Category: Events

Science and History of Shipwrecks

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

 

Check out the video below of Marie Zahn’s talk from Please Tuesday, January 25th from 7pm-8pm as she discussed the Science and History of Shipwrecks: Archaeology and Conservation and answered audience questions!

The journey of an artifact from the past into the present.  When it comes to shipwrecks, archaeologists have a potential time capsule of the past.  It’s a safe assumption to claim that most shipwrecks happen unintentionally – all of the objects on board, from the parts of the ships themselves to the cargo and personal items of the crew, sink together.  What you have is a single slice of history preserved in one place.  A small moment in time captured unexpectedly.  This discussion into the world of underwater archaeology focusses on the challenges of artifact conservation and the effects of different underwater environments on ships and their artifacts.  See how material objects deteriorate and decay over time by looking at shipwrecks from diverse time periods throughout history as well as spanning the globe in terms of construction and final resting places – from ancient Greece to pirate treasure!

Marie Zahn, a Cape Cod native, is the Director of the Brooks Academy Museum and A. Elmer Crowell Decoy Barn Museum for the Harwich Historical Society, as well as serving as the Administrator for the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. Prior to this, she spent several years working on an early 18th century shipwreck as an archaeologist, conservator, and science education coordinator.  When she’s not talking about history, Marie volunteers as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA, acting as a liaison between the space agency and the public, spreading awareness of current and upcoming NASA missions and sharing news about ongoing work in the space sciences and space exploration.  Marie’s work in science and archaeology has given her a unique perspective and appreciation for history. She believes that history is a continuous narrative, and that it is of the utmost importance to make connections between the past and where we are today. Marie aims to make science open, inclusive, and accessible to anyone that’s curious about the past, present, and future.

Cape Cod and New England Shipwreck Reading List:

Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: Stories of Tragedy and Triumph by Don Wilding

Dangerous Shallows: In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod by Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer

The Wreck of the Portland: A Doomed Ship, a Violent Storm, and New England’s Worst Maritime Disaster by J. North Conway

The Palatine Wreck: The Legend of the New England Ghost Ship by Jill Farinelli

The Sol e Mar tragedy off Martha’s Vineyard by Captain W. Russell Webster (U.S. Coast Guard, Ret.) and Elizabeth B. Webster

Disaster off Martha’s Vineyard: The Sinking of the City of Columbus by Thomas Dresser

The Anthology of Cape Cod Shipwrecks by Donald L. Ferris

Storms and Shipwrecks of New England by Edward Rowe Snow; updated by Jeremy D’Entremon

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

Expedition Whydah: The Story of the World’s First Excavation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her by Barry Clifford with Paul Berry

Exploring the Waters of Cape Cod: Shipwrecks & Dive Sites: The Complete Guide to Scuba Diving & Shipwreck Locations around Cape Cod & the Islands by Donald L. Ferris

The Pirate Prince: Discovering the Priceless Treasures of the Sunken Ship Whydah: An Adventure by Barry Clifford with Peter Turchi

Cape Cod Maritime Disasters: A Collection of Photographs of Maritime Accidents Around Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard by William P. Quinn

Treasure Wreck: The Fortunes and Fate of the Pirate Ship Whydah by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II

Shipwrecks around New England: A Chronology of Marine Accidents and Disasters from Grand Manan to Sandy Hook by by William P. Quinn

Shipwrecks on Cape Cod: The Story of a Few of the Many Hundred Shipwrecks Which Have Occurred on Cape Cod by Isaac M. Small

Great Storms and Famous Shipwrecks of the New England Coast by Edward Rowe Snow

 

Climate Change on Cape Cod

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Climate Change on Cape Cod: What’s at Stake and What Can We Do

Please join us on Tuesday, November 9th from 4pm to 5pm via Zoom as Dr. Heather Goldstone from the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Woods Hole presents a lecture on climate change on Cape Cod.

Two recent UN reports indicate that we are now committed to hitting 1.5C of warming by early next decade, and are on track to hit 2.7C this century. With the damaging impacts of climate change already apparent and increasing, it’s critical for communities to understand the risks they face—those that are inevitable and require adaptation, and those that we can still avert. This Climate Change on Cape Cod: What’s at Stake and What Can We Do lecture brings the risks, opportunities, and choices presented by the global challenge of climate change down to the local level.  A Q&A will follow the lecture.

To register to attend this virtual climate change lecture, click here. 

“Dr. Heather Goldstone oversees Woodwell Climate Research Center’s communications activities, bringing the rich stories of Woodwell scientists to diverse public audiences. Dr. Goldstone has extensive experience as both a scientist and a journalist, and she is passionate about melding data and narrative in climate change stories that build awareness and inspire action.” – Woodwell Climate Research Center

Climate Change and Global Warming Reading List:

How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have And The Breakthroughs We Need  by Bill Gates (2021)

How To Prepare For Climate Change: A Practical Guide To Surviving The Chaos by David Pogue (2021)

Hurricane Lizards And Plastic Squid: The Fraught And Fascinating Biology of Climate Change by Thor Hanson (2021)

The New Climate War: The Fight To Take Back Our Planet by Michael E. Mann (2021)

Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case For Hope And Healing In A Divided World by Katherine Hayhoe (2021) 

Warmth: Coming Of Age At The End Of The World by Daniel Sherrell (2021)

Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, And The New Science of Climate Change by Friederike Otto with Benjamin von Brackel (2020)

Disposable City: Miami’s Future On The Shores Of Climate Catastrophe by Mario Alejandro Ariza (2020)

The Fragile Earth: Writing From The New Yorker On Climate Change (2020)

The Future We Choose: Surviving The Climate Crisis by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac (2020) 

Solved: How The World’s Great Cities Are Fixing The Climate Crisis by David Miller (2020) 

The Story Of More: How We Got To Climate Change And Where To Go From Here by Hope Jahren (2020)

All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon’s Perspective On Climate Change by Michael T. Klare (2019)

Climate Change Politics And Policies In America: Historical And Modern Documents In Context (2019)

Rising: Dispatches From The New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush (2019)

The Ice At The End Of The World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland’s Buried Past And Our Perilous Future by Jon Gertner (2019)

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells (2019)

No Immediate Danger: Carbon Ideologies by William T. Vollmann (2018)

Climate Change: An Encyclopedia Of Science, Society, And Solutions (2017)

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken (2017)

Learn Libby From The Experts

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

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

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

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

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

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

Posted on by Sue

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

Posted on by Sue

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

Posted on by Sue

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!

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

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

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson
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!