Friends of the Jones Library System News

This is one Little Free Library that might not see a lot of foot traffic.

   

   

 So 21st Century!  

 THIS THURSDAY!  

  In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. But in a house on a lawn there lived an author. And YOU could live there, too...

Research compiled by writing and proofreading service Global English Editing shows that 35% of people in the world have read more books than usual since COVID began.

  Take a virtual tour of Jane Austen's house!

  "It is heartening to remember that heroes emerge in unpredictable places." NPR reviews a new book depicting "the savagery of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's regime contrasted with the life-saving symbol of civilization: a library." Available from the Jones here .

From Amherst Regional Public School Superintendent Mike Morris:     (Click on image to enlarge.) Posting it larger here. Because this is important: "Since our schools first closed last March, our amazing Food Services team has worked tirelessly to ensure that our students have uninterrupted access to free, nutritious meals, distributing well over 100,000 meals to date. Thanks to the extension of the USDA's universal free meals program, the District can now provide free meals for any child age 18 and under throughout the 2020-2021 school year (until June 30, 2021).  I want to stress that any child (living in any location in our towns) is eligible for these free meals and participation helps not just the children, but the District benefits from increased reimbursements.  Meals are distributed for Monday and Tuesday each Monday, meals for Wednesday and Thursday are distributed each Wednesday, and meals for Friday, Saturday and Su...

  Chandamama , a children’s magazine, was published for 60 years in 13 languages in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. More than 70 million people speak Tamil, making it even more widespread than Italian, but many popular international comics were not being translated.  M. Soundrapandian changed all that .

  Take this quick Merriam Webster quiz to find out. And if you find yourself needing to brush up on the American system, check out any of these books by Amherst author Joseph Ellis !  

  BOO! To celebrate the spookiest season, the New York Times has made a list of the scariest novel set in every state .   Want to read the one for Massachusetts? The Jones has it .  

by Austin Sarat and Sharon Sharry On October 15, the Jones Library Board of Trustees unanimously voted to approve the library’s renovation and expansion plan. The Board also voted to request that the Amherst Town Council approve the plan by the end of April. Those votes were the culmination of more than a decade of careful planning, extensive deliberation and consultation, and continuing commitment to making sure that Amherst’s libraries serve the needs of all its residents. They point us toward a bright future in which the Jones will continue to nurture democratic values and a vibrant and inclusive culture in our town. But some might ask, why move forward with the plan now? And why ask for a vote in April? As to the first question, the Trustees have completed all the work needed to move the plan to fruition. It is now ready for consideration by the people of Amherst and their elected representatives. Our planning began when the Board of Trustees launched a long-range pl...

  Friends! The day you've been long awaiting is finally here! Happy International Raw Milk Cheese Day! In addition to chowing down on your favorite local cheese, why not check out Jon Scieszka ' s Stinky Cheese Man tales?  

   

   

  Ever wonder what it would be like to hold a letter from Mr. Darcy in your hands ? A new book can bring that experience to you. "Newly released through Chronicle Books , it allows readers to pull 19 letters out of actual envelopes that are tucked into the text. 'Handwriting and letters are such strong personal connections,' the author says. 'For those of us who love Pride and Prejudice , those characters are your own friends.'"  

    Created by a team of 12 established and up and coming authors  to get more Latinos in literature :  

  Learn more with this Coming to America book discussion series.  

  Only 16% of Americans read newspapers but more than half of us get news from Facebook. Here are some easy tips on how to spot fake news . 

  You may know Roald Dahl from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or "The Fantastic Mr. Fox." But this letter he wrote may be his most important work ever.    

or revisit the classic for the umpteenth time. Either way, you'll get more out of it with the Jones Library classics book group. Come join .  

  We would totally read these books .  

  ...here's Merriam Webster's Great Big List of Ten Words You Love to Hate .  

Look no further: NPR has 100 suggestions that might be fun!  Happy reading!  

The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year! And, for the first time in its history, the event will be completely virtual. Join us next weekend for an interactive, online celebration of American Ingenuity featuring more than 120 authors, poets and illustrators. The festivities will culminate with a PBS television special “The Library of Congress National Book Festival: Celebrating American Ingenuity,” hosted by Hoda Kotb on Sunday, Sept. 27, 6-8 p.m. ET/PT.   Register Today!   Create your FREE account now at loc.gov/bookfest  

  At a charged time in politics, talking with young people about voting and our democracy in a non-partisan fashion is important. To that end, the Brookline League of Women Voters prepared, with support from the Lotte E. Scharfman Citizen Education Grant program of the LWVMA, a resource that might be helpful to educators and families . Three groups of books for young people ages 5-10 — on voting, voting rights in history, and government — provide information and inspiration for discussing fundamental elements of democracy, a great way to nurture future voters!      

Did you know that Chekhov was an etymologist, accomplished master of espionage , and expert belly dancer? Okay, not really. But he WAS a pretty good author. Learn more about him and his short stories on Thursday. (Click image to enlarge.)

From 7:00-8:00 pm Join us as Library Trustees talk with special guest Aelan Tierney of Kuhn Riddle Architects about their Jones Library Accessibility Study .  You will be able to utilize the ‘Q&A’ or 'raise hand' buttons built into Zoom to ask your questions or give your comments and concerns.  We will try to address all questions and acknowledge all raised hands as time allows.  You will also be able to phone in to hear the session.  More info here: https://www.joneslibrary.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=10151.

And its story is as relevant as ever. Here are 10 interesting facts about it that you might not have known. If you want to revisit the classic, the Jones has it for you . If you want to learn more about the evolution of its dust jacket, click here .

An example of Nadim Shamma-Sourgen’s poetry : "Coming Home" Take our gloves off Take our shoes off Put them where they’re supposed to go. You take off your brave feeling Because there’s nothing to be scared of in the house. Want to learn more about him ?

Maybe you'll play "Just Another Manic Monday" by The Bangles or "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats or "Monday Monday" by The Mammas and the Pappas!

Electric Lit has an article about how to write your "Leaving New York" essay with their handy chart. You know where they're all coming?

The Friends are big fans of the folks over at Merriam-Webster.  Go read this article and you'll become a fan, too.    

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Now that we can borrow books again from the library, we can read NEW books!  And? We can get credit for them!        #SummerReadingProgram FTW

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Mark your calendars: July 16th. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Because face it, we're all kind of a mess right now. And now we can have the vocabulary to describe it .

Even Real Live Librarians don't always read the books they're "supposed" to have read. The NY Public Library 'fessed up. What's your literary Waterloo?

Check it out . It's beautiful !

Oooooh! OOOOOooohhhh! Hey, Jones Library! Drones to drop off books at home! C'mon... Please????  

We're big fans of cartoonist Tom Gauld for many reasons. Here's one: (Click on image to enlarge.)

Hey Friends, as the town libraries slowly begin opening back up (the Jones is accepting returns right now!), this might allay some fears .

In case you need some happy news, check out the 2nd annual Todd H. Bol winners for Outstanding Achievement . Todd Bol was the inventor of the Little Free Library movement and these are examples of people continuing his amazing work.

The only thing better than books and food is books about food. Maybe your cookbook shelves, like some of ours, need a little diversifying? If so, here are a few suggestions to check out : And hey, if you make any particularly tasty dishes, let us know!

** African American History in Amherst ** A slide show of materials relating to the African American community in Amherst from the Jones Library Special Collections.  Here's what the entire town of Amherst is doing to commemorate the day.

"As is well known, Russians are the most well-read of nations. And it goes without saying that throughout its vast territory Russia has lots of libraries , both old ones and trendy modern city spaces."      Plus? Their books are so LONG they need big libraries to house them all. Looking at you, Tolstoy.