Library Events

Art in the Community Room: November & December, Judith Inglese’s watercolor and collage illustrations from the new children’s books I See the Sun in China, I See the Sun in Nepal, and I See the Sun in Afghanistan.

Thursday, December 15, 7-8 p.m.  Mark Vonnegut, M.D., author of Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So. “An honest, witty and vivid depiction of normal life in between interruptions of mental illness.”—National Public Radio.  The author is a highly regarded Boston-area pediatrician. Signed copies will be available for sale.

Sunday, January 8, 2-4 p.m. Do you have a Kindle or Nook? Sign up for a free workshop with instructor Shirley Keech. Participants will learn about their devices, including how to download free library books and audios. Space is limited, so call the library to reserve a spot.

Coming in mid-February, a 4-week class “Introduction to the Computer” with experienced and popular instructor Shirley Keech. Learn how simple it is to really explore the online world (including e-mail). Sponsored by the Leverett Library and the Leverett Council on Aging. Fee for participants. Call for information and to reserve a spot.

The online catalogue is changing!  The change is now scheduled for mid-February (and not January 2 as we announced in the town newsletter). Among the benefits, the new catalog will display books, audios, etc. from all of the C/WMARS member libraries in Western and Central Mass, so that it will be easier to find and request items. Patrons who like to place their own holds online, please note: Your password will be reset to the last 4 digits of your library card number. Your “Reading History” and “Wishlists” will not be carried over to the new catalog, so save them before mid-February.

Read It Leverett!  Our book for this annual community read is March, by Geraldine Brooks. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the book follows one man (the fictional Mr. March from Little Women) as he leaves his family in Massachusetts to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. Books will be available to borrow in January, and a schedule of events will appear in the next newsletter.

Congratulations to the kids who took part in the library’s 2011 Summer Reading Program. By reading, they raised $100 for the Red Cross. Half of the money was designated for relief in Western Mass, half in Japan. The money was donated by the Friends of the Leverett Library.

Sign up to borrow the new library Kindle, purchased with funds donated in memory of Gardner Hobart. It may be borrowed for 2 weeks. The font size can be adjusted from small to large. To check out digital books and audios available through C/WMARS for Kindles and other e-readers, click on “Digital Catalog” near the top of our home page at www.leverettlibrary.org.

Amnesty for Overdue Fines in December: Bring in a nonperishable food item for the Survival Center or some kitty litter or liquid laundry detergent for the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society and we will waive your overdue fines on Leverett Library items. Sorry, but we cannot waive fines on items from other libraries or on charges for missing or damaged items.

Thank you to Dorothy McFarland for a copy of her new book of poetry, To Live in This World, and to Susie Chang for her book A Spoonful of Promises.