Director's Update, October 9, 2022
10/9/2022 • 1 year ago
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 1 year ago.
The Library will be closed on Monday, October 10, in observance of Indigenous People’s Day. In celebration of the holiday, we will be hosting a Preschool Story Time at the Main Library with special guest Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, who will be reading stories by Indigenous authors, on Tuesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. We will also be hosting a virtual reading by the author dg nanouk okpik, author of Blood Snow, on Thursday, October 13 at noon. Learn more about these events below.
The newest Creative Aging workshop series for adults 55+ will occur every Monday, starting October 17, until December 5. Learn the basics of life history interviewing and turn these into beautiful works of art to reflect the lives of our fellow community members using clay, journaling, collage and mixed media.Register for this eight-week course.
Save the dates! The Frances Addelson Shakespeare Players will present William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the Main Library Lecture Hall on November 6 from 2 to 4 p.m., on November 8 from 6 to 8 p.m., and on November 12 from 2 to 4 p.m. Learn more and register.
We are pleased to offer the following programs this week.
Outdoor Programs for Kids
This week, these programs will be offered (weather permitting) at our Boudreau, Central Square, Collins, Main, O’Connell, O’Neill, and Valente locations:
- Preschool Story Time: Recommended for children ages 3-5.
- Sing-Along: All ages are invited to sing and dance!
- Songs and Stories: All ages are invited to sing, dance, and share a story!
- Story Time: All ages are invited to join us for a half hour of stories!
Please see the events calendar for further details. Registration is not required.
Learn more about our Book Group offerings this week.
Love in Metal: Abraham Megerdichian Machined Metal Miniatures (Main)
Mondays-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Fridays-Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Join us for the first major exhibit in Cambridge of Abraham Megerdichian's metal miniatures. The artwork is on display throughout the Main Library – in the lobby, on the second floor, in the Cambridge Room, and in the Children's Room. A lifelong local machinist, Abraham worked with solid scrap metal to express his interpretations of everyday objects. Abraham’s son, Robert, has had pieces from the collection exhibited at nearly 20 places in New England and beyond. Also on display are Scott Sutherland’s professional photographs of the artwork. Learn more.
The Hive Safety Training (Virtual)
Are you interested in using The Hive? In this workshop you will learn about our makerspace, how to use our resources, and how to keep safe in The Hive. You will also create your Hive badge ID using our laser cutter. Find out what you need to get started as a maker in The Hive here.
Preschool Story Time: Featuring Stories about Indigenous People’s Day Read by Special Guest Mayor Siddiqui (Main)
We invite children and their caregivers for 20-25 minutes of stories and songs. Recommended for children ages 3-5.
This program can accommodate 45 people. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis on the day of the program. The entire party must be present to receive a ticket. This program starts promptly. Unclaimed seats will be offered to someone waiting. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please call 617-349-4038 for more information. Learn more.
In this 90-minute class, you’ll learn the basics of sewing machine operation and safety. It will cover machine setup, basic functions, threading the machine, reloading the bobbin, sewing straight stitches, and recognizing when stitch tension has gone awry. We’ll also cover some safety best practices when operating a sewing machine. As we learn together, we’ll work on a simple sewing project—a drawstring bag—which most of us will be able to complete by the end of the class. You must complete The Hive Safety Training. Learn more.
Knitting Group (Boudreau)
Bring your project and enjoy an hour in the company of other crafters. Learn more.
NOW VIRTUAL: CPL International Briefing: Nadwa Al-Dawsari on Yemen (Virtual)
Join us for a CPL International Briefing lecture on Yemen with Nadwa Al-Dawsari.
Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute. Before joining the institute, she was the Yemen Country director for the Center for Civilians in Conflict, a senior nonresident fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy, and a founding director of Partners Yemen, a local affiliate center of Partners Global. Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior program manager at the National Democratic Institute in Yemen, managing elections monitoring and tribal conflicts programs. Al-Dawsari has over 20 years of field experience in Yemen. She conducted extensive research there, providing deeper insights into the internal dynamics of the conflict in the country. Zoom links will be sent to registrants via email one hour before the event. Registration is required.
Equipment and Studio Reservations (Main)
Résumé and Job Application Support (Central Square)
Would you like assistance creating a résumé or finding a job? Drop by for help with a résumé, conducting a job search online, and completing online applications. No registration is required. Learn more.
Explore The Hive (Boudreau)
Learn about our city's first free makerspace, located right here at the Cambridge Public Library. Create a simple design to turn into a button at Boudreau and a laser-cut token in The Hive. Registration is required.
After School Stories and Crafts (Central Square)
Join us in the Children's Room for a fun craft and related stories. For more information, call 617-349-4010. Recommended for ages 5-10. Learn more.
Studio Recording 101 (Main)
Are you interested in podcasting, audio production, or video production? The Hive has two state-of-the-art recording studios! Join this workshop to become familiar with studio equipment and software. Registration is required. You must complete The Hive Safety Training before registering for this workshop.
The Life and Metal Art of Abraham Megerdichian (Main)
Join us for a curator talk on the life and metal art of Abraham Megerdichian. Abraham’s son and decades-long Cambridge resident, Robert, will “speak with” his deceased father about his hobby of machining his interpretations of everyday objects from solid scrap metal. After Abraham died in 1983, his pieces were put away, where many of them lay until 2013. Since then, Robert has had pieces from the collection exhibited at nearly 20 places in New England and beyond. This talk accompanies the first major exhibit in Cambridge of Abraham’s art and includes Scott Sutherland’s photographs of the pieces. Registration is required.
Step into The Hive's state-of-the-art recording studio and film a short video of yourself in front of our green screen. Then become familiar with our video editing software while working with your footage. You must complete The Hive Safety Training before registering for this workshop. Registration is required.
Fiber Crafts Group - Drop-In (O’Connell)
Bring your project and enjoy the company of other fiber crafters! Join this informal group to work on your craft, get inspired, pick up skills, and socialize. Knit, embroider, crochet, spin, mend, cross stitch, and more. All crafts are welcome! Learn more.
Indigenous Peoples Day: dg nanouk okpik presents Blood Snow (Virtual)
The poet dg okpik’s new book, Blood Snow (Wave Books, October 2022), tells a story of a homeland under erasure. Here, in a true Inupiaq voice, her relationship to language is a point for understanding larger kinships between animals, peoples, ancestries, and more. Okpik has won the Truman Capote Literary Award, the American Book Award, and the May Sarton Award.
Zing Laser Cutting 101 (Main)
5:30-6:30 p.m. & 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Learn how to use our Epilog Zing, an industry-standard laser cutting machine. Complete this workshop to earn a badge for the Zing laser cutter. With a badge, you can reserve the Epilog Zing to use at designated times.
Note: The Epilog Zing laser cutter and Glowforge laser cutter require separate training. You must take part in a Glowforge workshop to operate our Glowforge Pro laser cutter. You must first complete The Hive Safety Training before registering for this workshop. Registration is required.
Music on the Mezzanine: Gian Carlo Buscaglia (Main)
Join us as the musician Gian Carlo Buscaglia plays from our first-floor mezzanine!
Playing classic songs from Latin America, Buscaglia started as a troubadour in the streets of Harvard Square at the age of 19. His repertoire includes ballads, the romantic strains of pre-Revolutionary Cuba familiar from the Buena Vista Social Club, and the social justice tunes of the New Song movement. Learn more.
Financial Literacy 101: Managing a Checking Account (Central Square)
Managing one’s own money in today’s world is tricky. Learning to budget and save is a critical first step. Learning to budget effectively can help reduce stress and prove critical in helping us reach our lifetime financial goals. In this session, we explore forming a budget and comparing different ways to save money for the future.
This workshop is part of four workshops in collaboration with the Cambridge Savings Bank. By learning and applying the concepts from these interactive workshops, participants will better understand and practice managing their money wisely, begin to build savings, avoid unmanageable debt, improve their credit, and shield themselves from fraud. Participants are welcome to register for just one or all of the workshops. Registration is required.
- October 13: Managing a Checking Account
- October 20: Credit
- October 27: Fraud
Introduction to Genealogy Sources (Hybrid)
Are you thinking about researching your family tree? This class will teach you how to find genealogy resources in the library, online, and (where most of them are found) in city halls, courthouses, and other similar organizations. Registration is required.
Read with a cuddly friend! Trained therapy dogs provide warm and uncritical reading companions for new or experienced readers up to age 14. Registration for each 10-minute time slot is required and began on Friday, October 7. Call or visit the O’Neill Branch to register (617-349-4023). Learn more.
Spooktacular Scavenger Hunt at Raymond Park (Boudreau)
Join us as we search and discover nature and more at Raymond Park (106 Raymond St.). Rain date: Wednesday, October 19. Call the Boudreau Branch (617-349-4017) with any questions. Learn more.
Extended reality (XR) opens the door to worlds and experiences outside the everyday through virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality equipment. Test drive our Microsoft HoloLens augmented reality glasses, Structure Sensor 3D scanner, Merge headsets, and more. You must complete The Hive Safety Training before registering for this workshop. Registration is required.
Voices of Poetry in Cambridge (Main)