January Newsletter from the Yarmouth Town Libraries

From the Director

Happy New Year 2021, to all, and greetings from the Yarmouth Town Libraries during the winter of our isolation. We are humming along with curbside pickups, make-and-take kit creation, virtual gingerbread construction and competition, tech help, movie recommendations, outreach delivery, and more. It is a great time of year to hunker down and enjoy our close environs and plan for a better tomorrow. This has been a holiday season like no other in my memory. Here’s hoping it’s a one-of-a-kind, and November and December 2021 will be like the before times. My great appreciation to all our Library users who found a way to still bestow upon us many chocolate and sugary holiday treats, and even a lovely loaf of home-baked bread. My thanks to my colleagues at Town Hall who mustered up a virtual Yankee Swap that provided some laughs (and more chocolate) and to our South Yarmouth Library Association who came up with a fun, alternative neighborhood stroll to cheer us this year with clever decorations, lights and more laughter. And more thanks to the hard-working Library staff who have kept busy with shifting, weeding, sorting and updating collections and storage and supply areas in our buildings over the past several weeks. It is a wonderful life here in Yarmouth, especially at the libraries.

Jane Cain
Library Director

Happy New Year from
the Yarmouth Town Libraries
Youth Services!

Many thanks to the Bovino Family for recording the reading of Dr. Seuss’s classic story of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas" for our virtual Whoville Express event. It was a season of many changes for all of us, and yet we found a new way to bring a bit of cheer. Many thanks to our Library Associations for supporting all of our holiday programming and events throughout the year.

The Yarmouth Town Libraries
will be closed on
Monday, January 18,
for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Take and Make Kits

Kits will be available for pick up at West Yarmouth and South Yarmouth Libraries on Saturdays from 10:00-3:00 p.m. Supply is limited. Please pre-register on the Library’s calendar of events or give us a call at 508-760-4820 X 1316 to reserve your kits.

January 9, Snow People
January 16, DIY Model Dinosaurs
January 23, Build a Tiny Town
January 30, Design your own Puzzle!

Jurassic Park
Interactive Family Movie

Join the Jurassic Park adventure like never before, while you shout, scream, and snack along! Please register to pick up your copy of the movie Jurassic Park and we will provide the script and a prop bag full of surprises! Due to lots of "dino-mayhem" in the movie, this event is suggested for families with school-aged children and up. Pickups are available at the following times at South Yarmouth or West Yarmouth:

Thursday, January 14, 12-6:00 p.m.
Friday, January 15, 10-3:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 16, 10-3:00 p.m.

There is a limited supply, so be sure to call to schedule your curbside appointment.

Virtual Storytime Clubs for Babies and Preschoolers

Ms Mindy will entertain and delight you with stories songs and rhymes, with an at home activity or craft. Each week there will be two prerecorded storytime videos that will be emailed on Tuesday mornings. Preregister for Baby Storytime or Preschool Storytime, or both! Please register on the Library calendar of events to receive the links. Enjoy these storytimes at your convenience.

Book Bundles to Go!

What better time to get cozy with some wonderful books, movies or audiobooks for all ages? Send us an email or give us a call to let us know what topics you are interested in, or who your favorite authors are and we will put together a bundle of 5-10 items for you to take home to enjoy. We will gladly schedule a pick up time at your convenience.

Online Zoom Book Talk

Wednesday, January 6, 10:30 a.m.Let's gather online and discuss books you have been reading, books you'd like to be reading or would like the library to purchase, get recommendations from staff and information about new releases. All are welcome. Please email ckaufmann@clamsnet.org, or call the library at
508-760-4820 to register to receive a Zoom link or with any questions.

Please note, if you have not used Zoom in the past or have encountered difficulties using Zoom, please call 508-760-4820 X 1315 or email
ckaufmann@clamsnet.org to set up a troubleshooting session with our IT Librarian, Chris Kaufmann.

There is no assigned book for these events; everyone will discuss whatever they have been reading, or just listen and get ideas for their next read.

Mystery Book Group on Zoom

Thursday, January 14, 6:00 p.m.
Anyone is welcome to join us as we discuss Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James. There are copies of the book available at the South Yarmouth Library and West Yarmouth Library circulation desks; the ebook and audiobook are available with no wait on Overdrive/Libby. The group is open to everyone and facilitated by staff member Chris Kaufmann. Please call either library or email ckaufmann@clamsnet.org to receive a Zoom link in order to attend.

If you do not know how to use the Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla apps, please call the library for assistance or email ckaufmann@clamsnet.org.

Zoom Book Discussion Group

Thursday, January 28, 6:30 p.m.
Anyone is welcome to join us as we discuss Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. There are copies of the book you can borrow available at the South Yarmouth Library and West Yarmouth Library circulation desks; the ebook and audiobook are available on Overdrive/Libby, and the audiobook is always available to borrow with no wait on the Hoopla app. The group is open to everyone and facilitated by staff member Chris Kaufmann. Please call either library or email ckaufmann@clamsnet.org to receive a Zoom link in order to attend.

If you do not know how to use the Overdrive/Libby or Hoopla apps, please call the Library for assistance or email ckaufmann@clamsnet.org.

Please note, if you have not used Zoom in the past or have encountered difficulties using Zoom, please call 508-760-4820 X 1315 or email
ckaufmann@clamsnet.org to set up a troubleshooting session with Chris Kaufmann.

Zoom Good Stories, Well Read

Saturday, January 16, 2:00 p.m. Online
A Good Stories, Well Read event, usually held at the West Yarmouth Library, is entertainment and enrichment at its finest. This time around, listen to classic stories read with feeling by local Cape Cod actors by joining the Zoom meeting for virtual Good Stories, Well Read. Please email Toby Wilson at twilson@yarmouth.ma.us or call the library at 508-760-4820 X 1317 to register and receive a Zoom link or with any questions. Sponsored by the West Yarmouth Library Association. Tell all your friends and neighbors to register and join the fun.

Database Spotlight

Did you attend an event at the Cape Cod Coliseum? Perhaps a sporting event? Type in the year and see what was happening at that time. The Register and Barnstable Patriot archives go back to 1836. To begin searching the archives of Cape Cod newspapers, type the search term(s) in the box at the top of the page and click on the magnifying glass, or choose the SEARCH or BROWSE options from the menu.
http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Yarmouth/Default.aspx#panel=ho

Online Library Events Calendars

Virtual Library Programs across Massachusetts all from one easy place! Libraries have moved their programs online. There are so many offerings to choose from, so we have given you eight calendars spanning Massachusetts. But you don't need to be nearby, so feel free to explore them all. You can find library events at
https://libraries.state.ma.us/calendar

Staff Picks

A Day in the Life of
the Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk

An Overdrive Documentary
Director Stuart Calcote's High-Definition camera crew spent twelve days aboard the Mohawk as it sailed on a course from Key West, Florida, to Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico. Every aspect of the crew's life and work onboard the Mohawk was documented. From early morning revelry to taps at night, from high above the bridge to the depths of the engine room, this program follows the lives of the U.S.S. Mohawk's officers and crew as they guard the shores of America.

Staff Pick from Youth Services

Cubs in the Tub
By Candace Fleming
Fred and Helen Martini longed for a baby, and they ended up with dozens of lion and tiger cubs! Snuggle up to this purr-fect read aloud about the Bronx Zoo's first female zoo-keeper. When Bronx Zoo-keeper Fred brought home a lion cub, Helen Martini instantly embraced it. Helen named him MacArthur, and fed him milk from a bottle and cooed him to sleep in a crib. Soon enough, MacArthur was not the only cub bathed in the tub! The couple continues to raise lion and tiger cubs as their own, until they are old enough to return them to zoos. Helen becomes the first female zookeeper at the Bronx zoo, the keeper of the nursery. This is a terrific non-fiction book to read aloud while snuggling up with your cubs! Filled with adorable baby cats, this is a story about love, dedication, and a new kind of family. Gorgeously patterned illustrations by Julie Downing detail the in-home nursery and a warm pallet creates a cozy pairing with Candace Fleming's lovely language.

Staff Pick for Young Adult Fiction

When the Stars are Scattered
by Victoria Jamieson
and Omar Mohamed

Heartbreak, hope and gentle humor exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.

ALA Youth Media Awards

Monday, January 25
Each year the American Library Association (ALA) honors books and media for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. For information regarding this year's presentation, please visit www.ilovelibraries.org/yma

NEW YEAR - NEW WEBSITE
Our website has been updated with a new look.
Check it out at yarmouthlibraries.org!

Recycle Yarmouth

Yarmouth will collect unwanted holiday lights through January 15 from Yarmouth residents with Disposal stickers, in a collection bin at the Gate House so that these lights can be taken to Ferreira Iron & Metal in Hyannis and stripped for use in other electronic devices.

Yarmouth Disposal is partnering with Yarmouth Rotary to collect unwanted walking aids for a charitable organization providing crutches and more to people in need in Africa.

If you don’t have a sticker, contact Roby Whitehouse at rwhitehouse@yarmouth.ma.us to find out about alternate collection locations. For more information, see: Crutches for Africa .