• Books (64)
• Childrens (11)
• Column (15)
• Computer (9)
• Current News (46)
• Events (71)
• Friends of the Library (22)
• Library Information (82)
• mackay (2)
• music (3)
• One Book (24)
• Overdrive (10)
• Programs (29)
• Reading Room (37)
• Reference (21)
• Resources (53)
• Teens (5)
• Town of Chelmsford (47)
• Web Tools (5)

How to See New Library Books, Movies, and Music

We now have an easy way to view all the brand new books, DVDs, and audiobooks that get added to the library catalog each week.

To see this list, just click the New Book Alerts button on our homepage. Once there, you can use the menus on the left to see just DVDs, or just Childrens books, etc.

Along the top, you can click to see previous weeks, or see more than one week at a time. These new items lists just started last week, so it'll take a few weeks to build up.

Speaking of book lists, did you know the library has a Reading Room webpage devoted to provided reading suggestions? From there you can find best seller lists and lists of award winners, "read-a-likes" similar to your favorite books and authors, staff picks, and also a list of places from which to download ebooks.

And if you'd like to have reading suggestions delivered to you automatically, via email or RSS feed, check out our Electronic Signups page. You can sign up to receive notifications of new items, best sellers, library events, our Twitter feed and more!

If you have any questions about these options, please contact the Reference Desk.

Unique (and musical) Volunteer Opportunity

Attention anyone interested in music or planning events!

The Chelmsford Farmer's Market is looking for one or more volunteers to serve as Music Director, to bring music and entertainment to the Thursday afternoon Farmer's Markets in Chelmsford center.

A shade tent, small sound system (the size of a suitcase and very light), and microphone are available; the volunteer(s) will be in charge of lining up the musical talent and setting up the equipment.

Volunteers will coordinate with the Open Space Stewards, so if you are interested or have any questions, please call Phil Stanway at (978) 273-1474.

More Volunteer Opportunities
By the way, this and many other volunteer opportunities are listed at ChelmsfordVolunteers.org - check it out for opportunities to help out and contribute to the organizations that serve the Chelmsford area.

World Wide Wednesdays 2010 Concert Series

Catch "World Wide Wednesdays @ Chelmsford," at the MacKay Library in North Chelmsford (directions). Concerts run from 6:30 until about 7:45 p.m. on Wednesdays from July 7th through August 11th.

This summer's lineup is:

Jul 7 - DownEast Ceilidh - Cape Breton Band
Jul 14 - Branches Steel Band - back by popular demand!
Jul 21 - VoloVolo de Boston - bringing the music of Haiti to Chelmsford
Jul 28 - The Zhao Zhimin School of Music - traditional Chinese folk music
Aug 4 - Wildest Dreams - blending elements of Afro-pop, reggae, calypso, and funky soul
Aug 11 - Grupo Fantasia - Merengue, Salsa, Reggae, Mariachi, Cuban and Latin jazz

Grab a blanket or lawn chair, pack a lunch and don't forget your dancing shoes! For more information, or venue change due to weather, visit our website.

Food and Music are the Keys to Memory

Do I need help? I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking and talking about food.

As I ponder the benefits of using Meyer lemons over your basic supermarket brand, I wonder at times what matters of consequence I could be contemplating instead - the pros and cons of health care, the meaning of life or perhaps why the sky is blue. But no, I would prefer to think about food. It is part of my genetic make-up - when planning family get-togethers, the first question any of my sisters asks is, "What can I bring?" (meaning food, of course…).

I think I have been obsessed with meal planning since I made my first dinner from the Betty Crocker Boys and Girls Cookbook - homemade "Shake and Bake-style chicken, a bunny salad (pears with cottage cheese tails) and molasses crinkles for dessert.

Food stimulates my sense memories - it is how I navigate my history. I even recollect visits from friends by what I served them for dinner - "Ah yes, I remember it well, that was the night of the roasted tomato and goat cheese appetizer." "No, I think you are wrong - I distinctly recall we had the porcini mushroom risotto."

Food is my memory trigger. It starts with the recollection of the meal, leads to remembered conversations - a shared laugh and a visual journey down memory lane. Food memories are how I orient myself. I even give directions in the Boston area using restaurants as my compass points - they are just around the corner from Redbones; they live half a block from Dali; you won't miss their place, they are right next to Rosie's Bakery.

Music is the other trigger for me - a familiar provocation for most. Rickie Lee Jones' "Chuck E.'s in Love" sends me to a spring day, hanging out on a dorm roof in my first shorts of the season. "Truckin" by the Grateful Dead brings me to Harvard square on a summer evening, listening to the street musicians. Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time of your life)" has me back in an auditorium seat watching the Senior class video as my daughter graduated from high school. And it is not always your favorite songs that elicit the memories - "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas was my senior high class song. I am sure that is what made it pour that day.

There is nothing I like better than to invite friends over, try out a few new recipes and put on some of my favorite music. Here are two cookbooks I have recently admired and a few CD's that are worth checking out.

Cookbooks:

The Conscious Cook -Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change Your Life by Tal Ronnen - A vegan cookbook that puts protein at the center of the plate and creates satisfying meals for both meat-lover and vegetarian palates. 75 creative and diverse recipes accompanied by beautiful full-color photographs (and they taste good too!).

Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition by Barbara Lynch - A local girl, self-taught chef Barbara Lynch was raised in the projects of South Boston, where she ate mostly processed foods. She was introduced to cooking by her high school home economics teacher and fell in love with the craft. Since then, she's opened a cooking school, a cookbook store, a deli, a butcher shop and several award-winning restaurants including No. 9 Park. She has also given us this gorgeous cookbook filled with mouth-watering recipes including a few of her restaurants' signature dishes.

Music:

Theresa Andersson, Hummingbird, Go! - Raised in Sweden and based in New Orleans, Andersson got her start recording quirky harmonies in her kitchen. Influenced by both folk music and Motown, her voice is reminiscent of a contemporary Dusty Springfield.

Big Star, #1 Record and Radio City - With the untimely passing of Alex Chilton, it is time to look back at the pop band, Big Star - a cult-level band that followed Chilton's stint as the lead singer of the Box Tops. Big Star was said to combine elements of the Beatles, the Who, the Kinks and the Byrds. Bands like R.E.M., the Replacements and Wilco have helped Big Star to gain its mythic stature, citing the band as influential on their music (watch for these two CDs, soon to be in our collection).

XX, The XX - This young Indie quartet from London sings candidly about relationships and makes music that's simple and raw, but very captivating. I suspect that this is a band to watch.

Neil Young, Sugar Mountain Live at Canterbury House, 1968 - Neil Young was just 22 when he took the stage at the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was nervous and had to be coaxed from his hotel room. The concert was an intimate performance combining new material and familiar Buffalo Springfield tunes. Forty years had to pass before we could hear this concert in its entirety - but it was worth the wait.

World Wide Wednesday Music Concerts

Like past summers, the Library's World Wide Wednesdays summer concert series is proving very fun and popular. Even though rain has forced two concerts to be held indoors at the Chelmsford Senior Center, the audiences have all enjoyed the music and dancing each week.

This week's performance by InkasWasi, brought to life the color of Peruvian culture, through their costumes, songs and dance. Check out some photos from past concerts to be part of the fun.

There are three more concerts scheduled for this summer:

• July 30 - Mariachi Mexamerica - songs of their colorful culture Guadalajara, Mexico
• Aug 6 - Jolly Kopperschmidts - traditional German music in 'oom pa' fashion complete in lederhosen
• Aug 13 - ContraBanditos - New England Contra, Barn Dance, Celtic, Old Time Fiddle and contemporary

All performances start at 6:30 p.m., and are held outside at the MacKay Library - in case of bad weather, performances are moved indoors at the Chelmsford Senior Center.

For more information and a complete schedule, please visit http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/programs/programs/world_wide_wednesdays.html. This program is supported by the Chelmsford Friends of the Library with technical support from the Music Academy of Chelmsford.