|
Hingham Public Library News
News Updated
2/6/10
Library
Trustees receive Rhode Island Foundation grant to resume Sunday
library hours
Sometimes
big wishes are granted!! The Trustees of the Hingham Public Library
are pleased to announce the receipt of a donor-directed grant from
the Rhode Island Foundation to open the Library on Sunday afternoons
through early May, 2010. The Library is open Sundays from 1-5 pm.
The Rhode Island Foundation, located in Providence, has been connecting
private philanthropy with the public good since 1916.
The
grant allows the library to resume a very popular program that fell
victim to Fiscal Year 2010 budget cuts. At its September 16 meeting
the Board enthusiastically and unanimously accepted the grant with
expressions of gratitude and appreciation for this generous and
thoughtful philanthropic action. Library Director Dennis R. Corcoran
says " the Trustees and I were surprised but delighted to receive
this grant. The potential to benefit our students and our community
at large is so vast. If past Sunday usage is an indicator of what
is to come, we will be very, very busy." Corcoran invites everyone
"to celebrate our good fortune by visiting the library on Sundays".
The Library Trustees also wish to take this opportunity to remind
other potential donors that the Library has many financial needs
and welcomes their help. The Trustees expect their New Century Fund
drive annual appeal letter will be in the mail before Thanksgiving.
The New Century Fund Drive gives donors of all means a chance to
keep the Library on a path to excellence.
AAA
Southern New England and Posit Science Donate DriveSharp program
to the Library
Would
you like to sharpen your driving skills? Assess how competent a
driver you are? Well, help doing just that is as close
as the Hingham Public Library. AAA Southern New England has joined
with California-based brain fitness company Posit Science to launch
the DriveSharp Library Donation program. The Hingham Public Library
has received a grant to provide the DriveSharp program to 25 patrons.
The program,
funded through a million dollar donation from Posit Science, and
run by AAA Southern New England in partnership with its Pioneer
and Merrimack Valley clubs, provides more than 11-thousand software
licenses for DriveSharp free of charge to Massachusetts public libraries
in Massachusetts.
DriveSharp
is a series of interactive, game-like computer exercises proven
in independent clinical studies to improve reaction time, cut car
crash risk and improve stopping distance by up to 22 feet at 55
m.p.h .
“Many
brain functions including the visual behaviors that support good
driving decline as we grow older, but that doesn't mean the brain
can't be rejuvenated,” said world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Michael
Merzenich, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Posit Science.
“Using DriveSharp, visual skills supporting safer driving can be
very significantly improved for almost all adult drivers”.
The Hingham
Public Library will loan the software installation cd and instructions
free through its Audiovisual Department beginning January 12, 2010.
Call the Audiovisual Department at 781-741-1405 ext. 2605 for more
information about borrowing the program and using it on your computer.
Technical support for the software is not provided by the Hingham
Public Library.
Boston Classical Guitar
Society/Hingham Public Library 10th Anniversary CD on sale now
The
Hingham
Public Library/Boston Classical Guitar Society 10th Anniversary
CD now available for purchase.
Produced
by the BCGS with 12 tracks featuring music performed by: Providence
Mandolin Orchestra, Robert Margo and Wendy Silverberg, The Back
Bay Guitar Trio, Aaron Larget-Caplan, Sharon Wayne and Jenifer Schiller,
David Newsam, Frank Wallace, and Gerry Johnston.
To purchase
your copy for $10/CD visit the Library's Circulation Desk or the
AV Desk.
If you
wish to order by mail, please visit www.bostonguitar.org
.
Proceeds
support the Sunday Sounds Special music series at the
Hingham Public Library.
We gratefully
acknowledge additional support from:
Derby Street Shoppes of Hingham, and the Hingham Middle School Sixth
Grade Class of 2006/2007.
Mango
Languages is here! Mandarin Chinese, anyone?
HPL is
pleased to announce the addition of the Mango Languages online language-learning
system to our website. Mango is free of charge to patrons, and offers
a fun, fast and convenient solution to our community's growing language
learning needs.
Click the Mango logo to connect.
Mango's online language learning system focuses on teaching actual
conversational skills for a wide variety of languages. Each lesson
combines real-life situations and audio from native speakers with
an easy-to-follow interface and simple, clear instructions. Because
it's completely web based, you can learn anywhere there is an internet
connection - at the library, a coffee shop, or even relaxing on
the sofa at home. It's so effective and easy to use, you may be
speaking a new language after just one lesson! Users from outside
the Library will need a Hingham Public Library card to access the
service.
Mango Languages currently offers 12 language courses - Brazilian
Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian,
Mandarin Chinese, ESL for Polish speakers, ESL for Spanish speakers,
and ESL for Brazilian Portuguese speakers - with many more on the
way.
Boston
Classical Guitar Society and HPL announce "Saturday Sounds
Special" concert series

The
Boston Classical Guitar Society and the Hingham Public Library
are pleased to announce the 2009/2010 season of classical guitar
performances at the library. The free series has moved to the third
Saturday afternoon of the month and runs through April, 2010. The
series is now re-branded as "Saturday Sounds Special".
All performances
begin promptly at 3 PM with seating for the first 80 arrivals. The
series is partially underwritten by a gift from the Scituate
Federal Savings Bank. View
and print a copy of the season schedule.

Classical
guitarist Daniel Acsadi to perform solo concert on February 20
Classical
guitarist Daniel Acsadi will perform a solo concert on Saturday
February 20 at 3 pm in the Library's Whiton Meeting
Room. The performance is part of the Boston Classical Guitar Society/Hingham
Public Library Saturday Sounds Special series.
Through
his acclaimed performances, arrangements, and teaching, Dan Acsadi
is a passionate advocate for both the guitar and the music of his
native Hungary . Dan's arrangements encompass art and folk music
of the 18th through 21st centuries, innovatively expanding the guitar's
repertoire. He is firmly committed to the guitar as a versatile
chamber music instrument, performing regularly with voice, viola,
violin, flute, string quartet, and guitar ensemble. Beginning his
musical studies at age six, Dan earned his M.M. from New England
Conservatory (NEC) and B.A. from Cornell University , where he double
majored in music and economics. He is currently pursuing the Doctor
of Musical Arts degree at NEC with Eliot Fisk. Dan has previously
studied with Pablo Cohen and John Hall, and has performed in the
masterclasses of Manuel Barrueco, Leo Brouwer, Eduardo Fernandez,
and Adam Holzman. Dan maintains a large and diverse teaching studio
in the Boston area.

Join
Hingham residents and community leaders for Race & Place:
a four-part film & discussion series beginning on March
4th
Join
other Hingham residents and community leaders in this engaging,
thought provoking free , four-part film and discussion series. Each
evening participants will view a one hour PBS documentary and then
explore its themes.
The
series is organized under the auspices of No Place for Hate-Hingham.

Thursday
March 4, 2010
The
Difference Between Us .
Session 1: This episode dismantles our most basic
myths and
assumptions about race by examining recent scientific
discoveries.
Thursday
March 11, 2010
The
Story We Tell.
Session 2 presents an eye-opening historical look at how America's
need to
defend slavery in the face of a radical new belief in freedom and
equality led to an ideology of white superiority.
Thursday
March 18, 2010
The
House We Live In .
Session 3 focuses
on how institutions shape and create
race,
giving different groups unequal life chances.
Thurssday
March 25, 2010
Closer
to home. Session 4 relates to Hingham
and the South Shore. The discussion centers on what specific steps
may be taken going forward. No film is shown in this session.
All sessions are 7:00 – 8:45 p.m. in the Whiton Room
Light
refreshments will be available at 6:30 pm.
Richard
Poole Jazz Trio in performance on Sunday, March 14th @ 3 pm
The
Hingham Public Library is pleased to present The Richard Poole Jazz
Trio in a free concert on Sunday, March 14 @ 3 pm.
Seating is limited to 60.
Richard
Poole has enjoyed a long career as a professional musician. He's
worked with many icons of the twentieth century both in the entertainment
and jazz world. The most famous include Desi Arnaz, Jackie Gleason,
Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, Robert Goulet, and Roger Williams. Heading
the list of jazz greats are Paul Bley, Jeff Palmer, Ira Sullivan,
Joe Deorio, Don Goldie, Flip Phillips, Curtis Fuller, Bob Mover,
George Garzone and Jaco Pastorious.
Richard has recorded for Sona Vista Record Company in Toronto, Canada.
Richard Poole's records for Music Artist Co. which can be found
on CDBaby.com .
Recent
concerts and performances: Brainree Public Library, Braintree, Ma.,
Cherry Valley Art Center, Cherry Valley, N.Y., South Shore Arts
Center, Cohasset, Ma., Chateau d'ancy-le-franc, Ancy, France, Hyde
Park Theater, Hyde Park, Ma., and the Intercontinental Hotel, Boston,
Ma.
Classical
guitarist George Attisano to perform solo concert on Saturday, March
20 at 3pm
The Hingham
Public Library and the Boston Classical Guitar Society invite you
to a free solo classical guitar performance by George Attisano on
Saturday, March 20 at 3 pm in the Whiton Room.

George
Attisano has played classical guitar for over 30 years. His eclectic
repertoire, which spans several centuries and a variety of styles,
includes works by Latin American composers Agustín Barrios
and Manuel Ponce, transcriptions of works by the Baroque composers
J.S. Bach and Domenico Scarlatti, pieces by Spanish guitar composers
Fernando Sor and Francisco Tarrega, as well as contemporary guitar
solos by Steve Hackett and Andrew York.
Mr.
Attisano studied classical guitar at Rutgers University in New Jersey
and at New York City's American Institute of Guitar. He has performed
solo and in chamber ensembles in the New York-New Jersey area and
has lived in Newton, Massachusetts for the past three years. He
currently studies with Jerome Mouffe, an international concert artist
and teacher, and a doctoral candidate at Boston's New England Conservatory.
Mr. Attisano plays a 2009 Hauser model classical guitar built by
the Los Angeles-based luthier German Vazquez Rubio.

Slide-lecture
on American bird & botanical artist Isaac Sprague on March 21st
at 2 pm
The Hingham
Public Library invites you to a free slide-lecture by Mass Audubon
Visual Arts Center curator Sally Sapienza
on the great American bird and botanical artist Isaac Sprague (1811-1895)
on Sunday, March 21 at 2 pm. This special event will take place
in the Whiton Meeting Room. The slide-lecture is presented in conjunction
with Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center's new exhibition [ January
31, 2010 – May 2, 2010 ] Isaac Sprague & the Art of Discovery.
A
Hingham native, in 1843 Sprague accompanied John James Audubon
on his trip West to observe and draw animals and plants for the
Quadrupeds of North America. And for twenty years he worked
at Harvard with the famed botanist Asa Gray, introducing American
plants to the world through his illustrations for Gray's ground-breaking
books.
Isaac
Sprague shunned the spotlight and as a result, he is largely unknown
by much of the public. But his remarkable art is worthy of public
attention, and this is the first opportunity in 40 years to see
a major gathering of his work. The Hingham Public Library has contributed
a Sprague painting to this important exhibition. The exhibit curators
are Sally Sapienza and Amy T. Montague.

The Mass
Audubon Visual Arts Center is located at 963 Washington Street in
Canton, MA. Click
here for printable directions to the Mass Audubon Visual Arts Center.
Guatemala
and Project
Common Hope: An OLLI Brown Bag Event on 4/6 at 11:30 pm

Join
us on April 6 at 11:30 AM for an Osher Life-long Learning Institute
[OLLI] “Brown Bag” presentation on Guatemala and the work of the
non-denominational charity Project Common Hope performed in Guatemala
to support education of children. The presentation is free but prospective
attendees are asked to register by calling OLLI at (617) 287-7090.
Light refreshments are served.
In October
2009, eight members plus one friend of First Parish Unitarian Universalist
Church in Cohasset , MA , went on an 11 day work project in Antigua
, Guatemala . The work team was part of a project called Common
Hope located in Antigua .
This
“Brown Bag” presentation consists of three parts. First, our attendees
will learn about Guatemala , the country, and
Antigua , the ancient Spanish capital of Central America . Antigua
is considered by many to be the most outstanding and best-preserved
colonial city in Spanish America . The Spanish Colonial style permeates
every part of the town: its houses, churches, parks, and ruins,
also its traditions and folklore as well.
Second,
attendees will learn about Project Common Hope, a very unusual and
effective non-denominational charity which has been working in Guatemala
for over 20 years. The heart of Common Hope's work in Guatemala
is education. The project provides the necessary resources for over
2,700 children to attend school each year in seventeen villages
outside of Antigua and Guatemala City . Common Hope also focuses
its efforts on health care, housing, and family development.
Finally,
the presenters will share some of the unique and special experiences
they had while on this Common Hope work team in Guatemala .
Presenters:
Kay Mixon and other work-team members.
Kay was
a computer programmer/analyst/project manager for Bank Boston and
Fidelity for 23 years. Now she is retired and enjoying her hobbies
of reading, poetry, photography and travel. Her photographs have
been exhibited in several area juried art shows. In October 2009,
Kay was part of a nine person work team from First Parish Unitarian
Church in Cohasset , MA that traveled to Antigua , Guatemala for
eleven days.
A
New Way to Talk: Exploring Public Deliberation---A mini-course beginning
April 15th
This
mini-course will introduce students to the Deliberative Dialogue
model created by the Kettering Foundation, and explore the outcomes
of deliberation and uses for these outcomes. Following an introductory
session, students will participate in three deliberative dialogues,
where they will discuss and weigh the costs and benefits of alternative
ways for the United States to address current social and economic
problems. The seesionsl aim to understand approaches to three issues:
immigration, social security, and the economy. Short background
readings are provided to prepare for each deliberation, but detailed
knowledge of the topic is not required. The forum helps people
see the topic from different points of view and move toward well-informed
public judgments about important issues. This course is discussion-based
and students should expect to take part in the deliberations.
To enroll in this course please call the OLLI UMass-Boston office:
(617) 287-7312 . The mini-course is provided through
the collaboration of the Hingham Public Library, the Osher Life-Long
Learning Institute [OLLI] and the Massachusetts Office of Dispute
Resolution [MODR].
Course
Schedule and Reading Materials:
April
15, 2010 1:00-3:00 PM Introductory
Session – Making Choices Together
This
first session will introduce students to deliberative concepts,
including the deliberative dialogue model, dialogue outcomes, and
the uses of these outcomes.
Readings:
Making Choices Together , Kettering Foundation,
2003. A
free download of this publication can be obtained by clicking here.
April
22, 2010 1:00-3:00 PM Dialogue:
The New Challenges of American Immigration
The
first of three deliberative dialogues, students will participate
in this deliberation on immigration policy in the United States
and consider the following questions: Is it time to change our immigration
policies? If so, how? This session will be participatory.
Readings:
The New Challenges of American Immigration Discussion
Guide. A
free download is available from the National Issues Forums (NIF)
by clicking here.
May
20, 2010 1:00-3:00 PM Dialogue:
The Social Security Struggle
In
this second dialogue session, students will consider how the United
States might sustain and how it might change the Social Security
System. Students will deliberate on three possible approaches to
address this issue. This session will be participatory.
Readings:
The Social Security Struggle Discussion Guide
will be distributed at the April 22 session or can be picked up
at OLLI or the Hingham Library.
June
10, 2010 1:00-3:00 PM Dialogue:
Regaining American Prosperity
Students
will discuss approaches for addressing the following question: Once
we restart the economy, how can we build it into a place where we
would want to live?
This
session will be participatory.
Readings:
The
Regaining American Prosperity Discussion Guide can be downloaded
free here.
Location:Hingham
Public Library - Whiton Meeting Room, 66 Leavitt Street, Hingham,
MA.
"Secret
Life of Ferns" course begins on May 5th
The
Hingham Public Library in association with the Osher Life Long Learning
Institute (OLLI) at UMass-Boston will offer a four part course on
the Secret Life of Ferns beginning May 5 th. Course registration
priority will be given to OLLI members but non-members may be accommodated
on a space-available basis. To inquire
about the terms and fees for this event, please email: ollireg@gmail.com
or call (617) 287-7322. Please leave your name and contact information
as well as the name of the presentation.
The
Secret Life of Ferns ( 4
Wednesday sessions 1-2:30 pm)
Ferns
are among the most interesting and important plants in our ecosystem.
The unique reproductive cycle of ferns produces no showy flowers
to attract our attention, so we often overlook them. In this course
you'll learn where to look for ferns, how to identify a dozen of
the most common ferns in our area, which ferns might do well in
your garden, and what ferns contribute to a healthy planet earth.
The last class will be a field trip to observe ferns in a natural
habitat.
Facilitator:
Julianne Mehegan
Julianne
Mehegan, a Hingham resident, holds an Advanced Certificate in Field
Botany from the New England Wild Flower Society. She is a Plant
Conservation Volunteer, monitoring rare plants in Plymouth County
for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. She is
also Chairperson for South Shore Quests, an organization that creates
guides designed to get families into natural areas and promote outdoor
adventure. Julianne retired as Manager of Market Research for an
international firm providing consulting in the digital imaging field.
eBooks
are here! Learn about compatibility issues before purchasing a reader!
OCLN
has added eBooks to the Overdrive Collection!! The
new format is compatible with the Sony Reader, B&N Nook, as
well as with Internet-enabled Windows Mobile 5 or 6 devices. Click
here for a list of compatible devices with our service. Other
readers, not as yet tested with our service, may also work but check
with manufacturer before purchasing.
Our DRM-protected Adobe EPUB and PDF eBooks are incompatible with
the following devices:
Amazon® Kindle/Amazon Kindle DX
- Amazon's encrypted Mobipocket
digital rights management features currently excludes use of our
service.
OCLN
has purchased over 100 eBook titles and has plans to purchase many
more! Our eBook titles will be offered in the 2 most popular eBook
formats EPUB and PDF.
Download
Audio and eBooks Here.
Library
Trustees dedicated a sculpture created by Susan Luery on Sunday,
January 13, 2008
The Trustees
of the Hingham Public Library dedicated a sculpture created by internationally
recognized sculptor Susan Luery . The dedication ceremony took place
at the main entrance of the Library on Sunday, January 13, 2008.
Hingham Town Moderator Thomas L. P. O'Donnell was the event's keynote
speaker. Shown below are sculptor Susan Luery [seated left] and
the models who sat for the sculpture. Photos courtesy of Library
Trustee Edward Boylan.
The
sculpture is a gift to the Library from Hingham residents Pat and
Jim MacAllen . The MacAllen family has a four-generation association
with Hingham and its public library. The sculpture is dedicated
to the memory of “Thelma and William MacAllen and their love of
Hingham”. The MacAllens selected the Hingham Public Library for
their gift because they believe “the Library fosters a celebration
and love of reading that can be shared by parents and their children
throughout their lives”.
The Trustees
of the Library commissioned Hingham resident Susan Luery to create
a life-sized bronze sculpture depicting a young mother and her daughter
enjoying a “story-time” while seated on a two-tiered base
formed from Deer Isle, Maine granite. The sculpture is located adjacent
to
the Library's
main entrance.
Susan
Luery was born in Baltimore and attended the Maryland Institute
College of Art. Her gift for sculpting was refined in Carrara, Italy,
where she worked with Alberto Sparapani, Maestro sculptor of Italy's
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Luery's best known sculptural works
may be Babe's Dream”, the 16-foot monument to Babe Ruth located
in front of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and the Cal
Ripken, Jr. monument that welcomes fans to his museum in Aberdeen,
Maryland. Her works also can be found in private, public and museum
collections throughout the world.
New
Library tote-bag now on sale!

Getting
bagged at the Library can be a good thing. The Hingham Public Library
now has an attractive tote bag for sale that will enhance your reputation
as an HPL supporter and user. In fact, we dare say you'll become
a trendy bag fashionista and make your friends and neighbors go
green with envy. Our new canvas tote is the perfect holiday gift-giving.
Here's the story on our totes.
Massachusetts
painter and illustrator T.A. Charron's pen and ink sketch of Susan
Luery's sculpture located at the Library's main entrance graces
the Library's new tote bags on sale for $15.00 at the main desk
and in the Children's Room. The 15 ounce natural canvas bags with
black trim and handles are a roomy 22”x14”x 6”. The bags also feature
a handy inside zippered pocket to store your library card, keys,
etc.
According
to Library Director Dennis R. Corcoran, "the library is very
pleased to have worked with T.A. Charron to not only make this bag
unique but as a work of art in its on right." Corcoran adds,
" we have Library Trustee Arthur Garrity, Jr. to thank for
bringing us together with T.A."
Charron
studied with painters Norman Baer and Walter Marks at the Art Institute
of Boston and graduated in 1972. He also studied sculpture at Providence
College and stone lithography at the School of the Museum of Fine
Arts , Boston . He has studied with some of North America 's prominent
artists; portrait painter Daniel E. Greene, Canadian wildlife artist
Robert Bateman, painter Richard Schmid and Boston School eminent
senior member Robert Douglas Hunter.
Nationally,
Charron has received over 90 awards for excellence in both painting
and drawing. His work has been shown with many of today's prominent
America painters. Charron has been elected into many important American
art societies and organizations including the Salmagundi Club in
NYC, the Copley Society of Boston, Lyme Art Association in Connecticut
, North Shore and Rockport Art Associations in Massachusetts . His
artwork is in the permanent collections of museums and many other
public and private collections worldwide and his commissioned painting
of Dr. Martin Luther King and other prominent portraits have been
unveiled to thousands of people. His paintings have been published
in four historical books. Charron's art also has been featured nationally
on PBS.
To learn
more about Hingham sculptor Susan Luery and her beautiful sculpture
at the Hingham Public Library, please click
here.
The
Book Group of the Hingham Public Library
The
Book Group of the Hingham Public Library meets at 7:30 pm on the
last Tuesday of each month, except for December,
in the Fearing Meeting Room. The building is fully handicapped-accessible.
Next Book Group Meeting:
Tuesday,
February 23rd
Book selection:A
Long Long Way by
Sebastian Barry
Click here to read more about Sebastian Barry.
Newcomers
are welcome to drop in at any meeting. Library staff will be pleased
to help readers place reserves
on current book selections. For more information, call the library
reference desk (781-741-1405,
x2650).
Twitter,
it isn't just for the birds...how tweet it is!
Twitter is
best described as a free social networking and micro-blogging service
where users have up to 140 characters to “tweet,” and get their
message out. Signing up for an account is free, and users can “follow”
or have “followers” to their posts. Posts can appear on the Twitter
home page for all to see, or posts can be made private, sent only
to groups of friends.
The Library will twitter
to stay in touch with you about events, books, films, music &
more. You'll also get weather-related schedule changes. We'll
tweet no more than once a day. Sign-up
for a free Twitter account.
|