News, Information, and Fun Things to Do
 from the  
Middleborough Public Library
Library Lines
December 15, 2021
Special Christmas Week Hours

Please note our hours during Christmas week.

Thurs., Dec. 23/Closed in observance of Christmas Eve
Fri., Dec. 24/Friday -- Regular closure
Sat., Dec. 25/Christmas Day -- Holiday closure
Sun., Dec. 26 -- Regular closure

Our digital services like OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks and Consumer Reports are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
Read Historic Issues from Home: Middleboro Gazette Now Digitized
For many years, we've been happy to help fans of Middleboro history and family genealogy with conducting their research using historic issues of the Middleboro Gazette on microfilm. While we love seeing you here in person at the Library, we know it's not always convenient for you to stop by or wait for us to email you articles.

Today we have exciting news to share that will make reading historic issues of the Gazette yourself as easy as logging onto any device with internet access. Thanks to the ongoing generous support of the Wilfred M. Silvia Library Trust, we're now offering digitized editions of the Gazette from 1852 through those published in 1922. (Copyright law currently prohibits us from making any more recent editions available digitally on our website.)

Newspapers from 1852 through 2017 are still available here at the Library on microfilm as are 2021 print editions through their final edition published Dec. 2. An index to all available issues through 1984 can be found here.

Click here to get started searching our digitized newspapers for all-things Middleboro including people, places, events and news.
Save The Date!
Ever wonder how mystery authors come up with their plots, characters, and red herrings? Wonder no more: this is your chance to participate in the improvisational making of a mystery!

Jeannette de Beauvoir, author of the Sydney Riley Provincetown mystery series, will lead the program.

Watch for more details in the next newsletter and, in the meantime, reserve Sat., Jan. 15 at 1:00 p.m. for a fun-filled mystery afternoon. Registration is required and will open on Mon., Dec. 27.
A Winter StoryWalk for Families at Soule Homestead
Head over to Soule Homestead at 46 Soule St. from Thurs., Dec. 23 through Sun., Jan. 2 to enjoy Immi's Gift by Karin Littlewood, on a winter Storywalk®. Travel from page to page, reading the story at your own pace. Start near the goat pen and follow the prompts. Don't forget to sign the virtual guest book at the end of the story.
IMLS
This Storywalk® is made possible through CARES Act funding to Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. 
Kids Can Unwrap the Gift of Reading
The best gifts are a surprise, so help your kids borrow a "gift" from under our LEGO Christmas tree in the Children's Room. Each wrapped package includes two picture books -- one holiday-oriented tale and one funny story.

The only rule is -- no peeking until after you've checked them out!
Ornament Kits For Kids
Holiday Hacks for Harried Helpers
Your kids can get a free, personalized letter from Santa. Go to Macaroni KID to get started.

Visit Brightly for holiday printables to keep kids busy featuring characters they love.

Read this article from Boston Children's Hospital on how you can reduce children's holiday stress and anxiety. 

And don't forget to stock up on holiday movies, music and more from the Library.
Need Great Last-Minute Gifts? Ex Libris Bookstore to the Rescue!
Stop by the Friends of the Middleboro Public Library Ex Libris bookstore for great last-minute gift books. As if their items weren't already the best bargain in town, they're having a Holiday Sale now through Tues., Dec. 21. Their prices can't be beat: fill a bag with any books, CDs, and DVDs for just $5. Or, if you only want a few items, take home anything for 50% off the already low price of $2 for hard covers, $1 for trade paperbacks, and 3 for $12 for mass market paperbacks (the little ones).

You can find Ex Libris on the lower level of the Library, open Tuesdays, 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., Thursdays, 5:00-7:00 p.m., and Saturdays, noon-2:00 p.m.
Holiday Movie-Popcorn Bundles
We have a few of our movie and popcorn bundles left, so stop in to see what's left or call the Library at 508/946-2470 to reserve one that includes three movies, a bag of microwave popcorn, and themed activity sheets. 
PJ Holiday Storytime on Zoom

Join Ms. Amanda from the comfort of your own home for a PJ Holiday Storytime on Zoom. at 6:30 p.m., Tues., Dec. 21. Enjoy books, songs, and more! This program is geared towards kids age 3 and up but all family members are welcome. 

Call the library at 508/946-2470 to register and receive the Zoom link. Pick up a kit to enjoy during the program.
 
This storytime is generously supported by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.
Download the Beanstack Tracker mobile app to your mobile device so you can easily track your reading.

Download for Android and iOS devices.
Miss Lori's Fun Fridays on Facebook
Through December, Ms. Lori's Facebook Fun Fridays will be in a question & answer format. She'll a post a riddle, math problem, trivia question, library knowledge or book fact. 

Email Miss Lori with your name, age, and answer to the question and she'll put it in a prize drawing, or come into the Library and fill out a Fun Friday Form and drop it in the bucket yourself. A lucky patron's name will be chosen at the end of each month.

Upcoming Fun Friday challenges on Facebook:

December 17 - Riddle
December 24 - Middleboro Trivia
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About OverDrive and the Libby App But Were Afraid to Ask
December is typically a big time for gifting smartphones, tablets and e-readers, so we're bringing back this feature to help you learn everything you can about reading or listening to your favorite stories from the Library. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of Libby.

  1. Just cannot WAIT to find out how your book ends? Adjust the playback speed so that the narrator's voice speeds up! You'll find out whodunit way faster than if you were reading it yourself. Simply tap the odometer icon at the top of your screen. Then, choose a preset speed or drag on the “fine-tune” slider to set a custom speed.
  2. Sign up for push notifications to receive alerts about your books. Choose which notifications you'd like to receive from the Libby menu under "Manage Notifications," including: when a hold becomes available; when a loan is about to expire; and when a loan has expired.
  3. See your audiobook progress: You can see your current position, your progress as a percentage, and the remaining time in the audiobook at the top of the player. You can see your progress in the current chapter next to the “Chapters” button (or chapter name). The time elapsed is on the left, and the time remaining is on the right.
  4. See your place in line for a hold After you place a hold, go to Shelf > Holds and tap the calendar icon to see your place in line. You’ll also see your approximate wait time, the number of copies in use, and the number of people waiting.

Don't have the Libby app? Download it here.
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New Hours

Monday - Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Saturday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Closed Friday & Sunday