Friends of the Jones Library System News

The Jones Library's Lego Club is meeting on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 3:00pm in the Amherst Room. The word of the day will be "recycle," and the building challenge will be "to give new life to an old idea." For more information, please call the Children's Room or email Theresa Atteridge at atteridget@joneslibrary.org. Happy building!

You know that falling white stuff outside?  It's really coming down! The Jones Library and its branches will close at 4 pm today, Monday, January 28, 2013. Stay warm and safe.

(click on image to enlarge) Sunday, February 10 th , the Amherst Club’s wonderful “Love Notes 2013” takes place! This will be a most excellent afternoon, with great music, great fun, and the chance to dance and socialize. Guests will be greeted by State Senator Stan Rosenberg and State Representative Ellen Story.   Guests will be treated to a superb program, including: 1. The Chris Devine-Michael Nix Duo, a high-energy mandolin, guitar, violin, banjo presentation with roots in the Argentine Tango, Classical Neapolitan Mandolin music, American Banjo and Jazz. 2. Singer Cheryl Cobb with accompanist Dick Matteson bringing us folk songs - American, French, Ukranian, plus "Folk Song Upsettings" by P.D.Q. Bach. 3. Amherst's own terrific horn player Jean Jeffries and talented pianist Monica Jakuc Leverett performing Strauss, Mozart, and more. 4. The ARHS Hurricane Singers, an all female group directed by Anita Cooper. Please note: a $20 ticket brings...

If, by chance, World Book Night has slipped your mind during the busy start of the year, the kindly folks over at WBN have extended their deadline for volunteers. You have til this Friday to sign up to give books and happiness to the masses. Please go to  www.worldbooknight.org .

If you've got books just languishing on your shelves, the Friends would love to receive them! During the first seven days of each month, you can donate up to two bags of books, DVDs, and audios in good condition (no textbooks) at the Jones. Got MORE books? If you have larger amounts or special items, just speak directly to Linda Wentworth, Head of Collections, at 259-3090.

The first meeting will be on Feb. 21 at 7:00 at the Jones Library where Jim Wald will lead a discussion of Matti Friedman’s The Aleppo Codex. This is a walk-in, open-to-all book group.  Please join us. And the spring schedule is up!

Got some overdue books?  From this coming Tuesday through February 15th,  if you come to the Jones with nonperishable food items  for the Amherst Survival Center  (or hey, make a monetary donation!),  all will be forgiven.

HOMESTAY FAMILY WEEKEND – GREAT FUN TO SHARE WITH STUDENTS FROM SOUTH AMERICA The Institute for Training & Development once again will host the program “Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders” in January/February 2013, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.   An important component of the ITD Winter Institute is spending a weekend with a local family.  The homestay weekend is scheduled for  January 18/19 or 19/20 .  Students enjoy immensely their interaction with local families.  They particularly enjoy sharing their culture with American families and discussing the differences and similarities between the two.  Meeting their homestay family is usually one of the highlights of their time here in the US. This winter’s group will be comprised of students from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. They all speak English.  They are highly motivated individuals who have gone through ...

“Beds for Books” is a program which supports the book purchases of the Jones Library, Inc. We recruit local hosts who open their homes for Family Weekends in the fall and for Commencement in May to parents of graduating seniors from Amherst’s three institutions: the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College and Hampshire College. The hosts offer their spare bedrooms for a specific weekend and number of days of their choosing.  We match hosts with guest requests.  The host is also asked to offer a simple continental breakfast.  The guests spend their days and evenings with their graduates and are usually gone for the day early in the AM. If you enjoy meeting new people and/or helping the Library, here is your opportunity.  If you ever imagined yourselves running a B&B, you can try it on a small scale.  Our current and past hosts have always enjoyed this program and often have made new friends. If this is of interest to you or someone you know, or ...

The Jones Library has hired Lisa Slocum to serve as the library’s new receptionist!  Lisa has been working part-time at the Jones for the past 14 years so she'll be a friendly, familiar face. Lisa begins her new position today, Monday, January 14! Stop by and say hello.

The Jones Library's Lego Club will be on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Anyone and everyone may come. It's free and open to people ages 6-10! The word of the day will be "invention," and the building challenge will entail "inventing something for the New Year." "Blurbs" will be written about each creation and they will be displayed in the Library's glass case. For more information, please call the Children's Room or email Theresa Atteridge at atteridget@joneslibrary.org. Happy building!