All posts by Brian Herzog

About Brian Herzog

Brian Herzog is the Assistant Director. View Brian's complete profile.

BookWise: Reading Advice Just For You

heartbookLooking for your next favorite book, or just need a few quick suggestions? You need BookWise!

BookWise is the library’s personalized reading suggestion service. Patrons can contact any of our BookWise staff, based on their reading interests, and we’ll create a list of books you’ll enjoy.

You can tell us as much or as little information as you like – favorite authors, favorite titles, preferred genres, interesting topics, that you like books set during the Civil War and told from a women’s perspective but don’t necessarily need to be historically-accurate and may include a little element of the supernatural (for instance) – and our staff will find similar titles for you. The more information you provide, the better, but if you’d just like a few romance books to take on your next beach vacation, that’s okay too!

When you need reading suggestions, contact BookWise!

Videophone for Patrons with a Hearing Impairment

videophoneThe Chelmsford Library is now better able to serve our patrons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, by offering a videophone for making phone calls using a sign language interpreter.

The device is a Microsoft Surface tablet that is powered by Purple, an assistive technology which makes the phone call via video relay service. Hearing-impaired callers will see an on-screen sign language interpreter, who translates the speech from the person at the other end of the call into sign language. A Purple account is not required in order to use the public videophone, can be used to call any phone number.

The video phone may be used free of charge, and is available by request at the reference desk on the lower level of the library. It is not necessary to have a library card to use the videophone, but staff will hold your photo ID at the desk while the device is in use.

Purple provided this device at no cost to the library, as the funding comes from a Federal Communications Commission program to aid hearing-impaired citizens.

For more information on the video phone, please contact the Reference Desk at askus@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x211.

Chelmsford Town-Wide Cleanup Day: Sunday, April 24, 2016

EarthJoin in and help clean up our town!

The snow is melting to reveal the roadside waste that accumulated over the winter. Help to make Chelmsford a beautiful town. Please pick up trash from your street.

When: Sunday, April 24, 2016
(but if you can’t do it Sunday, do it anytime!)

Who: YOU, your family, friends, co-workers, church, school or scouting group, etc.

Where: All roads and parks, your neighborhood, schoolyard, playground, and other public spaces where there is litter

If you need them, bags & gloves are available from the recycling office at 9 Alpha Road, while supplies last – they can be picked up during regular office hours of 9am to Noon. Put yellow bags out with your trash and report large items to the DPW.

For more information, contact the Office of Recycling and Solid Waste or nparlee@TownofChelmsford.us or 978-250-5203. You can also visit ChelmsfordRecycles.org for more information on recycling in Chelmsford.

One Book Chelmsford 2016 – Keeping Chelmsford in Suspense!

onebooklogoThank you to everyone who came to the Winterfest Social at the Library, and helped us kick off this year’s One Book Chelmsford theme, “Keeping Chelmsford in Suspense!

And the suspense is over – at least, for finding out the titles of 2016’s One Books. This year, instead of just doing a single title, we’ve chosen an entire genre – suspense – and will be reading three books by three different authors. This is a good sample of the genre, and will hopefully keep you on the edge of your seat all year.

OneBook2016-columbusaffairThe Columbus affair
Steve Berry
Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when a controversial report from a war-torn region is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile, haunted by bad decisions and the shocking truth he can never prove: that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger with a request that cannot be ignored.

OneBook2016-otherwomanThe Other Woman
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Tracking down a candidate’s secret mistress days before a pivotal Senate election, reporter Jane Ryland discovers links between her story and a serial killer investigation by detective Jake Brogan, with whom she partners to stop a killer in the face of dirty politics and betrayal.

 

OneBook2016-oldwomanThere was an Old Woman
Hallie Ephron
A novel of psychological suspense, in which a young woman returns to the quirky Bronx riverfront neighborhood where she grew up, only to find that her mother’s house has become a hoarder’s nest. As Evie digs into the events of the past few months, a bigger, more sinister story begins to unfold.

 

Be sure to visit https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/onebook to see a complete schedule of One Book events this year. There are lots of book discussions, and visits from all three authors!

Chelmsford Winterfest 2016, Feb 5th to Feb 7th!

winterfest-logo-bluebgChelmsford Winterfest is coming soon – mark your calendar for Friday, February 5th through Sunday, February 7th!

Check out the complete list of Winterfest events, along with the map of event locations. There are lots of fun happenings all around town – but be sure not to miss the events taking place at the library:

Friday, February 5, 2016

4:00-5:00 p.m. Wonderful Winter Stories at the MacKay Branch Library, 43 Newfield Street, North Chelmsford

Come listen to some special stories with storyteller Bonnie Rankin! This Wonderful Winter storytime will be at the MacKay Library, 43 Newfield St. North Chelmsford; all ages, drop in.

7:00-10:00 p.m.Clue Live! WinterFest Social at the Chelmsford Library, 25 Boston Rd.

This fun after-hours party is also the kick-off for the annual “One Book Chelmsford” town-wide reading program. There will be samplings of food from local restaurants, beer and wine and music by SMS Jazz Project. Also, in keeping with this year’s One Book theme, “Keeping Chelmsford in Suspense,” Boston’s Mystery Cafe will present “Clue Live.”

Limited tickets. Tickets available now for purchase at the main Library, MacKay Library and Town offices. $15 in advance and $20 at the door. (We are close to selling out, so get your tickets soon!)

Click here for more details on the One Book program.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

9:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Chelmsford Cultural Council’s Photo Exhibit at the Chelmsford Public Library, 25 Boston Road, Chelmsford

10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Annual “Take Your Child to the Library Day.” Library

All ages. Families are encouraged to come to the library on this special day to explore all that we offer. Crafts, food, fun, and a concert by Ed Morgan, the Music Man!

Sunday, February 7, 2016

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Exhibit/Reception and a WinterFest Sunday Social to kick off “One Book Chelmsford” Chelmsford Library, 25 Boston Road

Stop in to the Library for this special Sunday Community Social. The Cultural Council will be holding a reception for their annual Photography exhibit. Winners of the Photography Contest will be announced. Check the Library’s website for more information on the 2016 ‘One Book’ program. Light refreshments. chelmsfordlibrary.org/onebook

Submit Your Entry for the 2016 Annual Chelmsford Photo Contest

cameraThe 20th Annual WinterFest Photography Contest, sponsored by the Chelmsford Cultural Council, is now accepting entries!

There are three categories – professional, amateur and student (through high school). Cash prizes will be awarded for winners in each category, and there will be a “Peoples’ Choice” award as well.

Entries will be on exhibit at the main library for the month of February. Join us for refreshments and music at the WinterFest opening reception on Sunday, February 7th from 2-4 p.m., where the Photography Contest winners will be announced.

The deadline for submissions is 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016. To submit an entry and find out more about the contest rules, print and return the entry form [pdf], or pick up an entry form at the Reference Desk.

Check out our Roku for streaming movies!

roku playerThe Library recently added a Roku 1 player, to give patrons another option for watching movies from our collection.

In case you’re unfamiliar with it, a Roku is a small device that connects to a television and is used to wirelessly stream content from online services. Digital versions come with some of the DVDs we purchase, and these are the titles you can access through the Roku. The list of available titles is available on the Roku’s catalog record.

The device circulates for one week and can’t be renewed. You can place a hold on it from the catalog, to pick up either at the Main Library or the MacKay Branch. It comes packaged in a case that contains all the cables and connectors you should need to hook it up to your television or digital projector, along with a remote control.

Please see the Reference Desk or Circulation Staff if you have any questions, or stop by the Circulation Desk to check it out.

Chelmsford FallFest is Coming in October!

fall_fest_logoMark your calendars for the first weekend in October – Chelmsford FallFest is a celebration of the arts, music, and food!

Events are being scheduled starting Thursday, October 1st, through Sunday, October 4th. Here are a few highlights so far, with lots more to come:

Thursday, October 1, 2015

  • Life Review and the Arts workshop at the Senior Center
  • Farmers Market on the Town Common

Friday, October 2, 2015

  • “First Friday” Gallery Reception at the CCA
  • “Steppin’ Out” A Harvest Dance at the Library

Saturday, October 3, 2015

  • “Mad Hatter Tea Party” at the Library
  • Crafts Market on the Common with Food and Entertainment
  • Art Reception for artist George Chen at the Library
  • Family Fun: Yankee Notions “A Peddler’s Pack of Songs” at the CCA
  • Author Signing/Book Sales sponsored by the Society of Independent Publishers and Authors (SIPA) at the CCA
  • Cabaret Night at the CCA with Aiden’s Clan

Sunday, October 4, 2015

  • The CCA Stage Series presents Jazz vocalist Connie Diamond, “Timeless Songs of Love”
  • Colonial Crafts Fair at the Garrison House

Chelmsford FallFest will be a Town-wide celebration, similar to WinterFest. Be sure to check https://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/fallfest/ to see the full list of events and information.

If your group would like to be involved, or if your business is able to help as a FallFest sponsor, contact Kathy Cryan-Hicks at kcryanhic@mvlc.org or 978-256-5521 x109.

Create Your Resume at the Library

Cypress ResumeThe Library is offering a new tool to help job seekers. Cypress Resume is an easy-to-use resume wizard, geared towards helping people create a simple resume without being distracted by lots of complicated features.

It’s available in the library and from home. Just follow the steps to create a resume, including choose the style, entering your work history and other information. Cypress Resume will also ask you questions, and then create descriptive bullet points for you. Resumes can be immediately printed or downloaded, and you can also create an account to save the resume for later editing.

Cypress Resume, along with other career-related tools, is available now on the library’s website. If you have any questions about using it or other library resources, please contact the Reference Desk.