All posts by Brian Herzog
Education Resources at the Library
We’ve made some changed to the education-related resources at the library:
- New Section for EDU Books
To make college directories and test study guides easier to find, we pulled them out of the normal non-fiction shelves and places them in a special section. These new shelves are located by the Teen Services Desk on the lower level, and are marked in the catalog by the call numbers EDU.Also on these shelves you will find financial aid information, FAFSA forms and worksheets, and college catalogs.
- New database: Testing & Education Reference Center
This database replaces the Learning Express Library, and offers high school, college information, tools, practice tests and study guides, as well as application builders, and profiles of colleges.This database is also create for career and employment research. It has many practice test for career and proficiency exams, an online resume builder, a career research library, self-assessment test, and much more.
The Testing & Education Reference Center, can be used from home or in the library – to get started, visit https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/reference/databases_alpha.html#TERC
For help with these education resources, please contact the Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211.
Library Earns GCI Seal of Approval
The Chelmsford Library was recently awarded the Greener Chelmsford Initiative Seal of Approval!
At a ceremony last Saturday at The Java Room (who also earned the GCI Seal of Approval), members of the Board of Selectmen presented Kathy Cryan-Hicks, Library Assistant Director of Community Relations & Programs, with the Seal of Approval.
In addition to library-wide efforts to conserve paper, electricity and cut down on overall waste, there have also been a number of environmental- and conservation-oriented programming at the library. These programs have been part of the Clean & Green series, which focuses on how people can reduce their carbon footprint. Speakers have cover topics such as recycling, solar power for homes, green investing, composting, and more.
These efforts are also contributing to the Chelmsford Library being considered to become the town’s first public building outfitted with solar energy panels (as reported recently in the Chelmsford Independent).
For more information, please visit the Greener Chelmsford Initiative webpage or the Clean & Green program webpage.
Check Out Our Museum Passes
The Chelmsford Library has discount passes to 16 different area museums, parks, zoos and other attractions. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend or this summer, these passes offer a great way to explore the area economically.
All of the passes available through the Library are paid for by the Friends of the Chelmsford Library group. As such, they are available to all Chelmsford residents and any member of the Friends, regardless of residency. If you don’t live in Chelmsford but would like to use our passes, you can join the Friends group to get access.
To view or reserve a pass, first click on the Museum Passes link from our homepage. From there, available passes are viewable By Date or By Museum, and you drill down to the right pass on the right day just by clicking.
To request a pass, click the green “Request Pass” button and log in your your library card number and your PIN (usually, the last four digits of your telephone number). When requesting, you can choose to be receive a reminder email 24 or 48 hours before your reservation. Make sure you see the reservation confirmation screen before ending the process.
Reserved passes can be picked up in person at the Circulation Desk the day before or the day of the reservation, using the library card they were reserved under.
For questions about making or canceling a reservation, or about the museums themselves, please contact the Reference Desk.
Share Your Story!
Everyone has a story to tell – what’s yours?
From May 20th to June 17th, the MacKay Branch will be a drop-off point for The Story Box Project. This is a global story sharing project – stories that are dropped off by Chelmsford residents will be collected in a Story Box that will be shared with other New England communities, and they’ll share their stories with us.
Before the story box is sent on, we will hold a Story Box Celebration on Wednesday June 17th at 6:30 p.m. where we’ll share many of the stories we collected. Our Stories will then be packaged up and the Story Box will be sent off to another library in the region where they will collect stories and send it on to somewhere else.
The Story Box should make it’s way back to Chelmsford in early 2010 packed full of stories from all over New England.
Story submissions begin on May 20th. You can drop it off in person at the MacKay Library, submit them through our online drop box, or mail them to MacKay Library, Story Box Project, 43 Newfield St, N.Chelmsford, 01863.
The Story Box Project was founded by Kevin Cordi, an Academic Storyteller at Ohio State University. For more information, check out the MacKay Programs webpage, or contact Bonnie Rankin at the MacKay Branch at brankin@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x214.
10 Years of Genealogy
The month of May is the Tenth Anniversary of the Chelmsford Genealogy Club, and they are celebrating with some great programs:
Mary Lee Dunn, author of Ballykilcline Rising: From Famine Ireland to Immigrant America
Sat May 2nd at 1:30 p.m. – POSTPONED – Check the website for a new time.Marcia Melnyck’s presentation, “Investigating the Dash (1842-1929): Following an Ancestor from Cradle to Grave”
Tues. May 5th at 7 p.m.
Creating a timeline of an individual’s life can produce many surprises. Take a new look at those elusive ancestors and fill in the blanks of their lives – who knows what you’ll discover!!Dick Eastman, editor of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
Tues. June 2nd at 7 p.m.
This weekly newsletter has grown into a daily publication that is read by more than 40,000 genealogists all over the world, and the website has grown to also include discussion forum, a genealogy encyclopedia, and two online genealogy bookstores.
The Chelmsford Genealogy Club meets monthly at the Chelmsford Library on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. This is an informal genealogy group for sharing of information and ideas serving Chelmsford and surrounding towns. The group is open to everyone, and anyone interested in researching their family history is encouraged to attend.
For more information on the Chelmsford Genealogy Club contact Judy Sylvia at jjsylvia582@aol.com or Bob at robert.pacitti@analog.com, or sign up for the email newsletter, to be notified of meeting times, special events, and other genealogy news.
New MacKay Branch Phone Number
The Library had a new phone system installed last month, and the transition has been a smooth one. The new system gave us additional features that help us serve patrons better, and we’re still exploring the system to see what else it can do.
One of the features is that now both the Main Library and the MacKay Branch are connected on the same phone system. Calls can be transferred between the two branches more easily, and we also now share the same voice mail and paging system.
It also means there is no longer a need to have a separate phone number for the MacKay Branch. Starting May 1st, 2009, MacKay’s old phone numbers will no longer work. Instead, patrons should call the regular library number, 978-256-5521, and then press 6 to reach the MacKay Branch.
New History Book Group
There is a new History Book Group starting on at the library on Thursday, April 30th.
Do you have an interest in history? Library volunteer Bob Hanlon will be leading a new book group on the last Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the conference room. This group is for people with an interest in history – local, U.S. and world history.
The titles will be determined by the participants in the group. Attend the first program April 30th and help choose future titles. For this first meeting Bob suggests reading
The Old Middlesex Canal, by Mary Stetson Clarke.
For more information on the new book group, visit their webpage or contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109.
For information on all of the book groups at the Chelmsford Library, visit our book groups webpage.
A Call to Artists
The Chelmsford Library, the Chelmsford Cultural Council and The Art Room of Chelmsford is sponsoring a juried art exhibition.
As a part of this year’s One Book Chelmsford, the artwork should be inspired by Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea. The exhibit will be on display in the Chelmsford Library during the month of May. The prizes will be gift certificates to the Art Room in Chelmsford:
- Adult category: First place $75; Second place $40
- Youth category: First place $60; Second place $25
Artwork must be submitted by April 20th, 2009. Check the One Book Art page for more guidelines, important dates, and an entry form.
For additional information, or if you have questions, please contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109.
Town Election: April 7, 2009
The Chelmsford Town Election is on Tuesday, April 7th, 2009.
The Town of Chelmsford’s Voter Information webpage has the information Chelmsford residents need to know before vote on Tuesday:
In addition, the Chelmsford Independent published an introduction to all of the Town Meeting Representative Candidates. These were written by the candidates, to introduce themselves and explain their positions.
Be sure to review the candidates and positions before casting your vote on Tuesday. For additional voter information, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 978-250-5205.
Chelmsford Volunteer Fair
Are you looking for interesting volunteer work?
Do you represent an organization that needs volunteers?
The 2009 Chelmsford Volunteer Fair will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2009, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the Chelmsford Senior Center, 75 Groton Road, North Chelmsford (map).
Any teens or adults looking to volunteer in the community are encouraged to attend to connect with local organizations and agencies that need help. Organizations who would like to have a display table should contact the Library’s Community Services Department (kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521, ext. 109), or submit a registration form [pdf].
ChelmsfordVolunteers.org
For more information on volunteer opportunities and organizations, check out ChelmsfordVolunteers.org – it offers a calendar of events, a searchable database of organizations, and links to other online volunteering resources.