FOCUSING ON A VARIETY OF JOBS
The upcoming nine-part Career Spotlight Series at Springfield City Library will help adults and teens understand the realities of various careers while they consider different work opportunities. Discussions will feature adults who make their living in a specific field talking about job conditions and opportunities, training requirements, and future expectations in that field. The series begins on Tuesday, April 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library, 1187 Parker Street, with graphic artists and web designers Victoria Chapman of Weyakin Designs and Julie Waggoner of MicaBlue Creative. During National Library Week, April 10-16, we’ll focus on librarianship, hosting Karen Demers of Wilbraham Public Library and Eric Warren of Springfield Technical Community College Library on Monday, April 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Central Library, 220 State Street. The next day, Tuesday, April 12, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., teaching as a career will be discussed at the Sixteen Acres Branch Library, with Amy Turner of East Longmeadow High School and Robert Chasen of Catholic Charities Southside. Additionally we will highlight: nursing, Tuesday, April 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Sixteen Acres Branch; artists, Tuesday, April 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Sixteen Acres Branch; real estate, Thursday, May 12, 6:30-7:30pm, at the Forest Park Branch, 380 Belmont Avenue; postal workers, Thursday, May 19, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Forest Park Branch; and accountants and tax preparers on Thursday, May 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Forest Park Branch. For additional information please call (413) 263-6828, ext. 221.
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Urban Gardening Series at Springfield's Pine Point Branch Library
Grow Food Everywhere!
Join urban farmer/food educator Peter Merzbacher for an interesting, informative, and free agriculture series being offered at the Pine Point Branch Library, 204 Boston Road, Springfield. Mr. Merzbacher, of New Growth Gardens, believes in cultivating healthy urban ecosystems with community engagement and creating commercially viable urban farms and gardens. Topics include how we benefit from locally grown food and gardening in the city, how to evaluate your site, build raised beds, create a compost pile, decide what to grow, use mulch, and generally maintain your garden from early spring through late fall! All workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Pine Point Branch. To sign up and to learn more, please call (413) 263-6855, or visit us online at http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/. The upcoming workshop schedule is:
- March 30 Introducing Urban Gardening
- April 6 Garden Planning
- April 13 Garden Preparation and Installation
- April 20 Garden Maintenance
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Friends of the UMass Amherst Libraries Host Reception and Dinner
Corporate sponsors of the 2011 “Dinner with Friends” to date include Amherst Books, Brattle Book Shop; EBSCO; Elsevier; Gale, a part of Cengage; Hampden Bank; Herman Miller/OFI; Marcus Printing; MicroTek, Inc.; Print Associates; Taylor Rental; UMass Catering; and Wiley-Blackwell. The evening is a key fundraising event for the UMass Amherst Libraries.
This year’s proceeds will benefit the W.E.B. Du Bois Center. For more information, visit: http://www.thewebduboiscenter.com/.
Tickets are $140 per person or $250 for two ($95 and $160 are tax-deductible donations respectively). Complimentary passes for the parking garage will be provided. Handicap parking is available next to the Library.
UMass Amherst Libraries are open to all residents of Massachusetts, offering a rich array of resources and services.
For more information and to make reservations contact Carol Connare at (413) 545-0995, email friends@library.umass.edu, or visit the Dinner with Friends web site http://www.library.umass.edu/dinner. Individual and corporate sponsorships are available starting at $250. For more information about the Libraries visit http://www.library.umass.edu.
Dinner with Friends, April 9, 2011 – Speakers’ bios:
Roy Blount, Jr. is a humorist, sportswriter, poet, performer, lecturer, dramatist, and writer. He is the author of 21 books, including Alphabet Juice (2009) and Hail, Hail, Euphoria!: Presenting the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, the Greatest War Movie Ever Made (October 2010). Blount’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, Playboy, Vanity Fair, GQ, Rolling Stone, and National Geographic. His work has also been anthologized in such collections as The Best of Modern Humor and many others. He is a panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me and the president of the Authors Guild. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Blount received a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt and a master's degree from Harvard.Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina is the host of the nationally-syndicated program “The Book Show,” on which she interviews every week some of the finest writers working today. She has appeared frequently on British television and radio documentaries. Some of her books include Mr. and Mrs. Prince (2009), A Room of Their Own (2008), The Annotated Secret Garden (2007), and Francis Hodgson Burnett (2006). Gretchen has a B.A. from Marlboro College, an M.A. from Simmons College, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She has been a tenured professor at Vassar College and at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is now the Kathe Tappe Vernon Professor in Biography at Dartmouth College, where she is the first woman ever to chair the English department, and the first African American woman to chair an Ivy League English department.
Monday, March 14, 2011
UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES PROVIDE RESOURCES ON JAPAN
UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES
PROVIDE RESOURCES ON JAPAN
In response to Friday’s earthquake in Japan, the UMass Amherst Libraries have compiled a list of resources for the campus community and the public. This list is available at http://guides.library.umass.edu/jpnearthquake. The web page includes links to live video streaming in Japanese and English, newspaper resources, official web sites, and scientific information regarding this tragedy.
This page will be updated frequently in the coming days and will reflect current efforts by the library and community organizations to serve residents affected by this event.
For more information, contact Sharon Domier (sdomier@library.umass.edu, 413-577-2633).
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Legislative Day: A Guide For Newbies
“Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their libraries.”
The Legislative Day Bus is organized and underwritten by the Friends of WMRLS. Legislative Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) and in recent years MLA joined forces with the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA). The sponsoring organizations pay for the lunch; there is no cost to you or your legislator.
The drill for the day is pretty straightforward.
~ The bus arrives between 10 - 10:30,
~ The rally is at 11.
~ Lunch is at noon,
~ The bus leaves at 2:30.
When we arrive at the State House:
1. Proceed to the General Hooker entrance of the building and go through security.
2. At the Hall of Flags, visit the sign in desk and pick up information packets for legislators. If you've attended a legislative breakfast you will have seen the MBLC Legislative Agenda packet.
3. It is now time to go to visit legislators. A list of legislators and office numbers will be available, and there are plenty of people and signs to help you find your way.
It is not imperative that you make an appointment. Library Legislative Day is a significant recurring event. Legislators and their staff know to expect library visitors. The important thing is to:
• Stop by your legislators’ offices,
• Speak to your legislators. Describe what your library provides for your community, why the Massachusetts Library System and the Central/Western MA Automated Resource Sharing network are important for your library, and why your library is important and necessary for your users. You'll have a few minutes to make a couple of key points on the value of state funding for libraries and to ask for their support. Specific local examples of library use or need are particularly effective.
• Invite them to join you for lunch. (The podium will recognize all legislators present at the luncheon.)
• If you can’t speak with your legislator or an aide directly, leave your card, an info packet or a note so that they know you were there and what action you would like them to take. These notes and your presence are very important. Our legislators are aware of the commitment we have made to take the day and travel to Boston. Your note, even if your legislator is not available, makes a significant impression.
Join us March 28. It's easy, it's fun, and it benefits our libraries. See Eric's March 7 post for registration details.
The Legislative Day Bus is organized and underwritten by the Friends of WMRLS. Legislative Day is sponsored by the Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) and in recent years MLA joined forces with the Massachusetts School Library Association (MSLA). The sponsoring organizations pay for the lunch; there is no cost to you or your legislator.
The drill for the day is pretty straightforward.
~ The bus arrives between 10 - 10:30,
~ The rally is at 11.
~ Lunch is at noon,
~ The bus leaves at 2:30.
When we arrive at the State House:
1. Proceed to the General Hooker entrance of the building and go through security.
2. At the Hall of Flags, visit the sign in desk and pick up information packets for legislators. If you've attended a legislative breakfast you will have seen the MBLC Legislative Agenda packet.
3. It is now time to go to visit legislators. A list of legislators and office numbers will be available, and there are plenty of people and signs to help you find your way.
It is not imperative that you make an appointment. Library Legislative Day is a significant recurring event. Legislators and their staff know to expect library visitors. The important thing is to:
• Stop by your legislators’ offices,
• Speak to your legislators. Describe what your library provides for your community, why the Massachusetts Library System and the Central/Western MA Automated Resource Sharing network are important for your library, and why your library is important and necessary for your users. You'll have a few minutes to make a couple of key points on the value of state funding for libraries and to ask for their support. Specific local examples of library use or need are particularly effective.
• Invite them to join you for lunch. (The podium will recognize all legislators present at the luncheon.)
• If you can’t speak with your legislator or an aide directly, leave your card, an info packet or a note so that they know you were there and what action you would like them to take. These notes and your presence are very important. Our legislators are aware of the commitment we have made to take the day and travel to Boston. Your note, even if your legislator is not available, makes a significant impression.
Join us March 28. It's easy, it's fun, and it benefits our libraries. See Eric's March 7 post for registration details.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Bus to Legislative Day
Hey Everyone!
Just a reminder that Monday, March 28 is Library Legislative Day--and the Friends of WMRLS are once again arranged for a bus to Boston out of Western and Central Mass.
We have done such a historically incredible job advocating for our libraries in recent days--and its more important now than ever to keep at it. Attending Legislative Day is a huge part of this!
The pickup spots are:
6:45 am--MLS Whately
7:30 am--Table and Vine, West Springfield
8:15 am--Palmer Public Library
9:10 am--Auburn Mall, Auburn
The cost is only $20/person--and the bus will be back in Whately by 5:45. You can make your check out to the Friends of WMRLS and send it to:
Lynn Coakley
STCC Library
One Armory Square
Springfield, MA 01102
You can also send it via delivery to STCC Library, attn: Lynn Coakley by using the W/CLGS deliver form.
Please do all that you can to join us that day! If not you, then who??? :)
Just a reminder that Monday, March 28 is Library Legislative Day--and the Friends of WMRLS are once again arranged for a bus to Boston out of Western and Central Mass.
We have done such a historically incredible job advocating for our libraries in recent days--and its more important now than ever to keep at it. Attending Legislative Day is a huge part of this!
The pickup spots are:
6:45 am--MLS Whately
7:30 am--Table and Vine, West Springfield
8:15 am--Palmer Public Library
9:10 am--Auburn Mall, Auburn
The cost is only $20/person--and the bus will be back in Whately by 5:45. You can make your check out to the Friends of WMRLS and send it to:
Lynn Coakley
STCC Library
One Armory Square
Springfield, MA 01102
You can also send it via delivery to STCC Library, attn: Lynn Coakley by using the W/CLGS deliver form.
Please do all that you can to join us that day! If not you, then who??? :)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Massachusetts Legislative Directory
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation prepares a Massachusetts Legislative Directory for each 2-year session of the legislature. It provides a listing of legislators by town, and contact information including State House room and phone numbers, email and postal addresses for the State House and the district offices. It also includes listings of committees at the time the Directory is published. It is a very handy item for library and home.
The Directory is available for free if you provide the postage. Send a request including a letter-size self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with $1.00 in postage on it to:
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation - Legislative Directory
333 Washington Street, Suite 853
Boston MA 02108-5170
The directories will be available in late March or early April once room and committee assignments are completed. You can send your envelope in now; they'll hold it until the new directory is available.
Keep the advocacy momentum going.
The Directory is available for free if you provide the postage. Send a request including a letter-size self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) with $1.00 in postage on it to:
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation - Legislative Directory
333 Washington Street, Suite 853
Boston MA 02108-5170
The directories will be available in late March or early April once room and committee assignments are completed. You can send your envelope in now; they'll hold it until the new directory is available.
Keep the advocacy momentum going.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Legislative Breakfast on YouTube
The 2011 Library Legislative Breakfast in Senator Stan Rosenberg's district was recently held at Greenfield Community College. It can currently be viewed on YouTube by clicking on the above link, or here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59AFLouXuQ
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59AFLouXuQ
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Last of the Pioneer Valley legislative breakfasts
Just a reminder - the last Pioneer Valley breakfast of the 2011 season will take place Friday, February 18 at 8:00 a.m. at Springfield City Library hosted by John Ramsay. The breakfast will cover the districts of Senators Gale Candaras and Jim Welch
Contact info and RSVP: JRamsay@SpringfieldLibrary.org)
Contact info and RSVP: JRamsay@SpringfieldLibrary.org)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Western MA Legislative Breakfasts Start This Week
Legislative Breakfast season is upon us! These events across the 4 western counties are opportunities to learn about this year's big library issues and to get guidance and support from our State Senators and Representatives. This is especially important at this time, with the State budget process for FY12 about to get underway.
Plan to attend a breakfast for your representatives. Following are details about each breakfast in Western Massachusetts. All types of libraries benefit from State funding for libraries, so we hope you will encourage staff members, trustees, friends, and officials to join you. If you're emailing, please use the Subject "Legislative Breakfast RSVP."
Senator Stephen Brewer
Friday, February 4, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. – Monson Free Library
Host: Katie Krol, Library Director
Registration email: kkrol@cwmars.org
Senator Ben Downing
Friday, February 11, 2010 ~ 8:00 a.m. Adams Free Library
Host: Deborah Bruneau, Library Director
Registration email: L.Kaufmann@mcla.edu
Senator Michael Knapik
Friday, February 11, 2011 ~ 8:15 a.m. – Westfield Athenaeum
Host: Christopher Lindquist, Library Director
Registration email: rmelnick@westath.org
Senator Stanley Rosenberg
Friday, February 11, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. – Greenfield Community College
Host: Eric Poulin, Coordinator of Library Services
Register at http://masslibsystem.org by clicking on the Services tab at the top of the page, then click on Continuing Education in the drop down menu to reach the MLS Calendar of Events.
Senator James Welch AND Senator Gale Candaras
>>>A combined breakfast for the two senatorial districts that overlap in Springfield<<<
Friday, February 18, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Springfield City Library
Host: John Ramsay, Assistant Library Director
Registration email: JRamsay@SpringfieldLibrary.org
Or phone the library at 413-263-6828 x. 290
Find the names of your state Senator and Representative(s) by visiting the Massachusetts Library Association - Elected Officials website http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/state/main/?state=MA
Plan to attend a breakfast for your representatives. Following are details about each breakfast in Western Massachusetts. All types of libraries benefit from State funding for libraries, so we hope you will encourage staff members, trustees, friends, and officials to join you. If you're emailing, please use the Subject "Legislative Breakfast RSVP."
Senator Stephen Brewer
Friday, February 4, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. – Monson Free Library
Host: Katie Krol, Library Director
Registration email: kkrol@cwmars.org
Senator Ben Downing
Friday, February 11, 2010 ~ 8:00 a.m. Adams Free Library
Host: Deborah Bruneau, Library Director
Registration email: L.Kaufmann@mcla.edu
Senator Michael Knapik
Friday, February 11, 2011 ~ 8:15 a.m. – Westfield Athenaeum
Host: Christopher Lindquist, Library Director
Registration email: rmelnick@westath.org
Senator Stanley Rosenberg
Friday, February 11, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. – Greenfield Community College
Host: Eric Poulin, Coordinator of Library Services
Register at http://masslibsystem.org by clicking on the Services tab at the top of the page, then click on Continuing Education in the drop down menu to reach the MLS Calendar of Events.
Senator James Welch AND Senator Gale Candaras
>>>A combined breakfast for the two senatorial districts that overlap in Springfield<<<
Friday, February 18, 2011 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Springfield City Library
Host: John Ramsay, Assistant Library Director
Registration email: JRamsay@SpringfieldLibrary.org
Or phone the library at 413-263-6828 x. 290
Find the names of your state Senator and Representative(s) by visiting the Massachusetts Library Association - Elected Officials website http://capwiz.com/ala/ma/state/main/?state=MA
