"Freedom Songs" Musical Theatrical Production For Kids and Adults

In honor of Black History Month, we're bringing back to Middleborough the much-loved professional national touring company Bright Star Touring Theatre.

Join us at the Library on Sat., Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. for their musical production, "Freedom Songs." This musical revue provides an energetic and engaging approach to learning about Black History. From songs which carried the secret messages needed to navigate the Underground Railroad, to the powerful anthems of the Civil Rights Movement, to Ragtime, R&B and the Beale Street Blues, music has long been an integral part of American history which is celebrated in this production. 

Meet incredible Americans like Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday, Little Richard and more as Bright Star’s professional actors/singers take you on a musical tour through hundreds of years of history, sampling songs that spread across centuries and continents, and explaining the history behind these famous ballads, hymns and musical styles.

"Freedom Songs" is best appreciated by audiences in grades 3 through adult, and no registration is required.

Each year, Bright Star Touring Theatre serves nearly 1,000 audiences in schools, theaters, libraries, and museums across the country. For more information, visit them at www.brightstartheatre.com.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Middleborough Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

REMINDER: This Saturday! Let's Make History: Marbled Paper Notecards 

This program is completely full, but if you have a confirmed reservation, please remember to attend this Sat., Feb. 3 at 10:30 a.m. We'll be creating totally one-of-a-kind notecards with this fun hands-on activity as you learn the fascinating history of paper marbling. This program is part of the Old Colony History Museum's "Let's Make History" series.

If you know you won't be able to attend, please call us at 508/946-2470 or email Reference and Adult Services Librarian Libby Fox to let us know so we can give your spot to someone on the waiting list.

Thanks to the Old Colony History Museum and the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library for making this program possible.

Next Up in Our Virtual Author Talk Series

Our virtual author talk series features bestselling, award-winning authors, covering a range of fiction and nonfiction genres in one-hour-long programs.

Register for upcoming events here and submit your questions for the author, or you can watch here, at any time, any of the previous programs archived up to a year back.

Spice, Spirit, and Swoon–A Guaranteed Happily Ever After with Rom-Com Author Tessa Bailey, Thurs., Feb. 8, 8:00 p.m. (VIRTUAL)

Log on to your device to hear author Tessa Bailey talk about the launch of her new sports rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan in her new book Fangirl Down. 

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines.

But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory, and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

Bailey is a#1 New York Times bestselling author who lives on Long Island, avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of her books.

Register here.

Exploring Identity, Love, and Being Black in America in Fiction Writing: A Conversation with Award-Winning Author Jason Mott, Tues., Feb. 20, 4:00 p.m.

Join us online as we talk to New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott about his recent novel Hell of a Book. This magnificent work of fiction is deeply honest, at times electrically funny, and goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans and America as a whole.

In Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.

While this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it’s also about the nation’s reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America.

Mott is the author of two poetry collections and four novels. His first novel, The Returned, was adapted for television and aired on ABC under the title "Resurrection." His novels that followed have received various accolades and acclaim. Hell of a Book won the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, was a Carnegie Medals For Excellence Longlist nominee, and was the winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction. He lives in North Carolina.

Register here.

Robot Ninja Warriors with Mobile Quest S.T.E.M. Center

Participants will learn how to write code to move robots through an obstacle course and become Robot Ninja Warriors in this program offered by Mobile Quest S.T.E.M. Center.

Scheduled for Tues., Feb. 20 at 1:00 p.m., the program is for kids ages 7-12, and space is limited. Registration will open tomorrow, Thurs., Feb. 1. Please call the Library at 508/946-2470 to do so.

Storyteller Charlot Lucien

Stop by the Library on Wed., Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. to see award-winning storyteller Charlot Lucien in an engaging, bilingual performance of Haitian stories that is open to all and appropriate for every age.

Author of five storytelling CDs in Haitian Creole and French, Charlot is described by the Northeast Storytelling organization as, "a Haitian-born storyteller, visual artist, and lecturer on Haitian culture and history. He has received various awards for his cultural advocacy and his promotion of Haitian storytelling."  

This program is made possible thanks to a Jordan Miller Storytelling grant and the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Book BINGO is Back

Join Ms. Amanda for Book BINGO during school vacation week, Thurs., Feb. 22 at 10:30 a.m.

Use a card supplied by the Library and follow along with the game. All kids who get a "BINGO" will be able to choose a book to keep from the prize table. All ages are welcome. 

Henna Workshop for Teens

Teens aged 11-18 are invited to join us for a Henna Workshop on Thurs., Feb. 22 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Library's downstairs meeting room.

Kara Andrews, from Art on the Spot, will be discussing the history, application, and different types of cultural Henna styles. Teens will be able to practice with their own Henna paste, as well as receive a small henna design from Kara. 

Register for a spot by calling the Library at 508/946-2470 or emailing Teen Librarian Christine Dargelis.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Teen Mario Kart 8 Tournament with One Up Games

Go out for a spin and hurl some shells at our Mario Kart 8 Tournament with One Up Games during school vacation week on Fri., Feb. 23 from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Library's downstairs meeting room. Join us for friendly competition, fun, and snacks.

For tweens and teens ages 10-18.

Register for your spot in the tourney by calling the Library at 508/946-2470.

Preschool STEAM Storytime

Join Ms. Amanda for a story and hands-on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities for preschoolers ages 3-6 and their families. Each program will begin with a read-aloud and group activity, followed by centers to explore. 

We meet once a month on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. and you can sign up for each one individually:

February 5 -- Valentine's Fun

March 18 -- Rainbows

April 22 -- Spring it on!

Please call the library at 508/946-2470 or email Miss Amanda to register. Registration will open a month prior to each program.

This series is generously supported by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Pokemon Club

Do you or your kids love Pokémon? Come share your cards, play with other kids, learn the game from each other, or just talk Pokémon on Sat., Feb. 10, from 10:00 a.m. until noon.

We don't allow card trading at this event but if you don't have cards, you can borrow the Library's decks. Open to kids of all ages, and no registration is required.

This program is supported by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Homeschool Board Game Day

Join us on Thurs., Feb. 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. for a fun-filled afternoon at our Homeschool Board Game Day in the downstairs meeting room.

We have lots of board games for both kids and teens, and families are invited to bring their own games to share, too. Come try a new game or play an old favorite.

This event is geared towards ages 9+ but all ages are welcome, and no registration is necessary.

Additional support for the games was made possible by the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Thanks to all the area organizations who make the pass program possible for our patrons.

Secrets in the Libby App and How to Find Them

Having fun uncovering all the "Easter eggs" in the Libby app? Here are two more:

Use Swipe Gestures in the Audiobook Player

You may know about the controls in the audiobook player, but did you know that you can also swipe left and right on the cover of an audiobook to skip ahead or go back? The further you swipe, the more time is skipped.

Spin a book cover

Before you open a book you’ve borrowed from the library, you can tap the cover and swipe side to side to make it spin. Why not let that book show off with a little dance before being read?

Thanks to the 5.24.23 online issue of LibbyLife for this article.

Sharebrary Item of the Week: Digital Film Scanner

Sharebrary: Borrow. Try. Experience.

With all this cold weather making inside a much more comfortable bet right now than outside, use some of that indoor time to work on your long-postponed projects. If you have stacks of Kodachrome slides or film negatives languishing in shoeboxes, you need this Sharebrary item.

The Digital Film Scanner allows you to convert all that old stuff into digital images. It comes with a 50x50 hinged slide holder, a 110 film adapter, 126 film adapter, 135 film adapter, both USB and HDMI cables, a cleaning brush, a 32 GM SD card, a USB 3.0 Portable Reader card for SD card, and a user's manual, all in a convenient hard-shelled carrying case.

The Digital Film Scanner is one of 40 different items we have in our Sharebrary collection. Check them all out!

Ex Libris Bookstore Cabin Fever Sale on Now

You don’t have to leave town to find a large collection of great books, DVDs and music CDs for all ages at amazing prices. The Ex Libris Bookstore is located on the lower level of the Library and has a great sale on now through Sat., Feb. 10.

Ex Libris is a fundraising activity of the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library. Shop the bookstore and support the Friends’ mission. If you're already a regular patron, thank you. If you have yet to visit, drop in.

Programs and Parking -- the Friends Are Making A Difference

You may know that the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library (FMPL) raise many of the funds that provide our staff the opportunity to offer programming to both Middleboro residents and those in

surrounding communities.

But you might not be aware that the all-volunteer, nonprofit also owns, insures, and maintains the lot on the corner of North Main and Peirce Streets that provides convenient off-street parking for library users.

Thank you for your support of their fundraising activities that allows the Friends to fulfill their mission of making a difference in the community.