programs and activities are coming back.
Please watch our website and the street sign for future developments.
by Dinah Wolff, President
In the past year, it has often seemed that reports on our library’s open/closed status have varied between when I write this message and when the YPL community sees it published nearly three weeks later. Today I am happy to report that accessibility to the building and its collection has remained an option for our patrons since mid-February, and hopefully will continue uninterrupted. As with only a few other Cape libraries, our staff has worked hard to stay open, preferring to offer services to the public under difficult conditions; this has meant extra work for them, and is a testament to their commitment to the community.
Mask Update: The high rate of vaccination compliance in Yarmouth Port has contributed to patron comfort level, and more and more of you feel confident visiting the library. To protect our staff and patrons, we are asking those NOT fully vaccinated to abide by CDC and Massachusetts Guidelines and continue masking while in the library; fully vaccinated staff and patrons may wear a mask at their discretion. Curbside pickup will remain available.
All this means that our Programming Committee is again meeting, and Carrie is working on kids’ activities. Please watch our website and the street sign for future developments. As warmer weather approaches and COVID statistics continue to improve, we can all look forward to a return to normalcy.
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A year of change…And a look forward. |
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We will be asking for your thoughts as we try to envisage the future of the YPL: what are we doing well and what we might improve, change, or add.
by Leslie Altman, Librarian
What changes this past year has brought! You all deserve a giant thank you for your patience and loyalty, which enabled us to keep the library open and to adapt to an ever-changing situation. Now as we look forward, we want to know how we can continue to serve the community best. To that end, we are beginning the process of updating our strategic plan. We will be asking for your thoughts as we try to envisage the future of the YPL: what are we doing well and what we might improve, change, or add.
One way we are adapting is by returning to a regular schedule of programs. The Program Committee is responsible for bringing programs to you. You can help by letting us know what you would like to see or hear. When we last surveyed the patrons, the most popular topics were local history and nature, author talks, travel, and gardening. Is there something new to add to the list? Please let us know.
We are excited that we will actually have programs for you this summer! If you enjoy gardens and gardening, we have two great programs for you in July. On Saturday, July 10, we are having our annual plant sale, so successful last year. The following Saturday, July 17, you can be inspired by local gardens as we participate in the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival for the first time. Check for details elsewhere in The Yardarm. If you have some time to spare, we are looking for docents to sit in these special gardens and greet visitors. Please call or visit the library to sign up.
In this period of virtual experiences, the YPL book group has continued to meet through Zoom and has given us a chance to “see” people in our socially distant world. In May we had the unique experience of meeting on the radio! Kate Whouley, the author of our book, Cottage for Sale: Must Be Moved, met with us on the call-in show The Point on WCAI. This summer we are planning to meet outdoors. Check the website (and see below) for titles and venues. You can also pick up a YPL Book Group bookmark that lets you know what we are reading and what has been recommended. Newcomers are always welcome!
As more of you are comfortable entering the library, we are also returning to highlighting patron favorites in the library. As we have done in the past, we will again begin displaying ”Yarmouth Port Favorites” from our staff and patrons. If you have read something you recommend, let us know, and we will put it out for others to sample.
We have also resumed collecting donations for the Yarmouth Food Pantry. Here’s another way you can help your neighbors in what has been a difficult period in so many ways. Just leave your items inside the door, or outside on the porch if the weather is fine, and we will see that the donations get to people in need.
If you haven’t been in the building for a while, you may find some changes. You can find the Edward Gorey collection and many genealogy books in the Reading Room, most audiobooks in the fiction area, and new Large Print books back in the lobby. These changes are not part of a marketing strategy to get you to explore a new section of the collection, but we hope you will!
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It's Summer Time...and an array of new books await!
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So many books,
so little time...
Click on the links below to help you select your summer reading list!
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JUNE:
Thursday, June 17th at 2 PM
A title of your choice by
Ernest Hemingway.
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JULY: Thursday, July 15th at 2 PM
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and, in front of everybody, shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range.
The reasons for this desperate burst of violence and the consequences that spring from it lie at the heart of Deacon King Kong, James McBride’s funny, moving novel.
AUGUST: August we will meet to talk in general about what we are reading. Date to be determined.
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SEPTEMBER: Thursday, September 16th at 2 PM
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.
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by Carrie Bearse, Assistant Librarian/Children’s Services
A while ago I expressed the hope of getting back to "candy on the counter days,” and we are getting closer. The candy will undoubtedly be individually wrapped and next to the hand sanitizer, but those days are coming! It has been a long haul here at YPL as it has been everywhere since March of 2020, with the ups and downs of a worldwide pandemic affecting the policies and procedures at our community and library level. But despite it all, it has been an uplifting experience for the most part, and one full of insight and appreciation.
Insightful in the fact that with a small staff and wonderful volunteers, we feel we have aptly managed to meet the needs of our community to the best of our ability and with smiles on our faces...we hope you agree! We have tried our best and our patrons have too...by wearing masks, being so happy and appreciative that we are open, and by expressing in many ways just how much they value YPL. Thank you.
We are getting closer...story time resumed in May, albeit outdoors in the back yard with safety protocols in place. In June we will begin meeting on Thursdays at 11 AM. Please call to register!
Also in June, I will be installing a little story walk near the fence behind the library, which will be up throughout the month. Stop by and read the story and perhaps have a picnic behind the library…we have a picnic table with an umbrella, a few benches, and plenty of space to throw down a blanket and relax.
A big thank you to the families who stop by YPL, the young and enthusiastic readers are always a pleasure to see. For those families who are not yet comfortable visiting the library, the YPL website has a wealth of video recordings of books which I have been compiling (and which have been accumulating) since the pandemic started. There are also take away crafts available after each weekly story time that you can request via curbside pickup.
And as always, if you would like to request a “Librarian’s Choice Pack” for curbside pickup, I would be happy to oblige. We have come to realize that curbside pickup is pretty wonderful, and that will remain an option for the foreseeable future. As a reminder, we can always leave requested books out for late pickup, too. The children's room will soon be thoughtfully filled with select toys and games again to complement our great selection of picture and nonfiction books, videos, and CDs.
YPL will also be having a simple Summer Reading program for kids. We will do the READ 4 program, where young patrons are asked to read at least four books between July and the end of August, drop off a list of their books and receive a fun prize for their reading accomplishments. Happy summer reading!
So we are getting closer...thankfully. It already looks like it will be a busy summer, and despite the isolation of the past pandemic year, it is always fun to snuggle up with a good book away from traffic worries and the bustle of summer visitors.
We look forward to seeing you at YPL -- there will, indeed, be candy on the counter!
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For Kids:
June Bugs!
Please join us in June for all things creepy, crawly and cute!
Every Thursday at 11 AM behind the Library.
Story time is recommended for children ages 2 and up.
Registration suggested. Please call the library.
Story Walk — "A Good Day"
There will also be a story walk near the fence behind the library, which will be up throughout the month.
The book for June will be "A Good Day" by Kevin Henkes.
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If you like gardening (or just appreciate the beauty of plants)...Mark your calendar! |
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ANNUAL PLANT SALE
Saturday, July 10th
9 AM to 2 PM
Outside on the library lawn.
Perennial plants from our
local expert gardeners.
ALL SOLD AT BARGAIN PRICES!
ATTENTION LIBRARY GARDENERS!
Plants — named and labeled sun or shade — are needed
for the library plant sale.
Call Sally Hockenbury at 508-362-6045
if you need help
digging up plants.
Decorative Donations Welcome
Donations of gently used garden tools, planters, or decor would also be appreciated.
Please deliver to the library on July 8th or 9th.
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The Cape Cod
Hydrangea Festival
Saturday, July 17th,
10 AM — 4PM
Yarmouth Port and Cummaquid
Admission: $5 per garden. Rain or Shine.
Docents needed! Please call or sign up at the library.
Proceeds from the garden tours will benefit YPL.
Garden #1 Rambling Rabbit, Yarmouth Port
Rambling Rabbit is a petite 0.5 acre cottage garden on Route 6A in the heart of Yarmouth Port, specializing in organic cultivation of heirloom cut flowers, over 200 English fragrant roses, flavorful berries, along with unique varieties of herbs and vegetables.
Garden #2 Singing Marshes, Yarmouth Port
This interesting garden borders conservation land and overlooks Barnstable Harbor and the Lighthouse at Sandy Neck. The property features walking paths through the beach plum and juniper shrubs to views of the marsh beyond. Hydrangeas flourish on the home’s North side.
Garden #3 Condon Garden, Yarmouth Port
The Condons were commercial hydrangea propagators and growers for 40 years and, as one might suspect, this is a very hydrangea-centric site.
Garden #4 Laliberte Garden, Cummaquid
This garden features a host of blooming trees and perennials, designed for continuous bloom from April through October. In addition to hydrangeas the garden also has numerous shrubs.
Click here for additional information on each garden.
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2021 YPL MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN |
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The Yarmouth Port Library is a privately funded, public library. Library services are funded by your membership contributions and donations.
by Les Peat, Treasurer and Chair, Membership Campaign
As I write this, the Campaign has brought in more than $35,000, well over this year’s somewhat reduced goal of $30,000.
With a little over four weeks until the Campaign ends on June 30th, we hope to bring in between $36,000 and $37,000, which is very encouraging.
A complete list of 2021 members will be published in the Fall issue of The Yardarm.
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Please consider a gift.
If you have not yet contributed, it’s not too late to be included.
You may pick up a Membership Campaign form at the library or download one from the website (click here).
To get involved at YPL please click here for further information.
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BUSINESS SPONSOR APPRECIATION
Royal II Restaurant and Grill
715 Main Street, Route 6A, Yarmouth Port
(508) 362-2288
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Royal II has been a loyal supporter of the library almost since the day it opened in 2013, and many library users have been equally supportive of Royal II.
Never has the restaurant been more valued, however, than during the 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic, when Royal II takeout meals of excellent pizza and Greek specialties provided greatly appreciated breaks for home cooks.
We can now, once again, fully enjoy Royal II’s cozy bar, comfortable dining room, and pleasant outdoor space. Royal II is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 AM to 9:30 PM and from noon to 9 PM on Sunday. As always, we hope that you will remember to thank the Bolanos brothers for their generous support of the library.
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Business Sponsors
Thank you to our very generous 2021 Business Sponsors!
Your support of the Yarmouth Port Library is greatly appreciated.
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