Western Mass. Library Advocates One-Blog

The Soul of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Tribute to the Black Church

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Schaler) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:22:00 +0000

A program of gospel music, poetry, and oratory will be presented, featuring artists from UMass Amherst, St. John’s Congregational Church, and the Springfield community on February 26, 3 p.m., at the St. John’s Congregational Church, 643 Union St., Springfield.

The program will include St. John’s Congregational Church Choir, Progressive Community Baptist Choir, and others, in addition to readings and multimedia presentations.

In 2011, the Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst entered into a collaborative partnership with St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. The partnership links the Church to UMass Amherst’s educational and cultural resources while building awareness of the Du Bois Center.

Each year, the Church and the Du Bois Center co-produce a tribute event featuring gospel, poetry, and oratory in the Du Boisian tradition, performed by multiple choirs and UMass Amherst students and faculty.

For more information, contact Brooks Fitch, 413-545-6483, duboisfriends@library.umass.edu.

GCC Library bets on the Pats!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric P) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:01:00 +0000

The Librarians at Greenfield Community College are so
confident that their beloved New England Patriots will be victorious in this
weekend’s Super Bowl against the New York Giants that they have decided to put
their books where their mouths are.

The staff of the GCC Library has agreed to a friendly wager
with the Librarians of the Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Library at Corning Community
College in Corning, New York. The
Libraries have agreed to exchange books of a regional flavor, depending on the
result of Sunday’s matchup.

Eric Poulin, Coordinator of Library Services at GCC, pitched
the idea to Sarah Weisman, the Associate Dean of Learning Services at Corning,
and Corning President Kate Douglas. Douglas
was a longtime administrator and faculty member at Greenfield before becoming
the 6th President of Corning this past July.

Poulin says that he is very much looking forward to watching
a Patriots victory this weekend and receiving a few titles with a regional New
York flavor as a result.

If the Patriots win, the Corning librarians will send a
package of books to Greenfield that are New York-themed, including a title by
Elmira, NY children’s author Ted Arnold, as well as Summer In a Glass—a book about the wineries of the Finger Lake
region, where Corning is located.

If the Giants win, the GCC Library will send a package of
books to Corning that are Massachusetts and New England-themed, including the
children’s classic Make Way For Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey, as well as Home Town
by Tracy Kidder. Kidder is a member of
the Board of Trustees at GCC.

Part of the agreement between the two libraries is that the
titles will have book plates attached to them to commemorate the historic
wager, and to acknowledge the victory by the opposing team.

The game is a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, won by the
Giants by a score of 17-14.

Fundraiser @Mount Holyoke College President's House for South Hadley Public Library Building Project

noreply@blogger.com (South Hadley Public Library) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Library supporters and advocates are cordially invited to a reception hosted by the South Hadley Public Library Building Committee and Mount Holyoke College President Lynn Pasquerella to support fundraising efforts for a new library in South Hadley:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 5:15 to 7:00 p.m.

The President's House 45 College Street Mount Holyoke College

To support South Hadley’s public library and attend this event, please contact the South Hadley Public Library Building Committee by February 9 at <MHC.SHPLreception@gmail.com> or by telephone at 413-534-7735.

A minimum $50 per person donation is requested with all proceeds to fund the construction of the new South Hadley Public Library. Drinks and light refreshments will be provided.

Naming opportunities are still available for leadership donations and specific information about leadership partnering will be available at the event. More information about the new library project may be found at its website, www.shadleylib.org/NEWSHPL.html.

Parking is available in the south end of the Village Commons parking lot. Please pass through the gate on the south edge of the lot to go to the President’s House.

Exhibit: To The Village - An Experiment in American Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Schaler) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:02:00 +0000

UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES HOST EXHIBIT

TO THE VILLAGE SQUARE:

AN EXPERIMENT IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

~ Lionel Delevingne and the Antinuclear Movement ~

The UMass Amherst Libraries host an exhibit, “To the Village Square: An Experiment in American Democracy,” through May 1, 2012, in Du Bois Library on the Lower Level and continuing on Floor 25 in Special Collections and University Archives. The exhibit features photographs by photojournalist Lionel Delevingne covering the antinuclear movement.

New England was the epicenter of the antinuclear movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Sparked by the proposed construction of nuclear power plants in Montague, Mass., and Seabrook, N.H., a grass-roots movement blossomed in the region, drawing on a long tradition of non-violent political protest. Shortly after arriving in the United States from his native France in 1975, the photojournalist Lionel Delevingne began covering the antinuclear movement, including the long history of civil disobedience and occupation at Seabrook, the aftermath of the Three Mile Island disaster, and other protests from New York to South Carolina and Europe.

Delevingne is a recipient of many awards including the National Endowment of the Arts/Humanities (NEA), University & College Designers Association (UCDA), University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UCEA), and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

“To the Village Square” includes dozens of Delevingne’s photographs, some of the movement’s most memorable images, along with materials drawn from the rich antinuclear collections held in the UMass Amherst Libraries’ Department of Special Collections and University Archives.

For more information, contact Anne Moore (545-6888, amoore@library.umass.edu).

Ideas Have Consequences: The Radical Pedagogy of W.E.B. Du Bois

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Schaler) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:22:00 +0000

The UMass Amherst Libraries will host the 18th Annual Du Bois Lecture on February 23, 2012, at 4:30 p.m., at the Cape Cod Lounge, Student Union, UMass Amherst. Keynote speaker Derrick P. Alridge will give a talk "Ideas Have Consequences: The Radical Pedagogy of W.E.B. Du Bois." Refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.

Derrick P. Alridge, an educational and intellectual historian, is Professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Previously, he served as Professor of Education and African American Studies and Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Georgia.

Alridge has published The Educational Thought of W.E.B. Du Bois: An Intellectual History; Message in the Music: Hip Hop, History, and Pedagogy (an edited volume with James B. Stewart and V.P. Franklin); and numerous articles in the fields of history, education, and African American Studies. Alridge also serves as an associate editor for the Journal of African American History and is Distinguished Lecturer for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Currently, he is writing The Hip Hop Mind: An Intellectual History of the Social Consciousness of a Generation and conducting research on the role of education and schooling in the civil rights movement.

Professional Tools to Improve Your Library Service

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:59:00 +0000

Librarians and Trustees–

Don’t forget that the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) maintains a collection of professional books and resources at its Whately Office. The materials are accessible in person or by request, searchable by author, title, subject and a variety of other search keys on MassCat: http://masslibsystem.masscat.org/. Professional materials will help you perform better and access new ideas and techniques. Many of these titles are expensive for smaller libraries, and larger libraries don’t always have the budget for them either. These materials on children’s services, readers advisory, budget, planning, surveys, and a host of other topics are available for the asking. Libraries can place their own requests to borrow items by following the instructions found on the MLS website: http://www.masslibsystem.org/mls-professional-collection/.

The six regions built this collection, and the MLS is continuing to support it. The Western MA Library Club’s Humphrey Fund also contributed for almost 20 years. The collection is a great resource, and it is housed in the Whately Office. Give it a try online and take a look at the holdings when you are in Whately. Contact either MLS office if you need assistance.

Congressman Neal visits GCC Library

noreply@blogger.com (Eric P) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:50:00 +0000

We were very pleased yesterday in The Library at Greenfield Community College to be visited by Congressman Richard Neal and Representative Paul Mark! They toured our new library, and were seemingly quite pleased with the facility. We are always very thankful for the ongoing support that we receive from our elected officials. (Photo by Paul Franz)

Time running out on survey!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric P) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:26:00 +0000

Please take 5 minutes out of your day to fill out the MLS' Strategic Planning Survey! It can be accessed by clicking onto this link:

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22E9Z6S39UA/

It is crucial that the needs of our libraries are articulated to those who make decisions that affect them. So, your participation in this is really important. The deadline is January 23rd.

Thanks!

Exhibit: The Gesture in Light: Illuminated

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Schaler) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

The UMass Amherst Libraries host an exhibit, “The Gesture in Light: Illuminated,” by Theresa Antonellis from Monday January 9, 2012 through Sunday May 11, 2012, in the Science and Engineering Library, Lederle Lowrise, UMass Amherst. A reception will be held Thursday, February 2, from 4-6pm. The exhibit consists of a related series of framed prints featuring photo-enhanced light photography.

Theresa Antonellis is the Director of the UMass Student Union Art Gallery and a second year graduate student in the University’s MFA program in Studio Arts. She graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College as part of the Frances Perkins Scholarship program. With double majors in Art Studio and Art History, Antonellis was the recipient of the Fitz-Randolf Prize for Outstanding Work. Recent participation in juried art exhibitions include Art In Nature (Fruitlands Museum - Harvard, MA); Paperworks (Joshibi University of Arts And Design -Tokyo, Japan); and Arches Exhibition (Boston Printmakers Guild, Framingham, MA).

“My interests include the drawn line as a record of human gesture, patterns in nature, the mirrored image and evidence of time found in accumulation of layers,” says Antonellis. “In choosing to work in non-representational methods, the work both negates and invites the gaze. The intention is that the images will engage the viewer in a meditative discovery of familiar places and events both in the mind and in nature.”

For more information, contact Madeleine Charney (413-577-0785, mcharney@library.umass.edu).

New Book Boss

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:46:00 +0000

From the Greenfield Recorder

GREENFIELD — The library has a new director who will begin on |Feb. 6.
Library trustees made their recommendation to the mayor and he approved their choice.
Ellen R. Boyer of South Burlington, Vt., will bring more than 20 years’ experience to Greenfield.
Dennis Helmus, the town’s human resources director, said Boyer’s salary will start at approximately $60,000 a year. He said all of the terms of her employment have been negotiated.
The trustees have been searching for a new library director since Sharon Sharry decided to take a job as director of the Jones Library in Amherst. Sharry left in August and the local library has been operating without a director since.

WMHIC (Western Mass. Health Information Consortium)

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:29:00 +0000

To all

We have a new partner in our efforts to connect all libraries in Western Mass. WMHIC is a group of libraries that have an interest in health information - hospitals, colleges with Allied Health and Nursing programs and individuals interested in health education. If you fit one of these categories - consider joining. See text below for more information.

The Western Massachusetts Health Information Consortium (WMHIC) met last Friday, December 16^th, for their winter quarterly meeting. The meeting included updates from all the member institutions and concluded with a tour of the cutting edge and unique medical simulation lab at Springfield Technical Community College.

The next meeting will take place in March, time and place TBD (will be announced on this blog). If you are a librarian who works with health information in any capacity and might be interested in joining, please check out our website (http://wmhic.blogspot.com/) and consider joining our Google Group to receive email updates. You can also contact the president, Margot Malachowski, at margot.malachowski@baystatehealth.org.

-----

Concert to benefit the Holyoke Public Library

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:57:00 +0000

South Hadley town meeting OKs plan to borrow $4.2 million to build new public library

noreply@blogger.com (South Hadley Public Library) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:50:00 +0000

Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 9:51 PM Updated: Wednesday, December 14, 2011, 10:11 PM

By Jeanette DeForge, The Republican

Republican file photoThis is a graphic rendering of the proposed new South Hadley Public Library.

SOUTH HADLEY– Town meeting members voted overwhelmingly to borrow up to $4.2 million to build a new library Wednesday night.

During the meeting, most people spoke in favor of the project. A group of supporters sat in the back showing signs pushing for a yes vote.
A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the proposal. The 67-17 vote meant it easily passed. When the vote was announced, the hall erupted in applause.
“This is the time to have a new library,” said Robert Robertson, a town meeting member. “I have never had the volume of support from people coming to me.”
In lobbying for the project, Mitchell Resnick, chairman of the Public Library Board of Trustees, argued that the circulation of books and use of computers and other materials has been increasing.
“To build a new library is a popular initiative,” he said, citing numerous letters to the editor and the support of voters in the Nov. 8 election.
But others said the project is not something that the town can afford.
Town Meeting Member Larry Dubois argued for converting the Plains School into a library and said he was opposed to locating the library as close to the Connecticut River where the humidity is higher.
“They are not doing anything to reduce costs,” he said. “We need to have a townwide plan for what we are going to do.”
The full cost of the library is $10.1 million. The town has received a $4.8 million grant from the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program, but taxpayers had to agree to borrow $4.2 million for the construction.
Private donors are to raise the remaining about $1.1 million. Already the community has raised $400,000.

The town had to secure the finances to build the library by a Jan. 31 deadline or risk losing the grant.

“We should stand up and claim our grant. We use it or we lose it forever,” Resnick, said.
Town officials have been debating replacing the aging, cramped library for at least three years. The existing library is not accessible to the disabled and repairs needed to the roof and carpeting and others would cost about $230,000, said Joseph Rodio, the library director.
Already the location, a brownfield formerly owned by Northeast Utilities at Main and Canal streets, has been selected for the new building by Town Meeting. Architect Philip O’Brien of Johnson Roberts Associates, has been hired to design the building and completed a rendering of the proposed library.

In November, voters passed a referendum asking them if they supported the debt exclusion which would raise taxes for the 20-years of the bond. The vote was close with 1,751 residents voting yes, 1,412 voting no. Voter turnout was 25 percent.
Despite the referendum vote, Town Meeting still had to vote to bond for the money because it it the financing authority of the town.
Library trustees have said the average homeowner would see an increase of $38 a year in their tax bill.

Legislative Breakfast season is coming up!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:29:00 +0000

Thanks to all the hosting libraries for taking on this responsibility. Their efforts will help all of us.

Copied and pasted below is the list of breakfasts. Find your senator and then sign up for his/her breakfast. In a separate email to the WMRLS list, we will forward the entire 2 page letter that has gone out to libraries in the Pioneer Valley. Hope to run into some friends at the Breakfasts!

Please register with the hosts so that they can plan on refreshments, etc.

Western Mass Library Legislative Breakfasts Schedule ~ 2012

Full descriptions of the Breakfasts, plus registration information and directions are available at http://mla.memberlodge.org/Breakfasts

Thanks to the Mass. Library Association for hosting the information this year.

Senator Michael Knapik

Friday, January 27, 2012 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center Room KC 303
Host: Kathleen McDonough, Interim Dean of Library Services and Academic Support
Registration email: jtomlinson@hcc.mass.edu

Senator Stanley Rosenberg

Friday, January 27, 2012 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Forbes Library, Northampton

Host: Janet Moulding, Library Director
Registration email: LDowning@forbeslibrary.org

Senator James Welch

Friday, January 27, 2012 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Agawam Public Library
Host: Judith Clini, Library Director

Registration email: jclini@agawamlibrary.org

Senator Benjamin Downing

Friday, January 27, 2012 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ Berkshire Athenaeum

Host: Ron Latham, Library Director

Registration email: l.kaufmann@mcla.edu

Senator Gale Candaras

Friday, February 10, 2012 ~ 8:00 a.m. ~ East Longmeadow Public Library
Host: Susan Peterson, Library Director

Registration email: speterson@eastlongmeadowma.gov

Senator Stephen Brewer

Friday, February 24, 2012 ~ 8:30 a.m. ~ Palmer Public Library

Host: Nancy Menard, Library Director

Registration email: nmenard@palmer.lib.ma.us

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

50 years of cooperation among Western Mass. Libraries

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Hi all

Last week, we celebrated 50 years of Western Mass. Library friendships and memories on what would have been the 50th anniversary of WMRLS. There were cocktails, good food, reminiscences and a lot of laughter at the wonderful Apollo Grill in Easthampton.

Pictures on the website! Enjoy.

50 Years of Library Cooperation

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:42:00 +0000

Last night western Massachusetts librarians, trustees and legislators celebrated 50 years of cooperation, services and advocacy at the Apollo Grille in Easthampton. On December 1, 1961, the first Massachusetts regional library system, the Western Regional Public Library System, was founded.

Even though the Western MA Regional Library System is no longer in action (see below), the Western MA Library Advocates (WMLA) is thriving, offering programs, opportunities for advocacy, and occasions for library advocates to gather, support libraries services in western Mass and share a mutually beneficial and treasured history. This anniversary party was no exception.

Participants from the five western counties brought photos and artifacts from the history of the Western Region, the WMRLS Friends, and the Western MA Library Club (WMLC). (The Advocates is a merger of these last two organizations.) The occasion was honored by the presence of three Regional Administrators: Frank P. Taplin (first), Bruce S. Baker (third), and John E. Ramsay (final). Mass Library Association Ruth Urell attended as did Representative Don Humason and Aide to Senator Knapik Dan O’Brien. Most of the WMLA Board was there as were members of the previous WMLC board.

There were lots of stories, even some new ones. Brian Marchese, former driver for WMRLS observed when looking at the slide show that was being shown: “You know—looking at those pictures, I feel like I’m seeing reruns of an old TV show that I used to watch a lot. Like—‘Oh, here’s the episode where Mary and Jan (insert plotline here)…..’ I have to remind myself that this was actually my life every day for ten years!” In addition to plans for the future, the evening held a lot of history and a lot of joy.

As an aside, the Apollo Grille provided delicious food complemented by the music of guitarist Mark Schwaber. WMLA President Eric Poulin MC’d the comments. On behalf of the Cooperating Libraries of Greater Springfield President Kathy McDonough presented WMLA with a donation of $200 to support advocacy efforts. Everyone had a great time; maybe we’ll do this again next year.

(Following the Western Region, the Central and Eastern regions formed. In 1982, the Western Region became the first Massachusetts regional library system to form a nonprofit corporation. In the late 80’s, an affiliate membership was created to allow a few nonpublic libraries to join the system for ILL and delivery services. In the early ‘90’s, regional systems were expanded to include all types of libraries and the number of systems was increased to 6. In 2010, funding was diminished to such a degree that the 6 systems were dissolved. The Massachusetts Library System was established to support library services in the Commonwealth.)

Looking for Volunteers to Scan Yiddish Books

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0000

The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst is looking for a few good librarian volunteers to scan Yiddish books. The Center recently installed equipment from the Internet Archive and is scanning about 4000 rare and fragile titles onsite. Knowledge of the Hebrew alphabet and its orientation is useful, but knowledge of Yiddish is not necessary. If you can volunteer onsite in Amherst, contact Catherine Madsen, Bibliographer, at the Center 413/256-4900 x153 or cmadsen (at) bikher.org.

Anniversary celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Hi all

Remember - Dec. 1 is the 50th anniversary celebration of sharing among libraries in Western Mass. For the RSVP, click below. Hope to see everyone there

http://www.wmladvocates.org/TPRDassets/anniversaryinvitation.pdf

Mary Kronholm - Newest MBLC Commissioner and from Western Mass

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:59:00 +0000

After countless years of no representation from the western part of the state, finally Mary Kronholm, active library advocate and trustee of the Blandford Public Library, has been chosen by Governor Patrick to be our representative!

Lovely ceremony in an old white church, beautifully restored and home of the Blandford Historical Society. Lots of snow up there, too!

Great event at GCC Library!

noreply@blogger.com (Eric P) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:25:00 +0000

Great news in Granby

noreply@blogger.com (Western Mass Library Advocates) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:16:00 +0000

From MassLive of Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Granby voters OK funds for new public library at special Town Meeting

Book Talk: Stories of the Vietnam Draft and War

noreply@blogger.com (Leslie Schaler) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:56:00 +0000

UMass Amherst Libraries will host the seventh annual colloquium on Social Change at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 2011, in the Cape Cod Lounge at the Student Union, UMass Amherst. Social justice activist Tom Weiner will give a talk on his recently published book Called to Serve: Stories of Men and Women Confronted by the Vietnam War Draft. The book is the fruit of years of extensive interviews, with chapters for people who made different choices among the available options: to serve, to resist, to leave the country, to become a conscientious objector, or to find a way around the draft altogether, as well as a chapter for those who loved, counseled and supported. Weiner’s presentation will include several of his interview subjects who will share parts of their testimonies. Weiner recently donated the tapes of the interviews and the transcripts to Special Collections and University Archives. For more info visit: http://bit.ly/socialchange_2011.

A: Wine, Chocolate, Libraries. Q: What are 3 things that go great together?

noreply@blogger.com (South Hadley Public Library) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:08:00 +0000

South Hadley new library building site

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:16:00 +0000

This will be the view from the new South Hadley Public Library is voted favorably upon in the upcoming election. Pretty nice!

Fall Library Festival - South Hadley - October 9, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (South Hadley Public Library) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:23:00 +0000