Swampscott Public Library News, Events and Programs
New Movies
“Citizenfour” – The acclaimed documentary on Edward Snowden.
“Danny Collins” – Al Pacino and music.
“Chappie” – A sci-fi allegory by the director of the brilliant District 9 and Elysium.
“Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 – The title says it all.
“Clouds of Sils Maria” – Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche as fellow actors. Four stars from eveyone.
“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” – The second installment with the addition of Richard Gere.
“Woman in Gold” – Helen Mirren as a woman working to get her Jewish family’s art back.
“Insurgent” - Part 2 of the Divergent Series.
“Far from the Madding Crowd” – We have both the new Cary Mulligan version and the BBC Julie Christie version. Pick your heroine.
New TV Series
“Deadwood” – The classic HBO series starring Timothy Oliphant pre-Justified, and Ian McShane, in the Very, Very Wild West after the Gold Rush.
“The Crimson Field”– BBC series on the nurses of World War 1.
“How to Get Away With Murder” – Starring Viola Davis as a law professor who gets involved with a sordid homicide.
“Orphan Black” – Season 3 here now.
“Last Tango in Halifax” – Season 3, with Derek Jacobi.
“Parks and Recreation” – All seasons.
“The Last Ship” – End of civilization, except for one Navy ship. Season 1.
Check ‘em out!
Film Forum
In the tradition of the best of art house cinema, the Swampscott Library is offering Film Forum, a program where we will screen a film and then have a discussion, much like a “visual” book club. We will meet the fourth Thursday of every month. Come join us at 6 p.m., for a screening, with a lively discussion after the movie (snacks provided). We will see interesting, challenging movies that are slightly off the beaten path — but well worth watching and discussing. Sign up at the library or by emailing zeman@noblenet.org.
6 p.m. Oct. 22: The Film Forum will meet upstairs and will be watching Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal.” Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it stars Max Von Sydow as a Knight on his way home from the Crusades. He meets Death, and makes a deal that he can stay alive as long as he is winning the chess game they play. An iconic film, and funnier and sweeter than you remember. 1957. 96 min.
Please sign up and provide us with your email so that we can send out announcements and reminders. See you at the movies!
Food for Thought book club
If you love to read and cook and eat, then this is the book club for you. Our reading materials will be cookbooks and discussion will revolve around great food and fun recipes. Every month we will select a different cookbook to focus on, some by local authors. We will have volunteers prepare something from the cookbook. At the meeting we will sample some of the recipes from the cookbook and discuss our favorite recipes. Topics range from stories behind the preparation to working with certain ingredients, along with personal reflections. Sometimes members are encouraged to add any history or trivia they learned from the book and even share good drink pairings. Over the course of the year we will have guest speakers come to discuss their books or their expertise in the kitchen.
STEWS, SOUPS AND FRESH FOOD: 7 p.m. Oct. 26. Our guest speaker will be Julie Pottier-Brown, Operations Manager for the local Farm Direct Coop. Julie came to the Coop 15 years ago as a member, fell in love with all the workings and the mission of the coop and joined as a manager shortly thereafter. She will discuss the planning of crops at the coop depot each week and the value of fresh fruit and vegetables for our health.
“WE ARE MARKET BASKET”: 7 p.m. Oct. 5. Come and hear Grant Welker, the author of “We Are Market Basket.” Imagine a company that was so treasured and trusted that people literally took to the streets — by the thousands — to save it?
That company is Market Basket, a popular New England supermarket chain. With its arresting firsthand accounts from the streets and executive suites, “We Are Market Basket” is as inspiring as it is instructive. Set against a backdrop of bad blood and corporate greed, “We Are Market Basket” is, above all, a page-turner that chronicles the epic rise, fall and redemption of this iconic and uniquely American company.
The authors are Daniel Korschun, an associate professor of marketing at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business and our speaker Grant Welker, a reporter from the Lowell Sun who covered the Market Basket story from the start. Registration begins September 28th at 781-596-8867.
SCHOOL DAZE: NAVIGATING THE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXPERIENCE: 6:30 p.m. Oct. 8. High school students and parents are invited to a program to learn about applying to colleges.
Julie Mazzola from Swampscott High School Guidance Department will give an overview of the process and explain the role of the Guidance Department. Joanna Ganci, Swampscott High School English Department chair, will give advice on writing essays and getting teacher recommendations. Colleen B. Woods, Associate Director of Financial Aid at Emerson College, will explain what you need to know about financial aid. Sherry Brass, director of Pre-College Programs at Kaplan Test Prep, will cover standardized testing, including the new changes to the PSAT and SAT.
STAR PARTY: 7 p.m. Oct. 20. The North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club will host a Star Party at the library. The star party consists of a short presentation on astronomy inside the building. Then, the main event — weather permitting, the club’s volunteers will take the audience outside to look through their telescopes. Targets include the moon, double stars, clusters and galaxies. If there is inclement weather, the club will still host the indoor presentation. This program is open to all ages but targeted for fourth graders through adults.
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING ENGLISH: Experienced speakers- 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays. Beginning speakers- 11 a.m. to noon Tuesday. The Practically Speaking English group meets on Tuesday mornings. All non-native speakers are welcome to attend & practice their verbal English skills. No registration necessary — just stop in.
Fall & holiday hours
The Swampscott Public Library is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
MAIN ROOM HOURS: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 1-8:30 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
CHILDREN’S ROOM HOURS: 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday; 1-6 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m Saturday.
n The Swampscott Public Library will be closed Oct. 12 for Columbus Day.
COMPUTER CLUB: THE TECHNOLOGY TRAVELERS: 10-11 a.m. Thursdays. This class gives you a general overview of all of the new technology. Come in and learn with others who want to become computer literate or to share your knowledge of the digital world. New members welcome and they must be comfortable using the mouse. No preregistration required. Just knock on the front door of the library.
BRUNCH BUNCH BOOK GROUP: Noon on the fourth Monday of each month. The group will discuss “Fun Home” by Alison Bechde on Sept. 28 and “Girl at War” by Sara Novic Oct. 26. Moms can have light lunch while they discuss the book and children can have lunch and play. You do need to register for this group so that we can order the books and the food. To register, call Alyce or Izzi at 781-596-8867.
DINNER DETECTIVES: 6 p.m. first Tuesday of each month. Rivers, lakes and streams and mystery on Sept. 1 and humor and mystery Oct. 6. New members are always welcome. You bring your dinner and we supply the dessert and coffee.
HISTORY BUFFS: 10 a.m. first Friday of every month. Starting their 20th year, Lou Gallo and his town historians will be meeting monthly. Anyone interested in local history is welcome.
SWAMPSCOTT LIBRARY BOOK GROUP: 7 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month.“What She Left Behind” by Ellen Marie Wiseman Sept. 29. “Florence Gordon” by Brian Morton Oct. 27.
AFTERNOON TEA AND BOOKS: 1 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month. Interested in a day time book club at the library?
“Florence Gordon” by Brian Morton: Sept. 15
“Inside the O’Briens” by Lisa Genova: Oct. 20
KNITTING CLUB: 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesdays. Join the Needlers, a knitting group at the Swampscott Public Library. Whether you have a project that you are working on, want to knit for a local charity or you want to learn how to knit, please join our group.
NEW DROP-IN KNITTING GROUP: 1 p.m. Thursdays. The Needlers have started a drop-in knitting group welcome to anyone who wants to stop by and knit or crochet.
WRITING GROUP: 7 p.m. Thursdays. Join other writers and share your work. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice writer, a writer with a work in progress or with a completed project. Newcomers always welcome.
Website reboot
The library website will soon have a fresh new look thanks to a grant from the MBLC. The redesigned website will have a clean new look, new features, and a responsive design for easier use on mobile devices. Patrons will now be able to register for library programs online and use a new app to print from their laptops to library printers while they are in the library. We are also adding a zoom feature which allows patrons to enlarge the type size for easier viewing.
Other popular features include online museum pass reservations, free Overdrive e-books and audiobooks, Wowbrary lists of our newest purchases and free access to web resources such as Consumer Reports, Morningstar Investment Research, Mango Languages and TumbleBooks for kids.
Patrons can also log into their library accounts to look up titles, renew books and place holds. The new site should be up and running in early September and will have the same address as our current site: swampscottlibrary.org.
Financial assistance for this special project is made possible with Federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Making donations to the library
Friends of the Swampscott Public Library is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that accepts donations. It is dedicated to support the library by purchasing museum passes, providing a bi-monthly newsletter and funding adult and children’s programming. The Friends also support other various needs of the library.
Swampscott Public Library investment Trust: Trustees of the Swampscott Library established this 501c3 to fund major capital improvements to the library. Donations can be made by contacting the library director.
General Monetary Gifts
With approval, the library can accept restricted and non-restricted monetary donations.
Amazon Smile: If you purchase items through Amazon.com you can support the library by going to smile.amazon.com and selecting Swampscott Public Library as the entity you want to support. Once that is done, every time you purchase through smile.amazon.com, the library benefits.
Teen area programs for 5-12 grade
THE SECRET LIVES OF SUPERHEROES: 7 p.m. Oct. 21. Grades 5-12. Celebrate Teen Read Week at the Swampscott Public Library by creating your own comic. In this cartoon and comic-style illustration workshop, participants will join illustrator Eric Fulford as they learn some of the drawing techniques of the pros. After designing some outstanding original characters, we will backtrack a bit to learn more about who those characters are. Once we understand who our characters are, their stories become that much easier to write. Space is limited. Call 781-596-8867 to register beginning Oct. 7.
TEEN READ WEEK TREATS: Celebrate Teen Read Week, a national event sponsored by the American Library Association, at Swampscott Library.
Clear your library fines: Library fines got you down? Pick up a coupon in the Teen Area and your Swampscott Library fines will be erased.
Return of the treasure chest: Free goodies will be available in the Teen Area starting Oct. 19. Come by and pick up some free books, pens and other treasure!
Friends of the Library news
We hope you’ll take time, especially you snowbirds, to support the Friends with your annual donation. Please pick up a membership envelope on your next visit. Thank you for your support.
Volunteers needed
Would you like to help with the Book Sale for an hour or two? Please sign up at the reference desk or by emailing mptflynn@gmail.com.
Children’s News
HALLOWEEN PROGRAM: 3 p.m. Oct. 27. Ages 5 and up. Join us for a slightly spooky Halloween party. Come in costume and hear some “scary” stories, make a Halloween craft and enjoy some treats. No registration is needed.
LEARNING TO GROW THROUGH STORY AND SONG: 10 a.m. Mondays. 2-4 years. 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. 1-3 years. These story time programs will consist of stories, songs, finger plays and action rhymes designed to encourage early literacy. Librarians will present 20 to 30 minutes of stories and songs. We will incorporate parachute play, bubbles, musical instruments and more. After the program the children are encouraged to play and socialize.
All children attending this program must be accompanied by a parent or other adult who will sit with them and participate in the activities. No registration is required.
These programs will begin on Sept. 28 and continue through Dec. 16. If there is no school in the Swampscott Public Schools then there is no story time that day.
TUESDAY CRAFTS AND STORY: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Ages 2-4. This program will consist of one or two stories and a craft activity. All children attending this program must be accompanied by a parent or other adult who will sit with them and participate in the activities. No registration is needed. If there is no school in the Swampscott Public Schools then there is no program that day.
September is library card sign-up month
We would like every child entering Kindergarten or First Grade to have a library card. Help your child start the school year right! Remember, your library card is “The most important school supply of all!”
TIME FOR TOTS: 1:30 p.m. third Thursday of the month. Starting on Thursday, Oct. 15 and continuing for the rest of the year, we will have a special interactive story time designed for children up to 18 months and their families and caregivers to enhance emergent literacy skills and instill a lifelong love of reading and learning. This program is limited in size so registration is required. Please call the Children’s Room at 781-596-8867 beginning Oct. 8.
The program is sponsored by the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement Grant in collaboration with Francine Sudak, teacher with the Lynn Public Schools and the Swampscott Public Library.