Sign up for this winter's Reading and Discussion Series, "Intellectual Seeds: The Bounty of William Sturgis, Past and Present."  For this year's  Mass Humanities-supported series, we've gone back into our own past and selected four of the books that the Library's first patrons checked out in 1867 -- the year Sturgis Library first opened its doors.  The scholars will examine these books from both the contemporary context of post-Civil war Massachusetts and from that of today's readers.  What insights can you gain from the literary tastes of your village predecessors?  For the extra-curious, we'll provide a list of all the popular titles that the folks in Barnstable were reading, and we'll even order a few of the really obscure titles that were big hits in 1867.

Discussions will be held the fourth Tuesday of the month, January through April, at 6:30 pm.

24 January: "Silas Marner," by George Eliot, with Dr. Elaine Craghead

28 February: "Cape Cod," by Henry David Thoreau, with Anne Speyer

27 March: "The House of the Seven Gables," by Nathaniel Hawthorne, with Dr. Sam Coale (who's just published a book on Hawthorne and is working on another!)

24 April: "Richard II," by William Shakespeare, with Dr. James Crowley

To register, call 508-362-6636, email Antonia at sturgisreference@comcast.net, or drop by the circ desk.

• Cahoon Museum of American Art 
• Cape Cod Museum of Natural History 
• Cape Cod Museum of Art 
• Heritage Museums and Gardens  
• Massachusetts State Park Pass 
• Museum of Fine Arts Boston 
• New Bedford Whaling Museum 
• Roger Williams Park Zoo 

Untamed Forests and Shores  

This talk is free, but advanced registration is appreciated.  To register, call the Sturgis Library at 508-362-6636 or email Adult Services Librarian Antonia Stephens at sturgisreference@comcast.net.   

Exhibits and Displays 

Artwork by Ted Theodores will be on exhibit in the Simpkins Room Gallery during the month of January. Ted Theodores retired from corporate life and moved to Cape Cod in 1998, where he began a new full-time career in the study and practice of fine art and in particular, oil and watercolor painting. His interest in art began at an early age, and continued as he worked his way through engineering school as a technical draftsman  and catalog illustrator, enjoying an occasional session with paints. He is now inspired by capturing familiar and memorable Cape Cod scenes and floral still-lifes in glowing, impressionist watercolors and brilliant realistic oils.  Ted is active in Barnstable Village life -- he is the President of the Friends of Barnstable Harbor and the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Sturgis Library.  You can learn more about Ted and his work on his website at www.tedtheodores.com.   

 In stock now!

"The Ghost of José Luis Muñoz and the Day of the Dead/El Fantasma de José Luis Muñoz y el Dia de los Muertos"  and "The Running of the Bulls" by Joyce Prince.  These are bilingual books for children about the Day of the Dead celebration and the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona.  Joyce is a former teacher and now a volunteer at the Sturgis Library.    

Get a Sturgis Library notebook/pen set to use for journaling, grocery lists, or writing the next great American novel.  The notebooks have sturdy and attractive plastic covers and sport the Sturgis Library logo.  They sell for $5.00, and make great gifts.  

Barnstable library card holders can now access the following resources for learning, research, and self-paced classes. These resources are funded by a grant from the Kirkman Trust Fund of the Town of Barnstable.

Mango Languages is an online language teaching tool that includes a variety of resources to help patrons learn practical conversation skills for languages spoken all around the world, offering more than 50 language learning experiences.

To access Mango Languages, click here, click on the Mango link, create a login, and start learning!.

To access Job and Career Accelerator, click here.

• Click the Register button under the New Users section at the bottom of the page.
• Enter your username (we recommend you use your library card number with no spaces/dashes), create a password, verify your password, and then click the Register button.
• Choose one of the Learning Centers on the left to access our resources.

Work Book Learning Center is more than just an online encyclopedia. Kids, teens, and families can look up thousands of topics, view photographs, access newspapers, get research and study assistance, view videos, learn about current events, discover more about life skills, health issues, biographical information, government resources, computer and web tutorials, early learning and interactive games, and much more.
To access World Book Online, click here and log in with your library barcode. 

Drop-in and join Miss Karen for Story Time each Thursday at 10:30am!  We will read stories, sing songs and more!  This program is geared towards 2-4 year olds but siblings are welcome!  No registration required.  

Library Hours 

The Sturgis Library will be closed on Saturday, December 24th  

through  Monday, December 26th for the Christmas holiday. 

We will be closed Sunday January 1st and  

Monday January 2nd for the New Year's holiday.  

We will also be closed Monday, January 16th

for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. 

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