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After Sept 9th, the library will reopen on Saturdays 10 to 3

Tuesdays

Thursday and Friday Mornings!

As We Experiment with Changes to the Website

The library will be closed Sat. Oct. 7th & Mon. Oct. 9th
Library Hours
Open for browsing | |
and curbside pickup | |
Monday | 10am - 5pm |
Tuesday | 10am - 7pm |
Wednesday | 10am - 7pm |
Thursday | 10am - 5pm |
Friday | 10am - 5pm |
Saturday* | 10am - 3pm |
Sunday | closed |
Announcements
Adult Programming Survey
Tell us what you would like to see at the library!
We are currently running a short survey in the Adult Services Department to see what kinds of programs people would like to see in the upcoming year. If you would like your voice heard, we want to hear it. Surveys are available online or in print at the Circulation Desk.
Adult Summer Reading Bingo
June 21st – September 21st (Solstice to Equinox)
Are you gearing up for the summer months eager to expand your reading horizons? In addition to diving into feel-good beach reads (those can be found interspersed throughout this list), I encourage adult patrons to read about topics that may challenge them and their worldviews. This summer’s Adult Summer Reading Bingo Challenge has been inspired at least in part by prominent Iranian-American writer and intellectual, Azar Nafisi’s recent manifesto Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times (2022). (You can request this from any library in the Minerva consortium; at the time of writing this blog post MML doesn’t own a copy).
While Nafisi’s argument is about the subversive power of reading fiction, especially by and about marginalized communities, MML’s bingo challenge includes nonfiction and memoir as well as novels. Nafisi compellingly writes that literature humanizes the enemy or “other”, combating our increasingly polarized society’s tendency to do the exact opposite: dehumanize anyone and everyone who thinks and lives differently from us. In her own words, “[w]ar, by nature, dehumanizes the enemy. Story gives the enemy a voice, forcing us to confront him as a human being, to look him in the eye. And through this process, we restore our own humanity” (Nafisi p. 101). Nonfiction and memoir also tell stories and have the capacity to humanize people who are all too often dehumanized and disempowered; hence this summer reading challenge.
If you, like me, the librarian writing this post, are a self-avowed “nerd,” feel free to watch Nafisi discussing her own book in this Youtube video recording of a talk she gave at the Newburyport Literary Festival a year ago. There are numerous other videos of her discussing her book available on Youtube; it is a rabbit hole that you may find yourself lost in much like our beloved Alice in Wonderland.
In any case, get ready to dive into our bingo challenge! As an extra incentive, we have prizes, including MML swag. The grand prize will be 1 free book and a $30 gift card to Royal River Books just down the street. To be eligible for this, as soon as you’ve completed the entire bingo sheet, enter your name in a raffle! For info about the other prizes, see the pamphlet available at the circ desk! (This info is also printed on the back of the bingo sheet itself).
You can view or print the Bingo Sheet here.
Too many books, too little time? No need to feel too overwhelmed! To lighten your reading load and make the challenge more manageable, here are some suggestions to hit the ground running when starting your Bingo Sheet:
- One square per row of five involves something other than reading a book!
- Partner up with someone and complete the challenge together. This could even lead to mini book discussions with a friend, partner or spouse, child, etc…
- Read 1 book for up to 2 categories. Several titles in the Banned/Challenged Books category also fall under the LGBTQ+ Memoirs square.
Pick up your bingo square at the circulation desk OR information desk at MML anytime this summer. For inspiration and reading suggestions, check out these lists.
Enjoy your reading, “dangerous” and otherwise!
-Courtney Kleftis (Adult Services Librarian)
Can’t find it in the catalog?
Are you searching for a book that you are unable to find? Perhaps the book is brand new, and none of the libraries have a copy of it yet. You can still request it.
Fill out this form with as much information about the book as you know, include your name, card number, and your email address or phone number, and we will consider purchasing it for the library. You will be the first to borrow it if we do.
COVID Task Force
The Yarmouth Community Coronavirus Task Force is still ready with information and resources.
Need groceries, information, resources, or a person to talk to? Call 207-846-4763 (the library’s phone number). All calls will be returned within 24 hrs. Visit the group on Facebook.
Events
Staff Picks
Nautical Reads
Adult Summer Reading Bingo Challenge ‘23, a Deep Dive into NAUTICAL READS – “Under the Sea”
Are you working on the Adult Summer Reading Bingo Challenge ‘23? Looking for inspiration for titles that will cover the square: “Book About the Ocean”? If so, read on and let’s dive “under the sea” together! (Disney’s Little Mermaid reference 100% intended). 🙂
Feel free to also reference this earlier list, but be warned: there is some overlap…
Below is a list of 6 nautical topics/themes (in no particular order) under which I’ve categorized a number of books held here at MML and/or available through Minerva. Also, some of these categories overlap such as Sea Life and Mysteries of the Ocean: Science Writing. Just giving you a heads up!