Blog: Author: Caron Guigli

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

Posted on by Caron Guigli

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.

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

Posted on by Caron Guigli

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.

How to Take a Sensory Nature Walk (Urban Ecology Series)

Posted on by Caron Guigli


Don’t go for just any walk, take a sensory nature walk!
Cultivate a keen eye—and nose, ear, and hand—when evaluating the qualities of our living world. Then use these observational skills to explore your local urban or suburban environment.
This program was designed by the MIT Public Library Innovation Exhange (PLIX) for students in grades 3-8, but can be enjoyed by anyone.
Pick up the Urban Ecology kit at the Malden Public Library. Call 781-324-0218 to reserve yours! If you can’t obtain one, most of these materials, or replacements for them can be found in the home.
This is part one in the Urban Ecology Series. Join Librarian Jean live Wednesday, August 12th at 3PM for part 2: Tangible Ecosystem (be sure to collect 8-10 specimens on your walk before this program). The Zoom link will be posted in the event calendar a few minutes before the program.

Career Workshop: Tips for a Successful Virtual Interview
Thursday, August 6th 7-8:30PM

Posted on by Caron Guigli


Interviews are nerve-wracking enough and now we have a new normal to navigate. Prior to COVID-19 many companies were implementing phone and video interviews as part of their hiring process. Now virtual interviews are becoming commonplace as it relates to remote hiring. This Zoom workshop will address many topics including ideal locations and conditions for conducting the interview, the importance of body language, technology overviews, appropriate dress codes, and strategies to build confidence.

Gary Gekow is a Senior Employment Specialist/Career Coach with 30 years of recruiting and employment services experience in the Boston staffing industry. He works closely with client companies in many industries and job seekers in various specialties.

A Zoom link will be posted here a few minutes before the program begins. Email Librarian Jean at jslavkovsky@maldenpubliclibrary.org to have the link emailed to you.

Friday Folk & Fairy Tales: Mythological Birds

Posted on by Caron Guigli

Join us Friday, July 24th at 12:15pm for the reading of “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Bird of Light, and the Grey Wolf” and “The Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor.” These stories were selected with an adult audience in mind. Click here to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PVKMhfD1pQ&list=PLynjS8HwKnkk4h2cYTo1RvlCRuLZ1XfeN&index=4&t=0s

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~ Neil Gaiman* Coraline

The pandemic has presented us with new challenges and exacerbated old ones. Folk and fairy tales do not merely entertain us, but teach and remind us that we can conquer whatever we face and help quell our fears and anxieties. As we are faced with new obstacles we also need new fairy tales. On these summer Fridays, we will be sharing a combination of old and new folk and fairy tales to aid our community in overcoming the challenges we face today.

MPL 2020 Calendar of Events Is Here

Posted on by Caron Guigli

In addition to helping you get materials for reading this summer, Malden Public Library will be holding programs for children, families, teens, and adults. And although we’re not able to all meet in person, join your friends on Zoom for our on-line virtual programs. Check out our summer program events here:

Integrated Summer Calendar 2020

and you can join the Zoom programs from the homepage of this website. We look forward to seeing you!

Our New How-To Video Series

Posted on by Caron Guigli

Have you ever wondered how to search the library catalog more effectively?

As the world continues its monumental shift to adapt to life during a global pandemic, the Malden Public Library continues to do its best to support our patrons (and everyone else! Hello online community!). We know that the changes in our services, particularly the heavy slant toward the virtual landscape, can be overwhelming and confusing and the world is already overwhelming and confusing enough. Whoever said “When it rains it pours” really nailed it 🙄

We want to make the transition to the new normal as smooth and painless as possible. And so we are introducing a new video series published to our Youtube channel: MPL HOW TO. These videos will be quick (five minutes or less) tutorials on how to effectively use library resources. The very first installment is MPL HOW TO: Search for Physical Items in Our Catalog. We hope you find it helpful.

 

Remember that we are all in this together. By staying safe you help yourself, the people you  know, and those you don’t. We love you.

VIRTUAL Story Time for Adults!
Friday Folk and Fairy Tales at 12:15PM

Posted on by Caron Guigli

Join us Friday, June 26th at 12:15pm for the reading of a new fairy tale, “Reeling for the Empire” from Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell. This story is not recommended for children. A link will be posted here for the Zoom meeting 15 minutes before the event.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” ~ Neil Gaiman* Coraline

The pandemic has presented us with new challenges and exacerbated old ones. Folk and fairy tales do not merely entertain us, but teach and remind us that we can conquer whatever we face and help quell our fears and anxieties. As we are faced with new obstacles we also need new fairy tales. On these summer Fridays, we will be sharing a combination of old and new folk and fairy tales to aid our community in overcoming the challenges we face today.

*Paraphrasing of G.K. Chesterton’s Red Angel: “Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.”

VIRTUAL Lunch Break Book Chat
Thursday, June 25th 12:15PM

Posted on by Caron Guigli

Missed the book chat? Check out what staff and patrons recommended: Recommended Books

Take a break and join Librarian Jean for a casual discussion of what everyone’s been reading and find your next great read!

This program will be conducted via Zoom. The link will be posted fifteen minutes before the event in the “Upcoming Events” listing to the right of our homepage, maldenpubliclibrary.org, and in our Events Google Calendar. This program will not be recorded.