Mattapoisett Free Public Library
• Winter Storytimes – Registration will begin for the Winter Storytime series on December 27. New this session will be the addition of a Thursday afternoon preschool session instead of the Thursday morning session. For more information, call the Children’s Department at 508-758-4171.
• Community Cafe – Your library is a comfortable community center. Thanks to the Friends, you can drop by and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea for a small donation. Visit the reading room to relax and converse with friends. What a great way to spend a winter afternoon!
• Family Storytime – Families with children of all ages are welcome to enjoy some favorite stories together. If you have a favorite story, please bring it to share in this casual and fun storytime. Family Storytime is held on the first Saturday of each month, from 10:30 to 11:00 am. No registration required.
• Movie Day – Everyone is welcome to attend Movie Days, sponsored by the library’s Junior Friends, who have raised money for a movie license. Bring your children and relax at the movies in the library’s Meeting Room. Wednesday, December 28 will be Polar Express at 1:00 pm and at 3:30 pm, Elf will be shown. The Junior Friends ask that you bring a canned good for donation to Damien’s Pantry.
• Winter Activities in the Children’s Room – On Saturday, January 21, 2012 there will be Snow Globe making from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Come explore how science and art can blend together to create a lasting memory. Participants will sculpt their own winter scene and preserve it in individual hand-made globes.
• Cookbooks For Sale – The Friends’ new community cookbook is available for sale at the library. It includes delicious recipes submitted by local chefs and cookbook authors as well as members of the Friends and library patrons. These will make great gifts while also supporting the work of the Friends. The books are $10 each.
• Technology Workshops – Confused about whether to buy a Nook or a Kindle? Wondering what all the hype about e-readers means to you? Do you have an iPad and want to learn how to download books form the library? Join the library staff at one of our informal technology workshops and get your questions answered. E-readers will be available to try and staff will show you how to download books and audiobooks. Workshops will be held every Tuesday at 6:30 pm and on Thursdays at 3:00 pm through the months of December and January. For an individual appointment with technology questions please call Liz Sherry at 508-758-4171 or email her at esherry@sailsinc.org.
• Canned Goods for the Food Pantry – The library is accepting nonperishables to help stock local food pantries. Feel free to bring you items to the library throughout the year. Also welcome are hats and gloves and new socks to be distributed to area shelters. Many thanks in advance for your thoughtfulness.
Plumb Library Events
• Cafe Parlez – Café Parlez selection for December is The Princess Bride, by William Goldman. Nearly everyone has seen the movie; now read the book! They’re all here: Princess Buttercup, Westley, Fezzik, Miracle Max Vizzini, Prince Humpderdinck, Inigo Montoya –the whole gang. The Princess Bride is about good against evil, country against country, strange beasts, and love, true love. Fans of the movie will be delighted to read more back story and those new to the film will find a lot to like. The group will be discussing this book on Thursday, December 29 at 6:30 pm. Books are available at the desk, or bring your own copy. Café Parlez is sponsored by the Friends of Plumb Library. Continue the discussion on Goodreads – www.GoodReads.com.
The schedule for 2012 is available at the library. Selections will include: Bel Canto, Room, Three Junes, A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Last Child, The Tiger’s Wife, Mrs. Kimble, and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
• Food for Fines – During the month of December, Plumb Library patrons can have their late fees and fines waived if they donate non-perishable items for local food pantries, or pet food for local animal shelters. “Food for Fines” will continue until December 23. Donations cannot cover lost book fees, or lost card fees. Call the library for more information. Start the New Year with a clean slate and help local food pantries.
• ABCs and Me – “ABCs, Music and Me”, a five-week program for toddlers ages 12 to 24 months will begin on Tuesday, January 3 from 10:30 to 11:15 am at the Plumb Library. During this program, children will enjoy an array of fun musical activities using instruments, songs, rhymes and stories to build an appreciation of music. Space is limited, and there are some spots available. Pre-registration is required. Call the library at 508-763-8600 for more information or to reserve a place for your toddler.
• Preschool Storytime – Storytime for ages 3 to 5 will start on Wednesday, January 4 at 10:30 am. Toddler Storytime for ages 2 to 3 and their parents or caregivers will start on Friday, January 6 at 10:30 am. Spaces are still available in both programs. Call to register.
• Art on the Spot – Kara Andrews from “Art on the Spot” in Middleboro will be at the Plumb Library on Saturday, January 28 from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for a face-painting workshop. This program is for children ages 10 and up, and is free of charge thanks to the Friends of Plumb Library. A pizza lunch will be served. Pre-registration is required.
• Symphony Tales – The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra’s “Symphony Tales” program will be in the area presenting Scritch Scratch: A Perfect Match by local author Kim Marcus. The program will be at the Mattapoisett Public Library on Saturday, January 21, and at the Plumb Library on Saturday, February 4. The story will be read accompanied by a cellist. There will be a small cello available for the children to try. Copies of the book will be for sale at the library to be signed by the author, who will also give a short presentation on the creation of the book. Registration and book order forms will be available at the library, and will be sent to grades K-1 in the Mattapoisett and Rochester public schools.
• Yarn Swap – Are you looking to clean out your yarn stash for the New Year? Tired of looking at the same old yarn? Want to try some new yarns or patterns? Bring your unwanted yarn to the Yarn Stash and Pattern Swap at the Plumb Library on Friday, January 20 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Be sure the yarn is clean and is labeled. Refreshments will be served. Call the library for more information.
• Non-Fiction Book Group – “Just the Facts” non-fiction book group will be discussing The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore on Thursday, January 19 at 6:30 pm. Two kids with the same name were born blocks apart in the same decaying city within a year of each other. One grew up to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, and a White House fellow. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. This is the story of two boys and the choices they made. Books are available at the desk.
The non-fiction schedule for 2012 is: January 20: The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore; February 16: Cod, by Mark Kurlansky; March 15: In the Garden of the Beasts, by Erik Larsen; April 19: Columbine, by Dave Cullen; May 17: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua.
Elizabeth Taber Library
• Holiday Activities – Tuesday through Saturday, December 27 through 31 are drop-in activity days. Create holiday crafts and pictures with materials available in the Children’s Room during regular library hours.
Saturdays and Sundays during the winter are Drop-in Crafts days in the Children’s Room at the Elizabeth Taber Library. Children of all ages are invited to enjoy the activities.
The Elizabeth Taber Library is located at 8 Spring Street in Marion. The phone number is 508-748-1252. More program information can be found on the library’s web site at www.elizabethtaberlibrary.org.