2015
June 10th 2015
When you're in a cafe, hotel, library (or any other place besides home or work) access to a public wireless network is really convenient, but you need to take some basic precautions. This video from CNET shows you how to make sure you're using a secure connection and how to protect your laptop/tablet/smartphone:
June 6th 2015
Our next book for Somerville Reads, our annual community one town/one book series of events, is the critically acclaimed best-seller The Martian, the story of an astronaut stranded on Mars and his struggle for survival. The Wall Street Journal called it "The best pure sci-fi novel in years." Kirkus Reviews praised it for being "sharp, funny and thrilling." A film adaptation directed by Ridley Scott (the genius behind one of the best sci-fi films of all time) will be in theaters in November.... Read Post
June 3rd 2015
Today is the last day of work at SPL for Eileen F., who starts a full-time reference job at the Thomas Crane Library in Quincy next Monday. During her time at SPL Eileen shelved, worked circulation, helped write press releases, contributed to the blog, and volunteered with StoryCorps. At left is a photo of Eileen with one of her parting gifts of gourmet chocolate. Good luck, Eileen! You will be missed.
March 26th 2015
On November 18, 1985, people across the country opened their newspapers (this was back when most people read newspapers) and met a sandy-haired six-year old named Calvin and his stuffed (but sentient) tiger Hobbes. Calvin was every babysitter's nightmare, the bane of his teachers, Dennis the Menace on speed (but with a much better vocabulary and a more interesting mind). He was a source of nonstop stress for his parents and a constant torment to his neighbor Susie. Of course... Read Post
February 19th 2015
Snow. Snow. And yet more snow. And we're all tired of it. And record-breaking low temperatures tonight. It's all too easy to let the weather get you down. But if it's too cold to go out, go in: into a book. Reading is a great way to forget whatever is troubling you, whatever you're tired of, whatever you wish would go away. So I and a couple of my colleagues at another library put together a list of titles we hope you'll enjoy.
One of the great fictional detectives of our day is Walter... Read Post
January 30th 2015
Reading the published diary of someone who died early can be a poignant experience. You can only speculate on what they might have become had they lived. Sometimes all you can think is, "The world lost this person too soon."
Petr Ginz (1928-1944) was a child of extraordinary energy and gifts: between the ages of 8 and 14 he wrote five novels. He was also an accomplished painter (for a child) and a fluent speaker of Esperanto with an insatiable curiosity about science. Given his... Read Post
January 10th 2015
A small art installation by the Somerville Arts Council's 2014 Multi-disciplinary Artist Fellow Kris Hatch has found a permanent home in two of the Somerville Libraries. Stationed appropriately between the Mystery and Reference sections at the West Branch, 'The Book of Knowledge' is a Victorian curio cabinet that invites the viewer to become a part of the mystery. A second "cabinet" can be found near the Mythology section of the Central Library. This project is supported in part by the... Read Post