Learn Libby From The Experts

The Falmouth Public Library is hosting a free virtual Libby webinar by the experts at OverDrive on Wednesday, September 1st at 10am!  With the Libby app, you can access the entire CLAMS digital library collection to read and listen to eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines all for free with your library card!

Register today to learn how to sign into Libby, navigate around, browse and search for titles, borrow titles and place holds, manage notifications, and much much more!

Can’t make this webinar but are interested in learning more about Libby?  Register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you for you to watch whenever it is best for you!

To register, just click this link:  https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G2S1_GJNSYmZNPDhmMtu4A 

Live Music on the Lawn with Hungrytown

The Falmouth Public Library is excited to announce the third Live Music on the Lawn concert of the summer!  Join us and the folk music duo of Hungrytown for a free, live, outdoor concert on the library lawn on Saturday, August 28th, from 2pm-3pm!  Just bring your own chair or blanket and sit back and relax to the wonderful music of Hungrytown!

“After more than fifteen years of world-wide touring and three album releases (Hungrytown, in 2008; Any Forgotten Thing in 2011; and Further West in 2015), Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their songwriting.”  “Lyricist Rebecca Hall is credited with compositions “that sound as timeless as any traditional songs” (Northern Sky, UK) while producer/multi-instrumentalist/husband Ken Anderson is lauded for his “remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment” (No Depression) and for crafting Hungrytown’s “gorgeous vocal harmonies” (Folk and Roots, UK).””

“Their third and latest album, Further West, made the top 10 on the American Folk DJ charts for two months, and at least 14 “Best of the Year” lists. “Not only is this one of the best albums of 2015, it’s one of the best of the decade,” proclaimed New York Music Daily.” “Hungrytown’s music has also received extensive radio airplay worldwide and has appeared on several television shows, including Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, IFC’s Portlandia and Netflix’s Lady Dynamite.”

 

Local Author Panel with Mark Epstein, Isabella Stewart and Sandra Stosz

The Falmouth Public Library is excited to announce a local author panel with Mark Epstein, Isabella Stewart and Sandra Stosz on July 12th starting at 4pm via Zoom!  Please join us as this trio presents their first publications with an audience Q&A to follow.  If you would like to submit author questions ahead of time, please email your questions to info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

This event is free and is open to adults and older teens.  Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.  To register, please contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7 or stop by the reference desk.  You can also register by clicking here.  All three books are available at Eight Cousins for purchase.

They Call Me Pathfinder by Mark Epstein:  “Lauded by Coretta Scott King’s cousin, Christine Jackson, as “a book everyone should read!” in this inspiring memoir of an educator, Epstein shares the magic of befriending some of the greatest athletes in history as well as students and parents in the public school system.” (publisher)

Tangled Vince, Island Crimes: Martha’s Vineyard Off-Season by Isabella Stewart: “This is not a beach novel taking place in the soft summer winds.  It is the flip side taking place in the off-season when the wild vines take hold of vacant summer properties and weaken their foundations, climb and strangle trees, and weave a cloth of deception that is stronger than twine.” (publisher)

Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters by Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz, USCG (ret):  “Admiral Sandy Stosz draws upon 40 years of extensive leadership experience and wisdom to provide tools that will help leaders navigate complexity to reach their goals and succeed at every level.” (publisher)

Birds at the Beach: A Look at Shorebirds and Gulls on Cape Cod

We are delighted to welcome Christine Bates from Mass Audubon, on Wednesday afternoon, March 18th at 2 pm, for a Zoom presentation!

Get to know the most common shorebirds that visit and nest on Cape Cod including sandpipers, plovers, and oystercatchers. We will also talk about the gulls that grace our beaches- and parking lots!

Christine Bates is a naturalist, and the Visitor Experiences and Community Outreach Coordinator with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Prior to working for Wellfleet Bay, Christine was an Interpretive Park Ranger at the Cape Cod National Seashore. Christine has a passion for ornithology and is a skilled birder. A native Cape Codder, Christine was born and raised in Orleans. She holds a BA and MS in Environmental Studies. 

This event is free and appropriate for adults and teens, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.  Registration is required before the event. Please register online by clicking here, or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

The Garden Tourist

Update: this event is currently full. 

We are delighted to welcome garden designer and author Jana Milbocker, on Tuesday afternoon, March 9th at 2 pm, for a Zoom presentation by the Falmouth Public Library!

Do you enjoy beautiful gardens? In this armchair tour of some of the best public gardens and hidden gems of the Northeast, you will learn about each garden’s history, horticultural highlights and special events that will inspire you to plan your own visit!

Jana combines horticulture, design, and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. She loves to visit gardens and historic sites in the U.S. and abroad, and share her trips through her books, photos and blog. She published The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast in 2018, and The Garden Tourist’s New England in 2020, both available at the library.

She has lectured at flower shows in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New York and New Jersey, as well as a multitude of horticultural societies, garden clubs, and libraries in the Northeast. She is the owner of Enchanted Gardens, a landscape design firm in the Boston area. She is the past president of the Holliston Garden Club, and she is active in the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and GardenComm International.

This event is free and appropriate for adults and teens, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.  Registration is required before the event. Please register online by clicking by going to falmouthpubliclibrary.org/events. or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7. Update: this event is currently full. 

Christmas in Ireland presentation

We are pleased to welcome Irish historian Sean Murphy on Wednesday afternoon, December 16th, at 2 p.m., for a Zoom presentation! Sean was here in March for a wonderful History of Saint Patrick talk. 

This presentation includes a history of the emergence of the Christian annual celebration in Ireland, and explains how some of the earlier pagan traditions in Ireland became incorporated. It also looks at some aspects of the development of the Christmas holiday in a wider European and historical context.

Much of the presentation will focus on how Christmas has been celebrated in Ireland in recent memory, and will incorporate recorded music and video to create a holiday friendly atmosphere.

This event is free, and geared for adults, although all ages are welcome!  Registration is required, to receive the Zoom link. Please register online by clicking here,  by 1 p.m. that day, or contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7.

 

Fireworks Without the Fireworks!

We know that everyone (except dogs and cats) is very disappointed that the annual fireworks will not be happening this year. So we wanted to offer you another option for your 4th of July party! Did you know that we have a BBC Sound Effects Library on CD? We have certainly noticed a recent uptick in use, so we know some of you must be working on podcasts at home, and using the BBC Sound Effects Library for special moments!  The complete collection includes 60 CDs packed full of sounds. You can find the second set, with a full list of sound effects here.

Here are some of the subjects this collection covers: transport, weather, ships & boats, livestock, crowds, cats, emergency, babies, cars, and water. And, as I have mentioned, fireworks, which is volume 18 and is called BANG! This CD includes a chrysanthemum fountain (fizz), a retrojet fountain (fizz crackle), crackerjack fountain (crackle), mine of serpents (fizz pop), roman candle (fizz pop pop pop), thunderflash (bang), rocket, screamer, Chinese fire cracker with indistinct speech, ground mine (thump bang) with indistinct speech, Catherine wheel with indistinct speech, and Firework Night, atmosphere in suburban England. Now, these fireworks are not nearly as glorious as what we normally hear on a Falmouth 4th of July, but they might just add a little sparkle to your barbecue!

Speaking of Falmouth’s 4th of July, you might also be interested in knowing that the Falmouth Fireworks Committee has created a mask in honor of the 2020 Fireworks. You can find more information at falmouthfireworks.org. We concur with what they have written: “The year 2020 will long be remembered for its unprecedented challenges and for how we as Falmouth citizens came together during this time. We look forward to the day when we will once again welcome everyone back to the fireworks at Falmouth Heights – a day on which we will celebrate not only the Fourth of July, but the spirt of Falmouth and the resilience of our community.”

Falmouth Public Library Art Walk

The FPL Art Walk is exhibiting the work of San Lyman, a Woods Hole resident and long time member of the Falmouth Artists Guild. Her show is about diversity. She has painted her share of beaches and boats but has also started painting people doing things.

She is intrigued with people’s stances and how they approach places. And their interaction with each other. Her paintings feature people enjoying art, people in restaurants and in bars. San loves to make changes and has painted some very large canvases exploring color. “I can’t seem to curb my enthusiasm and am far from discreet with color – but there you are.”

Friends who know her work and her will expect to see beaches and boats and the sea or people doing things but now they will see abstract painting too – all painted with love!

Artist Gary Boehk Displays at FPL Art Walk

Local artist, Gary Boehk, has his work on exhibit this month in the Falmouth Public Library Art Walk. Gary has been painting scenes of West Falmouth and the Cape area for many years. He also makes excursions to Provence, France to study and paint. Boehk prefers painting outside because the elements of the environment play a major role in inspiring choices of composition, shapes, and color in his works. He explains that a beautiful landscape is presented by nature in saturated detail, it is up to the artist to make the choices of what to include and what to leave out in the final painting. As the morning or afternoon painting session progresses the dynamics of the scene are changing and the artist must anticipate and finish the painting in the best light, usually a painting takes 3-4 hours.

“Fresh brush strokes and sensitivity to place, color, and light and the harmonious interaction of human and natural elements characterize his plein-air paintings.”

GB1