New Address for Pollard Blog is http://www.blog.pollardml.org/

Along with our website revitalization we've got a new address for the library blog. Please update your bookmarks/rss feed readers accordingly.

Library Closing July 4th & Summer Hours Take Effect Next Week

In observance of Independence Day, the Pollard Library will be CLOSED Wednesday, July 4, 2012. Also, please note that next week the library will be open for Summer Hours. Which means this Saturday, June 30th is the last Saturday the library will be open until after Labor Day.

Pollard Library Summer Hours:
Monday 9am-9pm
Tuesday 9am-9pm
Wednesday 9am-9pm
Thursday 9am-9pm
Friday 9am-5pm
Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED

Get Ready Lowell - Your Library's Website is Changing

Same address—www.pollardml.org—fresh new look and user-friendly interface. The fruits of a long redesign and redevelopment process with the fabulous local web team at Pixellente! are about to be unveiled. We're set to switch over within the next week or so....

so...

so...

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get ready.

Lowell seeking Applicants for Library Trustee

Our thanks to longtime library supporter Marie Sweeney over at Richard Howe, Jr's blog for recently writing a great little article on ways in which you can support the Pollard Library. In addition to listing a bunch of ways you can help us be the best library we can be, Marie mentions the fact that the library is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacant position on the Board of Trustees. And quotes from a FB post by Marianne Gries, a current trustee about her experience:

I am thrilled to be on the Library’s Board of Trustees – it’s a great group of people and I am hugely passionate about the important role public libraries play in the community. The freedom to read and to have unfettered access to information are cornerstones of democracy and libraries are at the forefront of that.

The library is also a treasure trove of awesome free programming; free books, e-books, magazines, movies, and music; free film screenings and author readings; free museum passes; free computer access and classes; and it has an amazing art collection.

The Library Board of Trustees provides policy direction in matters and concerns related to the Lowell Public Library.  The Board of Trustees meets the first  Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Applicants should send a letter of interest and a resume by 5:00pm Monday, July 9th to the Office of the City Manager, City Hall, 375 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA 01852. Application materials may also be sent via email to Donna McIntosh, Executive Assistant to the City Manager at dmcintosh@lowellma.gov.  For more information call the City Manager’s Office at 978-970-4000 or visit the City of Lowell website.

Lowell Reads First Film Night Thursday, June 28th @ 6:30pm

Lowell Readers! To help contextualize Great Expecations, we're going to be giving you an opportunity to take in some biographical information about Charles Dickens in film form this Thursday, June 28th @ 6:30pm. First up is an hour long documentary called Charles Dickens: A Tale of Ambition and Genius, which paints an informative and insightful overview of Mr. Dickens' life.

 Then we'll be showing two thirty minute episodes of BBC's Dickens in America featuring Miriam Margolyes. This show followed Margolyes as she retraced Dickens' 1842 trip to America—we'll be watching her as she prepares to leave England, and as she visits Lowell and other New England stops along Dickens' trail.

This film night, along with all the other Lowell Reads Great Expectations programming is free and open to the public. If you have any questions please contact me, Sean Thibodeau, Community Planning Librarian at 978-674-1542 or sthibodeau@mvlc.org. See you Thursday!

Dream Big! Read - Summer Reading Kick-Off featuring magician Tommy James - Tomorrow! 7pm

Don't forget, tomorrow night at 7pm is the kick off to our Dream Big - Read! Summer Reading program  featuring magician Tommy James! You can sign up at the Youth Services Reference Desk and learn more about the whole summer reading program at our Children's Happenings Blog.

Friends of the Library Annual Meeting, Tuesday, June 19th - 6-7:30pm

Join the Friends of the Pollard Library at their annual meeting Tuesday, June 19th from 6-7:30pm. It's a chance to review the past year of supporting our library and look to what the future might hold. Bring a friend, meet some friends. For more information about the Friends of the Pollard Library and the agenda for the annual meeting please visit their webpage.

AND...if you can't make the meeting you can catch the Friends this summer over in the Highlands selling some gently used books at unbeatable prices at the Friends of Tyler Park's 14th Annual Summer Sunset Music Series. Festivities start by 6pm and include face painting, balloons, hot dogs, popcorn, raffles, etc. Bring a lawn chair or blanket.
Full line up: 
Thursday, June 21 - Jen Kearney & The Lost Onion - 6:30-8:00pm
Thursday, July 19 - Take Two - 6:30-8:00pm
Thursday, August 16 - Gumbo Diablo - 6:30-7:30pm

Nonfiction Book Club to discuss: The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson - Thursday, July 5, 2012 @ 6:30 PM

It's time to set our sights on another nonfiction gem. It seems very appropriate to have a uniquely American story be the subject of the book picked for discussion the Thursday after Independence Day. So read up, and join the discussion of Isabel Wilkerson's The Warmth of Other Suns on July 5th @ 6:30pm.

Description from the book jacket:

In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. Wilkerson interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to previously untapped data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.

About the Author:

Isabel Wilkerson wont the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing as Chicago bureau chief of The New York Times. The first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism and the first African American to win for individual reporting. She is currently Professor of Journalism and Director of Narrative Nonfiction at Boston University. During the Great Migration, her parents journeyed from Georgia and southern Virginia to Washington, D.C., where she was born and reared. This is her first book.

While we do ask you to obtain the book yourself (and there are plenty of copies in the MVLC library system) this book club is free and open to the public. If you have any questions please email me at sthibodeau@mvlc.org. Happy reading!  

Natasha Trethewey named Poet Laureate

According to the New York Times, the Library of Congress announced that Natasha Trethewey will succeed Philip Levine as our nation's Poet Laureate. She is a Mississipi native and received an MFA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She will be the first southerner to hold the post since Robert Penn Warren and the first African-American woman since Rita Dove. Her post officially begins this September. Our consortium has a few of her books and many of her poems in various anthologies, you might want to check her out.

Book launch party for local anthology: "River Muse: Tales of Lowell and the Merrimack Valley" Friday 7pm @ UML Inn & Conference Center!!!

Sons of Liberty Publishing is having a gala release of the anthology: River Muse: Tales of Lowell & The Merrimack Valley, featuring previously unpublished works from our own Jack Kerouac and thirty-five other local authors. Copies of the book may be purchased at the event ($20) and many of the authors will be there to sign them. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to veterans' charities. This event is free and open to the public—Friday, June 8th from 7-10pm at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center. 

Dennis Lehane calls libraries "an unequivocal good."

The Pollard Memorial Library Foundation Author Night with Dennis Lehane was an unmitigated success. A wise and warm speaker, Lehane charmed the audience with his real life stories and stayed until every last person had a chance to shake his hand or pose for a picture. Lehane, a trustee of the Boston Public Library, opened his remarks stating that he wouldn't have been there without libraries because growing up in a working class family the local library gave him access to books his parents couldn't afford.

He went on to say "Anytime you can support libraries, please do. You are supporting an unequivocal good, you are supporting a light against the darkness, a bulwark against the barbarians."

Here's a slideshow of some pictures from that night:

Victorian Era Insights

This is an exciting year for England. The Summer Olympics will be held in London and Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee--60 years on the throne. Only Queen Victoria reigned for such a long period. As part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration, the complete diaries of Queen Victoria are available online through the end of June. (In July, they will remain free online to people in the UK.) The website, www.queenvictoriasjournals.org, contains over 43,000 pages in 141 volumes spanning from 1832-1901. They were released by the Royal Archives and produced in collaboration with Bodelian Libraries at Oxford and Proquest. You can see digital images of Queen Victoria's original journals through 1937. Later journals were redacted and transcribed by the Queen's daughter, Princess Beatrice, per Victoria's request.

Although the diaries are available to us only briefly, the timing could not be better. As you may know, Lowell is currently celebrating Charles Dickens, and the Pollard Memorial Library just kicked off Lowell Reads Great Expectations. Dickens, who was born 200 years ago and visited the city in 1842, wrote during the Victorian Era. Perusing Queen Victoria's journals will provide insight into this time period and to the woman who reigned when Dickens was creating his most memorable works.

Sources:
Queen Victoria's Journals. http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/home.do (accessed June 2, 2012).

Schuessler, Jennifer. "Queen Victoria's Complete Diaries Released Online." New York Times. May 24, 2012. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/queen-victorias-complete-diaries-released-online/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Acre Neighborhood Festival - Saturday, June 9th - 12pm -4pm North Common Amphitheater

This is the same day as our Super Special Kids Storytime (10am-11am) for special needs kids and their families. Sounds like a good day to be in the Acre!

We've got Lowell Spinners Library Passes!

The boys of summer will be playing soon over at good ole LeLacheur Park and this year thanks to the Friends of the Pollard Library, we have Spinners Library passes to lend. While they are not admission tickets, the passes will give you the opportunity to purchase up to six reserve tickets for half price ($3 each) to home games (subject to availability). Limit one pass per person per season. Reserve your pass today through our online museum reservation system, or inquire at the first floor information desk (978) 674-4120.

Don't miss the Lowell Reads Great Expecations Kick Off Party this Saturday June 2nd, 11am-3pm

We're very excited for the kick off of Lowell Reads Great Expectations THIS SATURDAY June, 2nd from 11am-3pm.

• 11am-12pm: Animal Mask Craft - The Lowell Humane Society will be on hand to lead an Animal Mask Craft for kids. All children and grownups are welcome, no registration necessary. 
• 1pm-3pm: Special screening of an animated children's feature starring a troupe of lovable kittens based on Charles Dicken's "Oliver Twist."  

For those of you in book groups, this Saturday is also an excellent opportunity to get first dibs on the book club kits we've assembled for your reading pleasure. Free with your library card—inquire at the ciruclation desk. And don't forget to sign up for our discussion forum at www.lowellreads.org, "join" the events on our facebook page or help spread the word on twitter #lowellreads12.

UPDATE: Memorial Day Weekend Hours

We just received word that the library will be closing at 3pm on Friday in observance of Memorial Day Holiday.

So. Library Hours for this weekend are as follows:

Friday, May 25th - 9am-3pm
Saturday, May 26th - 9am-5pm
Sunday, May 27th - CLOSED
Monday, May 28th - CLOSED

Have a safe and happy holiday.

In observance of Memorial Day the Library will be CLOSED Monday, May 28th

In observance of Memorial Day the Library will be CLOSED Monday, May 28, 2012. If you're still in town this weekend, come on by the Library this Saturday at 1PM for a special John Wayne / Memorial Day film matinee.

Foundation Author Night with Dennis Lehane is only two days away - Thursday, May 24th @ 6pm

Quick reminder that the Pollard Memorial Library Foundation's Annual Author Night featuring Dennis Lehane is only two days away—Thursday, May 24th @ 6pm in the 2nd Floor Reference Room of the Pollard (a.k.a. Memorial Hall). If you haven't gotten your ticket yet, don't fret. They will be available at the door for the suggested donation price of $45.

#Lowell Reads Great Expectations (June—August 2012) #lowellreads12

In concert with the citywide Dickens in Lowell Celebration, the Pollard is resurrecting the Lowell Reads program. The aim of this program is to promote literacy and to foster a better sense of community by creating an opportunity for Lowellians engage with their neighbors in a meaningful discussion over a treasured classic. Beginning June 2nd, the Pollard Library will have book club kits of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations available for patrons to borrow to host and facilitate  discussions. In addition we will have copies of the novel in many formats for individuals to borrow. Readers can also pose questions and share their thoughts on the online discussion forum at www.lowellreads.org or join the conversation on Twitter @pollardml #lowellreads12. The library will be host a series of in person book discussions, films, and more.  For a full list of events you can visit our library calendar page, or our facebook events page, or stop by the library (or the Friends Book Sale this weekend) to pick up a brochure. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Widely considered the best of Dickens’ novels, Great Expectations, tells the story of a young man named Pip and his education and ascension through the classes in Victorian England. Originally released in weekly installments between 1860-1861 the novel is full of intrigue, mystery and suspense. It unfolds in a masterful plotted scheme as engaging to modern readers as it was to those subscribers who originally read it in weekly serial format. The richly drawn characters speak highly of Dickens’ keen awareness of the universal foibles of human nature. So whether you’re reading this masterwork for the first time, or you’re reacquainting yourself with the likes of Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe Gargery and Pip join in on the conversation this summer as Lowell Reads Great Expectations.

LOWELL READS GREAT EXPECTATIONS is part of the citywide DICKENS IN LOWELL CELEBRATION happening throughout 2012. For more information please visit www.uml.edu/dickens. Dickens in Lowell is sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in partnership with the Lowell National Historical Park, the Tsongas Industrial History Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Charles Dickens Museum London, and with generous support from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation and the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. In addition, Lowell Reads Great Expectations, is made possible  by The Pollard Memorial Library Foundation and the Friends of the Pollard Memorial Library.

If you have any questions, or want more info please call or email Sean Thibodeau, Community Planning Librarian, 978-674-1542 or sthibodeau@mvlc.org. Happy Reading!

This weekend Lowell throws her Doors Open wide

This weekend is shaping up quite nicely. The weather will be beautiful for a stroll and all around Lowell, doors will be thrown open! That's right, it's Doors Open Lowell weekend—and even though the doors are always open during business hours at the Pollard, we'll be participating in this unique event. -- so after you've bought your books at The Friends of the Library annual book sale (Saturday 9am-2pm @ Lowell Senior Center) head on over to the Pollard for a meet and greet from 2pm-5pm with Library Director, Victoria Woodley. She'll be happy to answer any questions about the library, past, present, and future. We will also have a program for you to take to give yourself a self-guided tour of our treasures. For the full listing of Doors Open Lowell events please visit their website.