Important Library & Community Resources |
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Library to Reopen with Limited Hours and Services
We are pleased to announce that both branches of the Talbot County Free Library will be open for limited hours and services at a reduced capacity beginning Monday, August 17, for the Easton Library and Monday, August 24, for the St. Michaels Library.
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The safety of our patrons and staff is very important to us. Masks are required in the building for both staff and patrons over the age of two.
At any time, depending on the number of cases in Talbot County or other circumstances related to the pandemic, we may be forced to return to more limited offerings, such as the Books-to-Go service, or to close one or both branches once again for an extended period.
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Hours for both branches for this phase of service include:
Monday and Thursday: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. * 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. * 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
*Library is closed mid-day for cleaning.
At this time, the library is closed on Saturday.
Services that are being offered during this phase of reopening are designed for convenience, safety, and efficiency during your library visit. We invite you to pick out items, use the self-checkout stations, access public computers, ask quick account and information questions, and use the services listed in our reopening FAQ. New books and our DVD collections are located near the entrance so that you can easily grab something and be on your way.
Visits are limited to one hour a day (with computer sessions also limited to one hour a day). Visits may be shorter if you are visiting near mid-day or end-of-day closing times. Because we have very limited occupancy, try to limit your visit to 30 minutes or less. Please plan ahead to optimize your time. We appreciate the effort.
According to Library Director Dana Newman, returning patrons will notice changes when they come back into the Library. “Talbot County Free Library puts the safety of our patrons and staff first and foremost, and to that end, we have adapted our buildings and services to minimize the risk of exposure to potential illness,” said Newman. “We have installed Plexiglas at all service desks, 6-feet distancing markers, and limited available furniture and computers which have been placed at least six feet apart. Library staff will regularly disinfect all high-touch surface areas, and hand sanitizer and wipes are available for public use. We hope these changes will make our patrons' experience comfortable.”
For everyone’s safety:
· Stay home if you are sick or not feeling well
· Wear your face covering while inside
· Limit interactions with other visitors and staff
· Keep a 6-foot distance from others
· Refrain from hanging out or congregating in groups
· Respect the safety shields at our service desks; speak through and not around them
To provide the best visiting experience for everyone, library patrons are asked to read our reopening FAQ and abide by its requirements. We hope that you will visit us soon and we look forward to seeing all of our patrons again!
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One Maryland One Book Now Available!
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
This year's One Maryland One Book selection The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See is now available to check out from both the Easton and St. Michaels branches. One Maryland One Book is Maryland’s only statewide community reading program—like one big book club. It’s an opportunity for people to read a good book, then come together for thoughtful discussion. Reserve your copy now!
Virtual books discussions, led by Library Guy Bill Peak, will be held on the following dates:
Tuesday, September 8, 3 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 6 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.
If you would like to participate in one of these discussions, email Bill at mcpeak@tcfl.org with the date you would like to attend. You will receive a Zoom invitation to the program a few days before the event.
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2020 Author Tour: Join Us Virtually October 5, 7 p.m.
As part of our programming for the state’s largest reading and discussion program, 2020 One Maryland One Book author Lisa See will visit us virtually to discuss her book The Island of Sea Women. This tour event is free, but you must register here to receive the virtual event link. Event registrants will be entered into a drawing to win a set of teas and snacks from Jeju Island.
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Free Science in the Summer Kits Available!
Sponsored by GSK and the Franklin Institute
Be a Chemist! Find out what happens with real life chemistry experiments in the hybrid program that includes instructions, high-quality videos created by the Franklin Institute, and take-home science kits! Join Zoom meetings hosted by Chemists ready to discuss what they did to become chemists! Registration information for Zoom meetings can be found in the Activity Guide. Recommended for children entering grades 2 - 6, but open to a wider age range.
Materials Chemist: August 18, 2 – 3 p.m.
Color Chemist: August 20, 2 – 3 p.m.
To sign up, fill out a Kit Request Form. You will receive an email confirmation that includes all the details for participating in Science in the Summer and instructions on when to come pick up your free take-home kit through the Books-to-Go service, available while supplies last. For more information, view this short video. |
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Upcoming Children's Programming
Join Mr. Matt for song and dance fun!
Recommended for families with young children.
Stories, songs, and rhymes!
Recommended for families with children ages 5 and under.
Children’s chapter book read-aloud. Currently reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery (available for read along on Hoopla).
Recommended for children ages 6+.
Recommended for families with children ages 5 and under.
Previous sessions:
Friday, August 21, noon - "Picture Book Fridays" with Carmen Agra Deedy, the Collaborative Summer Library Program's National Summer Reading Champion! Carmen, who speaks both Spanish and English, will share stories for families on Fridays at Noon (ET) throughout the summer.
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Programs for Tweens and Teens
Digital Escape Rooms, Reading Fun!
Try out these fun activities when it's good for you.
Recommended for ages 9 and up.
Music Fun with Mr. Jonathan
Mondays, July 6 – August 24
Learn and play the ukulele!
Recommended for ages 9 and up
Afternoon Chess Challenges
Tuesdays, July 7 & 21, August 4 & 18
Practice your chess moves!
Recommended for ages 6 -16
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The Library Guy Interviews USNA Poet Temple Cone
Library Guy Bill Peak recently interviewed Temple Cone, Professor of English at the U.S. Naval Academy. Cone is the author of four books of poetry: Guzzle, That Singing, The Broken Meadow (which received the 2010 Old Seventy Creek Poetry Press Series Prize), and No Loneliness (which received the 2009 FutureCycle Press Poetry Book Prize). He has also published seven poetry chapbooks.
In the interview, Cone reads poems from the most recent of these: Southrenody. Cone holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Wisconsin, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Creative Writing from Hollins University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Washington & Lee University. From 2018-2019, he served as the first Poet Laureate of the City of Annapolis.
Click here to view the video which is approximately twenty-five minutes in length. The Library Guy is co-produced with the Talbot County Free Library and the Spy Newspapers.
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Visions of the Future: Voting, Activism, and Art
An Enoch Pratt Free Library Program
Join Lisa Snowden-McCray, Editor in Chief of the Baltimore Beat, for a lively conversation with poet, journalist, and author Celeste Doaks and poet, writer, speaker, and political strategist Camonghne Felix. As we move toward this year’s presidential election, how will black women keep their seat at the table and engage with politics? Doaks and Felix will discuss their specific involvement with politics through participation, activism, and art. Click here to join the conversation.
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Interview with Author Fredrick Backman
Thursday, September 10, 5:00 p.m.
A Maryland Humanities Program
New York Times best-selling author of A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman, will be live on Zoom September 10, at 5 p.m., to discuss his latest book, Anxious People. In Anxious People, Backman drops us into the world of a failed bank robber and the disparate group of strangers who become unwitting hostages, offering up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.
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From films made around the Chesapeake Bay, to films produced on the West Coast, to films from across the ocean, the 2020 Festival promises to be the most diverse and exciting in the 13-year-history of the Chesapeake Film Festival. It’s virtual. It’s international. And it’s FREE!
CFF 2020, being held October 1-4, includes seven outstanding films from filmmakers in countries as diverse as the Netherlands and Iran. Registration for this year’s Chesapeake Film Festival will go live on September 1st.
Here is a sneak preview of some of the films :
Emanuel - Documentary Feature. National headlines blazed the story: Churchgoers Gunned Down During Prayer Service in Charleston, South Carolina. After a 21-year-old white supremacist opened fire in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, nine African Americans lay dead, leaving their families and the nation to grapple with the senseless act of terror.
About Us - Narrative Feature. In an effort to rekindle their troubled marriage, a young couple revisit the location where they spent their honeymoon eight years earlier. We watch as they navigate the beauty and the pain of love, culminating in a heartbreaking finale as truths are revealed.
Our House is On Fire - Documentary Short. An emerging filmmaker’s commentary on climate change, the utmost damaging problem to homo sapiens because it affects the quality of life for everyone. We all have a responsibility to consider the needs of the Earth’s ecosystem of which all life is dependent.
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