VENTRESS VOICE
Newsletter of the Ventress
Memorial Library
Marshfield, Massachusetts
FEBRUARY 2014 Volume 21, No. 2
From the
Director. . .
Hello,
I’d like
to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Ventress Memorial Library’s
new Director. It has only been a few
weeks since I joined this amazing staff and I am enjoying my new position
tremendously. The staff and patrons of the library are wonderful and have been
very welcoming.
For those
of you I haven’t met, I come to Marshfield
with nineteen years of public library experience. Most recently, I was the
Associate Director of the Seekonk Public Library. Prior to that, I was the
Director of the Auburn Public Library in Auburn,
MA. I also worked at the
Blackstone Public Library in Blackstone,
MA for fourteen years holding
every position from page to Director. I
have a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from Simmons College
in Boston.
I have
called Southeastern Massachusetts home for my
entire life. In my free time I enjoy
reading, quilting, sports and spending time with my children and
grandchild. I am passionate about public
libraries and believe they are the heart and soul of every community.
Andrew
Carnegie said “A library outranks any other thing a community can do to benefit
its people. It is a never failing spring in the desert.” I could not agree
more. As we all know, people spend more
and more time interacting with screens and less time interacting with their
friends, neighbors and family. Libraries fill the need for face-to-face
interaction necessary to the well-being of people and communities. People
depend on their public library for information but also for personal
interaction.
There
are many of you that I have not had the opportunity to meet so please introduce
yourself the next time you visit the library.
Keep your eyes and ears open for the many changes to come in the near
future. The Ventress staff is enthusiastic for the
future and we hope you will be as excited about it as we are. I look forward to meeting with all of you.
Yours
Truly,
CIRCULATION STATS AND CHAT
By
Elisha Chandler, Head of Circulation Services
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
As many of you know, the OCLN server underwent
some maintenance from January 27-30, limiting some of the services we provide,
including placing
hold requests, email notifications of available holds and overdue notices, use
of any of the “My Account” features on the OCLN website, and use of the
statewide Virtual Catalog. I’d like to thank you all for your patience and
understanding during this time, and I am happy to report that these services
have now been restored.
TEEN PICK OF THE MONTH
In New England,
February still means cold weather and the possibility of snow in our future.
But February also brings with it longer days, the prospect of spring just
around the corner, and, of course, Valentine’s Day.
I used to loathe Valentine’s Day. Sappy
Hallmark cards; conversation hearts; deceptively cute cherubs ominously armed
with bows; drug stores showcasing so much pink it would put Barbie’s dreamhouse
to shame? No, thank you.
Recently, I’ve come to realize Valentine’s Day
provides a perfectly acceptable excuse to fall off the New Year’s resolution
wagon and back into a box of chocolates, preferably of the heart-shaped
variety. A box of chocolates, a warm blanket, and a good book: that’s my idea
of a hot date, especially on these frosty February nights.
And nothing goes better with an unbridled love
affair with chocolate – and Valentine’s Day – than zombie romance. (Wait.
What?!)
In, Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion,
R is having a no-life
crisis – he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he
is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but
he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the
cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.
And then he meets a girl.
First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl – although she looks delicious – he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.
ON THE SHELVES
We added a lot of new note-worthy titles to our
young adult collection in December and January. Here are just a few:
Muckers by Sandra Neil
Wallace
The Kingdom of
Little Wounds by
Susann Cokal
Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan
Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
Meet Me at the River by Nina De
Gramont
Palace of Spies by Sarah Zettel
Sorrow’s Knot by Erin Bow
CHILDRENS’ CORNER
By Jen Malaguti, “Miss Jen”
FEBRUARY HAPPENINGS
IN THE CHILDREN’S DEPARTMENT
Regular story times continue:
Wiggles & Giggles, drop-in, (
ages 3-4) our new preschool storytime meets on Mon at 10:30 and Tues at 2:00.
Tales for Tots continues, drop-in,
(ages 0-3) meets now on Tues and Wed 10:30.
Storycraft, registration, (ages
5-7) Thurs at 2:00. Session 1 is filled, but we are offering a second session
beginning on March 17th. Register today!
Join us for a special Pajama
Storytime & Stuffed Animal Sleepover:
On Thurs, Feb 6th at 5:30, your
stuffed animal is invited to sleep overnight at the library. Register today for a special PJ storytime,
eat some cookies, and leave your
stuffed animal off at the library.
We've planned all sorts of special activities for them after you've gone home. Ask them about it
when you pick them up between 12-4 the next day! Pictures will be available
soon after on our website! (Limited to 20.)
Tues, Feb
18th at 4:30, Wanna build with Legos? Come to the library on Monday, Feb 17th,
during school vacation week. Ages 6+
no registration, but limited supply of Legos. Parent supervision required for
younger siblings and if you bring your own Legos. Let's Play!
Fri, Feb
21st at 1:00, Big Ryan is coming back to the Ventress Memorial Library for a
family fun show. No registration.
* Thurs,
Feb 27th at 5:30, Pajama Storytimes BEGIN. Join us the starting FEB 27th for a
NEW monthly Pajama Storytime. Miss Jen will be in her PJ's on the first and
last Thursdays of each month when we will read bedtime stories and listen to
lullabies.
* This is
a new regularly occurring PJ storytime and is different than the special
Stuffed Animal Sleepover event which is happening on the 6th!
JENKS JAZZ AND JIVE
By Karen Jenks, Library Assistant
CD of the Month - Build Me Up From Bones
Sarah Jarosz – FOLK
Sarah Jarosz, a singer-songwriter
from Austin, Texas, has recorded an exceptional third
album that showcases her distinct vocal and instrumental skills. Build Me Up From Bones is a mix of folk,
country and bluegrass music that leaves the listener piqued by the artist’s
mellow voice, subtle harmonies and expertise on mandolin, guitar and banjo.
At age 16, Jarosz signed a recording
contract with Sugar Hill Records and released CDs in 2009 and 2011. Build Me Up
From Bones was issued shortly after her graduation from the New England
Conservatory of Music in 2013.
Working with cellist Nathaniel Smith
and violinist Alex Hargreaves, Jarosz creates music that is exquisitely simple
and understated, yet at the same time intricately rich and complex. Her efforts show a lyrical and musical maturity well beyond her years. Standout songs are “Mile on the Moon” and “Dark Road.” Jarosz shines on two tracks that illustrate
her ability to interpret and reinvent compositions by other artists. “Simple Twist of Fate” is a Bob Dylan tune
that features only the dulcet tones of Jarosz’s voice
and a hauntingly beautiful cello accompaniment.
Harpist Joanna Newsom’s song, “The
Book of Right-On,” features Jarosz’s formidable talent on mandolin in
collaboration with her cellist and violinist.
The New York Times has hailed Sarah
Jarosz as “one of acoustic music’s finest talents.” From the sound of her latest CD, Jarosz is
only beginning what may be a promising and long lasting musical career.
VENTRESS VIDEOS
By Jed Phillips, Reference
Associate
Philip Seymour
Hoffman
Hollywood lost one of it’s
greats on this past Sunday, February 2nd, to what seems to be yet
another tragic and all too familiar story of addiction. For those of you who don’t know, I refer to
the untimely death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Because of this tragic loss, our normal Ventress Video will be put on
hold in favor of a journey through the brilliant and all too short career of
arguably one of the greatest actors of his generation.
Philip Seymour Hoffman was
born in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Fairport on July 23,
1967. After becoming involved in high school theatrics, he attended New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a
B.F.A. degree in Drama in 1989. He made his feature film debut in the indie
production Triple Bogey on a Par Five
Hole (1991) as Phil Hoffman, and his first role in a major release came the
next year in My New Gun (1992). He had several other supporting roles
following this but his true breakout performance was undoubtedly Boogie Nights (1997) directed by
phenomenal director, Paul Thomas Anderson.
Following his success in Boogie Nights, Hoffman established
himself as talented actor in a variety of supporting and second leads in both
indie and major features, including Twister
(1996), Happiness (1998), Flawless (1999), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Magnolia
(1999), Almost Famous (2000) and State and Main (2000). He also appeared
in supporting roles in such mainstream, big-budget features as Red Dragon (2002), Cold Mountain
(2003), Mission: Impossible III
(2006), and most recently as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
It is astounding how many
of my absolute favorite films Philip Seymour Hoffman acted in. To his polite and spineless sycophant Brandt
in the cult classic The Big Lebowski (1998),
to his portrayal of jaded music reporter, Lester Bangs, “The only true currency
in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we're uncool.”
in Almost Famous (2000). He is spellbinding as Truman Capote in Capote (2005), a role that he deservedly
earned a best actor Oscar. And let us
not forget his performance opposite Meryl Streep as charismatic and passionate
Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt (2008).
While Philip Seymour
Hoffman won only the one Oscar he was in fact nominated three times for best
supporting actor in Charlie Wilson’s War (2007),
Doubt (2008), and The Master (2012). These three films serve as the best proof
that this man was born to act. The Master, in my mind the greatest
performance of his all too short career, especially drives home the fact that
this man was at the pinnacle of his craft.
And so it is with a heavy
heart that we say good bye to this magnificent actor who will be sorely
missed. My heart goes out to his family
and friends. And I, for one, will be
enjoying a marathon viewing of some of my favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman films
very soon. Philip Seymour was 46. He is survived by three children and his
longtime partner, Mimi O'Donnell.
Films to Watch
Featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman:
The Big Lebowski
Almost Famous
25th Hour
Capote
The Savages
Charlie Wilson’s War
Synecdoche, New York
Doubt
Jack Goes Boating
The Master
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, February 17
for Presidents Day
__________________________________________________________________
Newsletter
staff: Chris Woods, Editor; Jaclyn
Robinson, Artist
