Spring Tidings eNewsletter from the Eldredge Public Library!

TIDINGS

eNewsletter of the EPL

Chatham, MA

Spring 2022

"Connecting Chatham to the World"

M.A.S.K. for Now!

Recently, we've had some patrons ask, “Are you still requiring masks?” The answer is yes – for now. Mask mandates issued by the Town and the State have been literally on again, off again since late 2020. Over the past two years we have made a consistent effort to create a safe space for our staff and our patrons, including the elderly, the health compromised, and our unvaccinated youth and their families. The mask requirement at the Library has provided all of our patrons and visitors with safe access to the EPL's resources and services throughout the pandemic. As we continue to move forward, we do so with great optimism and caution, and we ask for your patience, understanding, and compassion during the transition. With every week that passes, we will reevaluate our policies and take more positive steps toward a more "normal" library experience.

We will begin on March 7th with the Quiet Study Room reopening, chairs and tables returning to public spaces, and once again accepting returns inside the Library. If you visit the EPL often, you will see more changes throughout the month of March. For now, however, we still require masks inside the Library. So, please M.A.S.K. for now; Masks are for Access, Safety, and Kindness for all...for a little while longer.

Amy Andreasson

Library Director

News from the Friends of EPL

As you may have heard, or read in the Chronicle, the Friends of the Eldredge Library have been named the beneficiary of the Josephine Ives Trust. We are so very grateful to Ms. Ives for this lasting gift. The addition of the annual net income from the Trust to the Friends’ budget will assure the Friends support of the Library as we continue to “provide the icing on the cake.”

For those of you who did not know Josephine Ives she was an ardent supporter of the Library. She served as a Library Trustee for eleven years and, as Chatham’s first female member of the Select Board, she worked diligently to assure that the addition to the Library was built. We will be working with Library Director Amy Andreasson and the Board of Trustees to identify the areas where we can help. This opportunity to do more is very exciting!

I hope you have had a chance to look at the Learning Series offerings. There are many exciting

new courses and presenters. Most are in person at the Chatham Community Center. This is your chance the learn “How the Brain becomes the Mind” or tap your foot to the tunes of Rogers and Hammerstein. And what could be more current than the Power of the Supreme Court? You can find all the course descriptions on the Library’s website.

Finally, when you are in the Library take the opportunity to visit the book sale. I’m sure you will

find the perfect book.

Ann Hosmer

President, Friends of the Eldredge Public Library

A Message From The Youth Services Team

There’s much to celebrate in Youth Services this month: Women’s History Month, St. Patrick’s Day, Deaf History Month, National Craft Month, Randolph Caldecott’s birthday and more. These celebrations are exciting and have inspired our displays and activities for the month, but one celebration is especially near and dear to our hearts. It’s March Into Literacy Month!

It should come as no surprise that we LOVE to read and now we have a whole month to celebrate reading! Looking for your next read? A great place to start is in Youth Services! We’d love to share the American Library Association’s 2022 Youth Media Awards winners including this year’s Newbery, Printz, and Caldecott (the birthday boy himself) Medal Winners. The committees made excellent selections but we think they missed out on awarding some truly special books and we’d love to share them with you. To name a few that are award winners in our eyes - In The Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (a beautiful YA read); Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz (a distinguished and distinctive option for readers in Middle School and beyond); and Milo Imagines The World a picture book illustrated by Christian Robinson and written by Matt de la Peña that lets us see the world through another’s eyes.

We have another program this month that gives us all an opportunity to read more and discover some fantastic picture books – “March Book Madness”! Sixteen picture books are currently competing in brackets and will be narrowed down to the Elite Eight, then the Final Four culminating in a Championship matchup to determine the March Book Madness Champion. All sixteen books are available to read in Youth Services and the Champion will be announced on April 2nd.

If you’re out and about on Main Street this month, keep your eyes out for my life-size cut out hiding in different spots around town. Apparently, she took the “March” part of March Into Literacy month literally and went out to explore Main Street. Community members are invited to join in the scavenger hunt to find “Meghan On The Move.”

Check out our Youth Services newsletter and calendar to learn more about “Meghan On The Move”, “March Book Madness”, and our other programs happening this month.

FEPL Spring Learning Series Continues

There are 8 Friends of the Eldredge Public Library Spring Learning programs still to come. All but one will be live at the Chatham Community Center.

Next up will be a course on world hunger (4/4 ,4/11), followed by a course on the Athenian Empire (4/13, 4/20). If music is your passion, John Whalen presents Rodgers and Hammerstein (4/21, 4/28, 5/5)) and Matt Scinto explores the development of the symphonic orchestra (5/16, 5/23).

A special program will be an examination of Afghanistan from two perspectives: an historical point of view (5/4) and one by a founder of a girls’ school in Kabul (5/11). There will also be a fascinating course entitled: “How the Brain Becomes the Mind” (5/26, 6/2, 6/9, 6/16). Finally, the only program on zoom will explore the growth of the power of the Supreme Court to the present day (5/17,5/24).

To see the full details about these programs and to register, you can go to the learning Series tab on the Library’s website at www.eldredgelibrary.org/learning-series. Or pick up a brochure/registration form at Library’s front desk.

For further information contact the Learning Series Committee at

learningseries@eldredgelibrary.org or call the library at 508-945-5170.

FEPL Book Sale

You will find great books at bargain prices at the Friends of the EPL Book Sale located in the lower level of the Library. Special displays this month include Women's History Month, vintage books, Cape Cod books and more!

Please check the Book Sale webpage for updates, including donation information.

Upcoming Programs

Community Development Partnership Informational Session

March 10 @ 6:30

Are you starting a new business or ready to take your existing business to the next level? Community Development Partnership can help!

Registration is Required

John Singer Sargent: Master with a Brush

March 15 @ 7:00 pm

Art Historian Jane Oneail will explore Sargent's beloved as well as rarely seen images, including portraits, forays into impressionism and stunning watercolors.

Registration is Required

No Irish Need Apply - The History of the Irish in Boston

March 17 @ 7:00 pm

Author and Historian Chris Daley will share with us the history of the Irish in Boston from the 17th century to the Great Potato Famine.

Registration is Required

Author Keith Yocum

March 24 @ 7:00 pm

Local author Keith Yocum will talk about his new book

A Whisper Came - set in Chatham.

Registration is Required

Poetry Workshop with John Bonanni

April 9 @ 10:30 am

Join us for The Deep Image with poet John Bonanni, exploring how imagery can be used as a force for meaning in poetry.

Registration is Required

Author Janet Skeslien Charles

April 14 @ 10:30 am

Janet Skeslien Charles will join us via Zoom from Paris for a discussion of her new best-selling novel, The Paris Library.

Registration is Required

Meeting virtually in March is our Monday writers group, Friday memoir group, several book discussion groups and Saturday book to film discussion group. Please see our March Adult Calendar for dates, times and registration information.

Masks are required at all times within the Library. Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to make the Library accessible and safe for all our patrons.