Library Closed Due to No Heat in Library Building Sunday November 12th

Vineyard Haven Library will have a delayed opening or be closed for the day on Sunday, November 12th due to lack of heat in the building. Afternoon program with Mark Chester will be rescheduled. We regret the inconvenience.

Art in the Stacks: Photographs of New Americans by Mark Chester

PROGRAM RESCHEDULED FOR 2pm SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19th. The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present an exhibit of photographs by Woods Hole resident Mark Chester, on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout November and December, 2017. On Sunday, November 19th at 2pm, Mark will give an illustrated talk at the Library. This event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

The photographs featured at the library are from a project entitled “The Bay State: A Multicultural Landscape, Photographs of New Americans,” that collects portraits of more than 400 naturalized U.S. citizens of the Commonwealth, benefitting The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA). The exhibit includes portraits of Vineyard resident Washington Ledesma, as well as Pema Yangchen Greer, photographed in Oak Bluffs.

Mark Chester’s curiosity and desire to photograph this community of residents led to the creation of the non-profit Cultural Diversity in Massachusetts Project, endorsed by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. MIRA Executive Director Eva Millona sees a dual purpose in the powerful exhibit, stating “These photographs of various ethnic heritage will not only offer an insightful and education overview to all other citizens of the Bay State, but will also bring attention in promoting and enhancing immigrants’ integration. According to Mark, the project was “prompted by the 2010 Census, the seed was planted earlier on assignment at Ellis Island for a 1978 essay by mentor Charles Kuralt. Unlike my candid street photography, this is a straightforward approach: individuals looking into the camera, telling stories through expression, place and pose.”

Mark Chester has been a professional photographer since 1972. His photographs are in the permanent collections of Baltimore, Brooklyn, Corcoran, Denver, Portland, and San Francisco museums, among others. National museum and gallery exhibitions of his work include OK Harris and SoHo Photo in New York City, Camera Obscura in Colorado, the San Francisco Airport, and other venues. His photographs also accompany his own travel articles as published by the L.A. Times, Boston Globe, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor among other newspapers and special interest magazines.

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.

Delayed Opening at 11am on Saturday October 28th

Vineyard Haven Library will be opening an hour late at 11am on Saturday, October 28th due to staff training.

All Island Flu Clinic

An all-island seasonal flu immunization clinic will be held on Saturday, October 14th from 10am to 1pm at the Martha's Vineyard High School Cafeteria.

Forms and additional information are available at the library or may be downloaded here. Contact your local Board of Health if you have any questions or seek further information about the clinic.

Do you have questions about the flu? Flu.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. Government information on H1N1, avian and pandemic flu. Other recommended resources are provided below.

Staying Healthy

The two most basic practices a person can do to help prevent catching and spreading germs and viruses are hand washing and covering your cough.

Hand Washing: People in the United States are being advised to be very diligent about hand washing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on their web site about when and how you should wash your hands.

Covering Your Cough : Another important way to prevent the spread of diseases is to properly cover your cough. The CDC provides information on covering your cough.

Other Healthy Practices: There are several other steps the CDC recommends as ways to prevent the spread of flu and other diseases:

• Avoid close contact with those who are sick or when you are sick
• Stay home when you are sick. Keep your children home if they are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Practice other health habits of getting plenty of sleep, being physically active, drinking plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods.

Additional Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): information on the Seasonal Flu and Novovirus.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH): Flu Website includes information in English and Spanish.

Medline Plus: Flu information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Art in the Stacks: Debra Gaines

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present an exhibit of paintings and photographs by Debra Gaines, on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of October, 2017.

Debra Gaines has specialized in panoramic landscape photography and seascape photography for over twenty years, and has also has fallen in love with both pastel and encaustic painting. Debra's purpose is to capture and honor the beauty, awe and wonder of our world. For more information on the artist, visit debragaines.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.

Fall Schedule Changes, Including Sunday Hours!

Sunday, October 15th 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.

The library will be closed for Columbus Day on Monday October 9th, and for Veterans Day on Saturday November 11th. Due to a staff training event, the library will open late at 11am on Saturday, October 28th, and eBook classes will be cancelled that morning.

For Thanksgiving, the library will close early at 1pm on Wednesday November 22nd, and remain closed on Thursday November 23rd and Friday November 24th. The library will be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend.

Art in the Stacks: Margaret Emerson

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Library are pleased to present an exhibit of abstract paintings by Margaret Emerson, on display on the lower level of the library during regular library hours throughout the month of September, 2017.

Margaret Emerson is a retired nurse educator who began her new career as a painter when she moved to Martha’s Vineyard in 2009. Margaret is a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Art Association and shows her work at the Old Sculpin Gallery in Edgartown as well as the Island Gallery in Vineyard Haven. Her latest paintings are abstract works, many reflecting nature.

Margaret Emerson’s show at the Vineyard Haven Library features abstract paintings completed in
2016 and 2017. A highlight of this show is the painting hanging in the stairwell, “Hillary’s Glass Ceiling, Ready, but Never Dropped at the Javitz Center - Election Night, 2016,” which incorporates pieces of the actual “glass ceiling” planned for the Hillary Clinton election party. Margaret was given these pieces by a friend who worked on Hillary’s campaign and helped with the clean up of the party that never happened.

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.