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Director's Update, September 8, 2020


9/8/2020 • 3 years ago

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 3 years ago.

Boudreau Branch Library

Dear Patrons,

I hope that you had a wonderful and relaxing Labor Day. Reflecting on Labor Day, I want to thank our employees for taking great care to deliver materials, programs and services during this pandemic—the Library could not have gotten 40,000 quarantined books to you or hosted 60 virtual programs for 3000 participants without staff dedication and hard work! I also want to thank all of our patrons for being so understanding about our careful service rollouts to ensure patron and staff safety.

Contactless Holds Pickup Service Begins at O’Neill & Valente Branches

Starting this week, in addition to holds pickup at Main and Central Square, contactless pickup service launches at the O’Neill and Valente branches! These locations are also offering Material Returns service during the same scheduled hours.

The O’Neill Branch (70 Rindge Ave.) offers service:

  • Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Thursdays and Fridays from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Valente Branch (826 Cambridge St.) offers service:

  • Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

You do not need to make an appointment to pick up your materials at any branch location. Pickups will take place outside the branch.

New Hours for Contactless Holds Pickup Service at Main and Central Square

Also starting this week, listed below are contactless pickup service hours at the Main Library and Central Square Branch.

The Main Library (449 Broadway) is offering service by appointment or via walk-up:

  • Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  •  Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Central Square Branch (45 Pearl St.) is offering service via walk-up only:

  • Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

International Briefing Series Resumes

After a summer hiatus, our popular International Briefing series continues virtually! The State of Affairs in Hong Kong with Alex Chow will take place on Thursday, September 10 at 6 p.m. Mr. Chow will present a historical view of Hong Kong’s resistance since the British colonial period and unpack the geopolitical implication of Hong Kong’s year-long resistance. Registration is required.

Women Leading the Way in Healthcare

Join us on Monday, September 14 at 6 p.m. for Women Leading the Way in Healthcare with Rosemarie Day. Author Rosemarie Day discusses her book Marching Toward Coverage: How Women Can Lead the Fight for Universal Healthcare (Beacon Press, 2020). With 28 million Americans uninsured, and millions more who can’t afford their coverage, Day asks the fundamental question: Can we, as a nation, do better? Day believes we can and will—once women begin to engage collectively around this topic. This discussion will focus on galvanizing women to take action to make healthcare a right in the US. Registration is required.

Join us for Story Times

The next Virtual STEAM Story Time will be on Wednesday, September 9 at 11 a.m. Children and their grownups can join us for 20-25 minutes of stories and hands-on activities to explore STEAM. Please gather activity materials before the event. Registration is required.

The Library will host Virtual Family Story Time on Thursday, September 10 at 11 a.m. Registration is required.

Stay Connected

To stay connected to what’s happening at the Library, please subscribe to our email list, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and visit our website.

Best wishes,

Dr. Maria McCauley, Director of Libraries