Gleason Public Library, Carlisle, welcomes two new staff additions: Jennifer Stone joins the reference staff after running a high school library in Maine and Seana Rabbito will provide story times as part of the Babies and Books, Early Childhood LSTA grant.
Kara Schwartz is the new Library Media Specialist at the Sumner G. Whittier School in Everett.
The Georgetown Peabody Library has moved to temporary quarters as of the first week of October. Their library will be undergoing renovations. The phone number should stay the same.
The new address is 5 Elm St. (on the corner of Rt. 133 (E. Main St), and Elm St.).
Carole Shutzer is the LMS for NMRLS new member school: Harrington Elementary School in Lynn.
Don MacMillan, Director at the Merrimac Public Library, has resigned from his position. His last day was on September 30.
Nahant Public Library has welcomed a new Children's Librarian, Margarita Stepanova. Rita is originally from Belarus.
Giselle Stevens has been appointed the Newburyport Public Library's new Assistant Director. She is replacing Nancy Alcorn who retired on September 10, 2005 after 20 years of service to the Newburyport community.
Most recently, Giselle was the Head Librarian at Shore Country Day School in Beverly. While working in that capacity, she also served as the Independent School Representative to the NMRLS Executive Board. Giselle has her M.L.I.S. from the University of Rhode Island and her M.ED from Harvard.
Last year, while preparing for the 150th celebration of the founding of the Newburyport Public Library in 1854, I had the opportunity to review many historical references on the early history of the Library and noticed the lack of an interesting synopsis of Library activities during the 20th century. As a result, the Library Board of Directors has published From Inkwell to Keyboard, A Century in the Life of the Newburyport Public Library: 1900-2000. Historian and local writer, Jane Carolan who has lived in the Newburyport area for twenty years, is the author. Jane states that it is an "abbreviated tale of a public library, of a determined Yankee City, and of ten recent decades". The 47-page booklet is divided into 5 chapters that relate world, local and library historical nuggets in twenty-year increments. The publication is made possible by a gift bequeathed by Burton and Marion Noyes in memory of Edgar F. Noyes. Containing several historical photographs, From Inkwell to Keyboard was designed by Johnson Graphics in Newbury. Current and new members of the Friends of the Library are receiving complimentary copies.
Dottie LaFrance, Director
Meet Tracy Kidder in Reading
Tracy Kidder will appear at the Parker Middle School in Reading on Friday evening, November 18 to discuss his bestseller Mountains Beyond Mountains and the six year process that writing it required. This special event is sponsored by the Reading Public Library Foundation and is the second program in the Helen Nigro Speaker Series. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Library's endowment fund.
Tracy Kidder is a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of the bestsellers: The Soul of a New Machine, House, Among Schoolchildren, and Home Town. He has been described by the Baltimore Sun as the "master of the non-fiction narrative." His most recent bestseller, Mountains Beyond Mountains, is a powerful and inspiring book that shows how one person can make a difference. In it, Kidder tells the true story of Dr. Paul Farmer, a gifted doctor, and his quest to "cure the world."
Paul Farmer is a renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, and the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" award. In medical school he found his life's calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. Dr. Farmer has worked in some of the most poverty-stricken areas on earth, including Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created.
At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb: "Beyond mountains there are mountains." As you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.
Join us for an evening that is guaranteed to be intriguing, exciting, compelling, and informative as Tracy Kidder discusses this magnificent book and also his own views on what makes a hero. It's going to be a great evening, and one you won't soon forget!
Tickets will go on sale at the Reading Public Library in October. For more information, please call the Reading Public Library at 781-942-6703.
Kristine Nazzaro is the LMS for the Tyngsborough High School, which has renewed their membership with NMRLS.
