Thursday, January 16, 2014

January 2014





VENTRESS VOICE


Newsletter of the Ventress Memorial Library

Marshfield, Massachusetts

JANUARY  2014         Volume 21, No. 1


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Ventress Library Welcomes New Director!
By Chris Woods, Assistant Director


Cyndee J. Marcoux Starts Job on January 13

The Ventress Library is pleased to welcome the New Year with a new leader at the helm – Cyndee J. Marcoux. (pronounced “Mar-COO”) It took over six months of searching to find the right candidate for the role. The Trustees, Selectmen and Town Administrator are confident that Cyndee is a very good “fit” to take over as Director of the Ventress Memorial Library. The staff is delighted as well, and looks forward to a long and fruitful relationship with their new director. Most recently, Cyndee held the position of Associate Director at the Seekonk Public Library. Before that, she was Library Director at the Blackstone Public Library and the Auburn Public Library. She brings much experience, technical ability and compatible personal qualities to her new job here at the Ventress, and we all are looking forward to a new start. Please join us in welcoming Cyndee to the community at a reception the Trustees will host in the Library on Saturday, January 25, from 2:00 to 3:00. (Snow date is Sunday, January 26) Recently retired long-time Trustee Jeanne M. Horan will also be honored at the reception. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to the library at 781-834-5535 so we can have enough refreshments on hand for this fun event. And please, join us all in one voice as we give a heartfelt welcome to Cyndee J. Marcoux!



CIRC STATS and CHAT
By Elisha S. Chandler, Head of Circulation Services

Greetings, Ventress Library community! I hope you all had an amazing time this holiday season and wish you all the very best as we enter in to this new year. I know I did, and I’m truly excited to start 2014 as one of the newest members of the Ventress Memorial Library staff. Some of you may have seen me around, or maybe we’ve already met, but in the event that we haven’t yet had the opportunity, I thought a proper, albeit brief, introduction was in order. Hopefully, in time, I’ll know each and every one of you as well. My name is Elisha Chandler, and I’ve recently been hired to fill the very big shoes of Amy Rosa as the new Head of Circulation Services.

I graduated from Simmons College in Boston with my Masters in Library Science in 2012. Before coming to Ventress, I held the position of Generalist Librarian at the Bridgewater Public Library, where I worked Circulation, Reference and the Children’s Department. Additionally, I have accrued 20 years of experience in the customer service industry, and half as many years as a member of management.

On a more personal note: I am a mother, a grammarian (or “word nerd”), a bibliophile, and a massive connoisseur of all things geeky. (If you want to talk sci-fi and fantasy, video games, and comics/graphic novels – or about how awesome the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special was – then I’m your gal!) I also have a soft spot for young adult literature and am beyond thrilled to start contributing to the Teen Pick of the Week portion of the Ventress Kids and Teens blog.

Now, I’ve only been here a few weeks, but I have to say that the staff, Trustees, Friends, and, most importantly, patrons of the Ventress Library are amazing! They (YOU) are indescribably caring, warm and welcoming, and I’ve felt like a part of this community – no, family – since day one.

I am genuinely proud and honored to be a part of this team. 2014 is going to be a banner year!

JENKS JAZZ AND JIVE
By Karen Jenks, Library Assistant

Start the New Year by listening to and enjoying some new music!  Check out these new CDs recently added to the collection:

COUNTRY
The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars
The Woman I Am – Kellie Pickler
The Muse – Wood Brothers

JAZZ
Don’t be that way – Dave Bennett

MISCELLANEOUS
Bill Cosby – far from finished - live in concert – Bill Cosby

POP
Loved me back – Celine Dion
Yours truly – Ariana Grande
Artpop – Lady Gaga
New – Paul McCartney
Prism – Katy Perry

ROCK
Mechanical bull – Kings of Leon
                        
           VENTRESS VIDEOS
               By Jed Phillips, Reference Associate

Robot & Frank (2012)
Rated PG-13
Directed by  Jake Schreier
Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon
Winner at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival
Easily in my top 3 list of favorite movies of 2012, Robot & Frank is a light hearted buddy comedy.  It is also a rather serious and, at times, depressing dramatic work on aging, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.  That doesn’t sound like it could work, does it?  A light hearted buddy comedy about dementia?  Nope, sounds like a bad idea.  But trust me this movie does all the right things.  Give it a chance, you will really enjoy it.  In the ambiguous, not-to-distant future, Frank (Langella) is a divorced senior living a life of solitude in rural New York. Between visits and video calls from his children (James Marsden and Liv Tyler) concerned about his seemingly deteriorating mental state, Frank spends his time with visits to the local library, flirting with librarian Jennifer (Susan Sarandon), and by shoplifting decorative soaps from the store where his favorite restaurant used to be. He is a man of the past, and his little moments of defiance in the face of change establish his character early on, so when Hunter (Marsden) arrives with a new robot caregiver (Voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), Frank is understandably offended. 


While Frank’s day to day memory slowly fades, the memories of his former 'profession' as a skilled thief remains at the front of his mind, and the robot's insistence on picking up a hobby or starting a project in order to keep Frank mentally engaged opens a window of opportunity for Frank to focus his mind and retreat back to the glory days of his youth. The planning and execution of heists sees a charming relationship form between Frank and his robot companion, complemented by a sweet potential romance with Jennifer (Sarandon) and stark moments of sadness.You will also find a clever subtext running through Robot & Frank, commenting on the potential for loss of personality in the digital age, and the disposable nature of modern life. The more we come to rely on technology for everything, from our reading material to our aged care, the less we ourselves are practically capable of, giving rise to a generation of privileged, ironic, but purposeless people ('yuppies' as Frank calls them). What Robot & Frank shines the light on is not just the fragility of, but also the value of a mind filled with life experience and skills. There's no substitute for the complex intelligence of our brains, and even the most sophisticated technology has more to learn from us than we from it. And so this leads us back to where we started.  This movie is light hearted, and funny. It is also serious and melancholy.  This film is a heist caper, but there are no car chases or shoot-outs.  There are no precisely choreographed kung-fu battles.  There is a robot, and he is very smart, almost human in his portrayal, does this qualify Robot & Frank as a sci-fi movie?  I guess when it is all said and done, who cares?  Robot & Frank is a wonderful film with good character development, high quality acting, clean sharp writing and a great story.  And in the end isn’t all we ever are looking for is a great story?  
Other “must see” films:
Featuring Frank Langella:  Good Night, and Good Luck., The Ninth Gate                Featuring Peter Sarsgaard: Blue Jasmine, Garden State, Jarhead                                                     Featuring Susan Sarandon:  Cloud Atlas, Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Bull Durham
CHILDRENS’ CORNER
By Jen Malaguti, “Miss Jen”
January Activities
Winter Story Time Sessions start on January 13th, 2014.
Please make note of our change in schedule: Tales for Tots
( Ages 0-3) is now offered on Tues and Wed. 10:30 a.m. and our new Wiggles & Giggles Preschool aged story time is Monday at 10:30 a.m. and Tues. at 2:00 p.m. Story Craft remains on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and registration for Story Craft begins on January 6th.
Coming in February:
Pajama Storytime/Stuffed Animal Sleepover. Listen to nighttime stories, lullabies, and enjoy milk and cookies. Bring a favorite cuddly friend (not the one you sleep with!) to spend the night at the library. Registration required – begins on Jan. 21st.
5.
VENTRESS VIGNETTES
 by Belle Bibliotheque

 Surely all of you have noticed the wonderful improvements to the library over the last few months! The Board of Trustees and the Library Staff have been steadily instituting measures to make the library more welcoming to our patrons. Maintenant, let us begin the tour as you drive into Library Plaza. The old "Got Books" bin, which was a bit of a hulking eyesore, has been replaced with a more discreet "Donate Books" bin, which is located on the side of the building. The library continues to accept your newer, gently used books as donations. Anything old and in poor condition may be put into this new bin. The library gets paid a bulk rate for these items.

In the first stages of exterior renovations, the facade of the building has been painted a soft gray. Some of the overhead trim and the front benches have also been painted. The new landscaping has been put in place, with more to come next spring. Some were sad to see the old evergreen tree come down, but I'm sure we will all agree that the new granite boulder, complete with Marshfield seagulls, is a great addition to the library entrance! Be sure to notice the planters flanking the front walkway. The Y'ise Gardeners (pronounced "Wise" and affiliated with the YWCA) designed the barrels with red twig dogwood, contorted willow and fresh greens for the winter season. In March or April try to be the first to spot the "green noses" of the spring bulbs poking up amongst the greens.

Now, on to the foyer of the library. This past autumn, the staff created a harvest display, which has been replaced with a holiday, winter scene. Accented with books as part of the decor, this attractive display will change seasonally. We just finished with our annual "Season's Readings!", of holiday books and displays, and will be presenting our 13th annual Books in Bloom on Saturday April 19th. Mark your calendar for this lovely breath of spring!

On the art scene, we will soon be mounting two paintings by Marshfield artists, which had been purchased with funds from the Marshfield Cultural Council and the North River Arts Society. There are plans in the works to revamp the gallery area, and to spruce up the Program Room, which is the library's meeting room and performance space. When you attend our library events this coming spring you will surely be pleased with the beautiful changes.

781-834-5535     www.ventresslibrary.org   “Like” us on Facebook!
Hours   Mon. – Thurs.   9 – 8, Fri. and Sat.  9 – 4:30 ,   Closed Sundays
The library will be closed on Monday, January 20 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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Newsletter staff:   Chris Woods, Editor; Jaclyn Robinson, Artist