The Bedrock Geology of Falmouth with Richard William Butts, a Joy of Learning Lecture. 

The Falmouth Public Library invites the community to join us for a fascinating lecture on The Bedrock Geology of Falmouth with traveling lecturer Richard William Butts on Tuesday, October 28, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the Hermann Room. This program is part of the library’s Joy of Learning Lecture Series and sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library. 

Richard William Butts holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies with a Geoscience Concentration from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences and Environmental Geoscience from Bridgewater State University. Drawing on his academic background and professional expertise, Butts will guide attendees through the geology of Falmouth, which is primarily composed of granite gneiss and undivided schist—formations characteristic of the Seaboard Lowland region in southeastern Massachusetts.

In addition to the bedrock foundation, Butts will address the marine and terrestrial biosphere, the freshwater and marine hydrosphere, as well as the climate of Falmouth including storms offering a comprehensive look at the interconnected systems that shape the natural environment of the region.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended and may be completed through the library’s events calendar at falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

For more information, please call the library at 508-457-2555 or visit falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

Want to be a Jedi? Come to Falmouth Public Library on October 21, 2025 (Falmouth Public School Early Release day) and live the life of a Jedi!

From lightsaber dueling to force pushes, you’ll be ready to go save the galaxy! The event will begin at 1:00 PM at the Falmouth Public Library (300 Main Street, Falmouth). Please check in inside the library before heading outside to the training grounds. Registration is required and the recommended age is 10 and up. Please visit our calendar via our website (falmouthpubliclibrary.org) or give us a call at 508-457-2555 to register or if you have any questions. In case of rain, the event will still be held inside! Nothing stops a Jedi.

Padawans, and soon to be Jedi, will have a safe, hilarious, and action packed experience. The events will be fast paced and no need for a hyperspace light speed jump! Learn lightsaber dueling skills, force pushes with controlled movements, dodge ball with lightsabers, and even a real life game of Hutt Ball!

Safety will be the number one priority followed by defeating the Sith lords! Come spend the early release day learning new skills, having fun, and spending time with your friends!

Again, the event will be held on 10/21/2025 at 1:00 PM at Falmouth Public Library – Main Branch, rain or shine. Registration is required and can be accessed via our online calendar or by giving us a call at the library! If you have any questions, you may also contact our Young Adult Librarian, Clint Johnson, at cjohnson@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

Thank you to the Falmouth Public Library Support Fund for making our Early Release Programming possible.

Neighborhood Falmouth and the Falmouth Public Library are jointly offering this program on Wednesday, October 29th at 1:30 pm. This month’s topic will be “Staying Safe: Preventing Falls in Older Adults”.  Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in persons older than 65 years. Dr. Michael Bihari will discuss ways to prevent falls with an emphasis on medications and balance issues. If you are planning to attend this event, please register with the Falmouth Public Library by clicking here, or call the library at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Dr.  Bihari is a retired pediatrician, health educator and healthcare consultant. He currently is the President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Falmouth, Co-Chair of the Falmouth Human Services Committee and President Emeritus of the Community Health Center. Since moving to Falmouth, Mike has had more than 150 health-related articles published in the Falmouth Enterprise.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a community-based non-profit membership organization whose mission is to help seniors live independently, safely, and comfortably at home for as long as is practical by providing support, information and services. To learn more about Neighborhood Falmouth visit their website at this link. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a volunteer, call their office at 508-927-1678.

We are excited to welcome Michael Shea back to the Falmouth Public Library for a concert in the Hermann Room on Thursday, October 23rd at from 2-3:15 pm! Please register on our online calendar by clicking here to reserve your spot, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.  

Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Michael will trace the development of the singer/songwriter in American popular music from 1952 to the present. This phenomenon, which grew out of the Folk Revival of the ‘60s, developed beside and against all other genres and flourished for decades and continues to do so in our own time.

His set will include songs from Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Croce, Billy Joel, and many more. He will also present songs composed by lesser known artists. Preluding each piece will be biographical facts and anecdotes about the artists and their songs. In addition, he will also share several original compositions.

Michael Shea is a professional guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed for four decades at numerous venues, including Bridgewater State College, the Black Thorn Tavern, The South Shore Folk Music Club, the Spire Center for the Performing Arts, and the annual Falmouth Arts Alive Festival.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Falmouth Cultural Council, a local council that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

We have a quite a slate of Zoom talks this month…talks ranging from rights to authors to Taylor Swift and our recurring 50+ Networking series. Here are the dates and links; register for a talk, and you will get the link emailed to you, and you will also get the recording later if you miss it.

Author talks:

Thursday, October 2nd at 2 pm, Nuestra America: Stories of 30 Inspiring Latinas/Latinos Who Have Shaped the United States, click here for the link.
Thursday, October 9th at 7 pm, popular YA fantasy author Leigh Bardugo, click here for the link.
Wednesday, October 22nd at 7 pm, Nobel Prizewinner Malala Yousafzail, click here for the link.

Special talk 

Tuesday, October 28th at 6:30 PM, Know Your Rights, click here for the link.

Taylor Swift-themed talks

Thursday, October 16th, Musical Genius of Taylor Swift, click here for the link.
Monday, October 20th, Fashion of Taylor Swift, click here for the link.
Thursday, October 30th, Lyrics of Taylor Swift, click here for the link.

And, join us the 1st and 3rd Wednesday mornings for 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group-learn more about it by clicking here, and also get the Zoom link.

Now Showing: US — A One-Day Short Film Event at the Falmouth Public Library

The Falmouth Public Library invites the community to an afternoon of reflection, laughter, and connection at Now Showing: US, a one-day short film event on Saturday, October 11 at 2:00 PM in the Hermann Room.

This special program features a collection of award-winning and thought-provoking short films that explore identity, relationships, and resilience across cultures and experiences.

Films include:

• I’m in Love with Edgar Allen Poe (13 mins, 2024, English) — Two baby goths attempt to summon the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, but unexpected obstacles put their spooky plans—and their friendship—at risk. Directed by Andrea A. Walter.
  
  
• Hello Stranger (16 mins, 2024, English) — A documentary about Cooper, a person navigating their gender identity while doing laundry, recognized at film festivals including the Calgary International Film Festival. Directed by Amélie Hardy.
  
  
• Sew Into You (11 mins, 2025, English) — A widowed woman seeks advice from her younger queer coworker on asking out a woman for the first time. Directed by Emma Josephson.
  
  
• I Never Promised You a Jasmine Garden (20 mins, 2024, Arabic & English) — A queer Palestinian woman struggles with unspoken love during a phone call with her best friend. Directed by Teyama Alkamli.
  
  
• Warsha (15 mins, 2022, Arabic) — A Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut discovers freedom in an unexpected place. Directed by Dania Bdeir.

In addition to the screenings, attendees can enjoy snacks and soft drinks, take part in audience voting, and join a community discussion.

Whether you are part of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, this event invites everyone to reflect, celebrate, and connect through the art of film.

Come for the stories. Stay for the conversation.
Now Showing: Us — queer cinema, shared humanity.

This free program is open to all. Bring a friend and experience the power of storytelling through short film. 

This event is made possible through funding from the Falmouth Public Library Board of Trustees.

We are excited to welcome back Maddie Day (also known as Edith Maxwell), frequent Falmouth visitor and author of the popular Cozy Capers mysteries, on Friday, October 10th at 3:00 pm in the Hermann Room, for a reading, talk and book signing! She will be discussing the newest book in the series, Murder at Cape Costumers . Eight Cousins Books will be selling books at the event. Click here to register on our online calendar.

Maddie Day, who is also known as Edith Maxwell, is an Agatha-winning and Macavity-nominated author of the Cozy Capers Book Club Mystery series, the Country Store Mysteries, and the Cece Barton Mysteries.  She also writes the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries, as well as award-winning short crime fiction as Edith Maxwell.  A member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America, she is a regular contributor at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen and belongs to The Wickeds, a group of six bestselling authors who blog at WickedAuthors.com. She lives north of Boston.  A talented amateur chef and gardener, you can learn more about her and books on her website by clicking here.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. Register online at falmouthpubliclibrary.org using the library’s online event calendar or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

What is a “zine” you ask? Zines are a physical medium (though sometimes digitized for more access) can be about anything and everything. A subculture of knowledge and information shared, free for all. They have long been an outlet of uncensored free speech, and often unpublished, and probably made on a xerox machine. Zines are imperfect, like humans, and can be about ANYTHING. One of my favorite quotes about zines is “if they say it’s a zine, it’s a zine”.

The zine community is very welcoming and anti-gatekeeping. That means, regardless of your personal feelings.

Zines are meant to be shared with the community and respect an individual’s right of self-expression, their intellectual property and their ideas. Zinesters are MORE likely to shout out someone for giving them an idea than in many other communities. Being inspired by fellow zineters is a good thing!

In true fashion, zines are usually free and showered amongst the public. A common zine “genre” is punk rock music. Underground by nature, zinesters will drop off their zines at record stores for anyone to grab. This is how some teenager in Alabama may find their new favorite noisy punk band from North Dakota. The possibilities are endless.

Zines are a sub-culture without ANY rules. It can be about anything and everything. Punk and anarchy zines were some of the first but it branched out into a whole sensational sub-culture reaching topics. A reminder that they are not alone.

Some types of zines include….AND this is such a short list…

Addiction, Anarchism, Art and Design, Conspiracy, DIY,  Feminism, Food/Cooking, Gardening, Houseplants, Mental Health, Movies, Outer Space, Photography, Poetry, Political, Punk, Queer/Trans, Tarot Cards, and Witchy. Anything that you like/dislike or anything in between can be a zine! Do it yourselves are a plenty!

Zines are also released in series! For instance this Star Wars zine is issue number 20! This particular zine is a mix of conversation, fan views, fan fiction, and fan art, all about Star Wars!

Keeping and preserving these zines available can be troublesome due to their flimsy and low quality printing but there are libraries dedicated to zines which specialize in preservation, cataloguing and organizing them! They are usually built on donations from across the world from zine collectors and the zinesters themselves. They want to have their work preserved as well!

So much information can be found in zines. It’s great to pick up a bunch of niche topics like “The Burning Lies: Witches, Radical Feminists, and Nazis”. It goes over how many witches were burned in Germany due to their early feminist ideals. The zine connects this to Germany’s “familiarity” with xenophobia and the eventual genocide committed by the Germanic country controlled by the Nazis.

With all that being said…The Young Adult Room at Falmouth Public Library is now building it’s own zine collection. And we challenge you…to make your own zines! They can be anything and bring your niche knowledge and interests to the Falmouth community! Once the word gets out, there very well may be zine workshops in our future….

A big thank you to all the anonymous donations to our growing zine collection. The people have a voice because of you guys.