News, Information, and Fun Things to Do

from the

Middleborough Public Library

Library Lines

January 18, 2023

Black History Heroes, Soldiers and Spies Heading to Town Hall Soon

The Library will be recognizing Black History Month in February with a theatrical production for all ages called, "Black History Heroes, Soldiers, and Spies." Offered by the North Carolina-based Bright Star Theatre, it will take place at Town Hall on Sat., Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m.

You'll have the opportunity to experience, celebrate and learn about forgotten heroes and soldiers of Black History. See the work of the Buffalo Soldiers and Colonel Charles Young as they help settle the American West and some of our first national parks; join the Tuskegee Airmen as they take flight to help win a battle in World War II; and learn about the work of spies such as Mary Elizabeth Bowser who worked with the Union during the Civil War.

Click here for more details. No registration will be required.

Ideas For Your Next Read From Our Nonfiction Book Club

The Library has been offering a book club for fans of nonfiction for about a year and a half now. We meet monthly on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. in person at the Library. We also offer a Zoom option if you'd prefer to participate from home.

The group welcomes new members, for one meeting or every time. There's a twist to this book club -- we all read whatever work of nonfiction we like and then share the title with the others. No pressure to report either; if you'd like to come and just get lots of "what to read next" ideas, that's great, too.

Our next meeting is on Tues., Jan. 31 but in the meantime, we wanted to share a selection of the titles read and recommended by our group during 2022.

Click on the book cover to place a hold for the title in the SAILS catalog or on the red title to place a hold for the digital OverDrive edition (if available in digital format).

For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals For Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan (2019)

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (2021)

Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports by John Branch (2021)

From Warsaw With Love: Polish Spies, the CIA, and the Forging of an Unlikely Alliance by John Pomfret (2021)

The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May (2019)

Gil Hodges: The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend by Tom Clavin and Danny Peary (2012)

Show Your Hometown Pride with Your New Library Card

There are just a few more weeks left for you to stop by to exchange your current SAILS card for one of these new, colorful cards at no charge. (You'll receive a new number with your new card.) This special offer ends Fri., Feb 3. (If you've lost your old card, you can get one of the new ones at no charge, as well.)

New library users will automatically receive one of our new cards.

Sharebrary Item of the Week

Sharebrary: Borrow. Try. Experience.

This week's featured Sharebrary item is our laminator. There are so many uses for this gem, who knows what you'll be able to do with it at home? You could laminate:

Kids' artwork to make your own placemats
Certificates of achievement
Craft projects
Delivery menus from your favorite restaurants
Luggage tags
and more.

Please note that patrons are expected to provide their own supplies for this. We recommend using Fellowes or Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches.

We currently have 34 different items to lend out from our Sharebrary collection.

Thank you to the Wilfred M. Silvia Library Trust for its generous support of the Sharebrary collection.

Check Out Our New Board Games to Borrow

Always wanted to play Ticket To Ride? Pop in and take a look at our new collection of four popular strategy games available to borrow: Risk, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Ticket to Ride: Europe.

Head to the teen area and look above the YA Fiction section. Grab the game box (it'll be empty) and your library card and come see one of our librarians at the Main Desk to check it out. Similar to our children's Funbrary collection, these games can be borrowed for up to one month. Try one out--you'll be sure to have a blast!

Drop-In Pokemon Club

Do you or the kids in your life love Pokémon? On Sat., Jan. 21, between 10:00 a.m. and noon, come share your cards, play with other kids, learn the game from each other, or just talk Pokémon.

We don't allow card trading at this event, but if you don't have cards, you can borrow the Library's decks.

Pokemon Club is open to kids of all ages, and no registration is required.

Family Game Night

Get out of the house and join us for a Family Game Night, on Tues., Jan. 24 at 6:00 p.m. The Library has many games and puzzles for you to enjoy.

This program is open to all ages, and no registration is required.

Me, You, We Social Emotional Playgroup

Join Ms. Jen and Ms. Gina of Self Help Inc.'s CFCE for a new six-week playgroup called "Me, You, We." In partnership with the Boston Children's Museum and their collaboration with MA Early Education and Care (EEC), this program offers resources to parents to help their child develop and practice their social emotional skills.

"Me, You, We" starts Mon., Jan. 23 at at 10:30 a.m., and continues Mondays through March 6. (There will be no program on Mon., Feb. 20 during School Vacation Week.) It's for children ages 3-5 years old, and siblings are welcome. Please register all children, and do so early as space is limited. Families will receive a kit of hands-on materials to keep.

Toddler Tunes with Ms. Kathy

Ms. Kathy will visit Tues., Jan. 31 at 10:00 a.m. with music and movement perfect for your toddlers. No registration is necessary.

Homeschool Program: World Read Aloud Day

Homeschool families with children ages 8-12 are invited to celebrate World Read Aloud Day with a virtual author visit by Karen Kane.

Karen is the author of the series Charlie & Frog. She graduated from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Learn how she went from an idea to a published book.

Along with our author visit, we'll be sharing books and creating stories.

Registration is required so call the Library at 508/946-2470.

Tiny Tots Returns

Join Ms. Amanda for stories, rhymes and songs, best for families with babies through through three years of age, on Wed., Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, at 10:30 a.m. This session of Tiny Tots runs through Feb. 15.

Tiny Tots takes place in the Library's large meeting room. To stay informed of program email announcements, including change of location, please register by calling the Library at 508/946-2470.

Stop By For Lego Building Afternoons

Drop by the Large Meeting Room for Lego Afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., Tues., Jan. 24 and 31. Create a Lego masterpiece using the Library's bricks. Space is on a first-come, first-served basis. One table per family or group, and social distancing is encouraged.

Little Explorers: Winter

Join Ms. Amanda on Thurs., Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. for stories and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities related to winter.

This program is best for ages 3-6 and their families, and siblings are always welcome. Space is limited, so please register by calling the Library at 508/946-2470.

Mush- Let's Read! Iditaread Winter Challenge

Get ready for the IditaREAD Winter Reading Challenge starting Wed., Feb. 1 and running through Fri., March 31. Kids up to 6th grade can enter and log reading time and complete activity badges related to seasonal and timely topics for the chance to win one of three grand prizes, including a gift certificate for ice cream, a plush husky dog, and an Alaskan prize pack.

Use the Beanstack Reading Program site or download the free Beanstack Tracker app.

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

If one of your New Years' resolutions is to move away from the TV and read more, now's the time to open up that Libby app on your phone or tablet and download a new title to try. We offer everything from the hottest new tell-all (Spare by the Duke of Sussex anyone?) and favorite series (Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries) to old favorites, and even magazines.

Don't have the app? Download it here. This is one resolution that's easy to keep all year long.

Buy a Bag and Fill It with Free Books

When you purchase one of the new $10 book bags offered by The Friends of the Middleborough Public Library (FMPL), you'll find a coupon in your new bag that can be exchanged for free books in Ex Libris, the FMPL bookstore located on the lower level of the Library.

Ex Libris is open:

Tuesday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Saturday, Noon to 2:00 p.m.

The FMPL is a non-profit organization that raises funds to support Library programming.