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News about Staff and Libraries in the Region
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The Beverly Public Library is now offering instant messaging (IM) reference service. The main library (Essex St.) will be available for IM questions during regular business hours: Monday - Thursday from 9 - 9, Friday and Saturday 9 - 5, and Sunday 1 - 5. If you already have an IM account through AIM, GoogleTalk, ICQ, Jabber, Meebo, MSN, or Yahoo, you can contact the library staff at the screen name "beverlypublic." If you do not have an IM account, you can still IM questions to the library by accessing the website at http://www.noblenet.org/beverly/reference.shtml and typing in the "Meebo Me" box. Should the Library be offline for any reason, you can leave a message in the "Meebo Me" box and staff will respond as quickly as possible.
Mim Burbridge, Director of the Langley Adams Library in Groveland is retiring on November 15, 2007. Her last working day was October 12, 2007. On October 1, she was feted at her library by her community.
Elaine Whelihan, the long-time LMS of Hamilton-Wenham High School, will be retiring in a week or so. Her replacement is Natalie Morrison.
Jessica Callahan is the new Library Media Specialist for Bartlett Community Partnership School in Lowell.
A statue was recently uncovered in a crawl space at the Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library. No one seems to know much about it. It has not been officially identified but looks very much like the work of James Henry Haseltine, a noted 19th-century American sculptor.
The library's history provides some clues to the bust's identity. The building was donated to the town in 1887 by Thomas Jefferson Coolidge, grandson of the third President. It served as a hall for the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Union veterans of the Civil War, before it was converted to a library after the town's last Civil War veteran died in 1927.
Since the circulation hall was originally a Civil War memorial, the statue would have been part of it. Recently a 60ish year old man said he remembered the statue and the boys all came in to stare at the bare breast, then one day it disappeared.
A Gloucester Daily Times photo in a library scrapbook was found depicting the new circulation desk, with the bust sitting behind it. The photo was taken in the early 1960s.
More of the story can be found at: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/09/_by_martin_finu.html
The Nevins Library staff in Methuen celebrated Banned Books Week early by coming in dressed up as their favorite character from a banned book. They wore name tags that said "I Live in a Banned Book" and gave their character's name and the book title. Each of them was armed with why the books had been banned, and many, many patrons took the time to inquire.
Pictured are:
(Back row) - Kathy Moran-Wallace as Waldo from Where's Waldo?
(Middle) Nanci as Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter, Fran as Laura from Little House on the Prairie, Kirsten as Jess from Bridge to Terebithia, and Cynthia as Huck from Huckleberry Finn
(Front) Bev as Cujo from Cujo, by Stephen King, and Tatjana as Dian Fossey from Gorillas in the Mist
Kirsten Underwood of the Nevins Memorial Library (Methuen) is a new member of the MLA Conference Committee.
George M. Miller, Director of the Fr. Arthur F. Smith Library Media Center at Austin Preparatory School in Reading since 1969, resigned from the position effective June 29th. He will remain on the school's faculty as a full-time classroom teacher in the Religious Education Department. His replacement is Jay R. Zimmerman, a 1997 graduate of Austin Prep. Mr. Zimmerman received his M.Ed. in the Library Media Studies Program at Salem State College.
Katie Cerasale-Messina is the new Library Media Specialist at the Whelan Elementary School and Susan B. Anthony Middle School in Revere.
Dina Kanabar of the J.V. Fletcher Library (Westford) has joined the MLA PR Committee.
