Somerville Public Library was one of ten libraries in the U.S. chosen to be a StoryCorps recording site! If you don’t know what StoryCorps is, it’s a foundation dedicated to honoring the lives of Americans by recording their stories. That means anyone. That means you. The story you record and share with us doesn’t have…
For the next few months we will continue our series of NEH/ALA-sponsored programs Muslim Journeys, an effort to educate the public about Islamic history and culture. In keeping with the spirit of Muslim Journeys, I thought I should note that Mawlid, the celebration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, begins at sunset today. Observances…
The sound systems in supermarkets and shopping malls are blaring Christmas music, your neighbors have extra lights that are well on their way to frying the local electrical grid and you’re trying to figure out an appropriate gift for the uncle who last year gave you From Prairies to Peaks: A History of the Rocky…
Somerville Public Library is one of ten public libraries in the United States to be selected as a StoryCorps @ Your Library pilot site. Through this oral history project, we aim to record the stories, thoughts, and ideas of a diverse mix of 30-40 Somerville teens. Teens may be interviewed by or interview friends, family…
Somerville is a community of makers. It's home to the Artisan's Asylum, a community and school for hobbyists, inventors and tinkerers. It's a place where imaginative historical markers can spring up overnight and robots will soon roam the streets. So today's post is a nod to that Übermaker, Leonardo da Vinci. Among the many inventions…
Last night’s Muslim Journeys event was great. Harvard Divinity School professor Leila Ahmed participated in a discussion of her book, A Quiet Revolution: The Veil’s Resurgence, from the Middle East to America. We had a good turnout, and everyone who participated in the discussion had interesting questions and shared well-informed opinions. The conversation ranged from …
In honor of Halloween, some denizens of the Interwebs are indulging their list-making mania by compiling lists of scary books or movies. Below is a brief list of my own: six works—three books, three movies—that were created with one purpose in mind: to scare the bejesus out of us. The Haunting of Hill House by…
This week marks the conclusion of one of our various Heritage Months that are celebrated throughout the year: Hispanic Heritage Month. The U.S. government has recognized National Hispanic Heritage Month as the days between September 15 and October 15. This celebration started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, but it wasn’t until 1988 that was…
It’s official: Whitey Bulger has been found guilty – of a whole lot of stuff – and will presumably be spending the rest of his life behind bars. Many of us would like to forget all about the notorious thug but, human nature being what it is, a fair number of us want to know all…
This month we’re happy to have Somerville High School juniors and seniors at the library doing research on the history of Assembly Square. They’re employees of a collaboration between Federal Realty, Artists for Humanity, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and the City of Somerville. “Based on what we find out, we’re going to make…
