Online-only Event: The Crisis in Ukraine, in Historical Perspective

[Online] 5 pm Thursday September 22nd
The Crisis in Ukraine in Historical Perspective: A Virtual Talk with Professor Michael Strmiska

Professor Michael Strmiska will offer an historical overview from Kyivan Rus as an original Ukrainian/Russian state circa 1000 through the creation of independent Ukraine at the end of the Soviet Union in 1991; Ukraine's relationship with East and West: with Russia and the EU and USA; Russian seizure of Crimea and Russian-Ukrainian Conflict in the Eastern Ukrainian Donbas region; Russia’s attack on Eastern Ukraine; Putin's rejection of Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation, and the role of Russian propaganda. 

SUNY Orange Global Studies Professor Michael Strmiska is a scholar of World History and a researcher of eastern and northern Europe. As a Fulbright Fellow, he was a visiting lecturer at Šiauliai University in Lithuania in 2004, and has been a guest lecturer for Vilnius University in Lithuania. He was a visiting professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic in 2015, and in 2020 was a Fulbright Fellow teaching at Rīga Stradiņš University in Latvia. Dr. Strmiska has traveled extensively in Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Estonia, Croatia, Russia, and Ukraine. In 2017, he was chosen as a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award, Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities. He holds a B.A. from Hampshire College, an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D. from Boston University. He is the author of "Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives," and is currently working on a book tentatively entitled "Unchristian Eastern Europe: Pagans, Jews, Gypsies and Muslims." He also has published articles on new religious movements in Iceland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

Co-sponsored by Vineyard Haven Library with Brewster Library and other CLAMS libraries.

Register at: 
https://brewsterladieslibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/the-crisis-in-ukraine-in-historical-perspective/

Free Home Access to Washington Post & New York Times Online

You can now access the New York Times and Washington Post online for free using your library card. The links below will take you to library landing page where you can sign in for unlimited access to the newspaper website with a 3-day or 7-day pass -- you can renew your pass whenever needed by returning to the library website. Library newspaper passes will allow you to access this content anywhere you have internet access, on any device. This free access is made possible by the Martha's Vineyard Library Association with support from Friends of island libraries.

To access the Washington Post online HERE and enter the required fields to create a Washington Post account for unlimited 7-day access. Renew your seven day pass by returning to the library website. You may use this login and password for every future visit to the Washington Post online.



To access New York Times online click HERE and enter the code c59d2806040934a2. Then create a username and password for unlimited 3-day access. Renew your three day pass by returning to the library website. You may use this login and password for every future visit to the New York Times online.

Library CLOSED for Maintenance Friday August 26th

Vineyard Haven Library will be closed for the day on Friday, August 26th, for building maintenance and staff training. Reopening for regular hours on Saturday August 27th.

The Southernization of America with Frye Gaillard

 

[In person or streaming] 6 pm Thursday September 8th
Talk by Frye Gaillard, co-author (with Cynthia Tucker) of 'The Southernization of America: A Story of Democracy in the Balance'

In 1974 John Egerton published his seminal work, The Americanization of Dixie. Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker and award-winning author Frye Gaillard carry Egerton’s thesis forward in The Southernization of America, a compelling series of linked essays considering the role of the South in shaping America’s current political and cultural landscape.

They dive deeper, examining the morphing of the Southern strategy of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan into the Republican Party of today, the racial backlash against President Obama, family separation on our southern border, the rise of the Christian right, the white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, the death of George Floyd, and the attack on our nation’s capitol.

They find hope in the South too, a legacy rooted in the civil rights years that might ultimately lead the nation on the path to redemption. Tucker and Gaillard bring a multiracial perspective and years of political reporting to bear on a critical moment in American history, a time of racial reckoning and democracy under siege.

This book talk will be held in-person on the main floor of the Vineyard Haven Library (masks required), and will be streamed online on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/732525640

Special Fundraising Event with Geraldine Brooks

 

THIS EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT

Meet Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, at an event to benefit the Vineyard Haven Library's Capital Campaign

Join us for a special fundraising event with author Geraldine Brooks, who will discuss her latest novel, Horse, based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington. Books will be available for purchase and signing following the talk. This event will be held outdoors at the Historic Tashmoo Spring Waterworks Building in Tisbury.

Event is sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Library Building Fund, Inc. Reserve your place early to meet Geraldine and learn about the Library's exciting program room project.

Purchase Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/geraldine-brooks-presented-by-the-vineyard-haven-library-building-fund-tickets-399663041917

25th Annual 5k Run / Walk: In-Person or Virtual

 

This year, the Friends of Vineyard Haven Public Library's 25th Annual 5k Run/Walk to benefit the library will be a "hybrid" event, with both in-person and virtual "run on your own" options. To register, visit runsignup.com.

[In-person] The traditional 5k event will be held at the library on Sunday, September 25th at 10 am. A free half-mile fun run for kids will be held at 9:45 am. The 5K course for this race begins next to the library on Greenwood Avenue, turning left onto Main Street and proceeding up Main Street to the West Chop Lighthouse, then returning down Main Street to the library. Registration for the in-person 5k is $30. A limited number of past year's t-shirts in a variety of colors will be available to 5k participants on race day.

[Virtual] For those who prefer to run the race on their own time, register today, go virtual -- run or walk a 5k anytime between now and September 25th. Virtual participants can run or walk any 5k course of their choosing.  Your donation of $25 for the "virtual" option will help the Friends continue to support library programs and services in the coming year.

All registered participants, both in-person and virtual, will be entered into a raffle drawing!

Please note that due to COVID-19 there is a risk that the in-person event on September 25th will be cancelled. In the event of cancellation no refunds will be issued, thank you for understanding.

Community Input Sessions for Tisbury Master Plan

In-person on Wednesday August 10th

1-2 pm at the EMS Building at 215 Spring Street
6-7 pm at the Vineyard Haven Public Library*

If you live, work, play or otherwise have a stake in Tisbury, you are invited to participate in two community input sessions on Wednesday August 10th to share your thoughts with members of the Master Plan Steering Committee. We will be soliciting input on the town’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, and talking through them with both the team and other community members - seasonal and year round residents, alike.

These sessions will be key to giving seasonal residents the opportunity to meet with members of the Master Plan Steering Committee, along with the consultant team (Barrett Planning Group) in person. There will be ongoing engagement opportunities beyond the 10th, both in person and virtual format. These sessions will be catered toward Tisbury residents, but not exclusive to them.

Planning Boards are authorized to develop a Comprehensive Municipal Master Plan by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, 81D which requires sections on Natural & Cultural Resources, Economic Development, Housing, Land Use, Open Space & Recreation, Facilities & Services, Circulation & Transportation, plus an implementation section, describing how and when goals are to be achieved. Tisbury's plan will also address climate change, governance structure, housing production, and area plans for the B-I and B-II Business Districts and the Waterfront Commercial District.

For more information, contact Tisbury Master Plan Administrator Dan Doyle at 917-599-7502 or email doyle@mvcommission.org.

* The session at the library from 6-7 pm will be held outdoors in the courtyard weather permitting, or indoors on the main floor in case of rain. Please note that the library will be closed for other uses that evening.