Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Fine Free MV! FAQ for MV Libraries' New Fine Free Policy

Starting January 1, 2020, all six Martha’s Vineyard libraries will eliminate overdue fines for materials returned late. All past overdue fines for island patrons will be waived, allowing for a fresh start to the new year. Waiving past overdue fines will impact 7,374 Martha’s Vineyard library cardholders. Island libraries are committed to providing equal access to every member of our community. By waiving existing overdue fines, our goal is to remove barriers and make access to our libraries easy, equitable and enjoyable for all.

The Vineyard libraries will join over 450 libraries across the U.S. in eliminating overdue fines. The Martha’s Vineyard Library Association strongly believes in providing access to information for everyone, and that eliminating overdue fines will support our libraries’ core values of providing equitable service, fostering early literacy, and maintaining free access to information.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR CLAMS LIBRARY CARDHOLDERS ON MV?
  • No more daily late fines will be charged on overdue items at any Vineyard library
  • All existing overdue fines from all accounts will be cleared on January 1, 2020, giving everyone a fresh start.
  • Hundreds of patrons will have their accounts unblocked, which will enable them to once again use library services. Libraries previously blocked accounts with overdue fines greater than $25.
  • No more fine-related restrictions will be placed on use of public computers or access to digital materials (eBooks, digital audiobooks, online databases and resources), even for people who had extensive late fees on their accounts.
  • CLAMS member libraries off-island support the Vineyard’s move toward fine-free library services, and will continue to share library items through interlibrary loan.
FINE FREE MV: FAQs

What does “Fine Free MV” mean?

Starting January 1, 2020, Martha’s Vineyard Libraries will no longer charge late fines on overdue materials. Patrons will still be responsible for paying for the replacement costs of lost or damaged items, however.

Previously when you checked out an item and didn’t return it by the due date, daily fines started accumulating. For some patrons, the growing amount could become burdensome. Under the Fine Free policy, borrowed items still have due dates, and patrons are encouraged to return them on time. Libraries will still send reminders to bring back books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

An item is officially categorized as overdue the day after its due date, but with the new Fine Free policy, that due date will not be associated with a punitive price tag. If something hasn’t been returned by two weeks after its due date, it will be considered lost, and the system will apply a lost item fee to the patron’s account to cover the cost of replacing the missing item. However, as long as the item is returned in good shape, patrons won’t ever be charged overdue fines. If a patron eventually finds and returns the outstanding materials, the lost item fee will be erased from their account. The largest group who will benefit from this new change will be families with children.

Why remove late fines?
The main goal is to remove obstacles and improve access to information and services for everyone. Research and experience from libraries around the country increasingly show that fines are often barriers preventing people from using the library and its services – especially those who most rely on those services. We want to remove those obstacles, end the stress and stigma of owing fines, and ensure that all members of our community can use our libraries.

Late fines, no matter how small, can be a very real burden for individuals, families, and children. What starts as a tiny overdue fine can snowball into a larger amount with each day that an item isn’t returned. As fines grow, patrons may avoid coming back to the library altogether. For many, this means they can’t access books for schoolwork and other vital materials, or use essential services such as public computers or job resources. Island libraries would rather welcome patrons back than have them stay away because they owe late fines.

What about the late fines currently on my account?
When we launch this new policy, everyone will get a fresh start. Existing overdue fines for ALL our patrons will cleared from all Vineyard patron accounts on January 1, 2020. After this date, all overdue materials will fall under the new Fine Free policy. The Fine Free policy applies only to overdue items. If a patron currently has fees related to lost or damaged materials, those remain in effect.

Aren’t late fines part of fundamental library service expectations?
Not anymore. While overdue fines are traditionally associated with borrowing materials from libraries, that is changing. Libraries in many communities recognize that overdue fines sometimes do more harm than good when it comes to connecting people with important resources, so they’re reevaluating borrowing policies and making changes to evolve with the times. The MV Libraries will be joining over 450 other U.S. libraries in eliminating late fines.

But will people return materials on time without late fines?
Interestingly, libraries that have eliminated late fines have found that return rates actually go up. By removing the threat of daily accumulating late fines, people are less likely to avoid returning to the library, and more likely to bring back any overdue items they’ve checked out. No late fines means more people using the library.

Can a patron hold onto a library item indefinitely?

No. Patrons still have to bring back what they borrow – and we still ask that they try to do so on time – but the Fine Free policy is much more lenient if they miss a due date. After a few attempts to ask the patron to return the item, the patron will be billed for it.

Don’t the libraries need to charge late fines for revenue purposes?

Overdue fines contribute only a small amount of revenue. While our libraries are always carefully watching the bottom line, any loss of overdue fine revenue is small compared with the good this new policy will do for the community. A Fine Free policy opens our doors wider for Islanders who need us the most.

How does having lost or damaged item fees on my account impact my ability to use library services?
While we propose to eliminate late fines, libraries will still charge fees for lost or damaged materials. These fees are necessary to buy replacement books, CDs, or DVDs in our collections so other patrons may use them. As before, when a patron loses a book, CD, DVD or other library item, their account is blocked. That person then cannot borrow any additional materials. The account is unblocked when the items are returned or the replacement fees are paid.

Previously, CLAMS cardholders on island could borrow materials from Cape libraries that are not fine-free.  How does the Fine Free MV policy impact their ability to borrow items?
Interlibrary loan will not be affected. The CLAMS Board has agreed that Vineyard libraries may continue to borrow library materials from off-island CLAMS libraries even without collecting overdue fines. CLAMS cardholders will not be charged overdue fines at any Vineyard library, but a Vineyard CLAMS cardholder may still be charged overdue fines if they visit a CLAMS library on the Cape.

In the past, Island libraries have promoted Food for Fines events to support the Island Food Pantry. What will happen now?
The libraries will continue to collect food and advocate ongoing support for the Island Food Pantry. In the meantime, when Rockland Trust learned about island libraries eliminating overdue fines and libraries’ connection to the Food Pantry through the Food for Fines program, they pledged to donate $500 to the Island Food Pantry this winter. 

Friday, December 6, 2019

Survey: Planning for the B2 Business District

The Tisbury Planning Board seeks your input as they begin working on an Area Plan for the Upper State Rd B2 Business District. To gain a better understanding of how residents currently use this district and what they think could be done to improve it, the Board has developed a survey. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your response will contribute to the
development of the Area Plan and its recommendations.

Here is the link to the online survey --
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TisburyB2

Paper copies are available at the Vineyard Haven Library and the Planning Board Office.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Automatic Renewals Coming Soon!

CLAMS libraries will introduce automatic renewals beginning Tuesday, November 12th! Please contact your local library if you have any questions about this new service, or review the list of Frequently Asked Questions below.

What is an automatic renewal (auto-renewal)?
Most items checked out from the Library will renew automatically on your account. Three days before items are due, our system will check your account for eligible items and renew them. The loan periods will extend from the original due dates.

Which items automatically renew?
Most physical items borrowed (Books, DVDs, Blu-Rays, Audiobooks, Music CDs) are eligible for up to 3 auto-renewals.

Which items do not automatically renew?
The following are examples of material not eligible for automatic renewal:
  • Items another patron has requested (items on hold)
  • Items that have reached their renewal limit (3)
  • Items borrowed from outside the CLAMS network of libraries (Comcat, Inter library loans)
  • Express and Rental items
  • Museum passes
  • Library of Things (Kindles and other devices)
  • Other “non-traditional” items
  • Digital material (downloadable ebooks, eaudios, emagazines)
Are there other situations where an item will not auto renew?
  • Your account is blocked due to billed items or fines of $25 or more
  • Your account has expired
If an item did not auto-renew and I don’t return it on time, are there still fines?
Yes. Items are still subject to late fees/fines (and replacement costs). The patron is responsible for these charges.

Can I opt out of auto-renewal?
This is not currently possible. But patrons are always welcome to return items before the due date.


How am I notified when an item auto-renews?
If you have a current email address in your patron record, you will continue to receive a Courtesy notice 3 days before the item is due to be returned. The notice will list titles with an extended due date if your items were renewed. The new due date is calculated from the original (1 st renewal) or previous due date, not from the date of renewal. The original due date will appear next to items that could not be renewed.

What if I don’t have an email address or have not provided it to the library?
Eligible items will auto renew. Check your account online to view new due dates and items that could not be renewed.

What if I'm not receiving email notifications?
Be sure you've provided a valid email address. Please call or visit your local library to confirm the email address.

Do I have to manually renew items in my account?
No - it is not necessary now. Automatic Renewal does the work for you!

I use the Shoutbomb texting service. Will my text notice change?
Yes. Patrons will no longer get renew notices, however, you will get notices for items that are not eligible for renewal. Text MYBOOKS to the Shoutbomb number (508-543-1253) to see extended due dates on auto renewed items.

More Information on Renewing Library Items
If you don't find what you need using the information above, please contact your local library for more information.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Fall Schedule Changes, Including Sunday Hours!

Sunday, October 20th will be the first Sunday of the season that the library will be open. The library will be open from noon-4pm throughout the winter, except for a few holiday weekends. Please check our events calendar for information on free Sunday afternoon programs at the library, including an talk on Medical Marijuana at 2pm on October 27th.

The library will be closed for Veterans Day on Monday November 11th. For Thanksgiving, the library will close early at 1pm on Wednesday November 27th, and remain closed on Thursday November 28th and Friday November 29th. The library will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Special Screening of 'The Cat Rescuers' Documentary

On Tuesday, October 29th at 7pm, the Vineyard Haven Public Library will present a special screening of the documentary film 'The Cat Rescuers', followed by a Q&A session with the film's producer-director, Steven Lawrence. Representatives of Second Chance Animal Rescue will also be present to answer questions on trap, neuter and release programs here on Martha's Vineyard. This event is free and open to the public.

With over 500,000 street cats struggling to survive in New York City, and the city unwilling to address the problem, spirited volunteers have come to their aid. The beat is Brooklyn, where the problem has exploded. Combing the borough's alleys, backyards, and housing projects, they trap the cats, get them fixed and returned to their colonies or adopted. A dedicated group of people in Brooklyn devote their days and nights to rescuing abandoned or otherwise homeless kittens and cats.

Of course, the animals are adorable, but these people are equally inspiring. Their love and commitment to actually making a difference to the lives of these animals and to affecting social change concerning the environment, local laws and public policy is remarkable. The Cat Rescuers shows the skill, resilience, and humor these volunteer activists display in the face of such challenging work, and how their mission to reduce animal suffering -- often at great sacrifice to themselves -- makes a difference for the animals and the community, while changing the rescuers' lives.

Steven Lawrence is a producer-director whose documentaries have appeared on PBS, MTV and A&E. He has produced three films for director Michael Apted including Married in America, an ongoing doc about 9 marriages. His other productions, which have often focused on the arts and human rights, include The Furious Force of Rhymes, a global look at hip-hop as protest music, and Sarabah, about Senegalese rapper Sister Fa’s campaign to end female genital cutting. Currently, Steven is finishing Missing Microbes, a feature doc about the importance of the human microbiome, co-directed with Sarah Schenck. His work has received an IDA Documentary Achievement award, 3 Cine Golden Eagles, the Special Jury Award from the Locarno Film Festival and the Golden Butterfly from Movies That Matter.

Trailer for 'The Cat Rescuers'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdxKnsFpaJ0 

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Art in the Stacks: Annette Sandrock

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present an exhibit of photographs by Annette Sandrock, on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of October. This exhibit of black and white images of treetops in Crete is dedicated to the lost trees of Amazonia, and to the the majesty of trees as they grace our lives.

The photographs on display are also found in "Labyrinth," a book of poetry by Annette I. Sandrock that was published in Portugal this earlier this year. On Thursday, October 17th at 7pm, Annette will give a reading from her newly released book of poetry at the library. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing, and refreshments will be served.

Annette Sandrock has been a resident of Vineyard Haven more than 30 years and raised a family of three children here. Her careers as newspaper writer and arts critic, copy writer for television advertising, and English teacher at Martha's Vineyard High School, have all revolved around the spoken and written word. Annette Sandrock is a member of Cleaveland House Poets, and her poetry has appeared in The Martha’s Vineyard Times and the Vineyard Gazette, and in the books Cleaveland House Poetry(2015), Legacy of Light: Poems for the Gay Head Lighthouse (2014), and Martha's Vineyard Poets' Collective New Work (2013). She is a passionate traveler who spends most of her time abroad in Lisbon, Portugal.

----

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits and is managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a permanent collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Friday, September 6, 2019

Art in the Stacks: Opal Wortman

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present an exhibit of paintings by Opal Wortman, on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of September.

Opal Wortman was born and raised on the island, and graduated from Martha's Vineyard Regional High School in 2018. This collection of works is from her first year attending Parsons School of Design, and showcases a range of figure studies and experimental portraiture.

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits and is managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a permanent collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Friday, August 23, 2019

22nd Annual 5k Run/Walk & Free Kid's Fun Run on September 22nd!

On Sunday, September 22nd, the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library will host the annual Run to benefit the Library. The USATF-Sanctioned 5k Run/Walk starts at the library with runners proceeding to the West Chop lighthouse and back. There will also be a free 1/2 Mile Fun Run for Kids.

Medals will be awarded to winners in all age groups, and all participants will be eligible to win raffle prizes including gift certificates from local stores. 5k registration includes a t-shirt. 5k starts at 10 am; Fun Run for Kids starts at 9:45 am; Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Community sponsors for this year's event include Brickman's, Broadway Screen Printing, Cape Cod 5, Cronig's Market, The Green Room, Island Source, Martha's Vineyard Harley Riders, Martha's Vineyard Savings Bank, Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rentals & Sales, Stop & Shop, and Vineyard Grocer.

Save $5 by registering in advance! You can register online, or pick up a registration form at the library.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Register for Fall Literature Seminar with Phil Weinstein: "Fictions of the Law"

Register Online

Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College, will present the next in the ongoing program series "Islanders Read the Classics", with a six-part seminar "Fictions of the Law". This free seminar will be held on Wednesday evenings at the Katharine Cornell Theater, 51 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

"Fictions of the Law" will study three classic novels: Charles Dickens's Bleak House (1852), Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1866), and Franz Kafka's The Trial (1925). Participants are encouraged to read the books in advance, however it is not required. Copies of the books may be requested through your local CLAMS library. Those who prefer to read the same edition that Professor Weinstein will use in class may request the Norton Critical Edition of Bleak House, the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation Crime and Punishment, and the Muir translation of The Trial.

According to Professor Weinstein, the series' title--"Fictions of the Law"--should be understood in at least two ways. "On the one hand, we are reading three classic novels that circulate obsessively around the concept of the law (both criminal and civil). But each novel does this in its own ways, and the three of them differ starkly in approach, implication, and resonance. The other way to understand "Fictions of the Law" is to grasp that "law" itself is held up to an imaginative probing (is shown to be in disturbing ways fictional) in all three novels.  You may come away from each novel wondering, afresh, what is law?"

In order to allow the library to prepare class materials and communicate with students, participants are encouraged to sign up in advance at the library, or register online.

Dates and reading assignments:

Wednesday, September 18th, 7pm
Charles Dickens, Bleak House, chapters i - xxxi

Wednesday, October 2nd, 7pm
Charles Dickens, Bleak House, entire book

Wednesday, October 23rd, 7pm
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, parts 1-3

Wednesday, November 6th, 7pm
Crime and Punishment, entire book

Wednesday, November 20th, 7pm
Franz Kafka, The Trial

Wednesday, December 4th, 7pm
Franz Kafka, The Trial

Arnie Reisman: Rembrandt Has Left the Building

No photo description available.On Thursday, September 12th at 7 pm, learn how two screenwriters solved the nearly 30-year-old art heist at Boston’s Gardner Museum (and why they had to turn this historic event into a comedy). Arnie Reisman will tell the story of his award-winning original screenplay, “Rembrandt Has Left the Building,” cowritten with Nat Segaloff, based on the unsolved 1990 robbery of Boston’s Isabella Stuart Gardner art museum.

The Gardner museum robbery is the world’s biggest art heist. On March 17, 1990, two men dressed as Boston policemen overpowered the guards at the Gardner, methodically lifted and cut 13 works from their frames, and made off with their $500 million booty never to be seen again. Not only were there no significant clues, but in 29 years neither the FBI nor private investigators have been able to untangle the mystery -- until now. Reisman’s and Segaloff’s original script offers a compelling solution to who stole the paintings and why they will probably never be recovered. Based on interviews with the two chief suspects and a deathbed confession from one of them, it shows how the robbery was committed and the dryly funny reasons the investigation ran aground almost from the beginning.

“Rembrandt Has Left the Building” -- the title suggests a comedy of crime and manners -- was profiled on the acclaimed 2018 “Last Seen” NPR podcast series by Kelly Horan. The script was chosen winner in the feature division from among 153 submissions to the Electric City screenplay competition. Arnie Reisman is a writer, poet, editor, producer, and panelist on the popular NPR word game show, ”Says You!” Nat Segaloff is a writer, film historian, and producer. The screen rights to “Rembrandt Has Left the Building” are currently available through Barry Krost at BKM Management.

Despite some promising leads in the past, the Gardner theft of 1990 remains unsolved. The Museum, the FBI, and the US Attorney's office are still seeking viable leads that could result in safe return of the art. The Museum is offering a reward of $10 million for information leading directly to the recovery of all 13 works in good condition. A separate reward of $100,000 is being offered for the return of the Napoleonic eagle finial. Anyone with information about the stolen artworks or the investigation should contact the Gardner Museum directly. Confidentiality and anonymity is guaranteed. 

Sam Ducharme: Thru Hiking the Appalachian Trail

On Tuesday, September 10th at 7 pm at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, Thru-hiker Sam DuCharme will give a talk on his trail trek, as documented in his new book "Sole Searching on the Appalachian Trail".

Sam Ducharme set out on a 2189 mile, 14 state backpacking trip from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mt. Katahdin Maine. During his six month journey he documented the rugged beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, the wildlife, the hardships encountered on the trail, as well as the people, culture and humanity at its finest. Come join him as he takes you through the trail towns, over the mountaintops and through the backcountry. The images and stories will leave you with a renewed awe of the beauty of our country and its people.

See his gear, how he cooked, and hear what it is like sleeping in a hammock for six months through three seasons. You'll learn logistics and helpful hiking techniques, as well as how to survive in the woods for up to six months. You will also hear how Sam returned to the trail the following year, connecting with aspiring Thru Hikers, paying it forward, and his return to the summit of Katahdin one year later.

Sam Ducharme is a retired K9 Officer and is a lifelong resident of Connecticut. He has two adult sons, both serving in the United States Air Force. As an avid outdoorsman, and finding the empty-nest, Sam decided to buy a backpack and a plane ticket to Georgia. From there, he started walking north. With no prior backpacking experience, he learned on the trail. Gear, trail nutrition, enduring the elements, and the logistics involved in a long distance backpacking trip were hard lessons. After 20 years working within Connecticut’s prisons, the search for a positive recharge resulted in a life changing journey.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Art in The Stacks: Martha's Vineyard Jazz in Black & White, Photographs by Michael Johnson

Image may contain: 1 person, indoor
Mimi Jones
- MV Jazz Summerfest 2012
The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present “Martha's Vineyard Jazz in Black & White" an exhibit of photographs by Michael Johnson. The exhibit will be on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of August, 2019.

“Martha's Vineyard Jazz in Black & White” is an on going photographic project created by Martha's Vineyard  artist Michael Johnson. Since beginning this project in 2011, Mr. Johnson has created images of many luminaries of the jazz world when they performed on Martha's Vineyard. According to the artist, "Martha's Vineyard  is a locale with a rich history of local and visiting musical talent. I am drawing on that ready fount of talent while attempting to channel the artistry and feel of the old school black and white jazz imagery of the 1940s through the 60s."

Michael Johnson was born in Harlem, New York City and heard his calling to the fine arts at an early age. As a youth he spent many hours in the public libraries and museums studying the works of the great masters of art motivated by his love of their work.  Among his favorites were the painters of the Renaissance, while he also spent abundant amounts of time studying the Flemish masters and Art Nouveau. But his odyssey as a visual artist didn’t begin until his late twenties when he decided on a whim to enroll in a community college video production class. It was while attending this class that his earlier studies came to the fore, and he realized that he had some “natural” talent for composition and camera work. He prevailed on his father to lend him three hundred and fifty dollars to buy his first camera. Shortly afterward he moved to Martha’s Vineyard Island where he taught himself the art of photography. He has  traveled and photographed many American states, the Caribbean, Europe, Cuba and, Thailand.

Michael has has been a full time artist since 2001. He now lives 5 months of the year on Martha’s Vineyard and runs his own gallery in Vineyard Haven. He endeavors to keep the traditional techniques of hand crafted black and white photography alive with his work. Michael says of his creative process: “All of my work is informed by my deep belief in God. I try to tell the truth with my images, but it must be told from the view point of dignity and beauty. Whether it is nature, architecture, or people, God creates the forms and the moments and I draw on my talent and spirit to capture them. My job is infinitely simple, but infinitely rewarding.”       

http://www.michaeljimage.com
                                                                           
--

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits and is managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a permanent collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Friday, August 9, 2019

Full-time, Year-Round Position at VHPL, September Start Date

Applicants should provide cover letter and resume and complete online application here:
https://towntisbury.seamlessdocs.com/f/Employment_Application

VINEYARD HAVEN PUBLIC LIBRARY seeks Full-time Library Associate to provide comprehensive library
services to adults and children. Bachelor’s degree plus experience in libraries, education, or related fields, and strong computer skills required. Ideal candidate will be detail oriented, with knowledge and enjoyment of books and literature, excellent customer service skills, and enthusiasm for new technologies. 40 hrs/week schedule includes evenings and weekend hours. Starting salary $44,724.96 with full benefits under union contract. Applicants should submit resume, cover letter and online application through the Town of Tisbury Website
www.tisburyma.gov. EOE.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

"North of Havana" author Martin Garbus at Vineyard Haven Library


North of HavanaMartin Garbus, one of the country’s leading First Amendment lawyers, has just published North of Havana: The Untold Story of Dirty Politics, Secret Diplomacy, and the Trial of the Cuban Five (New Press; June 18, 2019). Mr. Garbus will be at the Vineyard Haven Public Library on Monday August 19th at 5PM to talk about his new work, followed by a book signing. Refreshments will be served. "North of Havana" is a riveting look at the U.S.-Cuban relationship seen through the lens of a nearly impossible case, that Kirkus Reviews has called “both an indictment of the legal system and a plea for prison reform – a harrowing chronicle of a fight for justice.”

During his distinguished career, Martin Garbus has established himself as a well-known trial lawyer representing the likes of Daniel Ellsberg and Leonard Peltier. But there is no story Garbus wants to tell more than that of his most challenging case: representing five Cuban spies marooned in the U.S. prison system and his efforts to get them out.

North of Havana tells the story of a spy ring sent by Cuba in the early 1990s to infiltrate anti-Communist extremists in Miami. Erroneously charged by the U.S. government in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two planes circulating anti-Castro leaflets over Havana, the spies—in the absence of evidence—were convicted in 2000 of conspiracy to commit espionage and murder. Caught up in the sweep of history, the Cuban Five, as they became known, played a central role over the next decade in the recent thaw in Cuban-American relations.

Set in Miami and Havana, North of Havana is a mesmerizing tale of international intrigue, espionage, and political gamesmanship that continues to play a shaping role in American foreign policy and presidential elections. In the process, the books shows how the justice system can be, and is, subverted for political purposes and gives readers insight into one of the most fascinating legal cases of our times.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Author Talk with Frye Gaillard, Author of A Hard Rain: America in the 1960's

On Tuesday, August 13th at 7 PM at Vineyard Haven Library, author Frye Gaillard will give a talk based on his newest book, 'A Hard Rain: America in the 1960's, Our Decade of Hope, Possibility, and Innocence Lost.' Books will be available for purchase and signing, and refreshments will be served.

'A Hard Rain' focuses on the 1960's, pivotal decade in American history. With graceful prose and a storyteller's eye, Frye Gaillard captures the hope and tragedy of the 1960s, beginning with the idealism of the civil rights movement, and ending with the violence brought about by the war in Vietnam. He also examines the cultural manifestations of change – music, literature, art, religion, and science – and so we meet not only the Brothers Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X, but also Gloria Steinem, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Harper Lee, Mister Rogers, Rachel Carson, James Baldwin, Andy Warhol, Billy Graham, Thomas Merton, George Wallace, Richard Nixon, Angela Davis, Barry Goldwater, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Berrigan Brothers.

“There are many different ways to remember the sixties,” Gaillard writes, “and this is mine. There was in these years the sense of a steady unfolding of time, as if history were on a forced march, and the changes spread to every corner of our lives. As future generations debate the meaning of the decade, I hope to offer a sense of how it felt to have lived it. A Hard Rain is one writer’s reconstruction and remembrance of a transcendent era — one that, for better or worse, lives with us still.”

Frye Gaillard, writer in residence at the University of South Alabama, has written extensively on southern race relations, politics and culture. He is former Southern Editor at The Charlotte Observer, where he covered Charlotte’s landmark school desegregation controversy, the ill-fated ministry of televangelist Jim Bakker, the funeral of Elvis Presley, and the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Gaillard has written or edited more than twenty-five books, and his award-winning titles include Go South to Freedom, Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement That Changed America; The Dream Long Deferred: The Landmark Struggle for Desegregation in Charlotte, North Carolina; Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music; If I Were a Carpenter: Twenty Years of Habitat for Humanity; Prophet from Plains: Jimmy Carter and His Legacy; and As Long As the Waters Flow: Native Americans in the South and East.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

MV Library Association and MV Book Festival Event with Author Eric Klinenberg

The Martha's Vineyard Library Association invites you to join us at the Chilmark Library on Friday, August 2nd, at 3pm for a special event with author Eric Klinenberg in honor of his newest book, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. The talk, moderated by former president of the American Library Association Maureen Sullivan, will cover how shared spaces, including libraries, play a crucial role in bridging societal divides. Books will be available for purchase and signing, and refreshments will be served. This event is free, open to the public, and presented by the Martha’s Vineyard Library Association in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival. For more information about the book, please visit ericklinenberg.com.

Eric Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. He is the author of Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002), as well as the editor of Cultural Production in a Digital Age and of the journal Public Culture. His scholarly work has been published in journals including the American Sociological Review, Theory and Society, and Ethnography, and he has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, The Washington Post, Slate, Le Monde Diplomatique, The London Review of Books, and the radio program This American Life.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Discover the Owls of New England


On Tuesday, July 30th at 7 PM, Vineyard Haven Public Library presents "Discover the Owls of New England," a program by well-known photographer and wildlife advocate Peter Christoph. In this captivating presentation, Peter delivers stunning photographs of his favorite owls combined with stories that entertain, educate and inspire the audience.

You’ll learn the secrets Peter uses to find and photograph these same owls in the wild in their natural habitat! Eight species of expected owls in New England include: Great Horned, Barred, and Eastern Screech – all year-round residents and fairly easy to spot. Long-eared, Short-eared, and Snowy are winter migrants and breed far north of us. Northern Saw-whet Owls do breed in New England but are quite small and rarely seen. Barn Owls have bred in New England but are the toughest of all to find. He’ll wrap up this exceptional wildlife program with beautiful images of a vagrant migrant--a rare visitor called the Great Gray Owl.

Peter Christoph has presented at photography groups nationally and locally, including the Photographic Society of America (PSA), New England Camera Club Council (NECCC,) and several camera clubs throughout New England. He has been the recipient of many prestigious national and international awards and gold medals recognizing his photographic talent. Peter has published three bird photography books, including his latest “The Art of Bird Photography.”

Explore Peter’s work at http://peterchristoph.com/

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Register for Fall Literature Seminar with Phil Weinstein: "Fictions of the Law"

Bleak house (1895) (14749577026) 

Register online

Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College, will present the next in the ongoing program series "Islanders Read the Classics", with a six-part seminar "Fictions of the Law". This free seminar will be held on Wednesday evenings at the Katharine Cornell Theater, 51 Spring Street, Vineyard Haven.

"Fictions of the Law" will study three classic novels: Charles Dickens's Bleak House (1852), Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1866), and Franz Kafka's The Trial (1925). Participants are encouraged to read the books in advance, however it is not required. Copies of the books may be requested through your local CLAMS library.

According to Professor Weinstein, the series' title--"Fictions of the Law"--should be understood in at least two ways. "On the one hand, we are reading three classic novels that circulate obsessively around the concept of the law (both criminal and civil). But each novel does this in its own ways, and the three of them differ starkly in approach, implication, and resonance. The other way to understand "Fictions of the Law" is to grasp that "law" itself is held up to an imaginative probing (is shown to be in disturbing ways fictional) in all three novels.  You may come away from each novel wondering, afresh, what is law?"

In order to allow the library to prepare class materials and communicate with students, participants are encouraged to sign up in advance at the library, or register online.

Dates and reading assignments:

Wednesday, September 18th, 7pm
Charles Dickens, Bleak House

Wednesday, October 2nd, 7pm
Charles Dickens, Bleak House

Wednesday, October 23rd, 7pm
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

Wednesday, November 6th, 7pm
Crime and Punishment

Wednesday, November 20th, 7pm
Franz Kafka, The Trial

Wednesday, December 4th, 7pm
Franz Kafka, The Trial

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Bright Star Theatre Family Performance of "One Small Step"

On Wednesday, July 24th at 3:30 pm, the Vineyard Haven Library presents a free, family-friendly performance by Bright Star Theatre. This program is made possible by the generous donations by the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library and the Anderson Foundation, and all ages are welcome.

Bright Star Theatre will perform "One Small Step...The Real Life Journey to Outer Space." Few events in human history have captured the imagination quite like the journey that humankind took to the moon! This tale marks the history of flight and space travel from the ancient tale of Icarus, to the first flights of the Wright Brothers on the beaches at Kitty Hawk, to the Great Space Race of the 1960s and beyond! Your young pilots and astronauts will be thrilled to learn about the real life characters that took One Small Step!

Bright Star Theatre  is one of the largest professional touring theatre companies in the country, now in their 16th season. Based in Asheville, North Carolina; Bright Star Touring Theatre proudly serves around 1800 audiences from Tacoma to Moscow with over 56 shows a season.

Monday, July 15, 2019

Soul-Error: Philip Weinstein Talk and Reading

On Tuesday, July 23rd at 5 PM, Philip Weinstein will give a talk and reading at Vineyard Haven Public Library, based on his forthcoming manuscript, Soul-Error. Professor Weinstein describes Soul-Error as "a mix of essays about childhood, autumnal ruminations about the teaching profession, and speculative explorations about how we (the smartest species around) tend to get things wrong, and thus go through our lives mis-taking (and revising) our sense of how things are and what really matters."

Professor Weinstein will read from his essay "Vannie," named for the maid who helped to bring him up in the South in the 1940s and 1950s. The talk will explore what Vannie meant to the author and his family then, before setting forth what he has come to understand, years later, about those same social arrangements. It is a study in contrasts--experienced by the author and by countless other Americans as well. This event is free and refreshments will be served.

Philip Weinstein is Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College.  He has been offering literary courses sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library every autumn. His publications include Henry James and the Requirements of the Imagination (1971), The Semantics of Desire: Changing Models of Identity from Dickens to Joyce (1984), Faulkner’s Subject: A Cosmos No One Owns (1992), What Else But Love? The Ordeal of Race in Faulkner and Morrison (1996), Unknowing: The Work of Modernist Fiction (2005), Becoming Faulkner(2009), and Jonathan Franzen: The Comedy of Rage (2015). 

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Playful Engineers at the Vineyard Haven Public Library

 


Please join us at The Vineyard Haven Public Library on Friday July 19th from 3:30-5:00 pm for a very special visit from Jay Mankita of Playful Engineers. This free program is best for children ages 8 and up.

Jay Mankita has worked with kids and families for over 30 years. He is a longtime musical activist in ecology, nutrition, and education. He has a strong passion for engineering and making things move, and teaches how he learns - with patience, humor, and lots of room for mistakes! In this hands-on, STEM focused workshop, participants design, build, test, and play with Rube Goldberg "machines”, plus domino constructions, exploding popsicle-stick snakes, and other awesome engineering explorations.

This exciting and educational hands-on program is made possible by a gift to the Friends of the Library from the Anderson Foundation.

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Family Friendly Concert with Rolie Polie Guacamole

The Vineyard Haven Library presents a family-friendly concert with Brooklyn's "kindie" rock band Rolie Polie Guacamole, at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 17th at the bandstand in Owen Park. Rolie Polie Guacamole's high energy, interactive shows are a mix of funk, rock, and folk music mashed into original tunes about natural living, eating healthy, and staying active. This free event is made possible by a generous contribution from The Anderson Foundation and the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library.

Rolie Polie Guacamole lays claim to being the one of the hardest working bands in kids’ music, and that just might be true. They’ve released six albums and played well over 2,000 shows nationwide since hitting the boards with their first performance in 2007, receiving top picks from Boston.com, Time Out NY Kids, and Time Out Chicago.

Winner of the prestigious Parents’ Choice® and NAPPA Awards, Rolie Polie Guacamole has developed a smart, parent-friendly musical style that dresses up original tunes and classic covers with vibrant harmonies and deft instrumental layers, plugging in a sizzling electric current of rhythm that lights up lyrics humming with relevance and humor.

Meet Martha Hall Kelly at Vineyard Haven Library

On Thursday, July 18th at 7 pm, the Vineyard Haven Public Library presents an evening with Martha Hall Kelly, bestselling author of Lilac Girls and Lost Roses. The library will close early at 5:30 pm that evening to set up for this event on the Main Floor, and seating for event will begin at 6:30 pm. Books will be available for purchase, and refreshments will be served.

Martha Hall Kelly grew up in Massachusetts and now splits her time between Connecticut, New York City and Martha's Vineyard. She worked as an advertising copywriter for many years and raised three splendid children, while researching and writing her first novel Lilac Girls, which became a New York Times bestseller the week it was published in April 2016. Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Her sweeping new novel "Lost Roses" is set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, featuring Caroline's mother, Eliza, and following three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of  World War I.

Monday, July 8, 2019

Art in the Stacks: Beneath the Barcode

Screen+Shot+2018-12-28+at+12.16.19+AM.jpg

This month, the Friends of the Library's Art in the Stacks gallery space will feature photographs from Media Voices for Children's 'Beneath the Barcode' project. Beneath the Barcode is a documentary photo exhibit intended to raise our attention to the impact of our economic choices on children.

The exhibit examines very particular sectors of child labor found in poorer parts of the world and across the United States. The show is a chance to examine how children factor into the production, transport, manufacturing, refining and distribution of all the things we eat, buy and use. There are scenes taking place everywhere, from dumpsites in Indonesia, to commercial farms in Texas.  For more information visit the project website, https://www.mediavoicesforchildren.org/btb

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits and is managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a permanent collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Sunday with Friends: Honoring James H. K. Norton

On Sunday, July 14th at 2 pm, the Friends of Vineyard Haven Public Library present an afternoon honoring Jim Norton, South Asian scholar and author of "Walking in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts". The program will feature an introduction by Nis Kildegaard, and comments by Bow Van Riper of the Martha's Vineyard Museum. Dr. Norton will read from his essays on Vineyard history. Refreshments in the library garden will follow the talk. The library will open at 1:30 pm for this event. 

Jim Norton is a 10th generation descendant of the first Norton settlers on Martha's Vineyard in the mid 17th century. He received a B.S. degree from Yale University, B.A. and M.A. degrees in Sanskrit from Oxford University, and a Ph.D. in Indian philosophy from the University of Madras in India. Dr. Norton spent five years in India, first as a Ford Foundation scholar while doing graduate work at the University of Madras. He taught for 10 years at the College of Wooster, where he was associate professor of religion and chairman of the Department of Indian Studies. He has also taught at Madurai University, Boston University, and Oberlin College. 

In 1973 he returned to Martha's Vineyard to manage the family farm, commit his concern for education to the Island public schools, and delve into the distinctive history of the Island's past. He has written a number of articles on Island History, Indian Philosopy and comparative Eastern and Western though, and is the author of "India and South Asia" in the Global Studies Series published by McGraw-Hill, now in its 9th edition. For more than a decade, Jim gave annual seminars as part to the Vineyard Haven Library's adult lecture series, beginning with a talk on Afghanistan, following the September 11th, 2001 attacks. 
 
--

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library support a variety of programs for both adults and children throughout the year, including an annual summer event honoring an author with ties to the Vineyard. Past honorees have included Geraldine Brooks, Art Buchwald, Stephen Carter, Phil Craig, Jules Feiffer, Lillian Hellman, John Hough, Jr., Ward Just, David McCullough, Holly Nadler, Cynthia Riggs, Rose Styron, William Styron, Shakespeare for the Masses creators Nicole Galland and Chelsea McCarthy, and Amor Towles. For more information contact the Vineyard Haven Public Library, (508) 696-4211.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Adult Programs: July Events

All programs at the Vineyard Haven Public Library are free and open to the public. Please join us!

7 pm Tuesday July 9th
Dick Johnson: Ticks and Tick-Borne Illnesses on MV
Dick Johnson works for the Board of Health of the 6 Island Towns through a program called 'Tick-Borne Illness Prevention Initiative'. He has been doing this for 9 years, and has a fair amount of experience and data, focusing on 3 common ticks on MV, their ecology and life cycles and the diseases they carry. He will cover the latest information on tick-borne illness and prevention, and will suggest ways to protect yourself, your family, and pets.

7 pm Thursday July 11th
Pseudoscience and Archaeology: How the Media Blends Fact and Fiction
Marie Kesten Zahn leads a discussion of how the evolution of science fiction has affected the public view of archaeology. Throughout the history of sci-fi, archaeological plot lines have become more popular in recent times. While this has furthered public interest in archaeology, the science fiction origins of the "ancient alien theory" have tarnished the view of legitimate archaeological studies. From H.P. Lovecraft to Indiana Jones and Doctor Who, the impact of the entertainment industry on archaeological research is examined.

3 pm Saturday July 13th
Adult Crafts: Glass Etching
Etch a design into a glass. In this adult craft, we'll make stencils with the Cricut cutter and then use etching cream on drinking glasses. We'll provide all the materials (including glasses) but feel free to bring your own glassware and designs. For adults and teens ages 12 and up. Sponsored by The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library

2 pm Sunday July 14th
Sunday with Friends: James H. K. Norton         
The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library are pleased to present an afternoon honoring Jim Norton, South Asia scholar and author of "Walking in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts", as well as extensive writings on Vineyard history, India and South Asia. Nis Kildegaard and Bow Van Riper will provide an introduction, and refreshments will be served. The library will open at 1:30 pm for this event.

2 pm Monday, July 15th
Advance Care Planning Workshop
Are you interested in making sure your documents are in place should you be in an accident? Are you an older adult who wants your health care wishes to be honored when you approach the end of life? Join Healthy Aging MV for this introduction to Advance Care Planning. You will learn about options for health care at the end of life and discuss a topic that can be sensitive for families and perhaps difficult to broach with loved ones. Learn how to start “the conversation” so that your values are heard and your family--and your physician--feel comfortable and secure knowing they are meeting your needs. You will also learn about health care proxies and how to assign a health care agent, as well as other forms and documents to be kept on file. To register contact Healthy Aging MV, call 508-693-7900 ext 455 or email hbellebuono at mvcommunityservices dot com.

7 pm Tuesday July 16th
Nelson Sigelman: Martha's Vineyard Fish Tales
Author Nelson Sigelman will share stories from his book "Martha's Vineyard Fish Tales: How to catch fish, rake clams, and jig squid, with entertaining tales about the sometimes crazy pursuit of fish". The focus is on Martha’s Vineyard, but the information, fishing tips, and stories about Island characters will sound familiar to anyone who has spent time in a community of fishermen.

7 pm Thursday July 18th
Martha Hall Kelly: Lost Roses
Join us for an evening with bestselling author Martha Hall Kelly. Her runaway bestseller "Lilac Girls" introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Her sweeping new novel "Lost Roses" is set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, featuring Caroline's mother, Eliza, and following three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of  World War I. The library will close early at 5:30 pm this evening to set up for this event on the Main Floor. Seating for event will begin at 6:30 pm.

5 pm Tuesday July 23rd

Philip Weinstein: Soul-Error
Philip Weinstein, the Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College will share his work in progress, a volume of essays entitled Soul-Error. Refreshments will be served. Professor Weinstein will read from his essay "Vannie," named for the black maid who helped to bring him up in the South in the 1940s and 1950s. The talk explores what Vannie meant to the author and his family then, before setting forth what he has come to understand, years later, about those same social arrangements. It is a study in contrasts--experienced by the author and by countless other Americans as well.

7 pm Tuesday July 30th
Peter Christoph: Owls of New England
In this captivating presentation, Peter delivers stunning photographs of his favorite owls combined with stories that entertain, educate and inspire the audience. You’ll learn the secrets Peter uses to find and photograph these owls in their natural habitat! Eight species of expected owls in New England include: Great Horned, Barred, Eastern Screech, Long-eared, Short-eared, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet and the Barn Owl.

July 2019
Art in the Stacks: Beneath the Barcode
This month, the Friends of the Library's Art in the Stacks gallery space will feature photographs from Media Voices for Children's 'Beneath the Barcode' project. 'Beneath the Barcode' is an effort to raise our attention to the impact of our economic choices on children. For more information visit the project website, https://www.mediavoicesforchildren.org/btb

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Trustees of Reservations "Go Passes" Now Available at the Library!

Vineyard Haven Public Library has partnered with the Trustees of Reservations to provide library patrons the opportunity to get outside and explore places on Martha's Vineyard and elsewhere in Massachusetts.

Trustees "Go Passes" may be picked up at Vineyard Haven Public Library and used at Trustees properties for free or reduced admission. Go Pass admission is equivalent to the admission of a Family level Trustees membership, for two adults and children under 18. Go passes are valid for admission only; not valid for discounts at parking kiosks, stores, cafes, Inns, Campgrounds, special events and programs, on any equipment rental, or in place of any other permits or passes.

The Trustees care for more than 100 special places all around Massachusetts, including Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge and Long Point Wildlife Refuge on Martha's Vineyard. Not every Trustees property charges an admission fee and some fees vary seasonally. For detailed information about admission at each property, please visit thetrustees.org.

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Art in the Stacks: ‘As We Live’ by Elizabeth R. Whelan

'Sophie at the Island Theater', 20" x 24", oil on canvas
The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present "Martha's Vineyard: As We Live" an exhibit of new paintings by Elizabeth R. Whelan. The exhibit will be on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of June, 2019. These paintings are from a recently completed series based on Island life in the off-season, that is part of the artist's response to the question, "What's it like on Island in the winter?"

Elizabeth R. Whelan is a UK-born artist best known for her portraits, which portray the warmth and personality of each of her subjects in a very individual way. She paints in oil on canvas, specializing in portraits and figurative work. She also paints maritime scenes, landscapes, and still life, and accepts commissions in all genres. The artist is represented on Martha's Vineyard by Night Heron Gallery in Vineyard Haven for her maritime paintings and linocut prints, The Field Gallery in West Tisbury for her portraiture, by Craftworks Gallery in Oak Bluffs for her smaller landscapes and paintings with rural themes, and in the Boston area by Francesca Anderson Fine Art/Portraits North in Lexington, Massachusetts. She is a member of the Salmagundi Club, Portrait Society of America, and Seed Savers Exchange.

http://www.elizabeth-whelan.com

--

The Vineyard Haven Public Library's "Art in the Stacks" space features rotating monthly exhibits and is managed by the Friends of the Library. The library also has a permanent collection of artworks that are displayed throughout the year, including 12 paintings by Vineyard artist Captain John Ivory. Artists interested in showing their work may contact the library at (508) 696-4210.

Monday, June 3, 2019

The Writing Life Public & Private: Rose Styron, Philip Weinstein & Alexander Weinstein in Conversation

On Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 at 6 pm, the Martha's Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing and Vineyard Haven Public Library present three professional writers in conversation: Rose Styron (poet), Philip Weinstein (literary critic), and Alexander Weinstein (fiction). Their talk will probe the relations between the privacy of creative writing and the issues that shape public life. This event will be held at the Katharine Cornell Theater at 51 Spring Street. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Rose Styron is the author of four poetry collections: Fierce Day, By Vineyard Light, Thieves' Afternoons, and From Summer to Summer. She has written introductions to Letters to My Father, a collection of letters written by her husband, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Styron, to his father, and The Selected Letters of William Styron, which she edited. Also a human rights activist, Styron has traveled widely for Amnesty International and other human rights organizations. She lives on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts.

Philip Weinstein is Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English Emeritus at Swarthmore College.  He has been offering literary courses sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library every autumn. His publications include Henry James and the Requirements of the Imagination (1971), The Semantics of Desire: Changing Models of Identity from Dickens to Joyce (1984), Faulkner’s Subject: A Cosmos No One Owns (1992), What Else But Love? The Ordeal of Race in Faulkner and Morrison (1996), Unknowing: The Work of Modernist Fiction (2005), Becoming Faulkner(2009), and Jonathan Franzen: The Comedy of Rage (2015).  His current MS is entitled Soul-Error.

Alexander Weinstein is the author of the critically acclaimed short story collection Children of the New World and the director of the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. Among his many publications, his fiction has been collected in the anthologies Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, New Voices from the Midwest, and Best American Experimental Writing. He is an associate professor of creative writing and lives in Ann Arbor.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Community Meeting: Library Addition

On Monday, June 3rd at 6pm, the Vineyard Haven Public Library Building Committee and Board of Trustees will host a community meeting to share initial site plans for a proposed multipurpose meeting room at the library, and provide a progress report on the project. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.

Vineyard Haven Public Library has engaged Maryann Thompson, Architects, to design an addition to the library building at 200 Main Street, in order to build a multipurpose meeting room. The Library Building Design and Construction Committee has been working with the design team to update the building program, review site plan options and accomplish an initial conceptual design phase of the project.

Following this community meeting, Maryann Thompson will be creating a schematic design for the new space, and producing a menu of other potential building improvements. Prior to construction, the library will be undertaking a capital campaign to raise the funds for the proposed addition.

More information about the proposed addition is available on the library website at http://vhlibrary.org/Building.shtml.

Monday, May 20, 2019

Memorial Day: Schedule and Special Events

The Vineyard Haven Public Library will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 27th.

On Friday May 24th, students from the Tisbury School will participate in their annual Memorial Day March to the Sea. Students will carry flowers from the School to the harbor, commemorating those who gave their lives for their country. The ceremony will begin at the School at 12:30 pm, marching via Spring Street and Main Street, and ending at Owen Park at approximately 1:15 pm.

On Monday, the town of Tisbury will hold a Memorial Day Picnic from noon to 4 pm on the grounds of the restored Tashmoo Spring Building on West Spring Street off State Road. Entertainment will include live music by the Flying Elbows, supported by the MV Cultural Council, as well as outdoor games, chalk art, and more. Grills and free ice cream will be provided by the Town of Tisbury. Bring your own picnic food and supplies, and please leave your dogs at home. VTA Buses will stop at the Tashmoo Overlook between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm.