Library Closed Saturday June 12th Due to Town Meetings

Vineyard Haven Library will be closed the afternoon of Saturday, June 12, 2021, due to the Tisbury Annual and Special Town Meetings that will take place that afternoon at the Tisbury School Playground, 40 West William Street, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Children's and Teen Take and Make packages will be available for pickup from the library entry vestibule between 10am and noon.

Please click here to read the 2020 Town Report
https://www.tisburyma.gov/home/files/town-report-2020

Please click here to read Warrant Booklet
https://www.tisburyma.gov/home/files/warrant-final

Wecome to "Express Browsing" in the Children's Room

The Children's Room at Vineyard Haven Library is now open for Express Browsing by appointment. Appointments are 15 minutes, and limited to one family group at a time, for one visit per day. To sign up, call the library or sign up online: https://bit.ly/33W3ZFp

Children must be accompanied at all times by an adult caregiver. All patrons over the age of two are required to wear a face covering, regardless of personal vaccination status. All toys, table seating, and computers have been temporarily removed from the Children's Room. 

Please arrive 5 minutes before your appointment time. Access will be through the garden entrance. Browsing time is limited to 15 minutes, so please call ahead if you are looking for specific items, and remember to bring your library card. 

If you'd like to visit us without an appointment, all of our newest books for children and young adults can be found in the main library, where no appointment is necessary for easy drop-in "Grab & Go" browsing when the library is open.

We understand that plans may change, but please contact us if you need to cancel your appointment so that we can accommodate another family. Thank you!

Virtual Event with Cape Cod Wildlife Center

 

Virtual : News From the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center
6pm Tuesday June 8th

Zak Mertz, Director of the Cape Wildlife Center, will talk about the state of wildlife and biodiversity on Cape Cod, as well as some of the common afflictions and diseases typically seen in patients at the Cape Wildlife Center. He will also cover "what to do if you find a wild animal" and some helpful things the general public can do to help wild animals thrive in your own backyard. 

The Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center runs two non-profit wildlife veterinary hospitals and education centers located in Barnstable and Weymouth, Massachusetts. Together they work to provide veterinary and rehabilitative care to sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals. In the process of caring for these patients, they work to educate members of the  public and spread the message of environmental conservation . Each day they work to preserve the rich natural history of Cape Cod and the islands, one animal – and one person at a time.

Zak Mertz is the  Director of the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, MA and the Assistant Director of New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth, MA. He has worked in the field of wildlife care and conservation for the past seven years, and is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Zak also holds a master's of Science from UMASS Boston with a concentration in both physical and socio-hydrology. 

Please contact Sherry at sevans@clamsnet.org for Zoom access. This program is brought to you in collaboration with the Hyannis Public, Mashpee Public, Cotuit, Yarmouth Town and Vineyard Haven Public libraries.

May Schedule for "Express Services" in the Library Building

We are happy to share that the library building is now open limited hours for "Express Services". Our current schedule:

Wednesday: 1 pm to 5 pm
Thursday: 1 pm to 5 pm
Friday: 1 pm to 5 pm
Saturday: 1 pm to 4 pm

The main floor is open for drop in "Grab & Go" materials browsing. Appointments are not needed to browse in the main library but we do ask all patrons to keep their visits brief. Capacity limits will be in place, so please wait outside if requested by a staff member. Masks that cover mouth and nose must be worn by all library visitors over age 2, regardless of vaccination status. Hand sanitizer is provided  and one public restroom will be open for handwashing.

The Children's Room will be open to one family group at a time for 15 minutes, and appointments are suggested. CLICK HERE to see available dates and time slots and to register. 

Our newest and most popular books for children, young adults, and adults are shelved our Express Browsing area near the garden entrance, no appointment required. The basement level will not be accessible, but materials are available by request, and some popular collections have been moved to the main floor.

Computers will be available to library cardholders for one 30-minute session per day, by appointment only, beginning Wednesday May 26th. Please call the library if you wish to schedule a computer appointment. Study tables and seating will not be available inside the building, but patrons are welcome to connect to our WiFi using their personal computers in the library courtyard, where limited seating is available. WiFi hotspots and Chromebook computers are also available to check out for home use.

Contact-free pickup will continue to be available in the library entry vestibule from 12pm to 5pm on Mondays & Tuesdays, with same-day pickup available for items requested by 2pm. Home delivery is also available to qualifying Tisbury residents. 

Martha’s Vineyard Library Buildings Plan To Reopen

All six Martha’s Vineyard libraries are pleased to announce their plan to reopen to the public for in-person “Express Services” by the first week of June, 2021. Opening dates, hours and available services will vary by library; patrons should contact their local library or visit its website prior to planning a visit. Vineyard Haven Library will be open for Grab & Go Browsing from 10am to noon on Tuesday May 18th, 1-4pm on Thursday May 20th, and 1-4pm on Saturday May 22nd, with an updated schedule the following week. Appointments are not required except for visiting the Children's Room and for computer use.

“Express Services” will include browsing for books and other materials, holds pickup, access to public computers for one 30-minute session per day, and document services such as scanning, printing, copying, and faxing. Library patrons will be encouraged to keep their visits brief, and time limits may be enforced. Some libraries will be requiring an appointment to enter the building or for access to the Children’s Room.

Safety restrictions will be in place at all libraries, including social distancing and capacity limits. Meeting rooms and study rooms will be closed, indoor seating will be limited, and some areas of the libraries may not be accessible to the public. Children must be accompanied and supervised by their adult caregiver at all times, and indoor play areas will not be available. All patrons over the age of two will be required to wear a face mask covering their nose and mouth, regardless of personal vaccination status. For those unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability, libraries will continue to provide remote services.

Martha’s Vineyard libraries will continue to offer contactless services, including curbside pickup, virtual programs, remote reference assistance, and expanded digital resource offerings. Libraries also have WiFi hotspots and Chromebook computers to check out for use outside the library.

All Martha’s Vineyard libraries are fine-free. We recognize community members have faced significant challenges during the past year and may have checked out items that are now extremely overdue. The libraries wish to assure all patrons that no late fees will be charged on any overdue items returned, no matter how overdue, as long as items are returned in good condition.

“The Vineyard’s libraries have long been a lifeline for our communities,” said Lisa Sherman, President of the Martha’s Vineyard Library Association. “During the pandemic, every Island library rose to the challenge of upholding our shared mission of service. We’ve missed our patrons – and we know they’ve missed our in-person library services. We look forward to expanding our services in the months ahead, and at every library we continue to be committed to sustaining a safe environment for both staff and our patrons.”

Virtual: A Real Life Love Story From Hollywood's Golden Age

 

On Tuesday May 25th at 6 pm, author Victoria Riskin will join us on Zoom to discuss her recent book Fay Wray and Robert Riskin: A Hollywood Memoir. A love story, memoir, and dual biography of two of Hollywood’s most famous figures, this book explores the fascinating lives of two exceptionally talented people at the center of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Author Vicki Riskin, who is the daughter of Fay Wray and Robert Riskin, will be interviewed by personality Arnie Reisman for what is sure to be most entertaining evening.  

Fay Wray (1907–2004) enjoyed a long, sterling career, but achieved cinematic immortality for her role in King Kong (1933). Robert Riskin (1897–1955) was an Academy Award-winning writer and producer whose collaboration with Frank Capra yielded films such as It Happened One Night (1934) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), among many others. In this moving and masterful work, Wray and Riskin’s daughter interweaves the story of their lives and connects them to one of the most interesting periods in Hollywood history. At the heart of this biography is a great love story, backed by a cast of characters that includes the greatest stars, filmmakers, screenwriters, and moguls of the era. Readers should not miss this touching and highly acclaimed book. 

Author Victoria Riskin adapted Willa Cather’s My Ántonia for television and was a producer of Carson McCullers’s The Member of the Wedding as well as The Last Best Year, based on her years as a psychologist. Riskin was president of the Writers Guild of America West and served for twelve years on the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her husband, the writer David W. Rintels.

Arnie Reisman started as a print journalist, and moved into radio, TV, and film (acting, directing, and producing). He recently added playwright and poet (and Martha’s Vineyard poet laureate) to his résumé.  Both Reisman and his wife Paula Lyons have been mainstays on Says You!, a wacky national radio quiz show slated for its 20th season.

Special Event: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf

 

Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf
A Film by Thomas Piper
Virtual Event : Filmmaker Q & A on Friday, May 21st at 2pm
Open Screening: Mon. May 17 - Sun. May 23
 
“For me, garden design isn’t just about plants, it is about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do. You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature.” – Piet Oudolf
    
We are showcasing the work of the brilliant landscape designer Piet Oudolf this month with a virtual screening of Thomas Piper’s documentary on the Dutch genius, Five Seasons, between Monday, May 17 and Sunday, May 23. The screening will be accompanied by a Q&A with the filmmaker on Friday, May 21 at 2pm.

Five Seasons is an immersive and meditative documentary that reveals how the revolutionary landscape designer Piet Oudolf upends our conventional notions of nature, public space, and ultimately, beauty itself. 

After completing a feature documentary on New York’s High Line, award-winning filmmaker Thomas Piper met the inspirational designer and plantsman, Piet Oudolf, and the idea for a new project was born. The documentary, FIVE SEASONS: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf, immerses viewers in Oudolf’s work and takes us inside his creative process, from his beautifully abstract sketches, to theories on beauty, to the ecological implications of his ideas.

Intimate discussions take place through all fours seasons in Piet’s own gardens at Hummelo, and on visits to his signature public works in New York, Chicago, and the Netherlands, as well as to the far-flung locations that inspire his genius, including desert wildflowers in West Texas and post-industrial forests in Pennsylvania.

As a narrative thread, the film also follows Oudolf as he designs and installs a major new garden at Hauser & Wirth Somerset, a gallery and arts center in Southwest England, a garden he considers his best work yet.

Piet Oudolf has radically redefined what gardens can be. As Rick Darke, the famous botanist, says to Piet in the film, “your work teaches us to see what we have been unable to see.” Through poetic cinematography and unique access, FIVE SEASONS will reveal all that Piet sees, and celebrate all that we as viewers have been unable to see.

This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Edgartown Free Public Library and the Chilmark, West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven libraries.

Request the link to the film and the Zoom link to the filmmaker’s Q&A  by contacting library program coordinator Anne McDonough amcdonough@clamsnet.org