“His best thought and life has gone into this little village library; it has been his dream by night, his work in vacations and spare moments…” - Whitney. The Descendants of John Whitney, who came from London, England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1635, by Frederick Clifton, Pierce Meet Watertown’s First Librarian In our Local History… Continue reading Meet Watertown’s First Librarian
In honor of our 150th anniversary celebration I sat down with our longest serving staff member, Pat Farrell. As a young teen, Pat used to hang out with her friends at the East Branch of the Watertown Library. She was hired to work there as a page, shelving library books, at the ripe old age… Continue reading 55 Years at the Library
As we dive into our celebration of the library’s 150th anniversary, I found myself wondering about the 100th. Here’s a time machine to take you back half a century. 1969 was, by any standard, a momentous year. Woodstock, Apollo 11, and Stonewall made headlines as burgeoning social and political movements roiled the U.S. and the… Continue reading WFPL at 100
So many amazing authors don’t get read. They are not called to do publicity tours. Their voices are not represented on best seller lists. Their books sit silently on shelves hoping for the recognition that is greatly deserved. It’s sad for the authors, and it’s sad for the readers. Many times, these authors are minorities.… Continue reading Voices That Need To Be Heard
Lindsay Faye’s novel The Paragon Hotel is a book about a lot, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. Without giving too much away, this is an atmospheric read set in the 1920’s (cue the flappers and liquid contraband). The story is told by a character who mentally refers to herself as “Nobody.”… Continue reading The Paragon Hotel: A Review
If you haven’t, you really should. She’s cute, helpful, and has a ton of free e-content, and looks a bit like the Wendy’s ™ logo. Don’t you think? Libby, Overdrive’s free app, is the easiest way to get started with digital books, audiobooks, and magazines from your public library. Libby is available for Android, iOS,… Continue reading Have you met Libby?
As Kerri announced in a post back in December, this year’s One Book, One Watertown selection is The Library Book by Susan Orlean! I’m so excited about this choice, and it got me thinking about some of my favorite children’s books about libraries and librarians. Here’s a roundup of some stellar picture books for all… Continue reading The Library Book(s)
