2021 Will Soon Be a Welcome Sight

News, Information, and Fun Things to Do

from the

Middleborough Public Library

Library Lines

December 16, 2020

Special Christmas Week Hours

Please note our special hours during Christmas week.

Thurs., Dec. 24/Christmas Eve -- Closed

Fri., Dec. 25/Christmas Day -- Closed

Sat., Dec. 26 -- Closed in observance of Christmas Day

Of course, our digital services like Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks and Creativebug are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Family BINGO on Zoom During Vacation Week

Join Miss Amanda for a Family BINGO night on Zoom on Tues., Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. Pick up a BINGO card from the Library or have one emailed to you for use during the event.

We'll have music playing and lots of chances to win prizes. To sign up for this event, call us at 508/946-2470 or email Miss Amanda .

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

Kids It's Time for Your Winter Reading Challenge

Children from birth to Grade 6 are encouraged to cozy up with a good book for our Winter Reading Challenge starting Mon., Dec. 21. It's going to be snow much fun!

Read 12 hours to complete the challenge and earn virtual tickets for a grand prize drawing to win a $25 Amazon gift card, $25 Target gift card or a bag of surprises from the Library. Complete Activity Badges for more chances to win.

New to this season's challenge is the chance to unlock even more activities as you complete badges. For families looking for some off-screen time, this program also can be done offline using paper handouts available for download or at the Library.

Parents Corner

Does your Elf need some extra help this year? Check out these ideas from Country Living magazine.

Want a calendar of literacy-based activities to interact with your North Pole visitor? Print or pick up these ideas from Miss Amanda.

Did you add a child to your family during 2020? The BabySteps Savings Plan is a college savings account program offered by MEFA. Every child born or adopted on or after January 1, 2020 who is a Massachusetts resident will be eligible within one year of birth or adoption to receive a $50 seed deposit! Visit BabyStepsSavingsPlan.org for more details.

The holidays may look a bit different this year, so you might want to check out this great article from Boston Children's Hospital with ideas on ways to cope: Preparing Your Kids for the Holidays During Covid-19 .

Miss Lori's Fun Puzzle Challenges

Fri., Dec. 18: It's time for a holiday fill-in-the-blank puzzle. Complete this "Hidden Present" sheet and post it on our Facebook page. Let the giggling begin!

Wed., Dec. 30: Of course you know what's just around the corner, don't you? It's almost time for a Happy New Year! Try this word scramble while you're counting down the minutes until Friday.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About OverDrive and the Libby App But Were Afraid

to Ask

Here are a few more tips for getting the most out of Libby.

Suspend your holds: Suspending a hold lets you move up a title’s wait list without the title becoming available for you. If you reach #1 in line, you’ll be in the first position to get the book once your suspension ends. You may want to suspend a hold if you have too little time to read or too many books in progress.

To suspend all your holds:

Go to Shelf > Holds > Actions > Suspend All Holds.
Use the slider to choose how long you’d like to suspend your holds.
Tap Update Holds.

To suspend a single hold:

Go to Shelf > Holds.
Tap Manage Hold, then Suspend Hold.
Use the slider to choose how long you’d like to suspend your hold.
Tap Update Hold.

Return a book early: If you finish a book early, you can return it before its due date using these steps:

Go to Shelf > Loans.
Tap Manage Loan.
If you’ve borrowed the book from multiple libraries, select the due date for the copy you’d like to return.
Tap Return Early, then Return.

Add multiple libraries: If you have library cards at multiple libraries, you can add each of them by tapping the Libby face icon in the top right of your screen and tapping Add A Library. Search for the library you want to add, and when you find it select Add A Library Card to save your card information for that library.

This Week's Marvelous

Museum Pass

Need a dose of cute in your life to blot out some of the horrors of 2020? Reserve our Zoo New England pass and plan on taking a trip to the Franklin Park Zoo to see all the zoo babies born over the fall. (This pass also can be used at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham.)

Mamas who had babies include Cleopatra the pygmy hippo; Kiki the western lowland gorilla; and Kiazi, a De Brazza's monkey. Perhaps most exciting, however, are the twins birthed by Abby the Baird tapir. In September, Abby gave birth to one male and one female calf. According to the zoo, twins are an incredibly rare occurrence in all tapir species, but this pair of “tapir tots” is believed to be a first for Baird’s tapirs.

Each pass admits six people at $9 per adult and $6 per child to either the Franklin Park or Stone Zoos.

Reserve and pick up your library pass, then purchase your tickets at the Zoo New England website. A promo code and gift code on your library's pass should be entered upon checkout. Each promo and gift code is unique and can only be used once per day with a reservation through the library. Please do not use this code for a visit on a different day without a reservation with the library.

Please check the Zoo website for current hours and updated information. Both zoos are closed on Christmas Day.

This pass is sponsored by the Friends of the Middleboro Public Library.

Reserve your passes today!

"Library To Go" Bundles For Adults

Use this "menu" to try our "Library to Go" program. You can request a book bundle consisting of three books and one DVD chosen from the adult collection based on your order. Choose from among themed bundles such as "Best Sellers," History Makers" (biography/memoir), or "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" (nonfiction).

Book Bundles for Kids

The Children's Room also offers book bundles for kids. If you want to borrow books about a certain subject and don't have specific titles in mind, our librarians will select them for you. Fill out the "book bundles" form, and we'll be in touch to work out all the details.

You've got options! You can either visit us to pick up your bundle at the Main Desk or, if you prefer, request curbside pickup by scheduling a time at your convenience. Just remember to bring your library card!

"Book Blurbs" -- What We've Been Reading

Periodically, we bring you a brief Book Blurb from the staff about what we've been reading. This week, a submission from Libby Fox, Reference and Adult Services Librarian.

If you're one of those millions of Game of Thrones (GOT) fans whose life just hasn't been the same since the final episode of season 8 aired in May 2019, you're in for a treat.

James Hibberd, an award-winning writer for Entertainment Weekly, who was granted unprecendented access to the cast and crew of the show, recently published Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon: Game of Thrones and the Official Untold Story of the Epic Series (2020). Diehard fans will love the tales of how the pilot failed and the show almost never got made, hiring decisions made about the cast and crew, the challenges of filming in incredibly harsh locations around the world, why the producers chose the controversial series ending that they did, and much more.

Once you've finished this, you'll just have to hang on until 2022 when a GOT prequel, House of the Dragon, is scheduled to premiere on HBO.

You can place a hold for the print copy of the book through your SAILS account.

Click here to read our full curbside pickup guidelines.

Please note: appointments must be scheduled at least an hour in advance of your desired pickup time to give staff adequate time to prepare your materials.

COVID-19 Critical Content

We know you've got lots of sites where you can go to get information on the Coronavirus pandemic, so each newsletter, we'll provide links to a few trusted and respected sources.

1.) Weekly COVID-19 Public Health Report: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health publishes a report each week with detailed statistics for every town in the Commonwealth. It includes town-by-town case and testing information, cases and deaths in long term care facilities, and more.

2.) Vaccinations have begun around the world and here at home in the U.S. Check the CDC webpage for the most up-to-date news and information on distribution priorities and schedules, the differences between the vaccines, and a list of FAQs.