Friday, August 31, 2007

Darfur: Too Dark, Too Far - Hafiz Farid

A second screening of the powerful documentary Darfur: Too Dark, Too Far, attracted an audience of over 50 people to the Oak Bluffs Public Library! After the movie, a discussion session with Director Hafiz Farid helped to shed even more light on this important social issue.

Please monitor our online calendar to learn about upcoming Movie/Documentary Nights, Lectures, Educational Programs, Scrabble Group Meetings, Coffee Times, and other great programs at your library!

Charlayne Hunter-Gault - Africa's Best Kept Secret...

Over 30 people came to hear Charlayne Hunter-Gault provide a riveting account of the current events effecting the continent of Africa at a recent library program.

Copies of Charlayne's most recent book, "New News Out of Africa: Uncovering the African Renaissance" may be checked out at the library or by requesting them online through our website!

Book Discussion Group - "To Kill A Mockingbird"

The Book Discussion Group met on the 28th and 29th of August. Harper Lee's only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a classic and all-time favorite. Librarians across the country voted it the best novel of the 20th Century! Across the board, the group agreed that it was one of their favorites -- one person even said that she would like to read it once a year. We dissected and discussed many interesting topics, such as: race relations in the South during the 1930's, single male parenting, coming-of-age stories, the integrity and justice of the court system both then and now.

For more information about Harper Lee's life and other books that may interest people who enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird, please check out NoveList, which is accessible from the oakbluffslibrary.org website. Listed below are several suggestions for similar books:



The Summer We Got Saved by Pat Cunningham Devoto


The Quiet Game by Greg Iles


The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda


We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg


Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg


Please join us next month for our next meeting when we will discuss The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri. Stop by the circulation desk to pick up your copy today!






Saturday, August 25, 2007

Senator Brooke visits the OBPL for Book Signing/Reception!

A tremendous crowd attended Senator Edward Brooke's Book Signing and Reception at the Oak Bluffs Public Library this past Thursday.

The crowd was so large that an overflow room with a live audio/video feed was set-up in the Library's Conference Room to accomodate more people!



The Senator spoke about his book and fascinating life experiences and then answered questions from the audience.


Afterwards the Senator signed copies of his new book, "Bridging the Divide: My Life" and a Reception was held in the Library's Meeting Room.


Click here to see more pictures from the event!


Thank you Senator for visiting the Oak Bluffs Community, and to all of the Volunteers and Library Staff that worked so hard to organize this event!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Portuguese-American Literature Program

Last week, a group of attendees thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Larkosh's presentation on the subject of Portuguese-American Literature in the Library's Conference Room. Mr. Larkosh is an Assistant Professor at UMASS-Dartmouth in the area of Portuguese-American Studies and is an Oak Bluffs native.

The lecture was co-sponsored by the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass-Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. The Oak Bluffs Public Library would like to thank both organizations for making this educational program possible.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Portuguese-American Literature Today

Friday, August 24 at 3:30pm

Assistant Professor and Oak Bluffs native, Christopher Larkosh, will speak on the topic of Portuguese-American Literature today.

This event is co-sponsored by the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at UMass-Dartmouth and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities



Saturday, August 11, 2007

Documentary Screening at the OBPL!

On Friday, August 10 "Darfur: Too Dark, Too Far" a film shown at the MV African American Film Festival was shown on the Library's large projection screen.

Over 20 attendees had an opportunity to meet the Director, Hafiz Farid!

"Darfur: Too Dark, Too Far" is a documentary that examines the root causes of genocide.

African American Classics in History & Literature Event!

A crowd of over 60 people attended the African American Classics in History & Literature event at the library!



Keynote speaker Dr. Adelaide M. Cromwell, Professor Emerita of Sociology – Boston University, and author of Unveiled Voices, Unvarnished Memories: The Cromwell Family in Slavery And Segregation, 1692-1972, provided an enlightening talk on the subject and received an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience.



The event was arranged by the MV-ASALH; which graciously presented the Oak Bluffs Public Library with a donation of $200 to be used towards library materials.



The mission of ASALH (founded in 1915) is to research, study, interpret, preserve and promote information about Black life, history and culture to the global community. The MV Branch of ASALH (founded in 2002), supports the study of African American history and life in schools, learning centers, homes, churches and community groups.



For More Information about the MV-ASALH Contact:

Bob Hayden, President MV-ASALH, 508-693-8714

Friday, August 10, 2007

Thank you Michael Wooley!

Island resident, Michael Wooley, recently provided an encore performance of Exploring a Coral Reef, a program about his recent underwater photographs taken on a scuba diving trip to the second largest barrier reef in the world off the coast of Belize.


Mr. Wooley's photographs and commentary on the mysterious and beautiful undersea world were fun and informative! Thank you for another great program Michael!


About Michael Wooley: Water and the sea are Michael's life. Many of you may know him as an Island swimming teacher/lifeguard as well as an accomplished visual artist. His blue-ribbon photography, collages, ceramics, and illustrations have been exhibited in many different countries and are now in households all over the world! Michael's subject matter focuses primarily on the natural world; his presentation at the library spotlighted the sea and the ecosystem of a barrier reef.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Another great Movie Night at the OBPL!


The Library is hosting monthly Movie Nights, when a new DVD release is shown on the library's big screen, it is just like being at the movies!

On August 7th the new Family Drama, "Astronaut Farmer" (starring Billy Bob Thornton), about a farmer who builds a rocket in his barn and dreams of going into space, was shown for an audience of 20 people!

September's Movie Night will be announced on the library's website soon!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Gus Ben David Live Animal Interview: a Frogtastic Event!


A tremendous crowd of 57 people came to see Gus Ben David perform at the Library!

People of all ages were entertained by African Bull Frogs, Alligator Turtles, Spotted Salamanders, and others! Gus Ben David informed the audience about the nature of these fascinating animals while introducing us to his slippery friends.

The program was a part of the Della Hardman Day events, and was the perfect compliment to the wonderful collection of Della's frogs that were on display throughout the library.