Library Blog

August 15th 2010

This is a Black Sparrow Press edition of Women, by Charles Bukowski, published in 1996, two years after his death.

I reckon the library kept this copy fed and clothed for approximately ten years, where it sat on a shelf just long enough to recover from the hangover of the previous borrower before being dragged off again. The taped spine and brittle, battered cover age the book like baby oil and too many summer days spent at Revere Beach, so it looks as if it should be... Read Post

May 21st 2010
Did you know that the Somerville Public Library runs on less than 1% of the City's total budget? Annually, the Library spends less than the cost of one hard cover book per resident to make the entire Massachusetts public library system (370 libraries, networks, and regions) available to everyone in Somerville. These resources include books, movies and music, magazines and newspapers, free Internet access, online databases, friendly assistance from skilled, professional librarians, and much... Read Post
March 14th 2009
piggy bank with leather belt tightened around middle

The Boston Globe recently selected Wrentham resident Joanna McFarlane as their Most Frugal New Englander (she won the contest they sponsored) and have published 14 of her money-saving tips.  Tips #1 and #2 are library-specific:

Find free kids' events: Rather than paying for entertainment, see whether your local library hosts free children's storytime or playtime.  McFarlane takes her children, Isabella, 2, and Catherine, 6 months old, to their library's weekly free half-hour children'... Read Post
July 30th 2008
Cover of book "Introducing Somerville: a Brief History"

Enter Somerville, a city packed with stories larger than itself, to salute a heritage that justifies the fierce pride of its citizens. Share a perch on one of Somerville's celebrated hills with Dee Morris and Dora St. Martin and watch the raising of America's first flag and the stringing of its first telephone line. Strolling from neighborhood to neighborhood, this brief history knocks on the doors of everyone from the father of Fenway Park to Missy LeHand, Franklin D. Roosevelt's private... Read Post

June 24th 2008
side by side comparison of two statues, Clarence and Damoxenus

Here at the Central Library’s reference desk we have a companion – a statue of a Greek boxer who, in accordance with long-standing Library tradition, we call Clarence. Clarence is actually Damoxenus, and he has an interesting history.

“Damoxenus. A boxer of Syracuse, excluded from the Nemean Games for killing his opponent in a pugilistic encounter. The name of the latter was Creugas; and the two... Read Post

May 1st 2008

Welcome to the Somerville Public Library Blog! The Library staff hopes to keep you informed, entertained, and in touch with what is happening at the Library. Visit our blog to find out about special Library events, news about Somerville, new books and databases, helpful websites, and book recommendations. 

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