Category Archives: From the Library – A Weekly Column

Read Charlotte Canelli’s column in the May 18 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

There’s a sexagenarian in the library director’s office this week.

Ah, let me define. I was born in May, 1952 and I am now a person who is 60 years old. A sexagenarian, then, is between the ages of 60 and 70. Expanding on that definition, I am a person being in the 7th decade her life.

I celebrated with much fanfare last week and I am happy to have made it to 60. But seventh decade? Yikes, that sounds a bit too close to eight, eighty or four score. But then that would be an octogenarian, and that I am not. I’ve got a score to go, thank you.

The Baby Boomer generation has certainly grown up. Some are nearing fifty and some are nearly seventy. That puts me smack in the middle with the rest.

By definition, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, a Baby Boomer is one born between 1946 (the first year after the end of World War II) and 1965. Some Boomers watched their fathers leave for the Korean War. Others watched them leave for Vietnam. Many happily saw them return.

Those first to grow up in the Boomer generation began their big-city work careers wearing skinny ties and wingtips, pillbox hats and gloves reminiscent of those Mad Men. But the majority of us protested a war, burned flags (and bras) and fell in love with the music of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and James Taylor. Oh, and the Monkees, of course.

Many of us began our school lives learning about air raids and the Cold War. As adults, some with children of our own, we watched the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union fall. Today we know to expect everything and nothing. We are a generation of amazing cultural adventures and change.

Seventy-six million children were born in that twenty-year Boomer span. According to Wikipedia, Baby Boomers “now control over 80% of personal financial assets and more than 50% of discretionary spending power. They are responsible for more than half of all consumer spending, buy 77% of all prescription drugs, 61% of over-the-counter medication and 80% of all leisure travel.” Some of them will actually be lucky enough to travel extensively, especially those who planned their retirement well. “The Boomer’s Guide to Going Abroad to Travel, Live, Give, Learn” (2011) by Doris Gallan explores opportunities to learn and volunteer in places around the world and that might be just the ticket for Boomers who have the money and the time.

Others will want to stay at home and find new things to do in the reality of retirement and “When Every Day is Saturday: The Retirement Guide for Boomers” (2010) addresses many of those realistic issues. And of course, while many Boomers will be enjoying that active lifestyle at home as empty-nesters (some with children scattered around the globe) they might bring new pets into our lives again or for the first time. They should read “The 50+ Dog Owner: Complete Dog Parenting for Baby Boomers and Beyond” (2010) by Mary Jane Checci.

However, not all of us will retire at the ‘retirement age’ of 65. According to surveys compiled by the 2011 Associated Press and LifeGoesStrong.com, 60% of Boomers lost value in investments, some for the first time in their lives, because of the recent economic crisis. 42% are now delaying retirement and 25% claim they will never retire but continue to work. In fact, many of us will be working until we are septuagenarians and well into that eight decade. Those thinking about a second career can read “Boomer Preneurs: How Baby Boomers Can Start Their Own Business, Make Money, and Enjoy Life” (2010) by M.B. Izard or “The AARP Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love: The Essential Guide to Reinventing Your Life” (2008) by Samuel Greengard.

If you are a Boomer who plans to stay physically healthy you might want to read “The Roadmap to 100: The Breakthrough Science of Living a Long and Healthy Life” (2010) by Walter M. Bortz, II and Randall Stickrod or “The Baby Boomer Diet: Body Ecology’s Guide to Growing Younger” (2011) by Donna Gates. If you’d like to add mental healthy to that prescription, read “Brain Power: Improve Your Mind As You Age” (2012) by Michael J. Gelb and Kelly Howell.

In 2029, the last of the Baby Boomers turn 65 years old. Many of them will be well over 65. By 2020, 135,000 Americans will be 100 years old or older. By 2050, that number will be 600,000. This might actually be a very good time to give your children, or grandchildren, something to read such as “How To Clean Out Your Parent’s Estate in 30 Days or Less: A Solutions-Based Guide to Emptying the Home Without Losing Your Mind” (2011) by Julie Hall.

You can read about the hopes, dreams and challenges of the now-all-grown-up Boomer generation and the aging of the American population in “One Nation Under AARP: The Fight Over Medicare, Social Security and America’s Future” (2011) by Frederick R. Lynch. Or, you can appreciate the camaraderie in “Aging Together: Dementia, Friendship, and Flourishing Communities” (2011) by Susan McFadden. It’s no wonder, then, that a recent conference I was told to expect this population of the U.S. citizens to expect more out of their libraries in programming and services. Boomers will want to meet other people, expand their minds, stay healthy and meet new people. After all, we were a generation who broke new ground well over a half century ago.

If you would like to reserve any of these titles in DVD or CD version please call the Reference or Information desks of the library, 781-769-0200, or reserve them in the Minuteman Library catalog.

Nancy Ling is an Outreach Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library. She is also an author and a poet and loves working with children and teens and teaching poetry. Read her column in the Norwood Transcript & Record or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life.
— Henry Ward BEECHER
Recently the Massachusetts Library Association asked the question: What is the future of libraries? This was my response:

You may have forgotten his name—Martin. You may have a hard time deciding which one of his ads is your favorite: the one where he’s dancing in Texas, or his journey out of the parking lot. But there’s hardly a soul out there who wouldn’t recognize that tiny, British-accented gecko who is the mascot for Geico Auto Insurance. Not only is Martin a gecko, he IS Geico. Without a doubt, Geico has increased their sales and notoriety with consumers through Martin.

The future of our libraries depends on the same—a clear, concise marketing style. In the past, libraries have made the mistake of thinking they are separate from this business of marketing. We’ve argued, people should value us for what we are. Or, we’ve always existed, therefore we should be forever appreciated. Unfortunately, this is a harmful assumption. As much as any business out there, the library needs to make its value to the community known—consistently and constantly. Marketing is the key to our future.

So how do we do this? More than the number of books we provide on OverDrive, more than the variety of programs we offer children and seniors alike, it is the people behind the library’s name who serve as our best asset. As Rivkah Sass wrote in Library Journal (6/2002), “As highly touted, purely electronic tools like Questia fade into history, we should remember to market the value of what is the largest percentage of most library budgets—the staff.” Librarians bring in depth knowledge, experience, and a relationship to our patrons. We do this daily in the Outreach Department at the Morrill Memorial Library. We reach out to the community. We are in the business of touching people’s lives and making a lasting impression. This is what we do best, and this is something worthy of the patron’s attention.

In my parents’ town of Wrentham, there is a hardware store called Cataldo’s. This family- run store is a beloved fixture on Main Street. However, the day that Loews moved in everyone was worried. How could this small business survive the big competition? Turns out, it wasn’t a problem. Why? The reason for its success relates to librarians as well. Not only does Cataldo’s provide the goods. Not only do they provide the know-how. They provide the personal touch. They are there for you when ice dams crash through your ceiling. They know your children and your children’s children as they grow up.

Just as the famous jingle from Cheers goes, we all want to go where “everybody knows your name.” The library is that kind of place. We are essential to our communities—the great equalizers of society. We need to send out this message loud and clear. Librarians are valuable. You can bet your future on it.

Read Charlotte Canelli’s column in the May 4 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

In 1965, my parents packed our family of six into our Oldsmobile sedan and spent one month touring the country from California to Boston and back again. We first navigated south, stopping at over a dozen national parks along the way. Our trip home was to the north and included Niagara Falls and Reno, Nevada.

On that family vacation, I had my first lessons in navigation using multiple road maps and AAA tour books. I often won the front seat between my parents and spent hours studying the highways, motel amenities, restaurant offerings and sightseeing highlights in those guidebooks.

In this 21st Century, GPS devices guide us along the highways and our smartphones find our favorite coffee and food fixes. We have a plethora of websites to surf before we go and shelves of books, both in the stores and the library, with which to plan a itinerary.

My most profound memories on that trip in 1965, other than a weeklong family reunion in Boston, were those in Washington, D.C.

When Gerry and I realized that our grandson, Colin, would miss his 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. this spring because we will be attending a family wedding elsewhere, we quickly decided that we would make the trip to Washington. We planned the trip during his April vacation at the time of the Cherry Blossom Festival.

You can read about Washington D.C.’s famous cherry trees in “Eliza’s Cherry Trees: Japan’s Gift to America”, a fabulous children’s picture book written by Andrea Zimmerman. I had always thought Lady Bird Johnson was responsible for the flowering cherry trees in Washington, DC. (While the Japanese government gave 3,800 trees to Lady Bird for the beautification of the capital city in 1965, the origination of cherry trees in Washington, DC began many years before.) Zimmerman explains in her book that Mrs. Eliza Scidmore tried to bring cherry trees to Washington for more than 24 years and finally succeeded in 1909. First Lady Helen Taft received a donation of 2,000 trees from Japan when Washington’s cherry blossom parade and festival became the highlight of a week in April each year.

Of course, on any trip to Washington, a visit to as many monuments as possible is a must. An overview in the book for adults, “Monuments and Memorials of Washington, D.C.” by Allan M. Heller,will help you decide which ones to visit. Besides the obvious memorials and monuments, the book includes information on monuments to American patriot Nathan Hale, the celebrated writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and inventors Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin and a check-off list so you can see and do everything.

The beauty of the city is, however, that you can visit most of the monuments on a long and leisurely afternoon walk. Both of J.S. Burrows’ books, “Korean War Memorial” and “Vietnam War Memorial” will introduce you to the reasons why these visits are so fundamental to Americans and those across the world. Brent Ashabranner’s “A Memorial for Mr. Lincoln” and “The Washington Monument: A Beacon for America” explain the planning and reverence for awe-inspiring monuments that never cease to amaze everyone who visits them. (The Washington Monument has been closed to the public since the earthquake in August of 2011 but it is still an astonishing beacon in the center of the mall.)

During our recent trip, we were able to visit the newly-dedicated Martin Luther King Memorial where visitors meet in a plaza somewhat isolated from Washington, D.C.’s bustling traffic on the tidal basin side off the mall. You can read more about this amazing monument in “The Stone of Hope: Martin Luther King Memorial and Master Sculptor Lei Yixin” by Mike Xiong.

Further along the tidal basin on the way to the Jefferson Memorial is the awe-inspiring FDR Memorial. It is a park-like wonder filled with waterfalls and life-sized sculptures. Read “The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial” by Ted and Lola Schaefer.

No trip to Washington, D.C. would be complete without seeing the Capitol or the White House from every angle. This is not as easy as it used to be; 9-11 changed much of the world for us and visits to these notable buildings and grounds are no exception. With our noses pressed to the fence along Constitution Avenue, I was excited to see the White House victory garden planted by Michelle Obama and a beehive which takes center stage. Robin Gourley’s book for children, “First Garden: The White House Garden and How It Grew” explains how this natural feast came to be. Other terrific children’s books are “The White House: An Illustrated History” by Catherine O’Neill, or “Our White House: Looking In and Looking Out” by the National Children’s Book and Literary Alliance.

In this column, I’ve left out so many of the must-see places – the Arlington Cemetery where we walked among the graves of the three Kennedy brothers and the Tomb of the Unknowns. And, of course, no visit to Washington, D.C. would be complete without the Smithsonian museums such as the National Air and Space Museum where a new exhibit dedicated to the Wright Brothers was a remarkable adventure for us.

Martha Day Zschock has written many delightful books that travel through places using the alphabet and “Journey Around Washington, D.C., from A to Z” is one of them. Another terrific journey is “Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z” by Laura Krauss Melmed. Another overall tour of Washington, D.C. is the late Edward Kennedy’s “My Senator and Me: A Dog’s View of Washington, D.C.” illustrated by New England author/illustrator David Small.

Before you plan your next visit, pick up an armful of children’s books or a stack of tour books to introduce your family effortlessly and effectively to one of the best places to visit in this country, Washington, DC. If you would like to reserve any of these titles please call the Reference or Information desks of the library, 781-769-0200, or reserve them in the Minuteman Library catalog.

April Cushing is the Adult Services Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library. Read her column in the Norwood Transcript & Bulletin or listen to the podcast on SoundCloud. Podcasts are archived on the Voices from the Library page of the library website.

I know someone who claims to have never lost anything. Is that even humanly possible? If the name weren’t so fraught with pejorative connotations beyond the inability to keep track of stuff, I’d join Losers Anonymous in a heartbeat. I’m thinking of two particular incidents.

I picked up my daughter at the 128 train station recently to take her to the dentist while I waited in the parking lot. After dropping her back at the train en route to the Morrill Memorial Library, where, ironically, I help people find things, I reached for the shoes I’d tossed on the floor of the front seat. I found a single brown flat.

Like the Red Sox, I was on a losing streak but determined to reverse my luck, so I spent lunch retracing my steps. Apparently no one had turned in any footwear at 128 that day so I sped back to the dentist. Not that I held out any hope of success, but I wanted to leave no stone unturned. Lo and behold, I spied a two-toned suede slip-on basking in the sun on the pavement precisely where I’d parked. Is there any better feeling, with the possible exception of finding a thousand bucks (more on that later) than locating something you’ve lost? It’s infinitely more satisfying than never having misplaced it in the first place.

I did pretty well, for a while. Until I reached for my cell phone at the Faulkner Hospital to update my sister on our mother and came up empty. I felt like one of those scientists wintering over in Antarctica, totally cut off from the outside world. Back home I searched everywhere, and some places more than once in case I’d overlooked it the first three times.

Replacing the phone wasn’t totally unreasonable, considering the last time it went missing I found it the morning after book group on the street in front of my friend’s house, but not before it had been run over. Most likely by me. The fact that it still worked, if you didn’t mind squinting to see through the cracked glass and were careful not to cut yourself, I took as a sign that I didn’t actually need a Smart phone.

I found the darn thing in my bedside table drawer that night.

Not everyone, it turns out, suffers from this affliction. Some people have the opposite experience. A close friend who recently bought a fixer-upper in Walpole got more than an aging roof and smelly shag carpeting the cats had mistaken for a litter box. Puttering around the basement one day, the new owner spotted the edge of an envelope protruding from beneath some plywood. Reaching inside, he withdrew a picture of a scantily-clad coed striking a provocative pose. Plus $1,000 in cash. Much rejoicing and discussion of the myriad ways to blow the bundle ensued. The windfall went toward refinishing the stained wood floors, but it was a fun fantasy for a while. Despite my friend’s good fortune, I would caution against embarking on a home-buying spree in the hope of duplicating this scenario. Chances are this will never, in the course of your natural lifetime, happen to you.

But back to reality. Rummaging through the library’s Lost & Found for my reading glasses last week, I found evidence of a lot of other losers out there. A thorough inventory of the drawer yielded no magnifiers but a wealth of other items, including money–$2.14 to be precise. Also one eyeglass lens, two pairs of funky sunglasses, a set of monkey-faced keys, a mini iPod, a pair of unmatched mittens and a handwritten note that read “To Mommy from Rob, I love you bekus you are the bestist mom in the hol intiyr wrld.” Forget the flash drive, the portable umbrella and the other paraphernalia. If I were Rob’s mom that’s the one thing I’d want back.

Most unclaimed items get tossed after three months, but not all. The oldest denizen of the Lost & Found drawer is a little musical hairbrush that’s been there almost 20 years. Our head of Circulation can’t bring herself to, um, part with it, so if this brush rings a bell, be prepared to present some solid DNA evidence to establish ownership.

There’s no known cure for losing things, but your library can lend a hand. Check out “One Year to an Organized Life: from Your Closet to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized, for Good,” by Regina Leeds. Can’t find your reading glasses? No problem; we own the large print edition as well. For a less daunting title consider “What’s a Disorganized Person to Do?” by Stacey Platt. If you’re feeling ambitious, Milton’s “Paradise Lost” might help put your problems in perspective. Or read the mystery of the same title by Judith Jance about policewoman Joanna Brady in Cochise County, Arizona.

Generally speaking, it’s easier to lose things than find them. You can lose yourself in a book, lose track, lose weight, lose ground, face, focus and control, lose out, lose touch, lose heart, lose your cool, your lunch, your marbles, your nerve, your identity, your train of thought, your inhibitions and your virginity, or you can just plain lose it. Granted, some things can be both lost and found, as in your way, your place and your glasses, but what can strictly be found is limited. Besides finding yourself, your calling and your drishti in yoga, there’s finding the answer, finding fault, finding out, finding true love and Finding Nemo. And if you happen to find yourself at the Morrill Memorial Library, we guarantee you’ll find a fabulous assortment of fiction, non-fiction, audiobooks, magazines, DVDs, downloadable books, databases, storytimes, Speed-Reads, literacy tutors, lectures, movies, music CDs and more. If you haven’t been to the library lately, find out what you’ve been missing. And not merely by checking the Lost & Found