April 2016
In This Issue
Holiday Closings
           
Library Closed
 
 
 
Patriots' Day - Monday - April 18th  
 
 
 
Earth Day
           
 
Each year, Earth Day-April 22-marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. "Environment" was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.

Although mainstream America largely remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson's New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962.  

The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and beginning to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and links between pollution and public health.

In honor of Earth Day consider increasing your efforts to maintain our home planet earth.

Instead of buying a new book borrow one from us, ride your bike or walk to visit us and  anyone who walks to the library on Earth Day will receive a pleasant surprise from us!

 
Movies @ the Library
           
Movie Matinee for Kids




Wednesday - April 13th 
Couper Room
1:15pm - 2:45pm

----------------------------------------

Adult Movie Night



Thursday - April 14th
Library Couper Room
7:00pm

 
 
In the Gallery
by Cheryl Hardy-Faraci
           
April 1st - April 28th

Artwork from the students at The Russell Street School
The gallery will display printmaking from the third grade students using potato mashers. The fourth grade students have done paintings of ice cream cones using color theory and the fifth grade closely examined the inside of citrus fruit and made oversized paintings using their color mixing skills.


Coming up in the gallery April 28th to May  26th - Works by Madeleine Findlay

 
 


 
 
Scandinavian 
Crime Authors
by Margaret Geanisis





If you loved Steig Larsson's trilogy beginning with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, we have some other authors for you to try. 

The first Swedish author you'll want to read is David Lagercrantz who is continuing  Larsson's Millenium series. Interestingly, Lagercrantz is a member of the Swedish House of Nobility.

     Another very popular author is Norwegian Jo Nesbo. He is a musician and former economist and reporter whose books have sold over 43 million copies.  He has three series; Harry Hole - who is a tough detective solving international crimes while battling his own demons, Olav Johanson who is a fixer for crime boss Daniel Hoffman, and Dr. Proctor, a series for children in the vein of Roald Dahl. We have quite a collection of his books in our mystery section.

     Camilla Lackberg is known as the Swedish Agatha Christie who also has a degree in and has worked in the field of economics. She is know for her in-depth characterizations and her books are in fiction section.

     If you're someone who loves thrillers, try Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason. He has a history degree and his primary character is Detective Erlender. His thrillers can be found in our Mystery section.

     Lene Kaaberol is a very interesting person; she published her first two books at age15! She writes children's and YA fantasy books.  Her adult books, however, are award winning suspenseful crime fiction. she lives on the Island of Sark with her four dogs. while we only have a few of her books in our collection.  There are many titles in MVLC which we can order for you or you can order on-line.
    
 Icelandic civil engineer and writer Ysra Sigurdardottir is a internationally successful author.  Her main character is lawyer Thora Gudmunsdottir and her books are in our mystery section.  Interestingly, she also writes many children's books.  There are quite a few audio books in our system by this author too.
   
  Lastly there is Jussi Adler-Olsen, who is involved in various media activities.  This Danish author writes a series about Department Q who initially has a staff of one, Carl Morck; but that will change.....  His books can found in our mystery section and other libraries in MVLC.

Happy reading!
 

Library-Sponsored Programs
eLibrary
Book-A-Librarian
Our Book-A-Librarian service allows you to spend up to 30 minutes with one of our friendly knowledgeable librarians who can offer assistance tailored to your needs.

 

We can help in many ways; typical requests may include:

  • Learn to download eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, or music to your digital device
  • Introduction to the library catalog - how to find a book, a CD or a DVD, place holds, manage your account
  • Researching a topic beyond Google
  • Setting up and using an email account
  • Plus much more...just ask!

Some things we are unable to help with:

  • We do not provide medical, legal or business advice or opinions.
  • We cannot write, type or proofread your documents.
  • We do not offer technical support or troubleshooting except when it relates to library resources.
  • We cannot assist with credit card transactions.

We encourage you to bring your laptop or digital device with you to the library so that we may better help you.

 

Please call the library at 978.540.2600 to set up an appointment, preferably one week in advance, with a librarian or fill out our online  Book-A-Librarian form.

 

Due to staff expertise and availability, your request might be declined. We appreciate your understanding.

  Genealogy Club
meets the 2nd Monday from
10:00AM - 12:00PM

Littleton Origami Group
meets the 4th Thursday from
7:00PM - 9:00PM  
     
Mystery Book Discussion  
meets the 4th Tuesday from
7:00PM - 9:00PM
  
Yarn Overs
meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday from
7:00PM - 9:00PM






RHL
Reuben Hoar Library 

Library Hours

Monday
10:00 - 4:00
Tuesday
1:00 - 9:00
Wednesday
10:00 - 9:00
Thursday
1:00 - 9:00
Friday
10:00 - 4:00
Saturday
10:00 - 4:00
Sunday
CLOSED

 

 



We have lots of fun activities coming up at the library this month!  Our Annual Bread Bake-Off, an Adult Coloring Night (Because the first one went so well!), exciting new films and children's programming!

The Library now has a Verizon Mobile Hotspot that you can check-out.  Take the internet with you on your next family vacation!  

There is also a link to our separate Children's Newsletter, information from the Friends of the Library and information on our new museum passes.

Please enjoy!
 
Sincerely,

Sam Alvarez
Director
  

 

Children's Room Newsletter
           
   
 
 
 
 
Annual Bread Bake-Off
by Susan Palmer



On Saturday, April 16, The Reuben Hoar Library will hold its 6th Annual Bread Bake Off from 1:00-3:00 in the Couper Room.

Prizes and Bragging Rights awarded to 1st & 2nd place winners in Yeast & Non-Yeast Categories. Entries can be made either online at www.littletonlibrary.org or by calling the library at 978-540-2600 and should be made by April 15th.  Please indicate "yeast" or "non-yeast" bread when you register.

Bread should be dropped off between 12:30-1:00 on Saturday. Judging, munching, and socializing is scheduled between 1:00-3:00. Winners will be announced just after 3:00.

Not a baker? Everyone's a taster!

Any questions, please contact Susan at spalmer@mvlc.org or 978-540-2602.

Food For Fines Week
by Jenna Cantino



The Reuben Hoar Library is celebrating National Library Week by forgiving overdue fines if you bring in a can or box of food for Loaves and Fishes food pantry. Stop by anytime the library is open between Monday, April 11th and Saturday, April 23rd with a non-perishable item for donation and we will forgive your fines. 

Please note that fines can only be forgiven on items that have been returned. The Reuben Hoar Library is not able to waive fines on items still out, items that are lost, or fines that have been added by other libraries. For more information, please call us at 978-540-2600 or please visit us at the main desk. Happy National Library Week!



 
Adult Coloring Night 




Adult Coloring Night-we had so much fun we're doing it again! 

We provide the space, beautiful patterns, and coloring utensils to enjoy a peaceful hour of coloring. This program is free to anyone who would like to attend. This is an adults-only event, so please leave the children at home.

Thursday, April 21 from 7:30-8:30 in the Couper Room.

 


SF Review
by James Taber





Ancillary Mercy 
by Ann Leckie (Orbit, 2015)

Breq Mianaai has suffered a great deal. As the warship Justice of Toren, she was a pawn in a massive and cruel game. As that ship's sole surviving ancillary, she put her now-mortal life on the line to see justice done. As a fleet captain in command of her own ship, she's been pushed to the edge of space to guard a station both utterly insignificant and unthinkably important. Now, as the once-secret civil war of the Imperial Radch reaches a new level of hostilities, she's forced to see that all of her growth and suffering may be for nothing unless she can unravel the secrets of Athoek Station and what lies on the other side of its mysterious gate.
 
Really, that summary does no justice to the intricate web that Ann Leckie has spent the last three years weaving. Ancillary Mercy is the latest in the Imperial Radch series and the conclusion of Breq's story. And what a conclusion it is, though it doesn't conclude the overarching problem of the Radchaai civil war. More on that in a bit.
 
As a book, it fits neatly into the trilogy, which I consider to be one long story rather than the segmented serial that most trilogies are. For anyone looking to get into the Imperial Radch series I recommend reading them one right after the other. They seem to be written with that intent, as there's very little (though there is some) summary of previous events.


Video Games at the Library
by Jenna Cantino




Stop by the library to check out our new video games! We have been hard at work adding new games for you to take home and play. Currently the library has games for the Wii, Wii U, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. 

We have games suitable for families such as Mario and Sonic at the Olympics as well as some solo sports and dancing games. The games for teens and adults are located near the DVDs and Audiobooks on the main floor and games for younger ones are upstairs in the Children's room near the DVDs. If there is a game you would like that you don't see, let us know! We might be able to add it to our collection. The library hopes to see you enjoying our new video games!


Museum Pass Spotlight


U.S.S. Constitution Museum



Each pass admits up to 9 people for free!
Friends of RHL  
by 
Chuck Faraci  
 
 
Friends of the Library  News
 
Most people think twice before throwing a book away.  They give it to a friend or hold on to it with the intention of reading it again.  But eventually the books take up so much space that you have to make room for more.  Thanks to the generosity of so many friends, every day the library is open more books are donated to the Friends of the Library for our twice a year book sale. 

Simply drop them off at the circulation desk with one of the librarians.  But, if the books are moldy, have missing pages or were chewed by a dog or a small child, it is probably more appropriate to recycle them at the transfer station.  While you are there, bring all your deposit bottles that have been stored since the Super Bowl party.  Admit it, even though the Patriots were not in the game, you still had the party.  During the entire month of April, all deposit bottles and cans are sorted by volunteers and the money goes to the Friends.  So, have a party to celebrate Spring and bring all those empty soda bottles to the transfer station before the end of the month.

We are always looking for help of one type or another.  There is something for all ages and strengths.  The books are sorted monthly.  You simply pick up a book from the stack of unsorted books and put it in one of the labeled boxes based on category.  For some volunteers who are able, the boxes need to be moved to the storage shed as they get filled.  Just before the book sale, there is lots of work that must take place in a short period of time.  Tables set up, signs hung and all those boxes of books put on display.  During the sale, we need people to collect money from the buyers.  At the end of the sale, the leftover books get packed and stacked for sale to a wholesaler.  None of these tasks are longer than an hour or two.  Consider signing up.  We qualify as community service for you or a family member.
 desk.
 
 

Non-Fiction Spotlight
by 
Jeanne Sill 
 
 














Animal Parks

The movie, Blackfish, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013, pushed SeaWorld's concession to stop breeding killer whales in captivity.  SeaWorld has also promised to phase out its theatrical orca shows in favor of displays that will introduce future visitors to more "natural" orca behavior.  

Since April is National Zoo month, come in and browse the library's collection about animal parks and the relationships humans have with the animals within theses parks and zoos.

Beneath the Surface, Killer whales, SeaWorld and the truth beyond Blackfish , by John Hargrove

Loving Animals:  toward a new animal advocacy , by Kathy Rudy                          

We Bought a Zoo:  the amazing true story of a young family, a broken down zoo, and the 200 wild animals that changed their lives forever: a memoir , by Benjamin Mee

 



 

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E-mail: mli@mvlc.org

 

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41 Shattuck Street

Littleton, MA 01460

978.540.2600