All posts by Todd Bowser
Amazing New Features in Transparent Language
Our extensive language learning database has great new content and expanded features.
I studied French from grade school through college. With a total of thirteen non-consecutive years of study, I was excited to converse when I finally went to France. Upon arrival, I found no one spoke with the measured clarity of my accommodating teachers. Offering my mid-level understanding seemed to bait our hosts to run me right over with a stream of words that were stylish, of course, but often impossible for me to navigate.
Language learning only goes so far with traditional educational materials. The new Real World Collection in Transparent Language is designed for intermediate language learners who want to level up to true fluency, the ability to hold authentic conversations with native speakers.
If you’re in the process of learning Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, French, Hebrew, Indonesian, Korean, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, or Urdu, you can access unique materials that will boost your vocabulary, grammar, and cultural understanding of the langauge. Contextual and interactive content will enable you to challenge yourself to get over that hill without hitting the discouraging wall where it all seems to become incomprehensible again.
Even more new content:
- Transparent Language has added to its ASL offerings in response to the popularity of the sign language materials added to its collection last year. There is even a unique ASL for Librarians track. [Yay for us!]
- English learners can find materials specific to workplace interactions with Workforce English Essentials. New material is also available in the for Professionals courses in Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.
- The Chinese offerings are also updated, including a 30×30 Challenge where beginners can get a big start in Mandarin with 30 days of 30-minute lessons.
- Transparent Language also now offers over 30 indigenous languages from all over the world, in collaboration with 7000 Languages, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving endangered indigenous languages all over the world.
- On top of all of this new content, users can now download lessons in the mobile app to continue learning when you’re not connected.
Apple Pie Contest Returns on November 12th!
On Sunday November 12, a sweet and spicy aroma will waft through the library. For the first time in four years, as many as twenty local bakers will enter the Grand Alley, their hearts and souls and hours of effort baked into flaky pastry as they vie for the crown in the return of the Chelmsford Public Library Apple Pie Contest.
An expert panel of local luminaries with sharp eyes and refined palates will be the proving ground for delicious pies from home kitchens all over the community. Join us in this fun feasting tradition for the whole family.
For a recipe so seemingly simple, there are a thousand variations. What is the secret to your apple pie? Is it the zip of lemon zest? The richness of brown sugar? The delicate crumble of a shortening crust? Cortland, Granny Smith, McIntosh apples, or a combination? What is your unique spice mélange?
RULES:
- All pies are to be homemade, with a homemade double crust.
- Pie filling must be just apples, with no other fruit such as raisins, cranberries, etc. with the exception of flavorings such as citrus juice or zest.
- Recipe must accompany the pie, including the type of apple(s) used.
- Contestants pre-register online on or before November 9.
- Contestants are asked to bring pies promptly at 1 PM when the library opens.
- Judging will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
- Winners will be announced following the judging with ribbons and prizes awarded.
- The general public will then be invited to feast on apple pie and apple cider. (You do not have to enter to come.)
There will be a People’s Choice Award for the most popular home-baked pie, voted on by attendees. And, all guests are also welcome to vote in the Best Store-Bought class. Five local supermarket pies will vie for your votes in a blind taste-test.
Join us beginning at 2:00 p.m. for feasting and festivity, supported by the Friends of the Library and freshly baked by your community!
If you would like to join the roster of bakers vying for fabulous prizes, you can use the registration form below, or contact jkenny@chelmsfordlibrary.org for more information. Participation is limited to the first 20 applicants. Please register soon! The deadline is Thursday, November 9!
Get more out of music with Freegal!
Do you reminisce about the uninhibited days of free* music downloads? Do you dabble in everything from pop hits to obscure masterpieces? Do you want to stream for hours, create your own playlists, and discover new music for free, anytime, without committing copyright infringement?
(*In all honesty, back in the Napster & Kazaa days of the ’90s & early 2000s, we were stealing, and while we had a bit of fun, maybe we deserved some of those bugs that ended up on our computers.)
With Freegal Music, you can have it all. Create an account with your library card and you can stream favorite songs and new discoveries right to your computer or mobile device. You can also download up to five songs per week, to keep, for free!
Search by artist, song or album titles, genres, even record labels. Look for surprises such as recorded live shows, classic and underground album reissues, and more. You can tap the 
heart button to add a song, album, or artist to your favorites.
You can collect your favorites into custom playlists and share them with your friends, or share them to the library’s playlist collection, where they can be accessed by fellow music enthusiasts in your community:
You can stream and download on your computer at https://chelmsfordlibrary.freegalmusic.com or you can get the Freegal app for Android here, and you can get the iOS app (for Apple devices) here.
You can also sign up for our Freegal Music Club using the form here. Receive a newsletter with new releases and learn about building a community sharing music through this great library resource. Learn what your neighbors are listening to and introduce them to something new from your own favorites.