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Chelmsford Telemedia Introduces Streaming Online Videos

Back in May, Chelmsford Telemedia added a new feature to their website - online streaming versions of many of the programs you can see on the local cable station.

These can be accessed by visiting http://chelmsfordtv.org/streaming.php in your web browser. On the right, videos are grouped into categories:

• Selectmen Meetings
• School Committee Meetings
• Planning Board Meetings
• Government-Miscellaneous
• Chelmsford Public Schools
• Public Access Programming
• Chelmsford Public Library

To view a video, click one of the categories and then scroll down the list of available videos and click on the one you'd like to see. There is also a search box at the top of the viewer to find videos by keyword.

In addition to recording various the governmental functions of the Town of Chelmsford, most of the programs held at the Library will be available here online (these are naturally our favorites). So if you missed a program at the library, a Selectmen meeting, one of the many Public Access shows, or just about anything else that happened in Chelmsford, you can watch (or rewatch!) it at your leisure here - for free, any time day or night. DVDs of each program at also available for $10 - contact Chelmsford Telemedia for details.

Climbing the Family Tree

If you're wondering about how to research your family tree, the Chelmsford Genealogy Group is ready to help.

By Paula McCarron, Chelmsford Patch (reprinted with permission)

Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Emmitt Smith and Lisa Kudrow found their ancestors courtesy of the NBC show "Who Do You Think You Are," which focuses on how genealogy can reveal fascinating details of one's family history. But here in Chelmsford, you don't need to be a celebrity to get help in climbing your family tree - and best of all, the help is free.

Judy Sylvia, Coordinator of the Chelmsford Genealogy Group (CGG) started her search after hearing her father-in-law speak about his search for ancestors. Since then, Sylvia works on her own tree but she's also helping others to make their own discoveries through her volunteer work with Chelmsford Genealogy Group.

CGG meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Chelmsford Public Library. All meetings are free and open to all – residents and non-residents, alike.

"If you're just getting started, it's a great because someone in the group has probably already done what you're looking to do. People are willing to share what they know. And we often have guest speakers with thanks to the Friends of the Library who donate the money for speakers' fees," says Sylvia.

E-mail announcements are sent three to six times a month to keep everyone informed of the meetings as well as other local events. Sylvia also forwards requests from people who are searching for a Chelmsford ancestor.

The "hottest" development, a surname database was initiated by club member, Norm Rourke and is under construction by Reference Librarian, Brian Herzog. The database will provide an opportunity to search or share information about a particular ancestor or surname in the very near future through the Chelmsford Public Library website.

Now twelve years into her search, Sylvia recently discovered a 1700's ship captain within her family tree.

"That's the thing. You start with four grandparents, then eight great grandparents and it just keeps going. You keep finding so much that it's never really ever done," she said.

For more information, check out the Chelmsford Public Library's Web site.

This article originally appeared on the
Chelmsford Patch on January 18th, 2011.

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.

New Groups at the Library

Two new groups recently started regular meetings at the Chelmsford Library:

Chinese Conversation Circle
Similar to our other conversation circles (English, French, Spanish), the new Chinese Conversation Circle is to help people improve their ability to speak Chinese. The group is led by library volunteer Sherry Santangelo, and meets on the last Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room on the lower level of the main library. For more information, visit the Chinese Conversation Circle webpage.

Technical Skills Share Group
The Technical Skills Share group (a spin-off from the Acton Networkers group) are unemployed people keeping their technical skills sharp (and leaning new ones) by working collaboratively on a technology project. There are both hardware and software specialties needed for the project, so everyone is welcome to come and contribute whatever expertise you can. The group meets every Thursday from 1:30 - 6:00 p.m. in the McCarty Meeting room (side B). For more information, visit the Technical Skills Share Group webpage (for more employment resources, visit our Career and Employment Resources subject guide).

Both of these groups are open to everyone, as are the other groups, programs or exhibits that take place at the library. For more information, please contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109, or view upcoming scheduled meetings on our Events Calendar.

New Library Events Calendar

The Library has a new events calendar: http://calendar.chelmsfordlibrary.org

This is where all Library programs and events will be listed, including non-profit community groups using the Library's meeting rooms.

The new calendar includes a search menu on the left, which lets you limit to events based on location, type and age group. To see a summary of any event, hover your mouse over the event on the calendar, or click on an event to see the complete details.

To keep up with what's going on at the library, be sure to bookmark http://calendar.chelmsfordlibrary.org and subscribe to our RSS feed. You can also build different RSS feeds based on your search criteria - just search for your location/type/age combination, then click the RSS Feed link near the top of the calendar. That way, you'll always be notified of the events you're interested in.

Soon we’ll also have an automatic way for groups to reserve rooms at the library. In the meantime, please refer to our website for meeting room reservations. If you have questions about the new calendar or booking a meeting room, please contact the Library’s Administrative Office at 978-256-5521 x100 or nrager@mvlc.org.

And don't forget the most important event this week: Trick-or-Treat in Chelmsford is 5-8pm on Saturday, Oct. 31st!