Blog: Month: August 2020

DC’s Wonder Woman to lasso up Library Card Sign-up Month 2020

This September, DC’s Wonder Woman is embarking on a new mission to champion the power of a library card as Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chair. A founding member of the Justice League, Wonder Woman is known for strength, compassion and truth. Armed with the Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman makes a perfect ambassador to support the value of learning and the role libraries play in transforming lives and strengthening communities through education.

Create by Malden High School graduate William Moulton Marston, fans can learn more about Wonder Woman at DCcomics.com. Since her introduction in October 1941 in All-Star Comics #8, Wonder Woman has graced comics, video games, headlined her own television show and feature films, and appears in the hit animated series “DC Super Hero Girls” on Cartoon Network and Netflix.

While Malden Public Library remains physically closed, you can still use our online resources to read or listen to a book, read a magazine or newspaper, watch a movie or TV show, learn a language, update your resume, and so many other things.

Don’t have a library card yet? Click HERE, fill out the form and please include Name, Address, Email Address, Phone Number, and cell phone provider and we will email you back your library card information.

We will be here to serve you as best we can.  For information and assistance, contact us at https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/contact-us/ or by phone at (781) 333-0640.

Now is the time to do and learn all of the things you’ve wanted to for a long time.  Malden Public Library can help.

 

Derry City: A Book Talk with Margo Shea

 

Click here for the YouTube live stream.
Derry, Northern Ireland: with a Catholic majority stretching back to the mid-1800s, Derry played an important role in the civil rights movement and the Troubles, a violent conflict with all the characteristics of a civil war. The people of Derry are a living record of the turmoil, triumphs, and everything in between which rocked their community at that time. Whether you know Derry from the hit Netflix show Derry Girls or not at all, the city has a rich history.  Dr. Margo Shea will join the Malden Public library to delve into the historical record (virtually) in her new book Derry City: Memory and Political Struggle in Northern Ireland, exploring the streets and neighborhoods that have become familiar to many through tv, film, and family lore. Come join us on September 3, 2020 and learn about the people and places behind this great city, whether you are just hearing about it from Derry Girls, from your history book, or from your great uncle’s stories of the Troubles.

Book talk will be followed by a brief Q&A with Librarian Lily and Dr. Shea. You can ask your own questions of the author in the comments section on YouTube or in the discussion thread on the Facebook event post.

7:30 – 8:30 PM

 

About our author, Margo Shea

“I am an educator, researcher and project administrator with experience in reflective participatory research, civic engagement, service-learning, community development, storytelling and all the ways these intersect and intertwine around historical, social and political issues. I am trained in urban studies, public and oral history, qualitative research methods and (some of) the digital humanities. I am the author of a history of community memory in #Derry, Northern Ireland published by University of Notre Dame Press, called Derry City. At the heart of my work is a firm belief that for much too long, most of us have been mere subjects of history instead of actors and writers of our stories. I work in all of my roles to change that. I work to strengthen our individual and collective ability and resolve to listen into the difficult spaces and to create processes for listening to shape our stories and our actions. Collaborative practice, (planning it, facilitating it, organizing it, evaluating it and amplifying it) while honoring individual perspectives and where they come from, is my strength. ”

 

And if you are interested in learning more or would like to read the book on your own. Check out the link to order a hardcover copy. HINT: go to  the author’s site for discount codes and release information about future trade paperback editions.

“Derry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland and has had a Catholic majority since 1850. It was witness to some of the most important events of the civil rights movement and the Troubles. Derry City examines Catholic Derry from the turn of the twentieth century to the end of the 1960s and the start of the Troubles. Plotting the relationships between community memory and historic change, Margo Shea provides a rich and nuanced account of the cultural, political, and social history of Derry using archival research, oral histories, landscape analysis, and public discourse. Looking through the lens of the memories Catholics cultivated and nurtured as well as those they contested, she illuminates Derry’s Catholics’ understandings of themselves and their Irish cultural and political identities through the decades that saw Home Rule, Partition, and four significant political redistricting schemes designed to maintain unionist political majorities in the largely Catholic and nationalist city. Shea weaves local history sources, community folklore, and political discourse together to demonstrate how people maintain their agency in the midst of political and cultural conflict. As a result, the book invites a reconsideration of the genesis of the Troubles and reframes discussions of the “problem” of Irish memory. It will be of interest to anyone interested in Derry and to students and scholars of memory, modern and contemporary British and Irish history, public history, the history of colonization, and popular cultural history.”

 

MPL TO GO: The Malden Public Library Opens for Curbside Hold Pickups

The Malden Public Library is now open for curbside holds pickup. Curbside hold pickup means you will be asking for items either from our website or via phone. This will be available Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Library staff will collect and check out materials, and contact patrons when holds are ready for pickup.

Follow these simple steps to pick up items:

  • Place an item on hold through the library’s catalog (https://mpl.bibliocommons.com/)  or by calling the library (781.324.0218).
  • When your items are ready, you will  be notified by email, phone or text (whichever method you chose when you signed up for a card).
  • Call 781.324.0218 once you have received notification that your hold(s) are ready to arrange a pickup. Make sure you have your library card number handy! Calling ahead cuts down on your wait time.
  • Drive or walk to the library and wait in the designated curbside area.
  • Call 781.324.0218 to let library staff know you are there to pick up your items.
  • We will place your items on a table for pickup.  Please wait until the staff has re-entered the Library before taking materials. Enjoy your books!
  • When you’re done with your items, please return them in the book drop.

Materials can only be returned using the library’s book drops to ensure patrons and staff safety. Returned materials will be quarantined for 72 hours before check-in, as recommended by the CDC. During the quarantine period, books will remain on the borrower’s card. For further safety, concerned patrons can avoid opening checked out materials for 24 to 72 hours after retrieving them from the library.

The Library continues to recommend the many online resources available at our website at www.maldenpubliclibrary.org, including 24/7 access to the digital library,

The library has a reopening plan in place, but no date has yet been set for the various stages in the plan. However, the library’s Summer Reading Program will be taking place starting July 15.

For more information about the Malden Public Library’s programs and services, please call the library at 781-324-0218.

RBdigital Audiobooks Moving to OverDrive on August 25

Beginning August 25, most audiobook and ebook titles available through our RBDigital service will be moving to our OverDrive collection.  OverDrive has acquired the RBdigital platform and this  means a few changes for you as a user of RBDigital, so we wanted to make sure you knew what to expect.

What happens on August 25?

As of August 25th, audiobooks will no longer be available in our RBDigital collection. Most of these titles will be transferred to our OverDrive collection and you can use the Libby or OverDrive apps to check out, download, and listen to them.

What about the titles I’m still listening to in RBDigital?

Any titles you have checked out on August 25th will still be available in your account until the end of their loan period.

Will I lose my RBDigital holds?

We won’t be able to transfer RBDigital holds to OverDrive, unfortunately. Please place new holds in OverDrive after the titles have transferred.

Are magazines and other RBDigital services moving to OverDrive as well?

Not at this time. You will still be able to check out magazines on RBDigital for several months, but these magazine titles will eventually move to OverDrive as well. Check our website for news about this move in late 2020.

What else do I need to know?

For more information, please read the OverDrive FAQ.

https://www.overdrive.com/RBdigital-transition-preview

 

100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment #Malden

100th Anniversary of 19th Amendment,  passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920.  As a widow, Malden resident and former mill girl Harriet Robinson rented out rooms to support herself, her three daughters and her aged mother. She became increasingly active in the women’s suffrage movement. Harriet and her daughter Harriet Lucy Robinson Shattuck organized the National Woman Suffrage Association of Massachusetts and Harriet made the opening address at their 1881 Boston Convention Image: Suffragette Coat and Skirt Set (early 20th Century), owned by Jenny Poole James and donated by Susan Amerige James Clark. Coat and skirt set were worn to suffragette events. Clothing made in Malden tailor Hyman Broos of 92 Pleasant Street. From the Malden Historical Society Collection.

100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

Today is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. Even after ratification millions of women were still unable to vote: Puerto Rican women were excluded from the 19th Amendment and could not vote until 1935, the lack of US citizenship limited voting rights for many Native American (1924) and Asian immigrant women (1952), African American women especially in the South experienced discrimination that kept them from the polls (1965); and many immigrants faced language barriers to voting. Image from Rightfully Hers, an exhibition organized by the National Archives and Records Administration exploring the generations-long fight for universal woman suffrage. https://museum.archives.gov/rightfully-hers

Tuesday, August 25th 7PM Gardening Program: Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Beneficials

Join us via Zoom at 7PM: https://zoom.us/j/98174335588
The meeting will be locked at 7:15PM.

“Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Beneficials,” a 90 minute presentation about welcoming pollinators and other beneficial wildlife, will be offered by naturalist and landscaper John Root at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, August 25th. A Zoom link will be added here and the MPL Google calendar shortly before the program begins.

A variety of plants that can nourish these organisms throughout their active lifetimes are discussed, and organic methods for establishing pollinator gardens are also presented. Comments and questions are welcome throughout the program. Participants can access handouts online with information about attracting beneficials. This program is supported in part by the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Armchair Travel / Travel Chat: Favorite Places Near and Far

Away we go!  The good news is, you needn’t stop dreaming. In fact, now is a great time to reminisce about your favorite places and ignite the spark for your next adventure.  Join like-minded travelers virtually on Monday, August 17, at 7 p.m. for a one hour online chat, share photographs of your favorite travels and learn new places to put on your bucket list.  The program will also discuss travel resources online and at your library.  The program will be presented on zoom with instructions posted one hour before the start of the program at https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/. When travel isn’t an option, there armchair travel.  For more information, contact the Malden Public Library at 781-324-0218.

Panel recap: Mythmaking and upcoming creative events!

If you missed our first ever panel discussion about myth, fairy tales, film, and storytelling you can watch the whole event on YouTube.

You should also check out our upcoming 10th Annual Public Reading by The Malden Writers’ Collaborative. Celebrate writing! Join Malden’s own creative writing group, the Malden Writers’ Collaborative, for their 10th Annual Public Reading on Thursday, August 20th 7-8:30PM online.

Members of the 2019-2020 season will read original works:

Jason Rubin – “Little Red Pool of Blood”
Felicia Ryan – Blue – “Blue is the color of the year”, “Drift Away” and “Trapped in my Yoga Top”
Rebekah Brooks – Ceaseless Faith
Jason Kenney – “No Sign of the Morning”
Heather Angell – an unnamed selection
Jeff Taylor – poems “Wall Dogs”, “Catfish” and “WAKEY, WAKEY”
Christopher Hickey – “Fall Guise”

Please help support our wonderful creative communities and join us for our panels, public readings, and other library events. We are hoping to bring you more of these unique events in the Fall while highlighting the rich creative traditions of our Malden community.

Also subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date on our latest videos and events!

New: Virtual Movie Night Chat via Zoom

Join us for Malden Public Library’s first Virtual Movie Night Chat via Zoom on Wednesday, August 19, 2020, from 7:00-8:00pm. Watch This Beautiful Fantastic at home and join us for the online chat. The film stars Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey) and Tom Wilkerson.

This Beautiful Fantastic is “A contemporary fairy tale revolving around the unlikely of friendship between a reclusive young woman with dreams of being a children’s book author and a cantankerous widower, set against the backdrop of a beautiful garden in the heart of London.” If you love libraries, books, or gardening, you might enjoy this enchanting, romantic hidden gem. This Beautiful Fantastic is wonderful storytelling for the whole family. Rated PG (93 min.) (2016)

Join us for a relaxed chat online and share your ideas about the film; it would be great to connect with the Malden community.

Use your Malden Public Library Card to set up an account and

Find the film here (Kanopy): https://boston.kanopy.com/product/beautiful-fantastic

Or here (Hoopla): https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11821610

You must register for this event by e-mailing: mplcinemalden@gmail.com

Details of the Zoom chat will be sent to you shortly before the film chat starts.