Director's Update, May 23, 2021
5/24/2021 • 2 years ago
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 2 years ago.
Patrons,
We are pleased to offer a variety of programs this week, including Hiking While Black: Accessibility and Culture, Ta-Nehisi Coates in Conversation with Callie Crossley, poet Hoa Nguyen, and so much more!
Collins Contactless Holds Pickup Service Begins Soon
Starting on Monday, June 7, Collins will be open for contactless holds pickup service on Mondays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Collins staff are excited to be providing holds for patrons in the backyard.
Hiking While Black: Accessibility and Culture
On Monday, May 24, at 6:30 p.m., join community member and advocate for spending time outdoors, Michelle Holmes. Michelle is a physician and epidemiologist who believes in the healing power of nature. She will be sharing her stories from the trail and how we can support in making hiking trails more welcoming and accessible to communities of color. Registration is required.
Virtual ESOL Classes
Virtual English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Introductory ESOL takes place at 11 a.m., beginner ESOL at 1 p.m., and intermediate ESOL at 3 p.m. Registration is required for each class. Please see the Library’s online events calendar for more details.
Voices for Justice: Ta-Nehisi Coates in Conversation with Callie Crossley
On Tuesday, May 25, at 7:30 p.m., join us virtually for the final event of the Voices for Justice series featuring Ta-Nehisi Coates in conversation with Callie Crossley of WGBH Boston's Under the Radar. Coates is an author, journalist, screenwriter, executive producer and professor. He is the author of the bestselling books The Beautiful Struggle, We Were Eight Years in Power, The Water Dancer, and Between the World and Me, which won the National Book Award in 2015. This event is generously funded by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation. Registration is required.
While they last, free copies of The Water Dancer are being given away at contactless holds pickup locations to help raise interest and awareness.
Virtual Baby Lapsit
Children and their caregivers are invited to enjoy time together with other parents, caregivers, and babies to learn, play, and develop language and motor skills. Wednesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. is the final event of this 6-week series. Registration is required.
Library at Home: LinkedIn Learning
Join us for a Zoom demonstration of LinkedIn Learning on Wednesday, May 26, at 3 p.m. Formerly known as Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is an online educational site that features thousands of courses and video tutorials in business, software, technology, and creative skills, taught by industry experts. This resource is free to all Cambridge residents with a library card. Registration is required.
Social Justice at the Cambridge Public Library (Tween/Teen Hangout)
On Wednesday, May 26, at 4 p.m., come chat and brainstorm with Cambridge teen librarians and teen leaders from the Waltham Public Library’s Real Talk program about ways the Library can support social justice activism in the community. Registration is required.
Hoa Nguyen presents A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure
Join poet Hoa Nguyen virtually on Wednesday, May 26, at 6 p.m. A Thousand Times You Lose Your Treasure (Wave Books, 2021) is a poetic meditation on historical, personal, and cultural pressures pre- and post- “Fall-of-Saigon” with verse biography on the poet's mother, Diệp Anh Nguyễn, a stunt motorcyclist in an all-women Vietnamese circus troupe. Multilayered, plaintive, and provocative, these poems are alive with archive and inhabit histories. Registration is required.
Wellness for Seniors: Let Your Yoga Dance®
Wellness for Seniors: Let Your Yoga Dance® is a virtual class on Thursday, May 27, at 11 a.m. Breathe, stretch and dance your way to a blissful body, joyous heart and a steady, quiet mind! Open to all levels and abilities. Registration is required.
Join us for Story Time
We invite children and their grownups to join us from home for 20-25 minutes of engaging stories. STEAM Story Times include hands-on activities to explore science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. Plan to sing along and move around!
We are happy to offer these Story Time programs this week:
Registration is required for each event.
COVID-19 Vaccine Information in Spanish/COVID-19 Información sobre vacunas para la comunidad hispanohablante de Cambridge
This program will be offered on Thursday, May 27, at 6 p.m. Este programa se ofrecerá el miércoles, mayo 27, a 6:00 p.m. Registration is required/es necesario registrarse.
Family Build Night: Straw Structures
Investigate modeling a 3D structure out of 2D shapes on Thursday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m. Caregivers are encouraged to engage in hands-on making activity with their children. Materials will be available for pick-up at various Library locations, while supplies last. You must register to participate. See pick-up details and/or register to attend.
Voices of Youth Activists
On Thursday, May 27, at 6 p.m., join five Cambridge teens as they discuss their inspiring social justice activism work with the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) Black Student Union, the Student Prison Abolition Coalition, the Cambridge Youth Council and CRLS Project 10 East. The panel will be moderated by Ivanna Solano, co-founder of Love Your Magic. Registration is required.
Virtual Sing-Along
Children and their grownups, please join us from home on Friday, May 28, at 11 a.m., for 20-25 minutes of wiggling, dancing, and Sing-Along favorites! Caregivers are asked to participate with their children. Plan to sing and move around! Registration is required.
Stay Connected
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Best wishes,
Maria McCauley, Ph.D.
Director of Libraries