Next time you are out and about by the West Branch Library in Davis Square – since we can’t yet go in – take a moment to appreciate the details of the entrance to the building that has welcomed readers for more than 100 years. Lamps are positioned on either side of the staircase, and on the…
April 23 is the day observed as Shakespeare’s birthday throughout the world. Normally the occasion would be marked by live play performances, open-air celebrations, sonnet slams and Shakespeareaoke. Due to COVID-19, events have been postponed, or cancelled altogether, and others have moved online. So this year (or this month at least), celebrations of the bard’s birth will…
We are missing our patrons and we hope you haven’t forgotten what we look like! Maybe you are one of our patrons who would come in and head to the third floor balcony to find a cozy spot to do your work. Here’s a fun library fact for you, there wasn’t always a third floor…
Use this step-by-step guide to access the OverDrive digital collections on your computer, phone, tablet, or Kindle. To get started, you’ll need your library card number and your PIN/password. Your PIN was created when you applied for your library card. If you don’t know your PIN, email spl@minlib.net to request a new PIN. Be sure…
As Black History Month draws to a close, we wanted to share recommendations for a few of the African-American history resources available online. Last year was the 100th anniversary of the official end of World War I. The National Museum of African-American History and Culture marked the occasion with an exhibit on African-Americans in World War…
…to cook. In New England many of us spend half the year longing for summer, but once it’s actually here we realize that hot weather makes certain basic life-maintenance tasks (such as cooking) unappealling. However, we still have to eat, even when the thermometer goes way up and the weather is sizzlin’ hot. Some of…
We at the library recently created a Flickr page for sharing photos and images from our local history collection. So far, we’ve scanned and uploaded photos of Somerville kids dating back to the 1920s; the city’s centennial celebration in 1972; Davis Square landmarks from the 1960s, before the Red Line; Somerville High School, and advertising…
African-American history is endlessly fascinating: it's the troubling, complex counterpoint to the sanitized, triumphalist version of American history so many of us were taught in school and that still appears in popular historical works. The Internet is a trove of riches on the black American experience. Below are links to a small, eclectic sample of what's…
The Library of America is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to producing durable high-quality editions of the best of American writing. And it’s not just fiction: their nonfiction volumes include the World War II reporting of A.J. Liebling, the movie reviews of James Agee, and the four-volume collection of diaries and letters, The Civil War Told…
One of my favorite websites for online learning (or amusment) is FutureLearn.com. It offers short and free introductions to a variety of subjects. Courses are usually 3 to 5 weeks and average about 3 hours a week of work. You can learn about everything from mobile programming to introductory Italian. Or you could inform yourself…
