Friends of the Jones Library System News

Thursday, June 5, 2014 5 – 8 p.m. Burnett Gallery of the Jones Library Artists Carol Aubrey, Priscilla Ryan and Marianne Katz are good friends who share a passion for painting.  The three are long standing students of Debra Dunphy at her Holyoke studio.  Carol is a water colorist while Priscilla and Marianne work mainly in oils.  Their subject matter varies from still life to landscapes.  They feel that their exhibit at the Burnett Gallery is a wonderful opportunity to share their work with the public and they are very grateful.

Shop downtown at The Blue Marble on Tuesday June 10th and  15% of everything will be donated to the Friends!

Teenagers aren't reading for pleasure anymore.  Is it because of digital media?  Too much homework? Swamped with sports?  WWaLD?  (What Would a Librarian Do?) Check out what NPR's found ...

William Lyon Phelps speech on The Pleasure of Books 1933 The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind; and we enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed. A borrowed book is like a guest in the house; it must be treated with punctiliousness, with a certain considerate formality. You must see that it sustains no damage; it must not suffer while under your roof. You cannot leave it carelessly, you cannot mark it, you cannot turn down the pages, you cannot use it familiarly. And then, some day, although this is seldom done, you really ought to return it.  But your own books belong to you; you treat them with that affectionate intimacy that annihilates formality. Books are for use, not for show; you should own no book that you are afraid to mark up, or afraid to place on the table, wide open and face down. A good reason for marking favorite passages in books is that this practice enables you to remember more easily t...

A law recently passed in southern Italy enables prisoners to get out of jail three days earlier for every book they read, capping the number of days they can slice from their sentence at 48. This is similar to Brazil's Redemption Through Reading law passed a couple years ago. Conversely, in March, Great Britain a law to prevent prisoners from receiving packages containing books from home. Food for thought.

Guess which city hosts the world's biggest book fair.  London?  New York? San Francisco?   Guess again...

... maybe this is what patrons really need at  the Jones.  Or the Munson.  Or the North Amherst library. Just a thought...

We've got totes, mugs, magnets and stickers!  With The Friends Of The Jones Library written ALL over them! Casually sport a tote over your shoulder at the farmers market downtown tomorrow.  You'd be amazed at how many fellow shoppers will smile and high-five you. Stick a sticker on your notebook and go write the Great American Novel at Amherst Coffee.  People will know you're both intellectual AND philanthropic. Slap a magnet on your car bumper and just wait for all the friendly waves from fellow drivers.  And?  You'll never receive another parking ticket in the town of Amherst again. Use this baby  around the office and watch as the boss chooses you  for a promotion.  Studies have shown that people with Friends of the Jones Libraries mugs are more popular in staff meetings than people with no mugs. Collect them all!  Trade them!  Pass them out next Halloween!  Give them away at Burning Man!  Surely you can ...

The next meeting of the Jones Library's  Lego Club   will be on  Saturday, May 10, at  3 pm  in the Woodbury Room.  This will be the last meeting for this school year. The word of the day will be "symbiotic.”  Stations will be set up for builders to participate in creating a lego "city" of their own. For more information, please call the Children's Room or email Theresa Atteridge at  atteridget@joneslibrary.org . Happy building!

...we feel it is our duty to keep you, library-lovers throughout Amherst, abreast of important developments in the library world. Hence  Kuzya , a Russian assistant librarian.

You know how you're known for That Special Dish?  The one you're always asked to bring to Thanksgiving. The go-to recipe when you have company over for dinner?  The one you almost  have completely memorized? We want it. Click here and type it up.  It's EASY, quick, and you'll feel so virtuous that you can skip flossing tonight.

Go here and grab a coffee .  But make sure to bring a book.

Thursday, May 8,  7:00 p.m. Woodbury Room of the Jones Library An opportunity to learn about the songbirds in our area comes to the Jones Library in a presentation about the songbirds of the northeast by local naturalist  John Root .  This presentation features photographs and recordings of our region’s songbirds. Audiences learn how to recognize these enchanting birds by their songs and calls as well as by sight. Diet, migration, habitat, life cycles, social behavior, and other adaptations for survival are discussed, and participants learn how to provide attractive habitat for songbirds. Questions and comments are welcome throughout the presentation. Handouts with information about bird clubs, conservation organizations, books, and websites are made available at the conclusion of the program. This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agenc...

  Beds for Books, sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Library System, still has limited space available for Hampshire College Graduation  May 15-17  and for Amherst College Graduation Weekend  May 23-25 .    Beds for Books hosts are generous Amherst citizens who open their homes to the families of students at the Colleges during commencement in May and family weekend in October. All bed and breakfast stays include at least a continental breakfast. Host homes are smoke free.  All of the money collected goes to the book fund of the Jones and branch Libraries.  Contact Beds for Books by Email at:  bedsforbooks@yahoo.com .  If Email is not available, call  413-259-3184  and leave your name, address, phone number and email address, OR call Barbara Ford at  413-256-6268 .

Come celebrate the publication of Austin Sarat's new book Gruesome Spectacles.  The Amherst College professor and Jones Library Trustee extraordinaire will be at Amherst Books , 8 Main Street, this THURSDAY, MAY 8th at 7 pm. You should be, too.

Looking around for a good book group? All are welcome to attend the Jones Library’s upcoming Book Club gatherings: · Tuesday, May 6, 7-9 pm, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club will discuss The Magicians’ Guild, by Trudi Canav an. · Thursday, May 8, 7-8 pm, the Contemporary Book Club will discuss House of Happy Endings, by Leslie Garis, a moving account of a remarkable Amherst family. · Tuesday, May 13, 7-8:15 pm, the Diversity Book Club will discuss the book-on-CD Voices of Our Time, by Studs Terkel.

Libraries and the people who love them are completely cool.  We have rock-solid, indisputable proof .  And we're completely unbiased.

Those British have come up with a brilliant little free library.   Check it out .