The West Branch of SPL opened to the public on May 27, 1909. It was one of 2,509 libraries built in the U.S. with funds from Andrew Carnegie - the Central Library and East Branch were also built with Carnegie funds. The image here shows the adult reading room in the early 20th century, now home to mysteries and audiovisual materials. Wait, is that a ghost in the picture? See if you can find the double-exposure "ghosts" in the frame. More images (and more ghosts!) of the West Branch in its... Read Post
Library Blog
July 18th 2018
Dilboy is a familiar name our city: Dilboy Field in West Somerville, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 529 – Dilboy Post - on Summer Street; the statue of Dilboy by City Hall. He was killed in action on July 18, 1918, near Chateau Thierry, France, and awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery posthumously. In May of this year, he was honored along with other World War I veterans at the Chateau-Thierry American Monument in France, where the American Battle Monuments Commission launched an... Read Post
July 6th 2018
Somerville youth under the age of 19 can enjoy free breakfasts and lunches Monday through Friday from now until August 18th. The meals are prepared by Somerville's award-winning Food and Nutrition Services Department and are brought to you courtesy of the Somerville Public Schools and the Somerville Recreation Department. Look for the Food and Nutrition truck to get your free nutritious meal! A schedule of times and places the trucks will stop can be found here.
More information... Read Post
June 28th 2018
Well, if you would like to read a magazine in Spanish, we have a few to recommend! All magazines, including the most current issues are free to check out with your Minuteman Library card.
National Geographic en Español -- inspiraiόn para cuidar el planeta. A stunning array of photographic images from every corner of the planet with in-depth, well-researched articles. Become an adventurer with diverse writings on culture, people, natural marvels, the animal world, science and... Read Post
June 21st 2018
Today we know the Somerville High School Radiator as the annual yearbook, but in the 19th and for part of the 20th century it was a monthly student literary and news magazine, often with striking cover art and design. The group of covers we're featuring for today's Throwback Thursday were created by Bill Hanley, who graduated from SHS in 1945. His later work appeared on the covers of the Boston Globe Magazine and other magazines, book jackets, and commercial advertising. He was the art... Read Post
June 14th 2018
All the action in James Joyce's Ulysses, arguably one of the greatest novels ever, takes place on June 16, 1904, a date now known as Bloomsday, after the novel's main character, Leopold Bloom. And now every June 16 around the world, fans of Joyce's encyclopedic, beautiful, baffling book gather to celebrate the author and his work. This Saturday is the 23rd annual Worcester Ramble: from 8 am to 9 pm, participants walk through Worcester to sites reminiscent of places in Ulysses and read... Read Post
June 5th 2018
Can’t find a book in the Minuteman system? Well, maybe you should try searching the Commonwealth Catalog, a.k.a. Comcat. Using Comcat you can look for books, CDs, DVD’s and audiobooks in other library systems throughout all of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
This expands your search to library systems in Western Massachusetts, The North Shore, South Shore, Cape Cod, Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
As part of the Minuteman Network we get certain... Read Post
May 25th 2018
We at the library recently created a Flickr page for sharing photos and images from our local history collection. So far, we've scanned and uploaded photos of Somerville kids dating back to the 1920s; the city's centennial celebration in 1972; Davis Square landmarks from the 1960s, before the Red Line; Somerville High School, and advertising from 19th- and 20th century Somerville businesses, like the Metropolitan Ice Company card featured with this post. We'll be adding more images regularly... Read Post
May 25th 2018
Let it go back to the anthill.
If it brushes inattentively against your fingers
climbs them
and daydreams
in the furrows of your hand,
don’t chase it away or squash it.
Let it go back, as best it can, to the anthill.
Guide it to where it belongs.
Surely the others, those smart-asses, will make fun
of its new habits,
of its stubborn disorientation.
Let it go back, if it can, to the anthill,
even though... Read Post
May 16th 2018
The Muslim holiday of Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, introspection, and prayer, begins this year on May 15 at sundown. During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam; the other four are profession of faith, daily prayers, charity, and pilgrimage to Mecca.
The end of Ramadan is celebrated with a three-day festival known as Eid al-Fitr, one of Islam’s major holidays.
Here are a few book... Read Post
May 10th 2018
In February I posted about the ways we can identify fake Amazon reviews, particularly the tool Fakespot.com. Earlier this week Buzzfeed published an article about the business of fake Amazon reviews, which includes these staggering statistics: 87% of Amazon shoppers surveyed said a positive Amazon review was critical in their decision to purchase a product, but fewer than 10% of Amazon customers write reviews of items they've bought. However, getting positive reviews is essential to... Read Post
May 7th 2018
Ready to trade in your job for life as an entrepreneur? Need market analysis, access to real estate transactions, or business and advertising information? We have some terrific free resources for you here at the Somerville Public Library! Come and check out our business related magazines and newspapers like some of these:
Banker & Tradesman -- a weekly banking, commercial, industrial, and real estate newspaper for Massachusetts. It is a valued advertising vehicle, providing a... Read Post
May 2nd 2018
"Fake news" is a phrase we've been hearing a lot over the past year. The barrage of half-truths and outright lies seems endless. At times it seems we live in a fog of rumors and fabrications. A conversation with a casual acquaintance can open a window into a world of alternative facts (A national fast-food chain serves burgers made of human flesh! There's an ebola outbreak in your hometown! A Muslim mayor has outlawed Christmas!).
Fortunately we've got an increasing number of tools... Read Post
April 24th 2018
Mystery lovers: have you read any of Robert Galbraith's novels yet? They're so good!
Galbraith (a pseudonym for J. K. Rowling...now where have I heard that name before...?) writes a series featuring private investigator Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin Ellacott. Of the three that have been published so far - The Cuckoo's Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil - each is better than the last. A fourth book, Lethal White, is expected to be published this year, and Rowling has... Read Post
April 23rd 2018
April 23 is the date traditionally observed as the birthday of William Shakespeare, an occasion celebrated wherever English is spoken with performances, readings, parades and other events. In Oxford today there was a parade and performances by school children. At Vanderbilt University in Tennessee there are jugglers, troubadors, puppet shows and performances of favorite scenes from the plays. Pittsburgh has declared April 22-28 "The Week of Will," with events ranging from plays in parks to... Read Post