Artificial Intelligence & Chat GPT

Virtual Reality. Chatbots. Deep Fakes. Do you sometimes feel like the technological world is moving too fast? And do you really know what any of these terms mean to you, never mind all of humanity? Take a breath and enjoy an in-person, real presentation on artificial intelligence on Thurs., Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m.

You might not want to use these things, but you should know what they are. So come learn in a fun and supportive manner. (Not to mention, it changes every day.) Bring your opinions and questions. Great for beginners, skeptics, and anyone worried about the fate of humanity.

Registration is requested, but not required, and can be done here.

Thank you to the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library for funding this program.

Next Up in Our Virtual Author Talk Series

Register for one of our upcoming 60-minute virtual author talks here and submit your questions for the author, or you can watch here, at any time, any of the previous programs archived back to July 2022.

VIRTUAL: Capturing the Human Drama Through History with Garrett Graff, Tues., Sept. 10, 2:00 p.m.

Join us for an incredibly moving virtual chat with New York Times bestselling author Garrett Graff, an expert at capturing the human drama. He'll speak about his body of work with particular focus on his oral histories, The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 and When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day. 

Much has been written and said about the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the profound impact they had on America and the world. But those names, stories, and memories have never before been collected in one place to tell the full, 360-degree story of what happened that day, and in the days after. In The Only Plane in the Sky, Graff draws on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, and original interviews and stories from nearly 500 government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members to paint the most comprehensive, minute-by-minute account yet.

In his most recent work, When the Sea Came Alive, Graff explores the full impact of a world changing event: D-Day, one of history’s greatest military and human triumphs. Though the full campaign lasted just over a month, the surprise landing of more than 150,000 Allied troops on the morning of June 6, 1944, is understood to be the moment that turned the tide for the Allied forces and ultimately led to the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II. 

Graff has spent nearly two decades covering politics, technology, and national security. The former editor of Politico and contributor to Wired and CNN, he’s written for publications from Esquire to Rolling Stone and today serves as the director of the cyber initiative at the Aspen Institute.

Register here.

Fall Means Lego Afternoons are Back

Join other LEGO® lovers for an afternoon of cooperative projects, optional challenges, and access to the library's large LEGO® collection on Tues., Sept. 10 and 17 at 3:45 p.m.

This is a drop-in program with no registration necessary.

LEGO afternoons are funded by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Family Movie Night: The Garfield Movie

Drop in for a Family Movie Night featuring "The Garfield Movie," rated PG, on Tues., Sept.17 at 6:00 p.m.

Families can bring their own picnic dinner and/or snacks for the show.  

Exciting Updates to the Libby App

Libby has made some exciting changes and updates to your favorite e-reading/listening app to make it more user-friendly than ever.

The SAILS logo now prominently displays at the top of the app. Since you can sign up for other networks in Massachusetts with your SAILS card, this logo will change depending on what network catalog you're browsing.

You can now create a passkey to back up and sync your data in Libby. This can be useful if you want to sign into Libby on multiple devices or you're transitioning to a new device.

It's easiest to get started with passkeys on a mobile device. To create a passkey, open Libby, tap Menu, then tap Back Up Your Data. On the next screen, tap Create Recovery Passkey. You’ll see a prompt that a passkey for Libby will be saved in your device’s password manager, and you’ll be asked for your device’s PIN or biometric ID. Once that’s done, you’ll get a confirmation in Libby that you successfully created a passkey.

Your passkey is stored indefinitely in your device’s password manager. With your passkey, you can easily sync your Libby data to another device or web browser. If your device’s password manager is backed up in the cloud, you can use your saved passkey to restore your Libby data if your device is ever lost or damaged. This is a quick and simple way to have an easy-to-access backup of your Libby data.

Passkeys are supported in Libby on iOS 17+ and Android 9+ devices, so if you're using an older device you might not see this feature.

Sharebrary Item of the Week: Car Vacuum

Sharebrary: Borrow. Try. Experience.

You can suck up the last grains of sand from your car before summer's over with our combo car vac/air compressor.

It comes with a power cable, air filter , instructions, air hose, extension hose, brush nozzle, crevice tube, blue handle brush, fuse, needle, and two valves, all in a sturdy carrying case.

It's one of 40 different items we have in our Sharebrary collection. Check them all out.

Board of Library Trustees Vacancy

The Trustees of the Middleborough Public Library are seeking applicants for a vacated seat on the Library’s Board. The desired candidate will enthusiastically assist with policy development, financial management, local partnerships, and advocacy efforts.

To serve as a trustee, you will be required to:

• Meet on the second Monday of each month, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (ending time varies).
• Participate on two to three assigned committees. (Meetings are infrequent but important.)
• Review meeting materials before each meeting.
• Be a Middleborough resident.

For information about the role of a library trustee, click here.

Click here for a copy of the Massachusetts Public Library Trustees handbook.

Interested candidates are encouraged to review these documents and submit an application, which will be accepted until Mon., Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. The Trustees will review potential candidates at their upcoming meetings, and will then nominate a candidate for appointment to the Select Board.

To apply, please email a letter of introduction with your current resume to Library Director Randy Gagne, or send by mail to: Middleborough Public Library, 102 North Main Street, Middleborough, MA 02346

Please direct questions or inquiries to Director Gagné at his email address above, or call him at the Library at 508/946-2470 ext. 7.

It's Back!

If you attended last year, you would want to return this year. And if you missed it last year, you shouldn’t miss it again this year. Great food from a great group of businesses that are giving back to our community.

Tickets are going fast. Don’t miss your chance to attend.

Order today at Fall in Love with Middleborough: "Local" Food Experience (ticketstripe.com)