Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

November 2023

Library Hours

Monday & Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9 am - 5 pm

Saturday 9 am - 1 pm

Curbside pickup is available during library hours!

Chess Park

Jacob Edwards Library and Southbridge Chess Club are in the preliminary stages of developing a chess park on Main Street! The Board of Trustees has been working with Joseph Coan Landscape Architect and this is a concept rendering of the proposed park. Stay tuned for updates!

November Art Exhibit

The Photography of Donald R. Beal

Meet & Greet

Thursday, November 2nd

6:00 - 6:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host an exhibit of the photographic work of Donald R. Beal. Starting out over 60 years ago with the camera club in New Jersey, where he learned his photography skills and entered competitions, Donald has continued to take photographs. He returned to his native Massachusetts and more recently has joined the Massasoit Art Guild.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

From the publisher:

"One of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard reveals the hidden lives of her fellow undocumented Americans in this deeply personal and groundbreaking portrait of a nation.

Traveling across the country, journalist Karla Cornejo Villavicencio risked arrest at every turn to report the extraordinary stories of her fellow undocumented Americans. Her subjects have every reason to be wary around reporters, but Cornejo Villavicencio has unmatched access to their stories. Her work culminates in a stunning, essential read for our times.

Born in Ecuador and brought to the United States when she was five years old, Cornejo Villavicencio has lived the American Dream. Raised on her father's deliveryman income, she later became one of the first undocumented students admitted into Harvard. She is now a doctoral candidate at Yale University and has written for The New York Times. She weaves her own story among those of the eleven million undocumented who have been thrust into the national conversation today as never before.

Looking well beyond the flashpoints of the border or the activism of the DREAMERS, Cornejo Villavicencio explores the lives of the undocumented as rarely seen in our daily headlines. In New York, we meet the undocumented workers who were recruited in the federally funded Ground Zero cleanup after 9/11. In Miami we enter the hidden botanicas, which offer witchcraft and homeopathy to those whose status blocks them from any other healthcare options. In Flint, Michigan, we witness how many live in fear as the government issues raids at grocery stores and demands identification before offering life-saving clean water.

In her book, Cornejo Villavicencio powerfully reveals the hidden corners of our nation of immigrants. She brings to light remarkable stories of hope and resilience, and through them we come to understand what it truly means to be American."

Hamilton Woolen Company Presentation

Thursday, November 16th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a presentation on the Hamilton Woolen Company by Dr. Teresa Fava Thomas.

The Hamilton Woolen Company produced primarily woolen products, especially after the Civil War cut off cotton supplies. It remained a major presence in town until a strike in 1934 closed its doors forever. Its complex underwent expansion in the late 19th century, but many of these buildings have not survived. The company added several buildings to the complex in 1929, most notable the dye building, which features a large segmented arch window. The program will discuss the influence of the Hamilton Woolen Company on the town of Southbridge and beyond, as well as chart the history of the company.

Dr. Teresa Fava Thomas is a professor of history at Fitchburg State University. She has taught in the graduate and undergraduate programs since 1996 including Italian American History: Immigration and Identity as well as Modern Italian History. Professor Fava Thomas has also taught in FSU's Study Abroad program at Verona, Italy, organized public discussion panels on Italian-American issues, and hosted an annual film series on Italian and Italian-American issues. As a member of FSU's Center for Italian Culture's Advisory Board, she has also designed curriculum for a US Dept of Education grant-funded graduate program, the Teaching American History project, which included a seminar on immigration history.

Afternoon Author Talk

Robert James Racicot

Wednesday, November 29th

3:00 - 4:00 pm

** please note the later time **

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host an afternoon author talk with Robert James Racicot, author of The Haunting of the Oxford Library and The Legend of Carbuncle Pond.

Mr. Racicot, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, retired from the U.S. Air Force after a 20-year career, mainly teaching chemistry at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado. He has taught chemistry at Worcester State University, as well, but is now enjoying retirement.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Native Links: The Surprising Connections between Our First Peoples and the Game of Golf

Thursday, November 30th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Photo courtesy of David Bunn Martine.

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a presentation by Dr. Mark Wagner in honor of Native American Heritage Month.

Just as there can be no history of America without recognizing our Native and First Peoples, the history of golf now cannot be fully told without Native Americans. Why? A number of tribes in the new millennium, aided in part by gaming licenses, have built resort golf courses, employing some of the finest architects of our era: the Jones brothers, golfer Ben Crenshaw and his business partner Bill Coore, Jeff Brauer, Christine Fraser, and Notah Begay III, a professional-golfer-turned-TV-analyst.

Some 55 tribes now own and operate golf courses, and some have hosted events by the Professional Golf Association and the Ladies Professional Golf Association. This work led me to discovering the Native individuals who played a role in golf, including Frank Dufina, Rod Curl and others.

This aspect of Native history, however, has been long overlooked until now. Dr. Mark Wagner will consider the philosophies of the earth that Tribal Cultures bring to course design, and consider some of the key Native figures in the game, which indisputably begins with Oscar Smith Bunn, who was born about 1875 on the Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island and went on to become a Shinnecock tribal trustee, a Hall of Fame caddie, a professional golfer and teacher, and a woodcarving artist.

Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking

by Jacques Pépin

From the publisher:

"Providing more than 150 recipes along with an illustrated menu for each season, the legendary master chef and cooking instructor offers practical techniques for saving money, time and cleanup effort without sacrificing taste."

Database Spotlight

hoopla is HERE!!

All you need is a library card! Borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen - your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you're in the mood. Five titles can be downloaded per card per month. Most titles can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet. hoopla offers more content, in more places, than any other digital library platform and it's all FREE thanks to your public library!

Join us on Saturday November 4, 2023 at 10:30am

We will read

"The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Author Tomie dePaola

and create our own sunset paintings. 

Lego Club

Tuesdays

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Saturdays

10:30am-11:30am

Crafty Wednesday

All Day

 Every Week



See you at the library!

Jacob Edwards Library

508.764.5426

jelibrary@cwmars.org