New: Commonwealth eBook Collections!

CLAMS is the first library network in the state to provide our library cardholders with access to the Commonwealth eBook Collections. These services are brought to you by the Massachusetts Library System in partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and your local library, funded in part by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. The collection includes eBooks and other media from our partners, BiblioLabs, Proquest EBL, and Baker & Taylor.

Baker & Taylor's Axis 360  provides popular eBooks and audiobooks and full-color children's books. Books may be downloaded to a variety of tablets and other devices (excluding e-ink Kindles).

BiblioBoard Library includes all types digital content: books, articles, documents, audio, images and video.The content comes from traditional publishers, self-published authors and libraries’ own content collections.

Proquest's EBL (eBook Library) includes resources to help with academic research as well as personal interests, from cooking to gardening.

In addition, CLAMS will continue to offer access to our popular Overdrive eBook and Audiobook collection, which offers a wide variety of eBooks and audiobooks in all genres that work with almost any device. Vineyard Haven Library cardholders also have unlimited access to Tumblebooks eBooks for children.

To learn more, visit Vineyard Haven Library's Digital Media page at http://www.vhlibrary.org/econtent.shtml

January Programs for Adults

Sunday, January 4th, 1 pm
Adult Crafts: Handmade Hardcover Books
Jennifer will demonstrate techniques for making a hardcover book from scratch, then participants will make their own book. All materials provided and the program is free for adults and teens ages 12 and up. Adult craft programs are offered monthly on Sunday afternoons, and sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Tuesday, January 6th, 7 pm
Fighting for My Life:  Finding Hope and Serenity on Martha’s Vineyard
Author and Photographer Michael Blanchard has been capturing images of Martha’s Vineyard for the last 3 years.  Mike’s passion for photography paralleled his first steps toward recovery from alcohol addiction as described in his new book “Fighting for My Life:  Finding Hope and Serenity on Martha’s Vineyard”.  In this 1 hour talk Mike suggests the use of photography in programs of recovery ranging from cancer to addiction. His photographs will be on display in our "Art in the Stacks" gallery for the month of January.

Wednesday, January 7th, 7pm
The Long Point Five in Concert
Celebrate the New Year with a concert by Island repertory ensemble the Long Point Five, featuring John Schilling on trumpet, Jim Athearn on trombone, Julie Schilling on clarinet, Bud Larson on flute and Jeri Larson on piano. Refreshments served.

Tuesday, January 13th, 7 pm and Tuesday, January 20th, 7 pm
Making it Through: Bosnian Survivors Telling Stories of Truth
Demaris Wehr, PhD will present a two-part series on the topic of her new book, Making it Through: Bosnian Survivors Telling Stories of Truth. On January 13th Demaris will give a Power Point presentation featuring the narratives of 8 interviewees, illustrating the unique way each one made it through the war. On January 20th, Demaris will focus on the life of  interviewee Vahidin Omanovic, a young, inspiring Muslim priest. Vahidin was fifteen when genocide hit his Bosnian village.

Sunday, January 25th, 2 pm
Sunday with Friends: Travel Talk with Anita Hotchkiss
Travel the world without leaving Martha’s Vineyard. Anita Hotchkiss will share her photographs from her recent trip to Mongolia. The talk is free and refreshments will be served. Presented by the Friends of the Library.

Holiday Schedule Changes

The Vineyard Haven Library will close early at 1pm on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24th, and remain closed on December 25th. There will be no Story Time programs the morning of Tuesday, December 23rd.

The library will also close early at 1pm on New Years Eve, Wednesday, December 31st , and remain closed on January 1st.

The library is now open on Sundays from Noon until 4pm, however we will be closed both Sunday January 18th and Monday January 19th for the Martin Luther King, Jr's Day holiday.

Best Books of 2014: A List of Lists

Some choices for the best of 2014, from the media, associations, and readers:

American Library Association (ALA)
Notable Books For Adults:
http://www.ala.org/rusa/awards/notablebooks/lists/2014
Notable Books For Children:
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb

Bookpage
http://bookpage.com/the-book-case?category_id=11544

Boston Globe
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2014/12/06/the-best-books/OEl8OYXyz5Rcpc4AJHTsOO/story.html

Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Journal
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/ct-prj-best-books-2014-printers-row-picks-20141126-story.html

Christian Science Monitor
Fiction:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2014/1201/10-best-fiction-books-of-2014
Nonfiction:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2014/1201/10-best-nonfiction-titles-of-2014/

Goodread's Choice Awards
http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2014

The Guardian: Writers Pick the Best Books of 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/29/-sp-writers-pick-best-books-2014

Kirkus Reviews
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/issue/best-of-2014/section/fiction/

Library Journal
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2014/11/best-of/top-ten-best-books-2014/

NPR's Guide To 2014’s Great Reads
http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2014/

New York Times Notable Books
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/07/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2014.html

Publisher's Weekly
http://best-books.publishersweekly.com/pw/best-books/2014

Salon.com Best Graphic Novels of 2014
http://www.salon.com/2014/11/30/the_best_graphic_novels_of_2014/

Slate.com Best Books 2014 Staff Recommendations
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/11/best_books_2014_slate_staff_recommendations.html

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-10-best-books-of-2014/2014/11/20/40784e0a-3dc6-11e4-b03f-de718edeb92f_story.html

"Make It Mighty Ugly" Night at VH Library

On Tuesday, November 18th at 7pm, Vineyard Haven Library will host a special evening workshop inspired by the new book “Make it Mighty Ugly : Exercises & Advice for Getting Creative Even When it Ain't Pretty,” by author and blogger Kim Piper Werker. Participants are invited to make the ugliest creature they can as a means to unlock their creativity, get unblocked, or free themselves of expectations. Jennifer Rapuano will lead the program and the book’s author, Kim Piper Werker, will be participating remotely via Skype. The workshop is free and materials are provided.

According to Kim Piper Werker, “the point of the exercise is to do something we usually avoid when we make stuff – by deliberately making something ugly (not cute-ugly, ugly-ugly!), we’re able to confront the creative demons that try so hard to make us feel bad when we try to make stuff under normal circumstances. And it allows us to gain some perspective on our general experience of making stuff. No matter who we are or how we think of ourselves – as artistic or untalented or creative or not at all creative – we all make stuff, whether it’s dinner for our family, blankets for charity, or art to sell through exclusive galleries.”

Kim Piper Werker is a writer and freelance editor who tries to make something--anything--every day. Many of those things are awful; some are not. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she lives in Vancouver, BC. Learn more about her work, teaching schedule, and rag-tag adventures at KimWerker.com. For more on Mighty Ugly, including links to resources and a book-club guide, visit MightyUgly.com.

Winter Craft Series for Adults and Teens Starts November 9th!

For the fourth year, The Library will be hosting a series of crafting classes for adults and teens, offered monthly on Sunday afternoons throughout the winter. The classes are supported by the Friends of the Library and led by our artist in residence Jennifer Langhammer. The classes are free of charge and most supplies are provided.

Past programs have included instruction on making handmade books, marble paper, block prints, jewelry, snow globes, and a host of other projects. Jennifer chooses simple crafts that anyone can do and get beautiful results. Participants do not need to be experienced crafters or artists to come to these classes. The programs offer something for the beginner as well as the expert, and are a great opportunity to get to together with friends and other members of the community and spend a few hours creating something.

This year’s Adult Craft series at the Vineyard Haven Library will begin Sunday November 9th. At 1pm, Jennifer will demonstrate a variety of image transfer techniques, and participants will complete a project. This is a great technique to use to make personalized homemade Christmas presents or cards. Participants are invited to bring in their own images to transfer, as well as any surface they would like to transfer images onto including cloth, wood, glass, paper, and stone.

Upcoming Adult Craft programs at Vineyard Haven Public Library are listed in the newspaper’s Calendar section, and on the library’s website, www.vhlibrary.org. To receive email invitations for future programs, send an email to Jennifer at jrapuano@clamsnet.org, with “Craft” in the subject line.

Sunday with Friends: Peter H. Luce Play Readers Perform "Seven"

On Sunday, November 16th at 2pm at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, the Peter H. Luce Play Readers will perform the documentary play "Seven" as a staged reading. A collaboration of 7 award-winning women playwrights, "Seven" is based on personal interviews with women who have triumphed over huge obstacles to create major changes in human rights in their home countries. The play is performed with the permission of the Dramatists Play Service, Inc., and this performance is sponsored by the Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library. The performance is free, and refreshments will be served.

Playwrights Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith and Susan Yankowitz interviewed woman from 7 different countries. The common thread is the serious injustices done to women in these countries and how--slowly but steadily--strong individual women are beginning to speak out and be heard; changing laws, rescuing women in distress and bringing the attention of the world of the plight of disadvantaged and abused women.

The first productions of "Seven" were launched during International Women's Week in 2008, with performances in New York City, Washington D.C. and Deauville, France. Since then the play has been performed almost continuously in cultural festivals throughout the United States and all over the world, often with the encouragement and sponsorship of the U.N. and many other international institutions.

Leslie J. Stark has adapted and staged the play for the Luce Play Readers and will also direct. The cast includes Connie McCreery as Inez McCormack of Northern Ireland, Charlena Seymour (as Anabella De Leon of Guatemala, Nora Nevin as Farida Azizi of Afghanistan, Rise Terney as Marina Pisklakova of Russia, Sofia Anthony as Mu Sochua of Cambodia, Ellie Beth as Hafsat Abiola of Nigeria, and Elaine Bart as Mukhtar Mai of Pakistan. Each of the performers will also read the speeches of several minor characters. The play will be performed without intermission and should run just over one hour. It will be introduced by Linda Vadasz, who originally brought this play to the attention of the Play Readers.

For more than 15 years, the Peter H Luce Play Readers have met every Wednesday of the year at the Vineyard Haven Senior Center from 9AM to Noon to read plays of every era and of every genre, from the Greek and Roman classics to the cutting-edge works of contemporary playwrights... and everything in between: Shakespeare, Shaw, Checkov, Moliere, Miller, Ibsen Albee, O'Neil, Pinter and Neil Simon. The group is named for its founder, Peter Luce, who died in 2007.

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library encourage public understanding of the Library's vital role in the community, support activities for both adults and children, and provide various other volunteer services. Their mission is to support the Library, to build a partnership between the Library and the community and to advocate for exemplary library service. All volunteers and those who are interested in knowing more about the Friends meet at 10:00am on the fourth Saturday of every month (except December) at the library.