Click here for the 2012 Poetry Contest Entry Form

We will celebrate the winners of the Poetry Contest on Saturday, April 14 during National Library Week. Mark your calendars!

I found some very interesting things standing on the other side of the desk. I know our Whitman library procedures, rules, and policies inside and out. However, I discovered that these can change quite drastically just 10 miles up the road. The same library card that entitles you to reserve two thirty-minute computer sessions in Whitman might give you no special treatment at another library, where you simply put your name on a list to reserve a computer.

While many libraries are adopting measures to regulate and streamline computer use, like Whitman does through the Envisionware software that requires you to enter your library card number to sign on to the computer, other libraries have not. It is hard to speculate—cost, size, and staff supervision are just a few of the factors—I can better empathize with the daily questions we get about how to do (what we staff see as) routine tasks in the library. Using the bathroom, you need to ask us (or know where to look for) the bathroom key. At some libraries, there are large unlocked public restrooms, while at another it might be hidden in the basement. At the Whitman library you need to log on to the computer with your library card number and password. But if you’re a patron who is just passing through Whitman, you probably have no idea what your password is since you’ve never had to log on to a computer that way before.

I learned that the library you call home is just that—your home base. Just as in life, when we venture outside, say to a family member’s house, the basic ingredients are there, but with different customs. Uncle Billy might not have the handy ice dispenser on the front of his refrigerator like we do at home, and it seems like a hassle to have to dig into the cold trays in the freezer. But the trade off might be that he lets you wear your shoes in the house, and you can eat ice cream on the fancy sofa.

The bottom line is that we all—staff and patrons—need to be understanding of each other’s expectations and needs. Staff should recognize that not everyone knows the particulars, like where the indoor book drop is, and patrons should not hesitate to ask how an individual library functions. After all, the 28 libraries that make up OCLN are like one big extended family. And we’re a happy family, sharing books and resources make us all stronger and smarter. So enjoy your Whitman home library, and next time you pass one of the other network libraries in your travels, I encourage you to stop in for a peek and see what differences you can find.

-Samantha Soucy
Adult Services & Reference Librarian

Have you always wanted to see how much that lamp your Great Aunt Bessie left you is really worth? Did you pick up something at a flea market or yard sale that you’ve always wondered about? Then this event is for you!

Saturday, March 10th, from 12-4 p.m. the Friends of the Whitman Library in conjunction with Kelley Auctions will be on hand to appraise your valuables and collectibles! (Event to be held in the library’s community room.)

Kelley Auctions will appraise a number of items, including but not limited to antiques, ephemera, china, clocks, postcards, watches, coins and paper money, stamps, toys, trains, silver and gold jewelry, sports memorabilia, etc. Because the library is a public place, no weapons of any kind will be appraised at this event.

To have one item appraised is $10; two items is $20; and three items is $25. No advance registration necessary. All proceeds go to support library programming and activities.

Call Roberta, President of the Friends, at 781-261-3930 with any questions.

If you recently bought an E-Reader, we’ve got good news for you! Your library lends E-books and supports downloading onto almost all of the most popular e-readers and smart phones. The Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, the Sony E-Reader, the iPad, the Android, and the iPhone are just some of the devices supported by our downloadable book vendor, Ovedrive.

Getting started with your e-book borrowing is a fairly easy process, and the staff here at the library are always happy to help you set up your account and download your first title.

For instructions on how to download to a Kindle, click here. For instructions for all other devices, click here.

The library is part of a larger network, the Old Colony Library Network, and as a network we purchase group copies of a number of titles. Because of the growing popularity of e-books, there is often a wait list for a very popular title.

One way that the Whitman Public Library is trying to make more titles available is by subscribing to Overdrive’s “Advantage” program. The Advantage titles are only available to Whitman library card holders, which makes the wait for popular titles much shorter. For an example of some of the titles the library has on advantage, click here to see a list of what we just ordered for January.

On the down side, e-book library lending is still a very new trend in libraries. Because of this, some book publishers are not sure how to handle library business, and at this time some of them are choosing not to work with libraries at all. Librarians across the country (and across the world) are working to remedy this problem and to make all library titles available in whatever formats our patrons are using.

Please also keep in mind that the library is happy to take requests for new material, and those can be sent to info@whitmanpubliclibrary.org.

 Once you are ready, you can visit the library’s catalog and start downloading your e-books today!

Jessi Finnie, Library Director

The book follows her through young adulthood , her first jobs outside her home, her approaching marriage and her battle with the home and family she loves and despises. Through her struggles runs the solace and excitement she finds in reading forbidden romance novels, letting her see the world she yearns to join. Going beyond the illicit sheer stockings and short skirts she covets, she wants a mind she can call her own. This is a fascinating glimpse at another world. -Barbara

Ondine is a contemporary fairy tale set in Ireland. It is the story of Syracuse, (Farrell), a lonely fisherman who while out fishing one day brings a beautiful woman up in his net. She is barely alive. From the beginning Ondine is very mysterious, and chooses to remain in seclusion and re-cooperate in Syracuse’s deceased mother’s house rather than go to the hospital. Syracuse’s daughter, Annie soon discovers Ondine and believes she is a “selkie,” a mythical creature from the sea, who can shed its skin and grow legs and walk on land with humans. When Annie helps Ondine bury a bundle she retrieves from the sea, Annie is convinced Ondine is burying her seal coat and her suspicions were right. Either way, Ondine brings a new found joy and hope into the lives of Syracuse and Annie. The film will keeping you guessing as to whether or not, Ondine is real or truly a creature from the sea. -Ellie

This book is set in Boston about a decade ago, and although fiction, it clearly mirrors the true, ugly events which exploded in the catholic community about that time.  This work of fiction provides us with an intimate point of view as we meet one particular family torn apart by the scandal, and the very different reactions of the various family members.  If all you’ve read about is what hit the newspapers, this book is a clear reminder that behind every article is another different story altogether, one which may rock your faith, test it, or may even restore it.  -Sharon