All posts by Brian Herzog
Community Blood Drive: Nov. 18th
There is a Chelmsford Community Blood Drive on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009, from 1:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Chelmsford Senior Center (75 Groton Street [map]).
The blood drive is sponsored by the Chelmsford Rotary Club and run by the American Red Cross. No appointment is necessary, but a valid ID is required.
For information, call Leonard Doolan at 978-256-3604.
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://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/calendar
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://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/calendar 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!
2009 Flu Shots and Resources
It’s flu season again. And this year, in addition to the seasonal flu, the government is also making available resources to help combat the H1N1 flu.
Flu Shots
The Chelmsford Board of Health is sponsoring a seasonal flu shot clinic. The shots will be given at:
Chelmsford Senior Center
Route 40, North Chelmsford
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
— More information [pdf] —
Another list of area flu shots is available on the Massachusetts Public Flu Clinic Finder website:
General Information
A lot of resources exist to answer questions and provide tips on how to stay healthy this flu season. Here are some of the most useful:
- http://www.flu.gov – official Federal resource
- http://www.mass.gov/flu – official State resource
- Fall 2009 – Flu Guidance for Schools [doc] – MA Dept. of Public Health
- H1N1 Fact Sheet [pdf] – MA Dept. of Public Health
- More resources from Chelmsford Public Schools
Basic Tips to Stay Healthy
And as always, remember to practice these three simple tips this season:
- Cover your cough
- Wash your hands
- Stay home if you’re sick
The Library is Going Solar
Early next week, crews will begin installing solar panels on the roof of the Library!
As reported in April in the Chelmsford Independent, the Town chose to install solar panels on the Library not only to save money, but also to help inform the public on the benefits of solar energy. The article quoted Chelmsford Director of Public Facilities Gary Persichetti saying,
“We decided to go with the library because [panels] will also be a teaching tool. People will go there and look at them. It’s also the perfect building because the library is currently doing seminars on energy conservation.”
And thanks to grants and rebates from National Grid, state and federal sources, the cost for the Town is exceptionally low. Usually, solar panels take at least 5 years to pay for themselves. However, the Library’s 47 solar panels will start providing a cost savings during the very first year.
Installation is scheduled to being on October 13th, and expected to last a few weeks (depending on weather). The panels themselves are designed to last 30 years, but the Library is getting started right away with educational programming. The Clean and Green program series continues on November 7th with a Home Energy Savings Seminar, and more events will follow.
After the solar panels are installed, the Library will have a public kiosk with energy-related information, featuring real-time information on how the solar panels are doing. The display will indicate how much energy the panels are producing, the temperature on the roof, and other statistics.
For more information on the solar panels or energy conservation, please contact the Library’s Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211.
UPDATE 1/10/09: Check out photos and specifications of our system at https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/library_info/solar.html
Special Town Election: October 6th, 2009
There is a Special Town Election scheduled for Tuesday, October 6th, 2009.
The two ballot questions are below (view entire Oct. 6 Warrant):
- Department of Public Works Facility – view presentation
- Fire Station Headquarters – view presentation
Voting locations are:
| Precincts 1 & 9 | Town Office Building Gym, 50 Billerica Road |
| Precincts 2 & 3 | Harrington School Gym, 120 Richardson Road |
| Precincts 4 & 6 | Westlands School Cafeteria, 170 Dalton Road |
| Precincts 5 | Byam School Cafeteria, 25 Maple Road |
| Precincts 7 & 8 | Mccarthy School Gym, 250 North Road |
For more information on this election or registering to vote, please visit the Town of Chelmsford website.
Update – Results:
Unofficial Results from the Town Clerk’s office
- Question 1 (DPW), defeated 3,573-2,934 with 6,532 ballots cast
- Question 2 (Fire Station), defeated 3,790-2,747 with 6546 ballots cast
Read more at the Chelmsford Independent
Chelmsford Library Book Sale 2009
The annual Chelmsford Friends of the Library Book Sale starts on Friday, Sept. 25th.
2009 Book Sale Dates and Times
| Friday, Sept. 25th | 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept. 26th | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 27th | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. |
The sale will take place in the gym behind the Town Office building, 50 Billerica Road, Chelmsford [see a map].
Run by the Chelmsford Friends of the Library, the book sale is a significant source of funding for library programming, museum passes and many extras for Chelmsford patrons – the 2008 Book Sale brought in $29,744!
For more information, visit https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/friends/booksale.html or contact the Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211.
New Teen Website
The Teen section of our website recently got a major face-lift. We’re still playing with the way it looks, so please let Tricia Horan, Teen Librarian, know what you think (phoran@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x125).
Most of the information that was available on the previous Teen website will be still be available on the new website, but there will also be a lot more book reviews and current information. You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of the new page on our RSS Feeds list.
Since the internet is always changing, we try to adapt and adopt new tools that will best serve our patrons. If you have any suggestions, about either what we’re doing or what we’re not doing, please let us know. You can either send in a comment, or contact Barbara Morrison, Assistant Director (bmorrison@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x102) or Brian Herzog, Head of Reference (bherzog@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211).
2009 Book Sale Coming Soon!
The annual Chelmsford Friends of the Library Book Sale is coming at the end of September!
The sale is a significant source of funding for library programming, museum passes and many extras for Chelmsford patrons – the 2008 Book Sale brought in $29,744! The community’s support through donations and volunteer hours is greatly appreciated.
If you have books you’d like to donate to benefit the library, please use the drop box in front of the Yellow House by mid-September. After that, volunteers will be loading and setting up for the sale.
If you’d like to volunteer to help setup or work during the Book Sale, there are signup sheets on the center display inside the front door of the library. Lots of help is needed for the three days of the sale, as well as on Thursday, Sept. 24th to get everything set up.
2009 Book Sale Dates and Times
| Friday, Sept. 25th | 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Sept. 26th | 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. |
| Sunday, Sept. 27th | 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. |
For more information, visit https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/friends/booksale.html or contact the Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211.
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Opens August 29th, 2009
After more than 20 years of waiting and planning, the 6.8-mile section of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from Cross Point Towers in Lowell to Route 225 in Westford will open on Saturday, August 29!
Details for Saturday, August 29, 2009
- 10:00 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting and Cake Cutting Celebration, Old Town Hall & Chelmsford Common
- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Trail Activities, including a barbecue (with hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks, for $1 each) at Agway on Maple Road in South Chelmsford
Parking
Parking for the event will be available in Chelmsford Center at Old Town Hall and the Sovereign Bank municipal parking lot, and at Byam School on Maple Road in South Chelmsford.
The ceremony will be held rain or shine. For more information, visit http://www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org/ribboncutting , check out the trail map, or read the Chelmsford Independent article and Boston Globe article.
UPDATE 8/28/09:
Despite the forecast of rain, the celebration of the opening of the first section of the trail will take place on Saturday, August 29 as scheduled. All of the festivities will be moved indoors to Chelmsford’s Old Town Hall which sits across Route 4 from the common. The celebration will start promptly at 10 am.
Come enjoy the cake, ice cream, free water bottles, and the camaraderie of the many who have looked forward to the beginning of the rail trail. Visit the 20 trail and community groups who will have booths inside Old Town Hall. Get your trail map so that you can enjoy the trail when it stops raining.