May Newsletter from the Yarmouth Town Libraries

Happy May, Everyone!

Please note, in addition to calling the libraries’ main numbers and leaving a message, you can also call or text a temporary number we have set up to reach librarians at home: 508-258-9496. Please reach out if you need help downloading media, finding information (about ANYTHING!), or want to request items for when we reopen the buildings.

Digital offerings

If you haven’t already tried Overdrive or Hoopla, now is the time! You’ll have immediate access to books, audiobooks, TV shows, and movies. You can even enjoy BBC and Acorn Media shows and top documentaries on Hoopla. Vera and Hidden are two British dramas that have been popular with our library users this past month. Download the Hoopla app or visit www.hoopladigital.com to get started. Don’t have a library card? No problem! During the signup process, simply check the box that says “I don’t have a library card” -- as long as you’ve selected Yarmouth Town Libraries as your library, and are within 25 miles of Yarmouth, you won’t have a problem downloading or streaming content.

2020 Cecelia Siemen Scholarship
Open for Applications: Deadline extended

The South Yarmouth Library Association offers the Cecelia Siemen Scholarship in the Visual Arts annually. The $5,000 award advances the study and knowledge of someone in the visual arts. To be eligible, applicants must have completed one academic year at a college or art institute by the end of the school year in which the scholarship is offered.

Applications are available now from the Library website. Applications include the completed form, course work transcripts, three (3) letters of recommendation, a portfolio, and personal statement. See http://yarmouth.ma.us/1266/Cecelia-Siemen-Scholarship for the link to download an application on the home page. Applications to the South Yarmouth Library Association are due June 1.

Staff Picks

Audio – Gmorning, Gnight!
By Lin-Manuel Miranda
Narrated by the author, the book is made up of the best of his daily greetings, original sayings, aphorisms, and poetry. Hearing Lin-Manual Miranda reading these is a double-bonus and I find them especially comforting during this stressful time.

Modern British Romance

A staff favorite is the romances by Mhairi McFarlane, for a light, quirky peek into modern-day England -- the parts you don’t usually see in TV and movies. You can find these on both Overdrive and Hoopla, but there’s no wait on the titles in Hoopla.

Online Resources

Virtually Visit the Castonguay Carved Bird Collection at West Yarmouth Library

Donated in memory of Mr. and Mrs. A. Harold Castonguay's daughter Ann, the collection includes 40 intricately carved and painted figures of waterfowl, songbirds and shorebirds. How many are visitors to your backyard? Located online at www.yarmouth.ma.us/1555/Castonguay-Birds.

Virtual Tours

While we all look forward to freely enjoying all of our region’s rich cultural offerings in the future, we recommend spending some time with Google Arts and Culture (available as an app for Android and Apple devices, as well as through your internet browser). Take self-guided tours through over 2,000 of the world’s museums or take a deep dive into art history. A whole lot of fun! (Pictured: Summer on Cape Cod by Alfred Eisenstaedt.)

Hoopla Digital

Are you a big fan of British television? Well we are, too! Our favorite detective, VERA, has six seasons available to watch. Another favorite, The Great British Baking Show, is also available if you need some inspiration on what to bake next.

Patrick Stewart: A Sonnet a Day

Patrick Stewart is treating Twitter and Facebook to One Shakespeare Sonnet A Day during the lockdown. Great poetry is a salve for the soul, and it doesn't get much greater than the Bard of Avon. Unless, of course, you add one of the greatest living Shakespearean actors into the mix. Just go to https://twitter.com/sirpatstew or
https://www.facebook.com/patrickstewart and make it so.

Got wireless?

Don’t forget, there is free wifi access available from the library locations at South Yarmouth and West Yarmouth – need some time online at no cost? Come to the parking areas of the Yarmouth Town Libraries for wireless access!