Answers to Your Recycling Questions

On Tuesday November 14, at 6pm in the Hermann Room, join Mary Ryther, Falmouth’s Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinator, and Alan Robinson, chair of the Falmouth Solid Waste Advisory Committee, for a presentation and Q & A session about best practices for recycling in Falmouth!

Mary Ryther is the Town of Falmouth’s Recycling & Solid Waste coordinator at the Department of Public Works. Prior to working with the Town, she operated a local food scrap composting business from 2013 – 2020. Trained as an architectural designer, Mary worked in residential design for many years before shifting her focus to environmental efforts.

Alan Robinson chairs the Falmouth Solid Waste Advisory Committee. He is a co-founder of Litter Free Falmouth and a Falmouth Water Stewards board member.  Alan is a retired environmental consulting firm executive. As a member of the Philadelphia rowing community, he was awarded the World Rowing Federation’s first annual Sustainability Award for initiating and leading river and parkland stewardship efforts.

Space is limited so we encourage you to REGISTER.

 

 

Tips for Successful Aging In Place

The Falmouth Public Library in partnership with Neighborhood Falmouth presents a talk on Tips for Successful Aging in Place. This event will take place Thursday November 9, 1:30-3:00 pm, in the Hermann Room

Cape Cod resident and certified Aging in Place specialist, Dave Karas, will be on hand to provide some great tips on easy and free or affordable modifications you can do to your home to make it more safe and aging-ready.  Aging in Place (AIP) is defined as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level”. Dave Karas has been a professional licensed remodeling contractor for over 40 years. He has modified, repaired, replaced, and rebuilt both new and existing properties for successful AIP throughout his career.

This event is free and open to all. Please register as space is limited.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a non-profit organization that provides support services to seniors in the Falmouth community. The organization aims to help seniors live independently and maintain their quality of life by providing services such as transportation, grocery shopping, yard work, minor home repairs, and friendly visits. Neighborhood Falmouth operates on a volunteer-based model, where volunteers from the community are matched with seniors who need assistance. This allows seniors to receive personalized support while also fostering a sense of community and connection among volunteers and seniors.

 

Autism at 18 and Older for Parents and Grandparents

We are happy to welcome Falmouth resident Lisa Jo Rudy back to the Falmouth Public Library on Tuesday evening, October 10th, at 6:30 p.m., for a second talk on autism. She was here in September for an introductory talk on this topic. Registration is requested; click here or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7!

What happens when an autistic child becomes an autistic adult? This workshop is a first step toward preparing your child or grandchild and yourself for adulthood.  Topics include legal safety nets, SSDI, considering guardianship, special needs trusts, housing options, college, employment, and adult services. Start answering the question “what happens when I’m gone?”

Lisa Jo Rudy is the mother of Tom Cook, a young adult on the autism spectrum. She began writing about autism in 2006, as the About.com Guide to Autism, and, for several years, was of the top bloggers on the topic. In 2008 she founded an inclusive summer camp program in Ambler, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the local YMCA.  Lisa is the author of Get out, Explore, and Have Fun!: How Families of Children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most out of Community Activities, published by Jessica Kingsley Press, and her works on autism have appeared in multiple publications including the New York Times and Museum News.  Lisa is currently a consultant on autism and inclusion and has worked with numerous museums and community organizations to set up and support inclusion programs. She is currently serving as lead advisor on a National Science Foundation-funded autism inclusion project in the Phoenix Arizona area.

 

This event is free.  Registration is requested, clic

Monthly Tours of the Main Library

Join us on Fridays, once a month, at 11am, for a tour of the Main Library! Whether you’re a long-time resident of Falmouth who wants learn more about the history of the library, or a newcomer who is interested in learning the full scope of the library’s services, this tour is for you! We’ll talk about art and architecture; the past, present, and future; books and digital books and audiobooks and events and much more.

Please register as we need to keep the group small so we don’t disturb others. (Shh!) Meet under the dome on the upper level of the building.

Tours will occur on Fridays at 11am on (click link to register):

Accessible Falmouth Walking Trails

The Falmouth Public Library in partnership with Neighborhood Falmouth presents a talk on Falmouth’s handicapped accessible open spaces by Vicky Lowell, a founder of The 300 Committee Land Trust. This program will take place Thursday September 28, 1:30-3:00pm, in the Hermann Room.

This event is free and open to all. Please register as space is limited.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a non-profit organization that provides support services to seniors in the Falmouth community. The organization aims to help seniors live independently and maintain their quality of life by providing services such as transportation, grocery shopping, yard work, minor home repairs, and friendly visits. Neighborhood Falmouth operates on a volunteer-based model, where volunteers from the community are matched with seniors who need assistance. This allows seniors to receive personalized support while also fostering a sense of community and connection among volunteers and seniors. 

 

 

 

Joy of Learning, October 2023!

Come join us in October for our ever-popular “Joy of Learning” series! We have offered Joy of Learning classes for many years, in April and October. They are taught by educators and other experts on a volunteer basis, for adults and for teens at a high school/college learning level.  Come learn something new and have fun!  All classes are free to the public and are sponsored by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library. 

We are offering five classes this October; all will meet in person. Here are the titles, see below for descriptions and registration links!

People, Land and Climate Change with Skee Houghton, 4 Mondays, 10/2, 10/9, 10/23 & 10/30, 2-3 pm (does not meet on Indigenous Peoples’ Day 10/16)

Discussion of Station Eleven with Monica Hough (this year’s Falmouth Reads book!) 4 Tuesdays, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17 & 10/24, 4-5 pm

Poetry of Emily Dickinson with David Webb, 4 Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18 &10/25, 10:30-noon

 Texture of Memory with Rae Nishi, 4 Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18 & 10/25, 3-4 pm

 Written Language, Past and Present with Ryan Budnick, 4 Thursdays, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19 & 10/26 2-3 pm

Registration is required; click the link after the class title below, go to the library’s online event calendar, call the Reference Desk at 508-457-2555 x 7 or email us at info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org. Brochures are also available at the library!

People, Land and Climate Change with Skee Houlton, 4 Mondays, 10/2, 10/9, 10/23 and 10/30, 2-3 pm (does not meet on Indigenous Peoples’ Day 10/16) Register by clicking here!

The primary driver of climate change is carbon dioxide. What adds CO2 to the atmosphere? What removes it?  How has the concentration changed over the last 170 years and longer?  What can we do to slow or reverse the rise in CO2? This course will emphasize the role of land and land use in the global carbon cycle and in the management of future changes in climate. This class will meet in the Hermann Room.

Skee (R.A.) Houghton is senior scientist emeritus at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth. He was an active researcher at the Center for 35 years, studying the effects of land-use change on terrestrial carbon storage and climate change. He received a Ph.D. in ecology from Stony Brook University in 1979. He has worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory, at NASA, and has participated in numerous IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) assessments.

Discussion of Station Eleven with Monica Hough (this year’s Falmouth Reads book!) 4 Tuesdays, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17 and 10/24, 4-5 pm Register by clicking here!

This is also this year’s Falmouth Reads title! It depicts life after a devastating pandemic destroys most of the world’s population, and it took on new significance in 2020, reminding readers that “survival is insufficient,” and demonstrating the power of art, relationships, and maintaining humanity in an inhumane world. This discussion-based course will explore the ways in which Mandel uses structure, style and modern pop culture references to support her themes and create deeper meaning. We will investigate her incorporation of allusions ranging from Shakespeare to Sartre to Star Trek, and more. Participants should read the novel before the start of the course, as the non-linear structure plays an important roleit will be available to borrow at the Reference Desk. Limited to 20 participants; this will meet in the Bay Room. Please note that our fiction book club will read her recent book, Sea of Tranquility, for the November meeting-all are welcome!

Monica Hough has been teaching English at Falmouth Academy since 1986. She holds a B.A. in English from Yale University. Station Eleven is part of her ninth-grade English curriculum.

Poetry of Emily Dickinson with David Webb, 4 Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18 and 10/25, 10:30-noon. Click here to register!

Emily Dickinson is a candidate for “The greatest American Poet” award.  While many Americans know this about her, very few have actually read much of her poetry.  In spite of her unusually limited life-style — she had modest schooling, lived at home with her family in Amherst, Massachusetts, travelled very little, never married or really had a partner– she enjoyed a rich and lively intellectual and spiritual life.  She wrote about 1775 poems, most of these secretly, and she published just seven, all anonymously.  As she said to her would-be publisher and mentor Thomas Wentworth Higginson, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” David has chosen 32 poems for this offering, eight per session, and hopes that a few friends of the Falmouth Library will choose to read, wrestle with, and discuss these poems with him. Limited to 20 participants; this will meet in the Bay Room.

David has taught Joy of Learning classes in October on short story writers, since 2016.  David is a 1964 graduate of Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, 1968 from Wesleyan, and he holds two advanced degrees from Columbia University.  He spent his entire career at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT, where he taught English, mathematics, and Architectural Design and did college counseling.  He is now retired and lives with his wife in Cotuit.

Texture of Memory with Rae Nishi, 4 Wednesdays 10/4, 10/11, 10/18 and 10/25, 3-4 pm. Click here to register!

This course will cover how memories are formed, what happens when these processes are damaged, and how memories shape our identities, culture and history. This class will meet in the Hermann Room.

Rae is a retired neuroscientist with a PhD in Biology, and resides in Falmouth year-round. Prior to retirement, she was Director of Education at the Marine Biological Laboratory, and prior to that, she was a tenured full professor in the Neurological Sciences Department at the University of Vermont.

Written Language, Past and Present with Ryan Budnick, 4 Thursdays, 10/5, 10/12, 10/19 and 10/26 2-3 pm. Click here to register!

Writing is one of the most widespread and influential technologies in the world (that you are using right now!), and has taken many forms across space and time. This course covers the history of writing systems, from ancient Cuneiform and the recently deciphered Mayan through to modern spelling reform movements. Different types of writing systems are surveyed, demonstrating how the particular system used by a community may be the result of a combination of historical accident, political expression, and functional need. This class will meet in the Hermann Room.

Ryan Budnick has a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Princeton University and recently completed his Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. While his research focuses on the formal modeling of language acquisition, he has a deep interest in bringing accessible linguistics education to general audiences. 

Friday Films Are Back!

Join us this Fall on selected Friday afternoons at 3pm as we screen classic movies from the 1940’s and 1950’s in the Hermann room!  These movie viewings are free to the public and are supported by the Friends of the Falmouth Public Library.

To find out which movies are playing and when, check out movie listings below!  To register to attend, as seating is limited, click on the date you wish to attend and fill out the registration form.  If you have any questions, please contact the Adult Services department at 508-457-2555 x 7 or by emailing info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

 

 

 

September 8, 2023 at 3pm
Harvey (1950)

“James Stewart stars as the good-natured Elwood P. Dowd, whose constant companion is Harvey, a six-foot tall rabbit that only he can see.  To his sister, Veta Louise, Elwood’s obsession with Harvey has been a thorn in the side of her plans to marry off her daughter.  But when Veta Louise decides to put Elwood in a mental hospital, a hilarious mix-up occurs and she finds herself committed instead.  It’s up to Elwood to straighten out the mess with his kindly philosophy, and his “imaginary” friend.”
Rated: NR; Running Time: 1hr 45mins

 

September 22, 2023 at 3pm
Sabrina (1954)

“Screen legends Humphrey Bogart and William Holden are the mega-rich Larrabee brothers of Long Island, New York.  Bogie’s all work; Holden’s all playboy.  They have little in common except that they’ve both taken notice of a beautiful, sophisticated young woman, possessing a delightful zest for living, suddenly in their midst – Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild.  Could this really be the daughter of the Larrabee family’s chauffeur, whom both brothers largely ignored as she was growing up?  It is but now, after a stint in Paris, Sabrina has blossomed into a captivatingly glamorous woman of the world and the fuse is lit for some family fireworks as both brothers fall under the spell of Sabrina and her irresistible charms.”
Rated: NR; Running Time: 1hr 52mins

 

October 6, 2023 at 3pm
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

“On Halloween, newly married drama critic Mortimer Brewster returns home to Brooklyn, where his adorably dotty aunts greet him with love, sweetness … and a grisly surprise: the corpses buried in their cellar. A bugle-playing brother who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, a crazed criminal who’s a dead ringer for Boris Karloff, and a seriously slippery plastic surgeon are among the outré oddballs populating Arsenic and Old Lace, a diabolical delight that only gets funnier as the body count rises.”
Rated: NR; Running Time: 1hr 58mins

 

October 20, 2023 at 3pm
Rear Window (1954)

“Professional photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries, becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbors while confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg. When he suspects that a salesman may have murdered his nagging, invalid wife, Jeffries enlists the help of his stunning socialite girlfriend to investigate the suspicious chain of events.”
Rated: PG; Running Time: 1hr 52mins

 

 

November 3, 2023 at 3pm
Now, Voyager (1942)

“Boston heiress Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is a neurotic mess, largely because of her domineering mother (Gladys Cooper). But after a stint in a sanatorium where she receives the attention of Dr. Jasquith (Claude Rains), Charlotte comes out of her shell and elects to go on a cruise. Aboard ship she meets Jerry (Paul Henreid) and falls in love, despite his being married. They enjoy a brief tryst in Rio before returning to the States, where Charlotte struggles to forget him and find happiness.”
Rated: TV-G; Running Time: 1hr 57mins

 

November 17, 2023 at 3pm
12 Angry Men (1957)

“Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the dozen men try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror (Henry Fonda) casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy’s fate.”
Rated: TV-PG; Running Time: 1hr 35mins

 

December 15, 2023 at 3pm
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

“After a divorced New York mother (Maureen O’Hara) hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn) at Macy’s, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer (John Payne) defends him in court by arguing that he’s not mistaken.”
Rated: TV-G; Running Time: 1hr 35mins

 

Liz O’Donnell, author of Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parents While Earning a Living

We are pleased to welcome Liz O’Donnell, author of Working Daughter: A Guide to Caring for Your Aging Parents While Earning a Living, on Saturday afternoon, September 9th, at 3 p.m. at the Falmouth Public Library. Liz will share her own experiences, both humorous and heart breaking, and pass on her lessons learned. Please register by clicking here, or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Working Daughter is a revealing look at adults caring for their aging parents, and how these unpaid family caregivers are trying to manage eldercare along with raising their children, maintaining relationships, and pursuing their careers. It shares Liz’s story- she was enjoying a fast-paced career in marketing and raising two children when both of her parents were diagnosed with terminal illnesses on the same day. The book will be available for sale after the event by Eight Cousins Books.

Liz is the founder of Working Daughter, a community for women balancing eldercare, career, and more. An award-winning writer, Working Daughter is her second book, which Library Journal named one of the Best Books of 2019.

A former family caregiver, she is a recognized expert on working while caregiving and has written on the topic for many outlets including The Atlantic, Forbes, TIME, WBUR and PBS’ Next Avenue and has delivered keynotes on the topic to many audiences including Harvard University, MIT, the Marketing to Moms Conference, and the Women Leading Government Conference.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this event.  

What Is Autism Anyway? An introduction for Parents and Grandparents

We are happy to welcome Falmouth resident Lisa Jo Rudy to the Falmouth Public Library on Tuesday evening, September 5th, at 6:30 p.m., for an introductory talk on autism. Registration is appreciated-click here or call us at 508-457-2555 x 7!

If you have an autistic family member, you’re not alone!  The number of people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has exploded — as has the quantity of misinformation and confusion about what autism is, why it seems to be everywhere all of a sudden, and what to do when a loved one is diagnosed. Learn a little bit about the strange history of autism in America, what it really means to be autistic today, and how parents and grandparents can help an autistic child to grow and thrive.

 Lisa Jo Rudy is the mother of Tom Cook, a young adult on the autism spectrum. She began writing about autism in 2006, as the About.com Guide to Autism, and, for several years, was of the top bloggers on the topic. In 2008 she founded an inclusive summer camp program in Ambler, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the local YMCA.  Lisa is the author of Get out, Explore, and Have Fun!: How Families of Children with Autism or Asperger Syndrome Can Get the Most out of Community Activities, published by Jessica Kingsley Press, and her works on autism have appeared in multiple publications including the New York Times and Museum News.  Lisa is currently a consultant on autism and inclusion and has worked with numerous museums and community organizations to set up and support inclusion programs. She is currently serving as lead advisor on a National Science Foundation-funded autism inclusion project in the Phoenix Arizona area.

Movies Under The Stars

The Falmouth Village Association will be showing double feature movies on the library lawn every Wednesday night at dusk (6pm-10pm) starting July 19th and ending August 16st

BYO blankets and chairs and join us on the library lawn to enjoy some outdoor family fun with Movies Under the Stars.  These movies are weather dependent and are free to the public.  No registration is required.

Read below to find out the Wednesday night movie dates, themes, and selected movies!

July 19th ‘Night of Adventures’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Rated PG, Runtime 102 Minutes)
“Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her biggest challenge yet: High School. When her parents mysteriously disappear while searching for the Lost City of Gold, Dora must swing into action and lead a group of ill-equipped high schoolers on a quest to save them. It is a high stakes mission as Dora and her new friends navigate the jungle, outrun treasure hunters and solve ancient puzzles to unlock the mystery of the fabled city.”

~8pm Movie: The Goonies (Rated PG, Runtime 114 Minutes)
“Follows a group of misfit kids as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli and her outlaw brood.”

July 26th ‘Uncommon Friends’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Wall-E (Rated G, Runtime 98 Minutes)
“After hundreds of lonely years, a waste management robot finds a new purpose in life. With only a cockroach for a friend, he finds true love in another robot sent on a mission to Earth to see if it is safe for human life.”

~8pm Movie: Because of Winn-Dixie (Rated PG, Runtime 106 Minutes)
“The heartwarming ‘tail’ of a young girl whose life is changed by a scruffy, fun-loving pooch she names Winn-Dixie. The special bond between them works magic on her reserved dad and the eccentric townspeople they meet during one unforgettable summer.”

August 2nd ‘It’s About The Music’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Enchanted (Rated PG, Runtime 107 Minutes)
“The beautiful princess Giselle is banished from the animated land of Andalasia by the evil queen. She finds herself in the gritty streets of the real, modern-day Manhattan. Shocked by this strange new environment that does not operate on a “happily ever after” basis, Giselle finds herself adrift in a chaotic world that is badly in need of enchantment. Giselle begins to fall in love with the cynical, no-nonsense divorce lawyer who has come to her aid. Little does he realize that this joyful, wide-eyed innocent is about to enchant him.”

~8pm Movie: Mamma Mia! (Rated PG-13, Runtime 108 Minutes)
“20 year old Sophie is preparing to marry at her mother’s hotel on a Greek island. She has a carefree life, a loving fiancée, and great friends. She is only missing one thing: a father. By reading her mother’s diary she discovers that she has three possible fathers. Sophie secretly invites all three men to the wedding in a desperate bid to discover which of them is her father. But not all goes according to plan. Now, old loves are re-kindled, new loves are formed, and Sophie risks everything to discover the true identity of her father.”

August 9th ‘Fish Are Our Friends, Not Food’ Movies:

6pm Movie: Finding Nemo (Rated G, Runtime 100 Minutes)
“In the depths of the Great Barrier Reef, Marlin, an overly protective clownfish, embarks on a daring rescue mission when his beloved son, Nemo, gets scooped up by a diver. With his unforgettable friend Dory by his side, Marlin encounters an ocean full of memorable comedic characters on his momentous journey to find Nemo.”

~8pm Movie: Jaws (Rated PG, Runtime 130 Minutes)
“An enormous great white shark terrorizes a summer resort town, where a police chief, a grizzled fisherman and an intrepid marine biologist realize they’re “gonna need a bigger boat” to battle the bloodthirsty beast.”

August 16th ‘An Incredible Evening’ Movies:

6pm Movie: The Incredibles (Rated PG, Runtime 115 Minutes)
“Bob and his wife Helen used to be among the world’s greatest crime fighters, saving lives and battling evil on a daily basis. Fifteen years later, they have been forced to adopt civilian identities and retreat to the suburbs where they live “normal” lives with their three kids, Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack. Itching to get back into action, Bob gets his chance when a mysterious communication summons him to a remote island for a top secret assignment. He soon discovers that it will take a super family effort to rescue the world from total destruction.”

~8pm Movie: Shazam! (Rated PG-13, Runtime 132 Minutes)
“Everybody a superhero inside of them, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word, this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into an adult superhero, courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart, inside a ripped, godlike body, he revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! But he’ll need to master these powers quickly to fight the deadly forces of evil.”