* * * *     JULY 2016    * * * * 
edgartownlibrary.org   * * * *    508-627-4221  
Library Hours (new & improved!) 

Monday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Ribbon-Cutting, New Hours, and
A New Season for the Library
A happy crowd gathered on a perfect summer day as the new Edgartown Public Library building was celebrated with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, June 25.

Mary Ann Cluggish of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which gave some $5 million in grants toward the building project, hailed the new facility as "a game-changer" for Edgartown. This has certainly been borne out by our recent experience at our new site on the West Tisbury Road, where we're seeing a 100% increase in patron traffic over last year's numbers at the old Carnegie building on North Water Street. 

New card applications are being filled at a rate approximately 10 times greater than the library saw last spring, the children's room is bustling with happy kids, and our new program room is fulfilling its promise as a new center for community activity in Edgartown.

Outside the library, we've taken steps to be sure that parking space is available for our patrons even during the busy months ahead. Parking in the library lot is limited to 4 hours with new signage recently approved by the Edgartown selectmen. Inside the library, we've extended our open hours by six per week -- opening daily at 10 a.m., an hour earlier than before.

Lisa Sherman,
Director
In the Children's Room, 
July Is Packed with Programs

All through July and August, the Children's Room has a number of regular programs that happen every week. 

On Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., the library hears book reports from summer campers at the nearby Boys & Girls Club.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, we present a program of Bedtime Stories for children of all ages.

On Thursdays at 11 a.m., we hold Preschool Story Hour for children three to five years old.

And every Saturday at 11 a.m., the library holds Little Bitty Book Time for children from birth to age two.

In addition to these regular events, we're filling the calendar with special programs built around the state's summer reading theme for youth, this year entitled "On Your Mark, Get Set . . . Read." Here's the full rundown of special activities in July at the Edgartown Library:

Tuesday, July 5:
      3 pm - Sign up for summer reading, and play some games.

Friday, July 8:
      10:30 am - Science Fun: Why Do Boats Sink?
      We'll read a book, and do our own experiments 
      with tin-foil boats and pennies.
Noon on the Lawn: Bring your lunch and
      enjoy some stories.

Tuesday, July 12:
      3 pm - Summer Sports: The Brewster Bayside Skippers, 
      a champion Double Dutch jump-rope team, 
      performs and meets with children.

Friday, July 15:
      10:30 am - Science Fun:  All About Sundials.
      Learn about the science of telling time by the
      sun, and make sundials of your own.
Noon on the Lawn: Jose Pareja and
      friends perform traditional music
      from the  Andes. Bring your own
      lunch and enjoy.

Tuesday, July 19:
      3 pm - Summer Sports: Robots!
      The popular team from iRobot is back at the library with
amazing new machines to demonstrate.

Friday, July 22:
      10:30 am - Science Fun: Whales!
      Learn about the songs and lives of whales from 
      a real whale scientist.
Noon on the Lawn: Piggie and Elephant, 
      the popular children's book characters, make an
      appearance for a special story hour.

Tuesday, July 26:
3 pm - Summer Sports: Croquet!
Learn about this game which has roots
going back 800 years, and get a lesson from croquet experts.



Friday, July 29:
      10:30 am - Science Fun: All About Waves.
      Make your own wave machine, and learn 
      about the motion of the ocean.
Noon on the Lawn: Bring your lunch and
      enjoy some stories.
Sounds Like Summer: 
Free Concerts Return
On Tuesdays to  Library Lawn

One of the Edgartown Library's most popular summer programs in recent years has featured favorite Island bands in free live performance on Tuesday evenings, on the library lawn. We're happy to report that Sounds Like Summer will be be continuing at our new home on the West Tisbury Road, beginning on July 12 and continuing into August.

All performances run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and it's all free. Here's the lineup of bands for July and into the first week of August:

Tuesday, July 12:
The Jon Zeeman Band



Tuesday, July 19:
The Joel Harrison Trio



Tuesday, July 26:
Johnny Hoy & the Bluefish



Tuesday, August 2:
Sabrina and the Groovers


July 5 at Noon: Friends of the Library Sponsor  Reading of Historic Speech
By 
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass

Each year, Mass Humanities organizes readings of "The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro," a famous speech by the noted abolitionist Frederick Douglass, first delivered in 1852.

The Friends of the Edgartown Library will present a free community reading of this famous speech at the Federated Church in Edgartown, where Mr. Douglass spoke in 1857, at 12 noon on Tuesday, July 5. 

All are invited to attend.
Author Christopher Setterlund
Speaks on Thursday, July 7, at 7 pm




Cape Cod author and photographer Christopher Setterlund writes short stories, novels, and quirky, personal travel guides that put you right in his footsteps.

Come meet the author and hear about his latest book,  In My Footsteps: A Traveler's Guide to Martha's Vineyard, in a free program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 7. 

All are welcome.
Sharkovitz Meets the Bard:
7 pm Thursday, July 14

Dan Sharkovitz, a master teacher to generations of Vineyard students and now chair of the English department at the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, has a treat in store for our library audience on the evening of July 14. That Thursday at 7 p.m., Mr. Sharkovitz will present his installment in a series entitled "Islanders Read the Classics," reading from and guiding us through Shakespeare's great play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

Shakespeare penned Hamlet sometime between 1599 and 1602, and the play's influence has hardly diminished in more than 400 years.  But if you were ever force-fed the play in school, or picked it up on your own and felt lost, you might have wondered what all the fuss is about. Dan Sharkovitz is the perfect guide to this amazing play with its many pleasures and intricacies. Pick up a copy at our Circulation Desk to join in the conversation, or just come to be inspired. This program is free, and all are invited.
Opera Club Presents
Free Screening of Bizet's Carmen:
Sunday, July 17, at 1 pm

Filmed live at the Metropolitan Opera, Richard Eyre's stunning production of Bizet's Carmen stars Elina Garanca in the title role and Roberto Alagna as her tormented lover, Don Jose. Conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin.

All adults are welcome to this free program at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 17. Please use the library's south entrance for this event, as the library itself is closed.
Cracking Open the Cosmic Door:
Dr. Bruce Ward Presents
An Astronomical Journey
At 7 pm Wednesday, July 20

The name Hubble is widely known as it has become synonymous with the most famous space-based observatory. In a free program at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, Dr. Bruce Ward, Emeritus Harvard Observatory,  will trace the zigzag track of how astronomers gradually accumulated evidence that the blots of light visible in their telescopes were in fact wholly other "island universes," or galaxies.
Woods Hole Scientist 
Presents Free Talk
On Climate Change:
7 pm Thursday, July 28

Susan Natali, Ph.D., an associate scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, will present a free program on climate change at the library at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 28. 

Permafrost plays a vital role in the Earth's climate system. As permafrost thaws in response to increasing temperatures, greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, further amplifying climate change. Dr.  Natali  will discuss her research focused on how Arctic ecosystems will change in a warming world and influence global climate.  Dr.  Natali  will also address the critical role of permafrost thaw in relation to the recent Paris Agreement on climate change.
International Film Series Concludes

The Edgartown Library concludes its series of international films with two programs on Wednesday evenings in July. Screenings are at 7 p.m., the films are free -- and this series is intended for adults. Here's the line-up:


Wednesday, July 6: Human Capital
Combines the luxurious look of a classic wish-fulfillment fantasy with a stinging critique of capitalism's excesses and psychic costs. Directed by Paolo Virzi. (Italy, 2015)



Wednesday, July 13: The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Relying on the charisma of Romain Duris, the film is a mesmerizing portrait of a man torn by two very different sides of his personality. (France, 2005)
Opening in July: An Exhibit
Of Photos from Vineyard Colors

Vineyard Colors will be displaying 366 days of photographs in our Program Room starting on  July 16. The exhibit, spanning the south wall of our new building,  will be on display through the month of August. 

An opening reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on  Saturday, July 16. R efreshments will be served and all are welcome.
Please Support the Library Friends, Who Support Us

All our programs at the Edgartown Library are supported by the Friends of the Edgartown Library, who have their own page on our website. We hope you'll consider supporting or joining the Friends today.