Exhibit: “Human Solidarity, Polish Solidarność”

UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES HOST

EXHIBIT: “HUMAN SOLIDARITY, POLISH SOLIDARNOŚĆ”

Amherst, MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries will host an exhibit “Human Solidarity, Polish Solidarność,” from April 6 through May 31, 2011, on the Lower Level of Du Bois Library, UMass Amherst.  The exhibit consists of twenty plates portraying the history of Solidarność through maps, photos, press clippings, and a narrative that also makes connections with the history of the American labor movement. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, April 6, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Consul general Ewa Junczyk Ziomecka will attend the opening.

 “Human Solidarity, Polish Solidarność,” which was created in 2010 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Polish “Solidarity” movement, was a joint Polish and American project carried out under the auspices of the Consulate of the Polish Republic in New York.

The exhibit, which has been shown at the State University of New York-Stony Brook and at Yale University, is sponsored locally by the Amesbury Professorship in Polish Language, Literature and Culture, and the UMass Amherst Libraries.  Among the Library’s holdings in Special Collections and University Archives is a major collection of underground Solidarity publications.

For more information, contact Sarah Hutton, shutton@library.umass.edu, (413) 545-6740.

Western Massachusetts Library Advocates ~ 1st Semi-Annual Meeting April 12, 2011

You are cordially invited to the first Semi-Annual meeting of the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates, a merged organization of the Western Massachusetts Library Club and the former Friends of WMRLS. The meeting will convene at 10 and will end by 1 at the MLS Offices in Whately. The agenda includes a discussion of the needs of western Mass libraries, what services are available to them, education and information plans for the new organization, and a vote on the new Bylaws.

"The principal purpose of this organization shall be the promotion of library services and librarianship in the western part of the Commonwealth by:
a. Keeping members and the public informed of issues affecting Western Massachusetts libraries;
b. Keeping legislators and other elected officials informed of issues affecting Western Massachusetts libraries;
c. Encouraging the public to advocate for adequate library funding;
d. Supporting the Massachusetts Library System and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, while keeping these groups informed of the unique needs of Western Massachusetts Libraries;
e. Promoting continuing and advanced education opportunities for library staffs;
f. Encouraging active library staff members and retirees to participate in Organization activities for both professional enlightenment and enrichment;
g. Conducting fundraising activities in support of the Organization’s ongoing efforts on behalf of the libraries of Western Massachusetts." (The full Bylaws will be published here in a couple of days.)

The Board and Membership hope you will join them in this new venture to benefit western Massachusetts libraries. See you on the 12th.

Talking Points for Library Legislative Day March 28

If you are attending Library Legislative Day at the State House on Monday, March 28, or, if you are unable to attend, but will be contacting your legislator (and we hope that is all of you), the Western Massachusetts Library Advocates have identified some talking points of concern to libraries in the western part of the Commonwealth.

Ask your legislators to:

1. At least match the Governor's budget of level-funding for the MLS. Funding is needed for account 7000-9401 (Regional Libraries). This account enables the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) to provide critically important library support services for libraries statewide.

2. Maintain the budget language that ensures the maintaining of a physical presence for the MLS in Western Massachusetts. Make sure they understand that most of our libraries do not have meeting rooms with adequate parking for workshops and discussions on a regular basis. Also, the computer training center at the Whately office is a unique resource that is handicapped accessible and always available for regular training. There are only two public library computer labs in Hampden County. The excellent academic and school labs are only intermittently available due to the demands of their primary ‘student’ clientele. Library staff need readily accessible, updated computer training to be able to serve their users. Budget line: 7000-9401.

3. Write into the budget the addition of a consultant staffer who would be located exclusively in the Western office, and would be dedicated to working with and supporting the libraries in our area.

4. Help us to ensure that the new statewide delivery system will not be scheduled purely by volume. A delivery that drops off and picks up 20 items/week to a small library is as important to that library as 20 bins to a larger library. If delivery service is only assigned by volume, western Mass libraries could experience a significant drop in delivery service as the new system could potentially disproportionately serve the more populous areas of the state.
It is important that the new delivery system not penalize smaller libraries with fewer delivery items by requiring them to follow different procedures to receive delivery, particularly if those procedures are more labor-intensive than for other libraries. Many small communities do not have convenient access to commercial shippers, or even a Post Office. Requiring them to package and ship items individually is a burden on the smallest, most understaffed libraries in the Commonwealth.

Remember to advocate! Legislators cannot support us if they don't know what our libraries need.

Career Spotlight Series at Springfield City Library

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.

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

Friends of the UMass Amherst Libraries Host Reception and Dinner

On Saturday, April 9, 2011, at 6:30 p.m., the Friends of the UMass Amherst Libraries will host the ninth annual “Dinner with Friends” in the Learning Commons at the W.E.B. Du Bois Library on the UMass Amherst campus. The event features talks by two notable speakers: Roy Blount, Jr. and Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, as well as a champagne and hors d’oeuvre reception with UMass Amherst student jazz musicians, and a gourmet 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.

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). 

Victorian Jewelry Program at Greenfield Public Library

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.

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??? :)

Local Author Saloma Furlong to speak at Greenfield Public Library

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.