Players of all ages and abilities are invited to join the Chess Club! Players should be familiar with the game, though some limited instruction may be available. Monday, February 6th 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in the library auditorium. Generally, Chess nights are on the first Monday of each month. We hope to see you there!
Library Services
April 29th 2016
...is available for public review at the Central Library, 79 Highland Ave. Ask at the reference desk for help finding it.
March 25th 2016
According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans surveyed consider themselves lifelong learners. Many of them are "professional learners:" they take courses or attend trainings to enhance their job skills and career prospects. However, the vast majority are "personal learners:" they learn skills or subjects that personally interest them.
And while the Internet can be an indispensable tool for learning, a majority of personal learners say a physical space (such as a... Read Post
December 22nd 2015
Is online privacy important to you? Worried that someone will hack into your account, or worse steal all your credit card and personal information? If so, you should practice internet security. A very important, part of internet security is choosing the right password. So, how do you choose the right password?
Well first off,
1. A password should be between 8-12 characters long.
2. Does not contain a solid word (especially not your name, username or company name!)
3. Must be different from... Read Post
July 21st 2015
I recently met with a young patron of the library who was trying to learn the Ins and Outs of Microsoft Excel. He was using Windows Live to learn the program. If you know Windows Live, you also know you need internet access to use it. This particular patron didn't always have internet access. He told me that his mom didn't want to pay for Microsoft Office, so I suggested downloading Open Office onto his laptop. Sure enough, once he downloaded the program, he started practicing and using Excel... Read Post
August 8th 2014
Hoopla is here! We are delighted to offer this new service that allows Somerville patrons free access to thousands of movies, television shows, music albums, and audiobooks for mobile devices and computers.
To start using Hoopla, download the free digital mobile app on your Android or iOS device or visit hoopladigital.com. Then, begin enjoying titles from major Hollywood studios, record companies, and publishers. Titles can be borrowed for instant streaming or for temporary... Read Post
March 27th 2014
Thanks to our great new technology librarian!
We'll let you know when wifi is working again.
Stay tuned...
March 25th 2014
And our primary public printer is not working. However, the printer attached to the 15-minute express is functional and available.
We are working on these problems, and will let you know when everything is up and running.
June 7th 2013
We're so pleased to announce that we have a new museum pass available for Somerville residents - the Boston Harbor Islands!
Just a short ferry ride from Long Wharf gets you to the islands, and once you're there you'll find it hard to believe that you're so close to the City. Having personally spent many happy days on the islands, I can highly recommend them. You can picnic under the trees or explore the Civil War era fort on George's Island, relax on the beach on Lovell's or Spectacle... Read Post
March 21st 2013
Did you know that the Library subscribes to LearningExpress Job & Career Accelerator, a resource that combines everything you need for a successful job search into one easy-to-use online application? With this innovative job-hunting system, you can: Explore detailed information on over 1,000 different occupations Match your interests and skills with the career that's best for you Search over five million up-to-the-minute local and national job postings Search for internships,... Read Post
March 6th 2013
Courtesy of storycorps.org
It should come as no surprise to this city’s residents, but members of this diverse and vital community have a story to tell. And your library is going to help them tell it – thanks to a grant from the American Library Associaton and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which will enable us to launch our own version of the “StoryCorps @ your library” program.
StoryCorps is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to recording, preserving, and... Read Post
July 18th 2012
I am working at the library because, first of all, I wanted a summer job. Many of my friends decided to participate in the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program and my older sister has done it last year. Based on all that, I decided to participate as well since it looks good on a resume, is good for college, and a good introduction to the working world.
On the application, there were 5 categories of jobs and you had to rank them in order of what you would like to do most.... Read Post
June 13th 2012
Last month employment specialist Gary Gekow came to the Central Library and presented a great workshop on resume writing. This month he's coming back with two more workshops for job seekers.
Interview Workshop
Wednesday, June 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
This is an interactive and informal question and answer session where we role-play typical interview questions and how best to answer them. The workshop also includes ways to avoid job candidates’ most common interview mistakes.
Online Job... Read Post
May 31st 2012
Last night yours truly and Kristi Chase of the City's Historic Preservation department gave a presentation on genealogical and house history research. Since most people remember research processes when they're given concrete examples, we took one house in Somerville and explained how to use library resources and local government document to find out how the house had been altered over the course of its existence and to find out who lived there since it was built. So technically, the... Read Post