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2012 One Book Chelmsford Announced!

In 2012, instead of choosing just "One Book Chelmsford" or even "One Author," Chelmsford will be reading books by two wonderful authors: the famous literary couple of Pulitzer-prize winning authors Geraldine Brooks and Tony Horwitz.

More information is available on our One Book page, but a couple dates to reserve on you calendar now are:

• Friday evening, February 3, 2012 - "Beat the Winter Blues Party," the annual Winterfest Community Social. You can get copies of March and Confederates in the Attic

• Saturday, May 12, 2012, at 11 a.m - Join us for a visit from our 2 authors at the High School's Performing Arts Center

We'll be posting more program dates and information as it becomes available, so keep checking our One Book page for details!

Join a Book Group at the Library

Do you enjoy reading and then discussing what you thought of the book with others? Come join one of the library's book groups!

We have several options for book groups - morning and afternoon sessions at both the main library and at the MacKay branch. Here's a brief breakdown on each one:

• Evening Book Group
  Run by Library Director Becky Herrmann, this group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, and has been going on for about 7 years. It's an informal and talkative mix of men and women with ages ranging from mid-thirties to mid-seventies. They read a mix of fiction and non-fiction (with a heavier emphasis on fiction). Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
• Morning Book Group
  The Morning group is run by Technical Services Librarian Vickie Turcotte, and meets at 10 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. This group is mainly women, primarily elderly folks but still a mix, and they read mainly fiction. Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
• History Book Group
  This is a relatively new book group, meeting at 7 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month. It is run by one of our volunteers, and focuses on books that are historical in nature. Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
• Mystery Book Group
  This group meets at the MacKay Branch Library at at 6:45 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month. They have been meeting for about 20 years, and they focus on several authors each month rather than particular books - these are die-hard, mystery fans who have read extensively in the genre. Check out their current authors list.
• "Novel Conversations" Book Group
  This popular daytime book group meets at the MacKay Branch Library on the first Friday of each month at noon. This group reads fiction with the occasional biography or memoir thrown in. Check out their list of upcoming books.
• Now... It's Your Turn
  This is a seasonal readers advisory program (designed with baby boomers in mind but suitable for all adults). Each season, Becky Herrmann and Mayleen Kelley highlight a group of mostly new books, to keep people reading for a few months. Attendees are also welcome to suggest titles. As this group meets sporadically, check our events calendar for dates, and also previous suggestion lists.
• Readergirlz Teen Book Group
  This is a book group for Teens, led by Tricia Moore, and meets from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. At each meeting participants will complete a craft or activity related to the book. Refreshments will be served. Pick up a copy of this month's book at the circulation desk.
• "Cinema Night Out" Film Discussion Group
  A "book group" for movie buffs, led by Teen Services Librarian (and film aficionado) Tricia Moore. The film starts at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, with discussion to follow - and refreshments are provided. Due to our public performance contract, film titles are only announced a few days in advance, but you can check the online listing or sign up for email notification.

All of our groups are open to the public, and all are welcoming new members. Each group meeting will be listed on the library's events calendar, and many of the groups send email reminders.

If none of these groups quite meet your needs, a variety of other book groups are listed on Meetup.com and LibraryThing Local.

2011 Chelmsford One Book: The Hunger Games

All the ballots have been counted, and with 67% of the vote, the winner of the election for the 2011 Chelmsford One Book is:

The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

It was an overwhelming victory: Namesake won 17% and City of Thieves earned 16% of the vote.

The One Book Committee is now developing a line-up of programs for this winter and spring related to the book. As always, we welcome your suggestions. Please email your ideas to kcryanhic@mvlc.org or to pmoore@mvlc.org or call 978-256-5521, ext 109.

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov 2nd, 2010

The 2010 mid-term elections are Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010. Polls will be open 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM.

Polling Locations:

Sample Ballots:

• Precincts 1 & 9 [pdf]
• Precincts 2, 6, & 8 [pdf]
• Precincts 3, 5, & 7 [pdf]
• Precincts 4 [pdf]
• Special Town Ballot for Selectman [pdf]

Election Information:

• Town of Chelmsford Voter Information page, with polling locations [pdf] and the precinct list by street [pdf].
• Voter Information Guide, from the Elections Division
• Project Vote Smart - Information for voters on political leaders, their positions on issues, and campaign finance
• FactCheck.org - Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania monitors the factual accuracy of statements made by and advertisements on behalf of major U.S. polictical figures
• Brookings Institution - Elections - Extensive research and commentary on the overall outlook of U.S. public policy and international politics

For more information, residents should contact the Town Clerk’s office.

More Ereaders Support for Overdrive Ebooks

Chelmsford patrons can use the library's subscription to Overdrive to download and read ebooks - and the service just got better.

Overdrive recently announced that their ebooks will now work on both the Borders Kobo eReader and the Pandigital Novel.

Kobo eReader

Pandigital Novel

If you've been thinking about buying an ereader for yourself, Overdrive lists all of the devices they support - which means you'll have access to all of the ebooks available through the Chelmsford Library. We also have a list of other places you can download ebooks.

And remember, Overdrive has downloadable audiobooks too!