February 2015
   
In This Issue

Fran Pierce,

newly retired WPL librarian, holding a key to the city

A Job Well Done

 

If you are a fiction reader and frequent our Main Branch, it is likely that you have met Frances Pierce, stocking the stacks and replenishing the display cases. For forty-four years, Fran served Worcester as our fiction maven, purchasing and arranging titles with loving care. Over the years, she ran book clubs, participated in community outreach, and answered thousands of reference questions, but her true love was what librarians call "readers' advisory" (which in Fran's case meant literally putting just the right book into your hands!) Never complaining, steadily productive, and always happy to help--you will be missed, Fran. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement! 

 

Worcester Public Library is thrilled to announce we are recipients of a 2015 Worcester Arts Council Grant! We will be offering art classes for adults in various mediums throughout the year, as well as working on two large collaborative art projects in April and September. We hope to inspire you as you explore various art forms at classes led by professional teaching artists. Our first class will be Chinese Brush Painting  with Sharon Smith Viles on Saturday, February 7 at 2:30-4 pm. Space is limited; click here to register!


T
hanks to the Friends of the Worcester Public Library, we are welcoming Anne Stuart, romance author and winner of the Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award on Valentine's Day, February 14th at 2:30 to kick off our new book club! Anne will be talking with us about her novels, the writing life, and of course, romance! Join us for some fun (and some chocolate) and learn more about our new book club, Pages and Palates.


For complete schedule of ALL library classes, programs, and registration details, please see our Event CalendarAll activities are free and open to the public.
 

Youth Services

  

It is story time at the library this month! Our spring session of story times begin on Tuesday, March 3rd.  We are also offering Every Child Ready to Read Literacy Workshops and Activities, and story times in Spanish.

 

Additionally, World Language Storytimes will begin this spring in Portuguese and Vietnamese languages. If you're an adult interested in helping to perform storytimes and are fluent in one of these languages. we will be offering story time training. Please call the Children's Room at 508-799-1671 for more details.

 

NEW! MondayCrafternoons, a series for children and teens; no registration required, just drop in and create a craft designed just for you from 4-5pm. Also, the Lego Challenge on Tuesday afternoons from 4-6, giving kids another day to be creative with hands-on-activities in addition to our regular Lego Challenge day on Saturdays. Also introducing Family Storytime and Movie Matinee every other Saturday at 2:30pm.

 

Upcoming programs include Like, What's Your Vision?, Journaling for Kids, and Poetry Circlewill help kids learn to set goals and improve their writing. We're also gearing up for some great events during February School Vacation Week, such as Carnival and Mask Making, a Sesame Street Sing-Along Concert and Lantern Festival Crafts. Keep an eye on the Events Calendar for details!
 
 

One City, One Library
 

Now that the Blizzard of '15 has made it nearly  impossible to do anything fun outdoors, come to the library this month and enjoy the exciting programming we have to offer!  February marks Black History Month, and ALL of our branches have some performers and activities lined up for you.  From African storytelling and drumming to creating original tribal shields and cookin' up some soul food, there's something for everyone. Check out our special flyer!

 

Winter Session II story times begin Saturday, March 7th. This six-week series will focus on techniques from the Every Child Ready to Read program created by the American Library Association. Parents, you are your child's first and most important teacher!  Learn how to engage your young child in ways that will support their literacy development and prepare them for success in school: 20 minutes a day is all you need!

Teen Zone 
 

Follow us on Instagram at wplteen! So many activities to choose from this month, including but not limited to the following:

 

The smash hit Anime Appetizers will return with more prizes, more anime and more fun on both Fridays February 13th and February 27th, from 3 to 5 pm. Teens who make their way to the Main Library on Tuesday, February 3rd at 3 pm will find that they can make Steampunk Jewelry using old clock parts. Our brand new Minecraft Club, which will meet every second Monday of the month, will have its inaugural meeting on February 10th at 3 pm, and science-minded teens will have the chance to permanently etch steel using common household items on Wednesday, February 11th at 3 pm. Wednesday, February 25th at 3 pm will see teens testing out their mettle with munchies, as we hold Cupcake Wars, a program of competitive cupcake decoration sure to have tasty results. 
 

FYI, the Teen Advisory Group (TAG) will meet on Tuesday, February 17th at 4 pm in the Teen Room. TAG is an excellent way for teens to get engaged in the library, earn community service hours, meet new friends and help shape the future of the library. Our TAG leaders will work together to come up with cool new programs, suggestions for new collection materials, ways to improve library services, and more. We'll have food for them, and all the information they need to become full fledged TAG members at our meeting!
 

Grow Your Business: Social Media Marketing Class

These days your business must have a social media presence in order to remain competitive and thrive. Michelle Fontaine from FBSmarty will demonstrate how to integrate Facebook and other social media tools into your existing marketing plan to help grow your business. Learn all about apps, #hashtags, Facebook "Like", ads, Hootsuite and additional useful tips. Friday, February 27th, 11:00 to 1:00 pm in the Computer Lab. Register here. 
 
Best of 2014 Book Recommendations & Reviews
 

Adults

Teens

Children
    
  
Librarians at the Worcester Public Library are always ready to recommend books to patrons. Click on the book covers on the right to view suggested titles for adults, teens, and children. For more on what to read, browse our most requested titles, and the New York Times fiction and nonfiction bestsellers lists!  

 


Station Eleven

By Emily
St. John Mandel             

An addition to the rapidly expanding canon of dystopian literature, modern civilization in this novel is taken down by plague; specifically, a transcontinental flu. The plot opens with the unexpected onstage death of world-famous actor Arthur Leander and from there ripples back into Arthur's formative years, and forward to Year Twenty after the pandemic. The action is propelled through the lives of a paparazzo-turned-EMT who attempted to save Arthur's life, a child actor who happened to be onstage with him at that defining moment, Arthur's three wives and old friends, and finally, a wandering troupe of surviving actors and musicians. Read more...

Reminders  
 
The library will  be closed on February 16, 2015 in observance of President's Day.
 
In case of inclement weather:
All One City, One Library branches will be closed for the day if the Worcester Public Schools are closed. In the event of early dismissal, please call 508-799-1655 for hours of operation in OCOL branches.