‘Blink’ Documentary Screening

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Falmouth Public Library will be screening the 2024 National Geographic | Documentary Films documentary Blink on Friday, June 6th at 3:00pm in the library’s Hermann Room. This documentary screening is free to the public and is courtesy of National Geographic | Documentary Films. All are welcome to attend!

Blink, directed by Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher, is a powerful documentary about a family that embarks on an epic journey to show their children the beauty of the world before it vanishes for good after three of their children are diagnosed with an incurable eye condition.

“ “Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier first noticed their daughter, Mia, was having vision problems when she was 3 years old. The diagnosis took years to pinpoint but, by the time Mia was 7, they had identified it as retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic condition that causes a loss or decline in vision over time. It skipped their second child, Léo, but both their younger sons, Colin and Laurent, received the same diagnosis. “We don’t know how fast it’s going to go, but we expect them to be completely blind by mid-life,” said the parents. The school’s vision impairment advisor suggested they fill Mia’s visual memory looking at pictures in books. “I thought, ‘I’m not going to show her an elephant in a book; I’m going to take her to see a real elephant,” Edith explains. “And I’m going to fill her visual memory with the best, most beautiful images I can.”

As the Canadian-based family began making plans to spend a year traveling around the globe, they canvassed the children’s opinions on what they wanted to do. Four-year-old Laurent said he wanted to drink juice on a camel. “We never found out where this crazy idea came from, but it was very dear to him and made us all laugh,” his mother said. Nothing was off limits. That bucket list became their North Star.

From the frozen fields of Nunavik to Egypt’s haunting White Desert and beyond, the film team spent 76 days with the family and created lasting bonds. “It was as if we had known each other for a long time,” said Edith. In addition to these new ties, the Pelletiers took as many pictures as possible to ensure that even when their children have lost most of their sight, they will still have something to look back on. “Maybe they’ll be able to look at the photographs and the pictures and they will bring back those stories, those memories, of the family together.” “

Blink is rated PG and has a running time of 1 hour and 27 minutes. English subtitles will be used if available. To register to attend, CLICK HERE or visit/call the library’s adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Country of the Blind

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Our next narrative nonfiction book club pick is the 2024 Pulitzer Prize Finalist The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland. Come pick up a copy of the book at the adult services desk, register to attend, and then join us at our book club meeting on Saturday, June 7th at 11am in the Hermann room to share your thoughts! To register now, CLICK HERE!

Synopsis: “We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from outside in. Soon – but without knowing exactly when – he will likely have no vision left.

Full of apprehension but also dogged curiosity, Leland embarks on a sweeping exploration of the state of being that awaits him: not only the physical experience of blindness but also its language, politics, and customs. He negotiates his changing relationships with his wife and son, and with his own sense of self, as he moves from his mainstream, “typical” life to one with a disability.

Part memoir, part historical and cultural investigation, The Country of the Blind represents Leland’s determination not to merely survive this transition but to grow from it – to seek out and revel in that which makes blindness enlightening. Brimming with warmth and humor, it is an exhilarating tour of a new way of being.”

Perkins Library Informational Session

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Come learn about the Perkins Library from Mr. Erin Fragola and the services that they have to offer you or someone you know on Friday, May 16th at 3:30pm in the Hermann Room! This event is free to the public and everyone is welcome. Click here to attend.

Talking Book Player & Book Cartridges

The Perkins Library is a free, accessible library for Massachusetts residents who are unable to read standard print due to visual, physical, or reading disabilities. It provides audiobooks, braille, large print books, and playback devices at no cost via mail. The collection includes fiction, non-fiction, magazines, and audio-described DVDs. They also offer Tele-Fun, a remote social program with games, films, and group activities held by phone or computer. Materials and services are available to adults, teens, and children.

Mr. Erin Fragola is the Marketing and Outreach Manager at Perkins Library in Watertown, the Regional NLS Library providing accessible resources for people living in Massachusetts who have print disabilities as well as the institutions that serve them. Erin has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Worcester State University and a masters degree in Library and Information Science (LIS) from Valdosta State University in Georgia with a focus on information access and accessibility.

Do you have questions about Perkins Library and their services but can’t make it? Call Perkins Library toll free at 1-800-852-3133 or email them at library@perkins.org.

CAPECON 2025

Posted on by Clint Johnson

Falmouth Public Library’s very own CapeCon on 6/21/2025 (June 21st, 2025) from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The event will take place throughout Falmouth Public Library! AND in the parking lot…

The Library is located on Falmouth Main Street!

300 Main St, Falmouth, MA 02540

Some folks may have heard of a ComicCon (short for Comic Convention). They are often held in big cities with hefty entrance fees. We’re doing the same thing here at Falmouth Public Library Main Branch on 6/21/2025 from 10:00am – 4:30pm…but at NO COST to attendees. CAPECON is all about bringing the community together with their shared interests. Let comics, manga, anime, animation and pop-culture break down differences such as age, language barriers, race, economic situation, and/or neurodiversity. Join us!

Except it’s…

FREE!!!!!!!! AND ALL AGES!!!!!!!!

–Voice Acting Panels

-Video Game TRUCK

–Cosplay Contest

–Comic strip creation

–Polaroid Photoshoots

-Comics and Mental Health Presentation

–Origami

-Crafts and Geeky Cookie Making

-Dungeons and Dragons Drop-Ins

–Table Top Gaming

-All day Nintendo Switch in YA Room

-A Super Smash Bros. Tournament

No registration is required!

“What Happened Here: The Untold Story of Addiction on Cape Cod”

Posted on by Peter Cook

Screening and Panel

Directed by Sam Tarplin and Nate Robertson

At the Falmouth Public Library Main Branch on March 15^th at 5:00 PM in the Hermann room, the library is hosting a screening of the independent documentary “What Happened Here: The Untold Story of Addiction on Cape Cod” followed by a guest panel including both directors of the documentary and others who help those with substance abuse problems on the front lines. Please register using our online calendar!

Cape Cod in the summer is filled with tourists, parties, and recreational drug use. Then it begins to get cold and everyone disappears. The party is over for the tourists and they return to their lives off Cape. What about those who do not leave? For year round residents of Cape Cod, the winter is a different story. Once the summer parties end, the locals and “washashores” face a cold reality.

Though it is often overlooked and pushed aside, many of the community members turn to drugs to sooth the sense of cold and loneliness. Opioids including prescription pills, heroin and fentanyl run rampant. Death after death of family, friends, and other community members are mourned daily. Treatment centers face challenges in delivering effective care due to the stigma surrounding addiction and the growing demand that exceeds available resources. That does not mean there is no way out…

The documentary addresses, informs and shows a light in the darkness of addiction. It is not a dramatization, but a symbol for hope and understanding that addiction is a disease and there is a way out. Asking for help. A community of recovering addicts can move mountains. “What Happened Here” brings the disease to light and there can be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Registration for the screening and panel is required. You can access the sign-up page on our Falmouth Public Library events page or give us a call at 508-457-2555 x 7. Please reach out if you have any questions or problems with registering!

Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Friday, October 25th at 3pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Behavior is a powerful form of communication and is one of the primary ways for people with dementia to communicate their needs and feelings as the the disease progresses and the ability to use language is lost. However, some behaviors can present real challenges for caregivers to manage. Come learn how dementia can change a person’s behavior, possible triggers and person-centered care approaches to address behaviors.

Specific topics is this Alzheimer’s Association Empowered Caregivers Series education program will include learning how dementia affects behavior, identifying and understanding possible triggers, non-medical and medial approaches to addressing behaviors and four steps for managing behaviors.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

The American Healthcare System

Posted on by Sue

We are happy to welcome Dr. Edward Hoffer on Tuesday evening, September 10th at 7 pm, to talk about the American healthcare system. This talk will focus on why Americans pay more than citizens of any other country for health care and yet have, at best, mediocre health statistics, and will suggest both global solutions and practical things you can do to pay less and get better care. Click here to register. Please note that this will not be recorded or on Zoom by the library-Falmouth Community Television may come film for later viewing.

Dr. Edward Hoffer is a graduate of MIT and Harvard Medical School and did his residency and fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. For 45 years he combined clinical practice of Internal Medicine and Cardiology with research on the applications of computers and AI to medical care, and continues to work half-time at the MGH Lab of Computer Science. He has written and lectured extensively on the problems of the American healthcare “non-system.”

Effective Communication Strategies

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Effective Communication Strategies education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Monday, September 23rd from 3pm to 4pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Dementia affects a person’s ability to communicate, making it hard to convey their wants and needs to the people around them. Caregivers can learn how to use a person-centered approach to communicate more effectively at any stage of the disease.

Topics in this program will include exploring ways that Alzheimer’s and other dementias affect an individual’s ability to communicate across different stages, using a person-centered communication approach, and tips for communicating with family, friends and health care professionals.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Walk This Way!

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Join the library’s new monthly LGBTQIA+ walking group and discuss new/classic queer literature, film and culture. The first walk is scheduled for Friday, August 16^th at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM and we’ll meet at the Katherine Lee Bates Rd Library entrance.

Walks will be short (under .5 miles), leisurely and end on the library lawn where all are welcome to enjoy more fresh air and make new friends with fellow walkers. This event is free, inclusive and open to the general adult public.

Registration is required along with a waiver and release form. The waiver and release form will be handed out at the first walk.

*Walks are planned alongside Shiverick’s Pond Pathway and are accessible with the use of wheelchairs, walkers and other walking aids.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library for an Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia education program presented by Jennifer Hoadley from the Alzheimer’s Association on Wednesday, July 17th from 4pm to 5pm in the Hermann meeting room.

Come learn the impact of Alzheimer’s, basic information on the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, stages, riskfactors, research and FDA-approved treatments and Alzheimer’s Association resources.

Jennifer Hoadley is the regional manager of Southeastern MA for the Alzheimer’s Association with 10+ years of experience in memory care and a personal connection to the disease.

This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. CLICK HERE to register online or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Category: Health

Screening and Panel