Hello!

 

The summer is over already?! I’m excited about everything a new season brings to the library, especially and hopefully a return to more normal in-library programming. Be sure to follow our Facebook page and to visit our website at www.massillonlibrary.org for more information about programming for all ages. You can even sign up to receive this newsletter each month via email by going to our website, clicking on “Events” and then clicking on “Newsletter.”

 

I opened the Suggestion Box yesterday, and I hear your concerns about casual seating. We are not quite ready to have our regulars coming and staying for hours at a time, but hope to be there soon. We want to be sure that’s healthy for YOU. Thank you to those who “stuffed the box” with encouraging and uplifting messages. We love you too! As I write this, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel for both the statewide delivery debacle, and the issue of getting our new books from the vendor. The delivery truck showed up once last week (out of three scheduled days, so NOT great) with almost 70 shipping bags of materials that had been in transit. I hope that you are a patron who got a surprise and the item you’ve been waiting for is on the hold shelf.

 

I’ve talked to enough of you to know this service disruption has had a very serious and negative impact, and we don’t take that lightly. It does remind me—and the legislators—how Ohioans have come to depend on this (formerly) fast and efficient transfer of items between libraries. I hope I can say that again soon. Our staff is so committed to getting you those materials, that they are going through a 65-page printout of everything currently in transit, and placing new holds on the ones that were placed during the contract with the previous transit company, which ended June 25. We’ve been told to abandon hope on seeing those materials, and owning libraries will be reimbursed by the State. It’s definitely still a hot mess, but they promise additional drivers, routes, and hubs.

 

The only upside is that more and more of us are learning how to use our digital resources like Hoopla and Libby. That’s how I read my own book club’s selection for this month. And I learned what a lot of you already know…you can increase the speed of your audio book to read it faster! That trick allowed me to whip through a book last weekend while ironing, and then while working on a jigsaw puzzle—what fun multitasking! If you need a lesson on that, contact our Tech Trainer Jesse for a one-on-one lesson!

 

My book suggestions this month are from authors I already love. Sue Monk Kidd’s The Book of Longings is brilliant historical fiction. Don’t be put off by the Biblical time period or the idea that Jesus might have been married. It is fiction, but based on deep research, and consistently reverential. The Silent Patient author Alex Michaelides has a new psychological thriller, The Maidens. If you like bad behavior in an academic setting, I recommend this— but something even better is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. (But in that case, don’t be in a rush, because we have to get it from another library! Ha!)

 

Happy Reading,
Sherie Brown, Director

 

 

All locations of the Massillon Public Library will be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day.

Get a Clue: Evaluating Evidence
September 1 -- 1:00 p.m.
While researching your family's story, you find clues to what your ancestors' lives were like. Ever wonder at what point all this evidence adds up to proof? Join us in-person in the library Auditorium as we discuss this important piece of genealogical investigation. Be sure to bring along your clues!

Teddy Bear Clinic
September 10 -- 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Children (ages 2 and up) and their caregivers are invited to bring a favorite teddy bear or doll to explore medical play with Certified Child Life Specialist Holly Bryan-Huth, as she leads them in working through worries and concerns about doctor visits and healthcare experiences. Children will engage in hands-on medical play, plus learn fun and creative coping skills.

Public Speaking 101
September 15 -- 5:30 p.m.
The Massillon Public Library Technology Department will host an in-person class on public speaking in the library Auditorium. Public speaking fills most people with trepidation, but it is a valuable skill to have and can be necessary when it comes to your career. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to overcome anxiety and deliver compelling and effective presentations.

Streaming TV for Beginners
September 23 -- 7:00 p.m.
The Massillon Public Library Technology Department will host an online YouTube Live class on “Streaming TV for Beginners.” Interested in the world of streaming television, but don’t know where to start? Discover the services and hardware you need to “cut the cord” with traditional TV!

Pumpkin Decorating Open House for Kids
September 25 -- 12:00 Noon - 2:00 p.m.
Kids are invited to join us in the Camille Leslie Memorial Reading Garden to decorate a pumpkin! Also enjoy fall stories and other crafts. All supplies will be provided.

This is a Last Saturday Massillon event.

Landlord/Tenant Legal Issues Panel Discussion
September 28 -- 6:00 p.m.
Join Massillon Public Library Director Sherie Brown online for an informative and interactive Zoom session concerning landlord and tenant legal issues. Learn from the experts about legal issues facing tenants and landlords, especially in this time of uncertainty with the end of the eviction moratorium. Guest panelists include Andrea Scassa, Magistrate at the Massillon Courts; John Petit, Managing Attorney at Community Legal Aid; Amanda Stewart, Community Services Block Grant Director at Stark County Community Action Agency; and Beverly Lewis, Massillon Housing Director and Fair Housing Coordinator.

Excel Essentials
September 29 -- 5:30 p.m.
The Massillon Public Library Technology Department will host an in-person class on Excel Essentials in the library Auditorium. Microsoft Excel is essential for many jobs and can even be useful in our personal life. In this introductory hands-on workshop, we'll learn how to create and format a basic spreadsheet using Excel.

Story Times Are Back!

September 1 - October 28

Families are invited to the next session of Story Times in the library.

No registration required!

 

www.massillonlibrary.org/story-times