Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Ag Fair Books Now Available!


The library will keep a copy of the Fair Book for patrons to use in the library. The book is also available online from the Agricultural Society website, mvas.vineyard.net.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Save the Date! 5k Race and Kid's Fun Run on September 15th

On Sunday, September 15th, the Friends of the Library will host the annual Race for the Library. The 5k Run/Walk starts at the library with runners proceeding to the West Chop lighthouse and back. There will also be a 1/2 Mile Fun Run for Kids (13 & under).

There will be prizes for winners in all age groups, and a raffle. 5k starts at 10 am; Fun Run for Kids starts at 9:45 am; Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration forms are available at the library or downloaded from our webiste, vhlibrary.org.

Vineyard Haven Library Evening Lecture Series: August Events

Tuesday, August 6th, 7 pm
The New Rwanda with Grace Burton-Sundman

Since 1994, Rwanda has made a remarkable comeback, and, despite many problems, is experiencing remarkable progress on virtually all developmental metrics -- health,education, income, literacy. In December 2012, Grace, a 2006 graduate of MVRHS, moved to Kigali, Rwanda to witness first hand the stunning transformations going on there. Armed only with curiosity, names of a few people to contact, and a desire to do something useful, she set off. Back on the Vineyard for a brief vacation, Grace will share with us some of her experiences and impressions from six months in a new land.

Tuesday, August 13th, 7 pm
Tamara Buchwald; To the Far Corners of the World and Back...with Children

Tamara and her husband Joel took their young children Tate and Corbin, then aged 8 and 10, on the adventure of a lifetime. A long-time world traveler, Tamara set out to plan a fun, history filled exciting trip for her children. Their journey took them to the United Arab Emirates (where they went on a camel safari) to the Maldives and then on to Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, and ultimately New Zealand. As always happens on such journeys, the unplanned and unexpected events provided some of the most stirring memories. All returned with fascinating stories to tell. Join us to hear Tamara's stories of traveling and parenthood in a unique 21st-century style.

Tuesday, August 20th, 7 pm
Duncan Caldwell: Decoding the Adena Tablets: A Great Civilization and its Mirrors

Duncan Caldwell has helped to  decipher some of the most enigmatic works of prehistoric American iconography: the twelve Adena Tablets from the central Ohio watershed. The lecture will take the audience into the heart of a civilization so great that it made earthworks which dwarf almost any other archaeological vestiges on the planet, including the Egyptian pyramids. We will look at structures 60 miles long and as small as a postcard; structures as simple as huge conjoined circles and squares and as tightly packed with imagery mirrored simultaneously in two directions that the tablets look like Escher illustrated vultures, body parts and spaghetti.

Wednesday, August 28th, 7 pm
James Reston Jr: The Accidental Victim

Was Texas governor John Connally, not President Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald's actual target on that fated day fifty years ago? That's the startling theory argued by critically acclaimed, bestselling historian James Reston Jr. in his explosive book, The Accidental Victim: JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the Real Target in Dallas. Jim is the author of 15 books and three plays and he writes for numerous national magazines. Reston was David Frost's Watergate adviser for the famous Frost/Nixon Interviews. Join us as Jim talks about his new book. There will be a question and answer period followed by a reception.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Book Sales Benefit Island Libraries

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library hold monthly "mini" book sales at the library, from 1pm-3pm on the third Saturday of each month. The July sale will be held on Saturday, July 20th from 1-3pm. Books are priced at $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardcovers, or $12 to fill a bag.

Proceeds from these sales benefit library programs for children, and other library services supported by the Friends. Sales are also planned for August 17th, September 21st, and October 19th.

Some of our neighbor libraries will be holding annual book sales on the following dates during the summer:

Library Friends of Oak Bluffs
Thursday July 18 from 10am – 7pm
Friday July 19 from 10am – 4pm
Saturday July 20 from 10am – 2pm

Friends of the West Tisbury Library (at the West Tisbury School)
Friday, July 26 - Monday, July 29 from 9am - 3pm
(Sunday 1/2 price day, Monday free day)

Friends of the Aquinnah Public Library
Saturday August 3rd from noon - 4pm

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Friends Honor Author Ward Just at Free Event

At 2pm Sunday July 21, 2013, the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library will present an afternoon with acclaimed author Ward Just. Mr. Just will read from and discuss his forthcoming novel to be published later this year. This event is free, and refreshments will be served.

Ward Just's previous novels include Exiles in the Garden, Forgetfulness, the National Book Award finalist Echo House, A Dangerous Friend, winner of the Cooper Prize for fiction from the Society of American Historians, and An Unfinished Season, winner of the Chicago Tribune Heartland Award and a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2013.

The Friends of the Library support a variety of programs for both adults and children throughout the year, including an annual summer event honoring a local author. Past honorees have included Lillian Hellman, William Styron, Geraldine Brooks, David McCullough, Stephen Carter, Jules Feiffer, Art Buchwald, Cynthia Riggs, and Phil Craig.

The library will open at 1:30 pm for this event. Patrons will not be able to check out books or use library computers the day of the event.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Vineyard Haven Library Adult Lecture Series: Programs for July

Tuesday, July 9th, 7 pm
David Rathbun: Building the Beautiful Garden
David Rathbun, one of the principle designers at Aquaterra Design Group will cover topics in his lecture such as assessing a site and it's architecture, choosing the appropriate style and understanding site lines, soils, microclimate, scale and suitable plants. We hope that by the end of the evening you will have the basics to begin planning a new garden or to renovate an old one.

Tuesday, July 16th, 7 pm
Phil Weinstein: Becoming Jonathan Franzen - A Writer's Odyssey
Philip Weinstein, Aquinnah summer resident and the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English at Swarthmore College, will present a discussion of the award-winning work of Jonathan Franzen.

Tuesday, July 23, 7 pm
Jeremy D'Entremont: The Lighthouses of New England and the People Who Kept them
Jeremy D'Entremont has been called the leading expert on New England's historic lighthouses. Jeremy is the historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and the founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses. He has appeared on the History Channel, the Travel Channel, Public Television, and National Public Radio speaking about lighthouses and other subjects. He is the author of nine books and most recently the co-author of Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family, the story of Seamond Roberts and her life as she grew up in the Cuttyhunk and West Chop Lighthouses.


Please note, there will be no program on Tuesday, July 30th.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

ConsumerReports.org Now Available at Library and from Home


Read product reviews and ratings before you make your next big purchase! The Vineyard Haven Public Library now offers free access to ConsumerReports.org through our Web site at www.vhlibrary.org.

ConsumerReports.org features ratings and recommendations on thousands of products and services, including appliances, cars, and electronics.Through our subscription, you have access to all subscriber-level content, including product overviews, ratings, videos, and more. Additionally, you can browse electronic editions of recent issues of the print Consumer Reports magazine.

To access ConsumerReports.org, click on the logo found under "Featured Resources" on the library homepage, www.vhlibrary.org. You will need to enter your Vineyard Haven CLAMS card number for access from computers outside the library.

Information On Lyme Disease and Tick-Bourne Illness

You may have heard about the recent article in the New Yorker on the growing rate of Lyme-disease infection and issues of treatment. The Lyme Wars, by Michael Specter, appears in the July 1st issue of the New Yorker magazine, which is currently available for reading in the library. The article is also available online on www.newyorker.com.

The Martha's Vineyard Boards of Health have recently launched a website resource on tick-bourne illnesses at http://www.mvboh.org/tbioverview. The site provides information necessary to minimize TBI exposure, to recognize its early symptoms, if exposed, and to seek prompt effective therapy, if symptomatic. This site also contains data currently being collected throughout our county.

The library has a number of recent books and other materials covering the disease and its treatment, including the following: