Tag Archives: Worcester Public Library

Green Island Grrrl

Parlee in Rose’s space!😌 … This Saturday – February 4 – at the Worcester Public Library! Bob Marley Birthday Bash!🎵💖

February 2, 2017 admin

Bob!!!

Parlee!! GO, PARLEE, GO!!!!

From our PARLEE JONES:

At the Worcester Public Library
Salem Sq.

February 4 – this Saturday!

1 p.m.

The Bob Marley Birthday Bash!
You and your family are invited to celebrate the life and music of Robert Nesta Marley.

Watch a video documentary on his life!🎬

Live Music!🎵🎵

Sunta Africa and the Small Axe Band!🎹

Worcester’s Best Performers!🎹🎸🎁

Sample Authentic Jamaican Food!🍴

Spoken Word Poets!🎤

Love, Peace & Happiness💜💙❤💚💗💛 …

After Party at WCUW, 910 Main Street at 9 pm. $5. BYOB. 18+

– 💕Parlee Jones

Green Island Grrrl

Worcester news you can use …

December 3, 2016 admin

THE INFORMED IMMIGRANT

“Informed Immigrant” is a continuously updated resource website for immigrants and allies across the United States.

Please share!

As the Informed Immigrant website states,

Current resources include:

A compilation of frequently asked questions on topics that include legal support, employment, DACA, deportation defense and more

A National Immigration Law Center (NILC) fact sheet on the rights of everyone living in the United States, regardless of status

A list of search tools and hotlines to help identify appropriate legal services

A running list of immigrant rights & services organizations across the United States

Informed Immigrant was put together by Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, Center for Community Change, FWD.us, National Immigration Law Center, SEIU, and United We Dream, among other organizations.

The site is also offered in Spanish (Korean coming soon).

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FOR IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S.:

These FAQs provide information and recommendations that may help you prepare once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2017.

The information is on what we know today. We will continue to update it with more information once we have it.

Please note that the information is not legal advice.

Every person’s situation is different, and you should talk to a qualified immigration lawyer or a Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)–accredited representative so that you can make the most informed decision for yourself.

The Questions:

1. I do not have DACA. Should I apply for it now?

2. I already have DACA. Should I apply to renew my DACA?

3. What will happen to DACA under the next administration?

4. What will happen to the information on DACA applications?

5. If my DACA is terminated, will I be able to work?

6. I have DACA and want to travel outside the United States. Is it safe to travel?

7. If I am undocumented and think I may be eligible for an immigration benefit, should I apply now?

8. I am undocumented and I have a U.S. citizen child. Is there anything I can do to protect myself?

9. What are my rights if ICE stops me in the street or my house?

10. Where am I safe from ICE enforcement actions?

11. How can the community report any ICE activities in violation of these policies?

12. Is it safe for me to protest and march in rallies?

13. What are sanctuary cities?

14. What will happen to sanctuary policies under the next administration?

* To learn the answers to these questions CLICK HERE!!!

www.informedimmigrant.com

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WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY WAIVES YOUR LIBRARY FINES FOR HOLIDAY FOOD DONATIONS!

The Worcester Public Library Trades Food for Fines During the Entire Month of December

At Main Branch, 3 Salem Square, Worcester

As part of the program, the library will be accepting donations of non-perishable food items.

For patrons with overdue library fines, every food item will equal $1 removed from their account.

Collected food will be donated to the Worcester County Food Bank.

“Unfortunately, there are still people right here in Worcester who don’t have enough to eat, and it’s up to all of us to help change that,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “Whether or not you have any overdue books, I hope you’ll join me in helping the Worcester County Food Bank help the needy in our community.”

The items will be collected at the Main Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester.

For every food item donated, $1 will be removed from the overdue fines on the patron’s account.

“This program is a win-win,” said Head Librarian Geoffrey Dickinson. “Holding a Food for Fines program at the Worcester Public Library allows us to offer those patrons who may have lost access to library services (from excessive overdue fees) an opportunity to regain their privileges by “paying” with food rather than cash. It also helps the community by collecting much needed food for the Worcester County Food Bank.”

The Worcester Food Bank’s list of recommended items includes cereal, rice, beans, soup, stew, chili, dry and canned pasta, macaroni and cheese, canned fruits and vegetables, canned tuna and chicken, and peanut butter and jelly. The library will not be able to accept food items in glass containers, home-canned items, opened foods, or foods past their expiration dates.

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

Fashion

Holiday gifts that give back – ALWAYS in style! … and INTERNATIONAL GAME DAY at the Woo LIBRARY this Saturday … and other good things!

November 17, 2016 admin

Holiday Cards by the American Cancer Society

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ACS!

The cards stand out from floods of others because:

There are no set prices or printing fees for the local, New England processing and shipping. (The Society trusts its donors to make a fair donation.)

The wording is fully customizable.

All of 6 ¼” x 4 ½” cards are printed on a high quality, thick coated cardstock.

Customers chose American Cancer Society Holiday Cards primarily because, whether sending holiday cheer to family and friends or thanking business and professional contacts for a great year, the greetings are deeply meaningful in supporting Society’s vision for a world free from the pain and suffering of cancer.

Money donated for the cards is used by the Society to encourage disease prevention, raise awareness, foster innovation, inspire generosity, deepen understanding, fund research and provide patient care.

This year, six new photo-based designs are available, and photos can be added to any cards. Also, businesses are able to print their logo.

For more info or to order your cards, email Mike Corrigan at neholidaycards@cancer.org.

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Week after next! December 2, 3 and 4! At the Sprinkler Factory on Harlow Street (off Lincoln Steet)! Meet the artists! Find unique Holiday Gifts!

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Parents! There are a few sessions you can attend!

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pic:R.T.

INTERNATIONAL GAME DAY AT THE WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY!

This Saturday, Nov. 19!

3 Salem Square

International Games Day @ Your Library brings Community Together to Read, Learn and Play!

from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

FREE!

The Worcester Public Library will join over a thousand libraries around the world on November 19, for the ninth annual celebration of gaming in libraries – International Games Day @ Your Library.

Like so many other libraries across the country and around the world, the Worcester Public Library will offer special gaming programs and events suitable for the whole family.

The event will take place in the Banx Room at the Main Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester from 2:30 to 4 p.m. There will be a variety of games available: board games, strategy games, video games and more! Bring your friends and family — the more the merrier!

International Games Day @ your library is an international initiative supported by the American Library Association, the Australian Library and Information Association, and Nordic Game Day. For more information on International Games Day please visit the International Games Day blog http://igd.ala.org/.

The event is free and open to all.

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

Fashion

Worcester happenings, always in style!

November 1, 2016 admin

Rick Moody

Nov. 3

Free to all!

Award-winning ‘The Ice Storm’ author Rick Moody to discuss his latest novel at Clark University, 950 Main St.

Award-winning author Rick Moody will discuss and read from his latest, highly acclaimed novel, “Hotels of North America,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Higgins Lounge of Dana Commons, at Clark University.

The event, presented by the English department at Clark, is free and open to the public.

Hiram Frederick “Rick” Moody, is an American novelist and short story writer known for the 1994 bestselling novel “The Ice Storm,” a chronicle of the dissolution of two suburban Connecticut families set in 1973, which was also made into a feature film of the same title. His first novel, “Garden State,” was the winner of the 1991 Pushcart Press Editor’s Choice Award.

Many of Moody’s works have been praised by fellow writers and critics alike, and in 1999 The New Yorker chose him as one of America’s most talented young writers, listing him on their “20 Writers for the 21st Century” list.
“Hotels of North America,” Moody’s sixth novel, is described as “a darkly comic portrait of a man who comes to life in the most unexpected of ways: through his online hotel reviews.”

It follows protagonist Reginald Edward Morse through his top-rated reviews, revealing more about his life than just details of hotels. Reginald’s sudden disappearance leaves behind his carefully constructed virtual presence, which Moody crafts into a novel about identity, intimacy, loneliness and love.
Dwight Garner, of The New York Times, said the book “is Moody’s best novel in many years,” and described it as “a little book of irony, wit and heartbreak… a close examination of the middle-aged American male in sexual, emotional and financial free fall.”

Moody has taught in several writing programs across the country; he is currently a lecturer at New York University. His work has appeared in several publications including Esquire, Harper’s and The New Yorker. Moody is the recipient of several awards including a Paris Review Aga Khan Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

And…

Free Screening of award-winning doc ‘My Father’s Vietnam’ at Clark U, Nov. 9

Free!

Clark will host a screening and discussion of the documentary film “My Father’s Vietnam,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in Razzo Hall, 92 Downing Street.

The event is free, open to the public, and will be followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Soren Sorensen, a visiting lecturer of the Visual and Performing Arts department at Clark.

The discussion will also include Rik Carlson, who actively protested the Vietnam War, and David Carlson, an Iraq War Veteran who is currently the coordinator of Student Veteran Services at the University of Vermont.

Since its world premiere at the 2015 Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF), screenings at festivals around the country have resulted in tearful interactions, expressions of empathy and deeply moving reflections among Vietnam Veterans and their loved ones.

The film, Sorensen’s first feature-length effort, focuses on the filmmaker’s father, Peter Sorensen, and two men he served with who were killed in Vietnam in 1970. “My Father’s Vietnam,” which took home Best Picture (Documentary) at the 2016 Flagler Film Festival in Florida, deliberately eschews sensationalism in favor of subtlety.

“The Vietnam Era is the backdrop for a lot of big, infamous movies,” said Sorensen. “I deliberately made a quieter, more intimate Vietnam War film not only about my father’s year in Vietnam but also about our country’s connection to war in a broad sense.”

The director added, “The film is really about war’s destructive impact on human relationships before, during, and after these wars are waged.”

“My Father’s Vietnam,” which won the Soldiers and Sacrifice Grand Prize at the 2015 RIIFF, was recently released on Blu-ray, DVD, and multiple Video-On-Demand platforms including iTunes and Amazon.

Sorensen concluded, “As personal as the film is, I think that my family’s story is not at all uncommon. This isn’t just my father’s story or my story. It’s everyone’s story.”

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The City of Worcester

Worcester is beginning the process of developing its Annual Action Plan for the federal entitlement grant period of July 1, 2017- June 30, 2018.

Applications will therefore be solicited from potential grant sub-recipients interested addressing priority needs identified in the City of Worcester Five (5) Year Consolidated Plan (2015 – 2020).

A Request for Proposal (RFP) for Yr. 43 / City FY 18 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grant funds will be published on Monday, November 7, 2016.

Proposals that address eligible CDBG activities through Public Services or Public Facility & Improvements will be considered.

RFPs for the HOPWA and ESG grant programs will also be published simultaneously.

The RFPs will be due to the City no later than Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 4:00 PM.

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A FREE MOVIE SCREENING OF REFUGEE: THE ERITREAN EXODUS

Wednesday, November 16

7:00 – 8:15pm

WEST BOYLSTON CINEMA

101 WEST BOYLSTON ST.

WEST BOYLSTON

5 pm

This film follows Chris Cotter,
an American traveler, as he
searches for answers about
the country’s seldom reported
refugee crisis. In his search,
Cotter explores a common
migration path through
Ethiopia into Israel, tracking
the plight of Eritrean
Refugees.

Chris and his crew
visit several refugee camps
including the never-before
documented Afar region. The
film brings the viewer on a
common migration path that
many Eritreans desperately
undertake for the slim hope
of freedom and security.

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The Worcester Public Library

3 Salem Square
508.799.1655
mywpl.org

The Worcester Public Library Presents
Art Lessons with Visual Artist Bayda Asbridge

FREE!!!

Three-part series is for children ages 7 to 12.

The Worcester Public Library will welcome local artist Bayda Asbridge for a series of art lessons for children from 7 to 12 years of age.

The programs will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays, October 29, November 26, and December 31.

Participants can sign up at the Children’s Desk.

The lesson for October 29 will be an Autumn Painting Party. For November 26 the lesson will celebrate Picture Book Month. Finally, for December 31 there will be an Arabian Nights themed lesson.

About Bayda Asbridge:

Bayda Asbridge is a multi-media artist and educator. She teaches art and craft at Worcester Art Museum and Worcester Craft Center. Bayda tailors her classes to be suitable for a wide age range of children; and ensures that classes are fun, engaging, and creative.

The event is free and open to the public.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Worcester Public Library.

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

pic:R.T.

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As many of you know, Mass Audubon plays a key role in science education here it the City and perhaps an even expanding role with our Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary and newly opened Barbara Elliott Fargo Education Center.

This year Mass Audubon is holding their statewide annual meeting here in Worcester at the Hanover Theatre and we would love to attract hundreds and hundreds of Worcester boosters and fans.

Several local area folks are being recognized so that is reason to promote.

Please consider joining in…the more the merrier!

Thanks for considering if you can come- spread the word in any case!

Deb Cary, Executive Director
Broad Meadow Brook

Meeting Agenda

4:00 pm

Light refreshments prior to the evening’s program

4:30 pm
Business meeting and election of new Directors

Awards and Recognition
Audubon A Award
Noel Mann
Bryan Windmiller
MA Division of Ecological Restoration
Worcester Tree Initiative

Allen H. Morgan Memorial Award
Allen W. Fletcher

Conservation Teacher of the Year Awards
Lynn Fiandaca – Fall Brook Elementary School, Leominster
Melinda Forist – Monomoy Regional Middle School, Chatham
Stacey Hill – Doherty Memorial High School, Worcester

President’s Award
The Bobolink Project

Remarks and Reflections
Anita Walker, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council

Reception immediately following with hors d’oeuvres, beer, and wine bar

About Anita Walker

Anita Walker has served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) since April 2007. Walker is the Commonwealth’s highest ranking cultural official, overseeing a range of grant programs, services, and advocacy for the arts,humanities, and sciences in communities across Massachusetts.

Anita has raised the visibility of the nonprofit creative sector as a driving force for growth and prosperity in Massachusetts. She led advocacy for the Mass Cultural Facilities Fund, which has invested $82 million in arts and cultural building projects statewide over eight years. CFF grants are leveraging more than $1.9 billion in spending on cultural building projects, providing more than 19,000 jobs, restoring many important historic structures, and attracting more than 18 million cultural tourists to Massachusetts annually.

Walker also led the development of MCC’s new UP Initiative to support organizations that recognize the power of inclusive design to grow audiences and enhance cultural experiences for all, and embrace inclusivity as core to their mission. The intent is to generate transformational experiences for participants that will not only build capacity but fuel insight and action.

Open House at Broad Meadow Brook
2:30 pm (before the meeting)

Please join us for an Open House celebration at Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary prior to the meeting, beginning at 2:30 pm. Enjoy a tour of the wildlife sanctuary, visit the new Barbara E. Fargo Education Center, and help celebrate the 25 years in Worcester.

Transportation from Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary to the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts and back will be available. Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary is located at 414 Massasoit Road, Worcester, MA 01604.

Kindly RSVP* by Tuesday, November 1

RSVP By Phone: 781-259-2133
RSVP By Email: emcbride@massaudubon.org

*Please let us know if you will be joining us for the open house at Broad Meadow Brook and if you have any transportation needs.

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pic:R.T.

Jett, what you doing in this post?!

Animal Issues

Worcester news you can use!

October 23, 2016 admin

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pic:R.T.

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At the Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square

FREE!

The Worcester Public Library Presents Latin American Group, Los Alter Boys!

A celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
as part of Worcester’s Ethnic Mosaic!

The Worcester Public Library will welcome Los Alter Boys on Tuesday, October 25 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. as part of Worcester’s Ethnic Mosaic.

Los Alter Boys is a Latin American group that has been bringing some of the best sounds to the New England area. The band brings all types of flavor with their diverse cultural background.

Giancarlos Buscaglia is the founder of the group, and will be on guitar and lead vocals. Wilson Vera will play the Puerto Rican cuatro. David Rivera will be on percussion, and Manolo Mairena will join on percussion and lead vocal.

The event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be provided by The Friends of the Worcester Public Library.

This program is administered by the Worcester Arts Council, for the Local Cultural Council – an agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

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Looking good, Chandler Community School – in Piedmont! pic:R.T.

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From REC:

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN…

REC YOUTHGROW HOMEMADE APPLE PIE SALE!

$25 Each!

Buy a Pie, Support YouthGROW!

*PIES MADE WITH LOCAL AND ORGANIC INGREDIENTS*

Every year, YouthGROWers and Food Justice staff lovingly craft handmade apple pies from scratch with organic butter and locally sourced apples.

We thoughtfully freeze them unbaked, which means that not only can you enjoy the freshest and warmest of pies on Thanksgiving Day or whenever you desire, you get the added benefit of being able to pretend you made them yourself.

Your purchase of a delicious apple pie will support youth employment, urban agriculture, and the local food system! By all accounts, our pies are delicious!

And since you’d probably be making or buying a pie for Thanksgiving anyways, you have NOTHING to lose and EVERYTHING to gain!

ORDER YOUR PIE TODAY! VISIT www.recworcester.org/pie-sale

PRIORITY ORDERS BY NOV. 1st*
*optional Vegan crust
GENERAL ORDERS BY NOV. 15th**
**Traditional while supplies last

WANT TO GET YOUR PIE FOR FREE? BE A PIEoneer!

Sell 10 pies and get YOURS for FREE!

VISIT www.recworcester.org/pie-sale to receive instructions, sign up sheets, and other promotional materials to make collecting orders as easy as…pie.

CALANDRA CHANEY, Volunteer Engagement VISTA

REC is excited to welcome Calandra from Richmond, VA, where she was most recently a family nutrition
educator.

Calandra is also a graduate student in Clark University’s International Development and Social Change program!

Calandra is most excited for the opportunity to work with REC’s farmers markets and gardens and to support the community through her work.

We are so happy to have her here!

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Poet Carolyn Forché

Carolyn Forché to perform at the Eighth Annual Gregory Stockmal Reading

Celebrated “poet of witness,” Carolyn Forché, will be the featured reader at the Worcester County Poetry Association’s Eighth Annual Gregory Stockmal Reading on Thursday, November 10.

The reading will be start at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in Smith Hall, Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross (1 College St).

Free to all!

About Carolyn Forché:

Carolyn Forché’s first volume, Gathering the Tribes, winner of the Yale Series of Younger Poets Prize, was followed by The Country Between Us, The Angel of History, and Blue Hour.

She has translated Mahmoud Darwish, Claribel Alegria, and Robert Desnos. Her famed international anthology, Against Forgetting, has been praised by Nelson Mandela as “itself a blow against tyranny, against prejudice, against injustice,” and is followed by the 2014 anthology The Poetry of Witness.

In 1998 in Stockholm, she received the Edita and Ira Morris Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture Award for her human rights advocacy and the preservation of memory and culture. She is currently at work on a memoir.

InCity Voices

Worcester photos by Ron O’Clair … the AG comes to town … and more!

October 2, 2016 admin

Pics/text by Ron O’Clair

This image is of Jerry (Dino) Mariano, a cousin of Ray Mariano, who happens to be a member of the Genesis club, at Boston Donuts on Park Ave getting some grub on. He usually wears a funky leather hat, so this is a rare view of him hat less.

This is the house recently built by the Main South Community Development Corporation on Hollis and Kilby streets; it is a duplex …

… the other side. Beautiful!

A self portrait trying to document the injury to my eye socket. (editor’s note: Ron was taking videos in his Main South neighborhood and one of his neighbors didn’t take kindly to the videographing! So he slugged Ronny in the face! Now Ronny’s got a semi-detached retina!)

Previously a clean area, someone decided to drop their trash on the curb. I dislike litter.

broken car door mirror …

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Teens! Join the City Manager’s Youth Council!

The Youth Opportunities Office is recruiting applicants for its 2016-2017 City Manager’s Youth Council.

Applications and student nominations are due on October 14.

If you are interested in nominating a student, please contact youth@worcesterma.gov.

The City of Worcester Youth Council was created in January of 2012 to establish a representative body of young people living in the City of Worcester entering the 9th and 10th grade during the 2016-2017 academic year.

The Youth Council gives young people a direct connection to local government and Youth Councilors take part in civic engagement, leadership development, and planning and decision making opportunities.

The Youth Council will also execute in the following assignments:

• Encouraging youth civic participation

• Enhancing young people’s roles in their community

• Construction of positive youth centered narratives

• Making recommendations, presentations and advocating on issues that affect youth their age

• Involving youth in community awareness and community service projects

• Forming and strengthening working relationships with community

• Eligible youth representation on Boards, Commissions, Committees and Councils

• Public speaking and leadership opportunities

Please spread the word and email us at youth@worcesterma.gov if you are interested in nominating a teen!

If you know a young person who is interested in applying, please have them fill out the application!

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ARTS AND FAMILY FUN AT THE WORCESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY!

OCTOBER 14

4 p.m.

At the Worcester Public Library!

Flamenco for Kids!

The Worcester Public Library will offer a free program for kids to learn Flamenco dancing from Edmy Ortiz, a fine artist, architectural designer, and Flamenco dancer.

The program is recommended for kids ages 4 and up.

The program is in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The first session was held on Friday, September 30 …The second session, Flamenco for Kids: Part II will be on Friday, October 14 at 4 p.m. This session will also be held in the Banx Room.

This will be your chance to practice and show off your Flamenco dancing skills. Flamenco offers many benefits to kids while they enjoy making noise with their feet!

You may dress-up for these events if you wish! Parents don’t forget to bring your cameras!

Sign-up is requested…you may register at the Children’s Room desk or by calling 508-799-1671.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Worcester Public Library.

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

InCity Yum Yums

Community Conversations … and yoga at University Park Saturday mornings!

September 22, 2016 admin

pic: R.T.

City of Worcester Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee Meeting

Thursday, October 27

5:30 PM

Worcester City Hall

455 Main St.
(Levi Lincoln Chambers 3rd Floor)

The charge of this Committee is to advise the City Manager, Chief Diversity Officer and the Director of Human Resources on diversity and equal opportunity in the areas of recruitment, hiring, promoting and retaining a diverse pool of city employees.

The Committee will assist the Chief Diversity Officer to review and update the City’s Affirmative Action Policy and Plan. You will also find the charge outlined for the public at http://www.worcesterma.gov/boards-commissions/profile-directory

Parking for City Hall visitors is available at downtown private/ public parking garages, including the Worcester Public Library – McGrath Lot.

Parking in the lot below City Hall is free and open for visitors to City Hall after 5pm.

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Save the Date!

Hoping to put college in
your future?

Join us for the 3rd annual
College Fair for Adults!

Tuesday, November 1

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Worcester Public Library

3 Salem St.

Connecting local adults with area institutions.

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Worcester Public Library Invites the Public to Participate in Community Conversations

Conversations will help guide the Library’s Strategic Planning Process and the future of the Library

The Worcester Public Library invites all members of the community to take part in two Community Conversations being held on …

….Wednesday, September 28, 6 p.m. and …

… Saturday, October 1 at 10 a.m.

The events will be held in the Saxe Room of the Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Sq

The conversations are an important step in the Library’s strategic planning process.

The Board of Directors of the Worcester Public Library is seeking assistance from the public as it considers options for future programs, services and facilities.

The planning process will result in a written strategic plan that will serve as the Library’s guide over the next five years.

“The Worcester Public Library is one of our most important institutions, and this is a chance for every patron to have their say in its future,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “I encourage everyone who cares about the library to attend.”

The Community Conversations will be facilitated by a professional library consultant in order to solicit feedback to help design the best path forward for the Worcester Public Library.

The consultant will use the feedback from the Community Conversations, along with other information, to help create recommendations for the future direction of the Library.

“The Worcester Public Library is a valuable part of our city, and it is important that our patrons have a voice in the future of their Library,” said Geoffrey Dickinson, Head Librarian. “These meetings, and the feedback we receive from the public, will play a vital role in our strategic planning process, guiding the next five years of programs and services.”

For more information on the Worcester Public Library and a complete list of events and programs visit mywpl.org.

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Fashion

A Worcester Public Library card – always in style!

September 3, 2016 admin

A Library Card is the Coolest Card! See the “cool cats” across the street from our library when you get your library card! pics:R.T.

The YWCA, right next door, has more public art that will WOW! you! CHECK OUT THE AMAZINGLY LOVELY MURALS!

Near the library’s front entrance, the City of Worcester is puttin’ in benches, trees, flowers! Pow! Wow!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

The Worcester Public Library celebrates Library Card Sign-Up Month during the month of September! Stop by and get your free library card and see all the things it can do for you!

For one month only, the library will also be giving out replacement library cards. If you have misplaced your library card and would like a new one just visit any branch during the month of September, and we will replace it free of charge.

Today’s libraries are about more than books. They are creative educational spaces for learners from birth to high school and beyond. This annual observance occurs at the start of the school year.

During this Library Card Sign-up Month, the Worcester Public Library joins with the American Library Association and public libraries nationwide to make sure that every student has the most important school supply of all – a free library card.

Librarians provide important resources to families whose children are at the earliest stages of development, by teaching parents and caregivers the components of early literacy, which help children develop the basic tools for school readiness. In 2015, the One City, One Library Branches held 1,760 class visits through its partnership with the Worcester Public Schools. These visits helped students access the library and the educational materials available right in their own schools.

Older students can access high-speed Internet, digital tools, and the opportunity to work with trained professionals on how to use them.

Librarians provide guided training in digital media and help to grow digital literacy skills. Libraries also provide equity of access to digital tools and media, which has become increasingly important in high-poverty areas where students are less likely to have a computer or internet access in the home.

Libraries are also a training ground for students of all ages to expand their knowledge and explore creative pursuits. Resources at the Worcester Public Library are available to anyone who has a library card. Students can turn to the library for materials, programs and knowledgeable library staff that support academic achievement, including book clubs, STEM related programs, and summer reading activities.

“Our library provides access and programs for students of all ages,” said Geoffrey Dickinson, Head Librarian. “For preschool age children we offer early literacy and storytimes to encourage school readiness, for older children and teens we supplement education with hands-on programs and fun activities, and for nontraditional students we offer language and citizenship resources, resume help, and so much more. There’s really something for everyone, and it’s all free with a library card.”

Throughout this month, the library will host a number of activities, including:

Maker Mondays with the Learning Hub

Cooking classes

A volunteer fair

Cultural performances

… and much more!

For more information on how to sign up for a library card, visit the Worcester Public Library in person or visit the library online at mywpl.org.

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P.S. Spotted yesterday afternoon at the Peace Park Piano Playground in Piedmont!:

pic: R.T.

InCity Yum Yums

Today! Check out the murals across from the main WP Library, Salem Sq!

August 30, 2016 admin

Check out your downtown! SO EXCITING!!!!
pics+text:Rosalie Tirella

WP Library school branch hours:

Worcester Public Library – One City, One Library Branches

Public Hours for 2016-2017 School Year

The Worcester Public Library’s One City, One Library Branches will have updated hours for the 2016-2017 school year:

The Burncoat Branch, located at 526 Burncoat Street, Worcester, will be open Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The Goddard Branch, located at 14 Richards Street, Worcester, will be open Monday through Friday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The Roosevelt Branch, located at 1006 Grafton Street, Worcester, will be open Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The Tatnuck Magnet Branch, located at 1083 Pleasant Street, Worcester, will be open Monday through Friday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

All One City, One Library Branches will be closed on Sundays. Library hours are subject to change during holiday/vacation periods, please check www.mywpl.org for changes.

For more information about the Worcester Public Library or the One City, One Library branch hours please visit www.mywpl.org or call the Main Library at 508-799-1655.

3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA 01608

First day of school! Mom and son across the street, heading home, after a school day at the QUINSIGAMOND VILLAGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL!

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The future! Downtown Worcester mural! CHECK ALL OF THE ART OUT TODAY!!!

From the WP Library:

The Worcester Public Library has been offering World Language Storytimes in Vietnamese and Portuguese for the past two years thanks to a grant from the Library Services & Technology Act (LSTA).

The LSTA is the only federal program exclusively for libraries, and is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The World Languages Storytimes began in October 2014.

This two-year project made it possible for children and families who don’t frequent the Worcester Public Library to be exposed to the Library and its services while attending storytimes in their own language. (Vietnamese and Portuguese).

It also allowed this new audience to engage in other cultural and educational events offered at the Library.

Community members were invited to participate as presenters conducted storytimes in their native language, with the help of a Children’s Librarian.

A dozen patrons and Youth Services staff participated in an all-day training session.

The grant helped develop and increase the World Languages area, adding books, videos, music, posters and decorations, children’s musical instruments, and storytime supplies.

In February, the Library hosted a Chinese New Year and Kung Fu Demonstration by Leaders Way Kung Fu Academy in Worcester, with a traditional Lion Dance, and in April a Brazilian Cultural Stories and sing-along was offered.

The Librarians involved worked to build a solid foundation to continue the world languages storytimes program for the future. “It is important to be inclusive in offering these and all types of services to children and families,” said Iris Delgado, Youth Services Manager. “This grant gave us the opportunity to develop a reciprocal relationship between the Library and these communities. While attending World Language Storytimes they have become aware of the Library’s rich services, and we have learned through the presenters and participants the value of their communities to our library.”

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GOOD STUFF! City of Worcester should host a fair like this one!

Mayor Stephen DiNatale and the City of Fitchburg Community Development Department invite you to the Fitchburg School Community Coalition

COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR! FREE!

DATE: Thursday, September 15

TIME: 4 pm – 7 pm

PLACE: 14 Wallace Ave, Fitchburg

Come and learn about the services offered by Fitchburg City Departments and area agencies including:

housing and shelter assistance;

elder care;

food resources;

energy and fuel assistance;

health and wellness;

support groups;

child care;

domestic violence;

substance abuse information;

cultural offerings, veterans services –
and many more!

FREE

Fresh produce will be available for purchase

DOOR RAFFLES!

Free snacks will be provided by Sodexo

PRIZES!

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Love this mural in our theater district!!!!

InCity Voices

Worcester community news you can use!

August 17, 2016 admin

The Family Health Center fair drew hundreds of folks to the Piedmont neighborhood! photos: R.T.

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Kids!!! TODAY!!!!! YAY!!!!

FREE!!!

We are happy to announce that we are holding free Boston Bruins Alumni Street Hockey Clinics Wednesday August 17 and 24 from 6pm-8pm at the Buffone Rink (Parking Lot).

There is no need to pre-register.

Come out and meet the Bruins Alumni, get a free Bruins Alumni T-shirt and have fun!

Founded by US Olympian and NHL veteran David A. Jensen in 2012, DAJ Hockey is New England’s premier on-ice/off-ice hockey skills training company. DAJ features on-ice hockey skills programs via Boston Bruins Alumni Camps and off-ice skills training at the high-tech DAJ Skills Centers in Foxboro and Attleboro, MA. DAJ also manages street hockey and floorball clinics, camps and leagues throughout New England.

DAJ’s “Hockey in the Streets” program brings the joy of hockey to urban children, who may otherwise not get the opportunity to play the sport!

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Worcester Bands Together To Fight Substance Use!

Upcoming Events Promote Recovery and Healing!

Over the past several years, August and September have been the worst months for opioid-related overdoses in our community and beyond.

In 2014, there was a significant increase in the number of opioid related deaths during the end of the summer.

Since then, the City of Worcester, the Department of Health and Human Services, and our community partners have partnered to respond to the national opioid epidemic – equipping all first responders with life-saving Narcan; training non-emergency city personnel on the use of Narcan; collecting hundreds of pounds of unused prescriptions; instituting the first-ever needle exchange program with AIDS Project Worcester; conducting training for medical professionals on the dangers of overprescribing pain medication; and working to alert the public to the dangers of addiction.

The City of Worcester continues to collect unused prescription drugs at a dropbox at Worcester Police Department Headquarters and at all neighborhood watch meetings.

“Battling the opioid epidemic is a top priority for the city, and it’s a battle we intend to win,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “From responding to overdoses, public education about addiction and recovery, From prevention to treatment to recovery, the City and our community partners are going all-in to fight this epidemic.”

Overdose Recognition and Response Training

The Worcester Police Department will offer free training for the public on how to recognize and intervene during an opioid overdose using nasal Narcan.

This training event will take place at 5:30 p.m. August 23 at the Worcester Public Library.

Worcester DPH encourages health care providers, substance abuse treatment service providers, first responders, and the public to exercise increased vigilance in promptly identifying suspected overdose victims and taking appropriate action.

The Good Samaritan Law provides protection to people who respond to an overdose and call 911.

The law is intended to encourage people to report drug overdoses as soon as possible, even if drugs are present at the scene.

AIDS Project Worcester’s Overdose Prevention and Narcan distribution program provides free Narcan to those who are likely to witness an overdose.

Learn to Cope, which has a chapter in Worcester, also provides free Narcan to family members of those with a substance use disorder.
Narcan is also available for purchase at CVS and Walgreen’s Pharmacies in the City of Worcester.

Overdose Awareness Day with a Candlelight Vigil:

The Worcester Department of Health and Human Services, along with our community partners will honor International Overdose Awareness Day, with a candlelight vigil and an addiction and recovery awareness campaign at 5:30 p.m. August 31 at the Worcester Common.

International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose. There will be an opportunity for people to receive information and referral to services for addiction and recovery.

The event will provide an opportunity for the public to express sorrow while also raising awareness on the actions needed to provide more services for recovery and improve understanding of the opioid abuse epidemic.

Participation is free.

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Get yourself outdoors – to one of the many beautiful Worcester parks/green spaces…

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Every 3 1/2 hours, someone dies in a house fire.

With the goal of reducing home-fire related fatalities by 25%, the American Red Cross is installing free smoke alarms in residential homes across the nation.

In Massachusetts, the Red Cross will install up to 2 photo-electric and one dual (photoelectric and ionization) smoke alarms, as well as one carbon monoxide detector.

If you are a Massachusetts resident and would like to request a free smoke alarm installation, please call 1-800-746-3511**

* Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands are experiencing a significant backlog

**please self-identify as a military attached household if applicable (military, military family member, National Guard, veteran)

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The Worcester Public Library Presents
The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program with Rick Morin

Thursday, August 18

2 p.m.

The Worcester Public Library will be hosting the Rick Morin and The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program on Thursday, August 18 at 2:00 p.m. as part of the Summer Reading Program 2016.

The interactive drumming program will be held in the Children’s Room at the Worcester Public Library, and is free and recommended for children ages 5-12.

Go, lil’ drummer girl, go!!!

About The Rhythm Room:
The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program by Rick Morin explores world music as it relates to today’s pop culture, combining discussion, demonstration and participation. The use of world percussion, drum set, buckets and exploring percussion from objects and one’s own body (clapping, stomping, etc.) is educational as well as motivational and fun. Rick will explain the execution of hand motion to bring out the proper voice of each drum and demonstrate how a percussionist can tell a story with rhythm and theatrical flair.

About Rick Morin:
Rick Morin is the creator and director of the The Rhythm Room, an all-original ten member band. He also developed The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program. Morin is a freelance drummer/percussionist. In 2006 he was awarded the Kathleen McKiel Memorial Award from the North Attleboro Cultural Council for his contributions to the Arts. Morin is an endorsed percussionist by LP, Sabian, REMO, and Vic Firth.

The Rhythm Room Enrichment Program is part of the Summer Reading Program at the Worcester Public Library. The theme for the 2016 program is “Wellness, Fitness, and Sports” – with loads of free programs being offered through August 20 at the Main Library and all branches.

Participants are eligible for prizes for reading and participating in programs. All ages are invited to sign up for summer reading at mywpl.org or at any library location until August 20.

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And don’t forget! Rolling into your neighborhood TODAY! THE REC MOBILE FARMERS MARKET – AKA THE PRETTY BLUE VAN CAN! See schedule, below…