"The Glass Castle" - January Book Discussion Group

In spite of really horrific weather, we had a small but lively and interesting group for the discussion of "The Glass Castle" on Wednesday, January 28th. The discussion was particularly intense at times because we all had different reactions to the book which tells the tale of Jeannette Walls who grew up in the world's most dysfunctional family. Ms. Walls relates an absorbing, albeit at times unbelievable, story of her nomadic upbringing.

This memoir was challenging on several fronts: the rootlessness of Ms. Walls' childhood in the West and then the dire poverty she and her family experienced in West Virginia made her success in her career and marriage all the more astounding.

Illumination for Lifelong Learners Series

A new series of programs and services begins this winter at the library. The “Illumination For Lifelong Learners” series will include basic computer classes, lectures on topics of local interest, multi-generational gaming programs, and an information clearinghouse for community members.

The library will use funding provided by a Lifelong Access grant to purchase a Nintendo Wii, an Amazon Kindle, and a new information kiosk to be used for monthly information spotlights. The first spotlight topic will be on Saving Money & Financial Assistance. The Better Business Bureau will be presenting a special lecture at the library on “Going Green to Save Money” on January 29^th and January 30^th. All monthly spotlight and event information will be available at the library’s website.

You can monitor all of the library’s programming by subscribing to receive updates through email or RSS feeds on the library’s home page, or through the local newspapers and other media outlets.

This Lifelong Access program is being funded through the Massachusetts Board of Library

Commissioners with funds from LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), a Federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Additional support is being provided by the Library Friends of Oak Bluffs. Library Director, Danguole Budris, and Assistant Director, Mathew Bose attended the EqualAccess Libraries™ professional development program sponsored by Libraries for the Future (LFF) to create and implement this new series of community programming and services.

New Homework & Language Learning Resources!

The library has purchased subscriptions to World Book Web for Kids & Students and Mango Languages. These resources may be used from home by visiting our website: www.oakbluffslibrary.org, and scrolling down the page until you see the appropriate logos or link. You will need an Oak Bluffs Public Library Card Number (located on the back of your library card) to access the websites.

World Book Web - Kids: This homework site is specifically designed for kids. It offers simple navigation, colorful illustrations, diagrams, and maps, and dozens of activities tied to national curriculum standards.

World Book Web - Students: A great homework resource for older students that offers articles, multimedia, web sites, and much more.

Mango Languages: Learn Brazilian Portuguese or English as a Second Language for Brazilian Portuguese Speakers! There are also modules for learning Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

We have also continued our subscriptions to Ancestry Library Edition (a genealogy website accessible from inside the library only) and NoveList (a great tool for all ages to find new reading material and more literary information). NoveList may be accessed from home using your Oak Bluffs Public Library Card number.

At this time we are no longer offering access to Heritage Quest (another genealogy website), but please speak to a library staff member to learn about alternative options.

Cape NPR Show - Role of Libraries in Economic Hard Times

Did you hear the Diane Rehm Show on our local NPR station this Wednesday Morning? The topic of the 11:00 show was, "The Role of Libraries in Economic Hard Times". Here is a link that you can use to listen to the show.

Rehm discusses the fact that libraries offer more than just books. There are also DVDs, CDs, Internet Access, Games, and more educational and entertainment resources available to borrow or take advantage of. Your local library has a special role in the community during tough economic times!

Here is another news story, "Rediscovering the Library During Down Economic Times", that aired on NECN News recently.

There have been many similar stories in the news lately from all over the country. Please tell us about any articles, news spots, etc... that you have seen!

Library Friends Holiday Party - One to Remember!

On Thursday afternoon a large crowd attended the Library Friends of Oak Bluffs annual holiday party at the library. Many people heard about the party on the radio, as Library Friends Member, Marilyn Miller, was interviewed on the MVY Person of the Week broadcast.

There was a tremendous selection of baked goodies to eat, many of the recipes came from the Friends new cookbook that can still be purchased at the library as a last minute Christmas gift! There were also gingerbread people for the kids to decorate, gift grab bags, and a crowd-pleasing visit from Santa Claus!

You can see more pictures of the party by visiting the library's flickr account!
Thank you to all of the Library Friends Members who put so much hard work into organizing, baking, setting-up & cleaning-up for the party, and for your ongoing support of the library's programs and services. The library staff greatly appreciates your efforts!

December Book Discussion Group: The Book of Salt

The Book of Salt was author Monique Truong's first novel. As a Vietnamese-American who came to America as a six-year old refugee with her mother in 1975, Ms. Truong set her first novel in Paris and Saigon of the early 1930's. The narrator of the story is a young Vietnamese cook who has been employed by Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (the Mesdames) for five years.

We had a lively discussion about several of the book's themes, such as: the relation of food and seduction, the meaning of salt, and French colonialism in Vietnam. It was fascinating to read about the Paris of this age and come to appreciate some of the unknown details of the Mesdames' lives. We found it amusing that both Ms. Toklas and Ms. Stein were totally enthralled and in love with Gertrude Stein!

We also enjoyed looking at some pictures of the Mesdames and their favorite dog, Basket, out for a stroll in Paris and "at home" in their studio.

The January book discussion meeting will be on Wednesday, January 28th at 10:30 am. We will choose a book soon.

Downloadable MP3 Audiobooks Have Arrived!

Do you have a Mac and/or iPod that you want to use to listen to audiobooks? The library now provides this service through our CLAMS Digital Downloads website!



The OverDrive Media Console for Mac is now available to download from the site. With OverDrive Media Console for Mac, OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks can now be downloaded and enjoyed on Macs. The built-in Burn Wizard can be used to burn MP3 Audiobooks to CD, and the Transfer Wizard allows quick and easy transfer to Apple® devices.

Oprah loves her new Kindle!

Here is a story from the Oprah Winfrey Show in which Oprah is "talking-up" her new Amazon Kindle. The Kindle is a portable electronic reading device that allows users to download the latest books, magazines, & newspapers from the Amazon Website. The Kindle has lots of other interested features as well, learn more about it by reading the story that we linked to above!

"Vineyard Supernatural" - Holly Nadler's Book Talk

A crowd of 30 people came to the library to listen to Holly Nadler discuss her latest book, "Vineyard Supernatural: True Ghost Stories from America's most Haunted Island".

The lights were dimmed as Holly read from several chapters of her book and discussed the walking ghost tours that she leads. She recounted spine tingling paranormal events taking place in notorious Island locations such as The Ritz Cafe and The Newes Pub.

The library has copies of all of Holly's books relating to the supernatural, check one out today:

Ghosts of Boston Town

Haunted Island

Vineyard Confidential

Vineyard Supernatural

Sustainable Book Club - "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

On Thursday evening, the library hosted the Island-Wide Sustainable Book Club Discussion. 15 people gathered to discuss Michael Pollan's book, "The Omnivore's Dilemma".

You can find a review of the book by visiting the library's catalog, and the Sierra Club produced a useful discussion guide including links to other related resources (an interview with the author, articles, etc...) that you may find interesting.

As the meeting wrapped-up, a few stragglers continued to talk about television commercials and how they affected their parent's choices of food and consumer products. Below are some commercials from the 50's and 60's that you can watch, courtesy of the Internet Archive.