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Hingham Public Library News
News Updated
7/1/09
Joan R. Gasparello Memorial Lecture
About
the Joan R. Gasparello Memorial Lecture Series
The Joan
R. Gasparello Memorial Lecture honors the memory of a dynamic Hingham
resident who worked tirelessly in support of Hingham 's educational
institutions including Wilder Memorial Nursery School and the Hingham
Public Library . Mrs. Gasparello died at the age of 75 on August
7, 2005.
Joan's
husband, Ralph Gasparello [shown right], approached the Library
Board of Trustees in 2006 about the prospect of endowing a lecture
series in Joan's memory. The Trustees were delighted with his offer
and enthusiastically accepted. The series aspires to bring world
issues and culture to our residents by presenting leading writers
and thinkers in a local forum organized by the Hingham public Library.
The Trustees of the Library plan to present one or possibly two
major events each year through the Joan R. Gasparello Memorial Lecture
Series.
Boston Classical Guitar
Society/Hingham Public Library 10th Anniversary CD on sale now
The
Hingham
Public Library/Boston Classical Guitar Society 10th Anniversary
CD now available for purchase.
Produced
by the BCGS with 12 tracks featuring music performed by: Providence
Mandolin Orchestra, Robert Margo and Wendy Silverberg, The Back
Bay Guitar Trio, Aaron Larget-Caplan, Sharon Wayne and Jenifer Schiller,
David Newsam, Frank Wallace, and Gerry Johnston.
To purchase
your copy for $10/CD visit the Library's Circulation Desk or the
AV Desk.
If you
wish to order by mail, please visit www.bostonguitar.org
.
Proceeds
support the Sunday Sounds Special music series at the
Hingham Public Library.
We gratefully
acknowledge additional support from:
Derby Street Shoppes of Hingham, and the Hingham Middle School Sixth
Grade Class of 2006/2007.
Mango
Languages is here! Mandarin Chinese, anyone?
HPL is
pleased to announce the addition of the Mango Languages online language-learning
system to our website. Mango is free of charge to patrons, and offers
a fun, fast and convenient solution to our community's growing language
learning needs.
Click the Mango logo to connect.
Mango's online language learning system focuses on teaching actual
conversational skills for a wide variety of languages. Each lesson
combines real-life situations and audio from native speakers with
an easy-to-follow interface and simple, clear instructions. Because
it's completely web based, you can learn anywhere there is an internet
connection - at the library, a coffee shop, or even relaxing on
the sofa at home. It's so effective and easy to use, you may be
speaking a new language after just one lesson! Users from outside
the Library will need a Hingham Public Library card to access the
service.
Mango Languages currently offers 12 language courses - Brazilian
Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Greek, Russian,
Mandarin Chinese, ESL for Polish speakers, ESL for Spanish speakers,
and ESL for Brazilian Portuguese speakers - with many more on the
way.
"Renaissance
Florence and the Palace of the Judges and Notaries: The Traditions
and Transformations of Renaissance Iconography" on July 23 @ 7PM
The
Hingham Public Library in association with the Osher Life-long Learning
Institute (OLLI) program at the Unvidersity of Massachusetts-Boston
presents "Renaissance Florence and the Palace of the Judges
and Notaries: The Traditions and Transformations of Renaissance
Iconography" by SUNY-Binghamton History Professor Joseph F.
Stanley on July 23 at 7 PM. For
more about Professor Stanley, click here.
The slide-lecture
will be held in the Whiton Meeting Room and is open to all at no
charge. Pre-registration through the OLLI office, however, is requested.
Sign-up
by calling (617) 287-7312.
Background:
In 2006, a team of specialists restored the recently discovered
frescoes in, what was then, the palace of Renaissance Florence's
most prestigious corporate body: the guild of the Judges and Notaries.
Archival documentation tells us that these paintings were commissioned
to some of the most prominent artists of the day, including Michelangelo's
mentor - Ghirlandaio. The frescoes themselves provide the historian
with a myriad of information pertaining to the political, cultural,
and social milieu of Renaissance Florence. The palace's vaulted
ceiling, for example, depicts a spherical representation of the
Florentine "polis": a harmonious arrangement of concentric circles
imitating the city-states of ancient Greece. Additionally, the palace's
southeast lunette has generated much excitement. This fresco reveals
a sequence of "Florentine men of letters", where we find the earliest
confirmed portrait of Dante Alighieri [shown above] author of the
"Divine Comedy".
Following recent collaborations with the restoration team, this
slide-lecture provides an overview of the palace's newly restored
frescoes. In his analysis, Professor Stanley offers both a broad
overview of the Italian Renaissance (and the particularities of
Florence), as well as nuanced interpretations of the palace's iconography;
interpretations that reflect, and sometimes alter, the culture of
Renaissance Florence during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.

Evening
with the Author presents Jamie Cat Callan with French Women
Don't Sleep Alone Monday July 27 @ 7 PM
“Girls'
Night Out” is the theme of a special program to be held on Monday,
July 27, as part of Hingham Public Library's Evening with the
Author series. Jamie Cat Callan will be the
featured speaker, discussing her newly released and provocatively
titled French Women Don't Sleep Alone: Pleasurable Secrets to
Finding Love. Prior to Callan's talk, which begins at 7 p.m.,
attendees are invited to sample pastries and bubbly punch in the
spirit of the evening.
Callan's second book of advice about relationships (romantic and
otherwise), French Women Don't Sleep Alone is a witty
guide to making small but consequential changes in everyday routines
that, taken together, can enhance a woman's quality of life. Not
only does Callan offer smart and sassy tips for bringing out your
inner Frenchwoman, she also provides thoughtful advice on leading
a well-balanced life and attracting friends of both sexes.
An
affinity for all things French is inborn in Callan, whose French
grandmother taught her, for starters, how to stand up straight,
bake an apple tart, and wear a scarf. Though she says she never
fully appreciated what her grandmother had to teach, she now wholeheartedly
embraces the French way of life, including walking, cooking, using
the good china every day, giving dinner parties, following a skin
care regimen and, of course, wearing scarves.
Jamie
Cat Callan is both a writer and a teacher of writing. Her work has
appeared in The New York Times, The Missouri
Review, Story, Best American Erotica , Bliss Magazine ,
and the UCLA Magazine. Her awards include a PEN Syndicated
Fiction Award, a Goldwyn Award for Screenwriting, and a Bread Loaf
Writing Conference fellowship. She is the creator of The Writer's
Toolbox , an innovative kit for aspiring authors containing
exercises focused on a “right brain” approach to writing along with
flash cards, spinners, and exercise sticks designed to ignite the
imagination. Jaime has published three young adult novels and is
at work on a book based on her adventures as a script girl for actress
Meg Ryan. She currently teaches writing in Wesleyan University 's
Graduate Liberal Studies program.
“Evenings
with the Author” are free events aimed at connecting writers with
readers and are presented by the Library in partnership with Buttonwood
Books, who will have copies of Callan's books available for purchase
and signing by the author.
For more information, call the Reference Dept. at 781-741-1405 x2650
or email hiref@ocln.org.
Superlative
Multimedia presents: First Aid for Jobseekers on August
3rd @ 7:30 PM

“First
Aid for Jobseekers”
A
Free Workshop
Are you
frustrated looking for a job in today's tough economy......with
voicemail and email it can seem impossible to get your message through
to H. R. and hiring managers. How can you get the attention you
deserve?
Superlative
Multimedia ,
a local video and web production company, is offering an interactive
workshop to help you get “up to speed” with creative media techniques
to make you “stand out from the crowd” in today's competitive
economy. Limited to 25 participants .
Learn how to utilize social media and video-sharing web sites to
your advantage - LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
Learn to “brand” yourself using effective business marketing techniques.
Learn how to use video to get in front of Hiring Managers and H.R.
Write a compelling script for your video resume or “elevator pitch”
during the workshop.
Receive valuable Information on how to create a professional looking
and sounding video that will capture the attention of potential
employers.
Date:
August 3,
2009 Time: 7:30 PM
Location:
Hingham Public Library Trustees/Fearing Room
Preregistration
required, contact: Reference Department 781-1405 x2609
Bring
a copy of your resume to the workshop.
Learn more about
Superlative Video Resume here!
Medicare
and Healthcare Reform: Where are we headed? September 16 @
11:30 AM

The
initial discussions about President Obama’s health care reform
initiative have identified Medicare and Medicaid reform as major
focus points. Currently these programs represent about twenty percent
of the federal budget and their cost estimates for the next few
years are not sustainable. Medicare is, in fact, projected to be
bankrupt within the next several years if costs continue on their
current track. Big changes are clearly on the horizon. These will
include, at a minimum: 1) higher premiums and co-payments; 2) means
testing for the more affluent; 3) new payment rates for hospitals
and physicians; 4) limits on new service coverage—perhaps
including a moratorium; and 5) a much stronger push to enroll Medicare
beneficiaries into private health care plans under the Medicare
Advantage program. What do these changes mean for you? Will you
need to change your physicians or health care coverage as a result?
Will critical services be unavailable when you might need them?
This 45 minute free presentation and discussion will provide you
with an understanding of the most critical cost, quality, and service
access issues underlying the expected changes in Medicare and what
specific factors you need to consider in planning for your future
health care coverage during retirement. Additional coverage options
to protect against the cost of services not covered under Medicare—long
term care/vision/dental/and alternative health therapies—will
also be addressed.
Presenter: Dr. Larry Diamond has worked with consumers and providers
in the area of retirement health insurance coverage for over 25
years. He has been a consultant to Medicare and to many state Medicaid
agencies and worked on the development of the prototype of the Medicare
Advantage senior plan program. He speaks widely on these issues
to retiree groups and professional associations.
Sponsored
by the Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) in cooperation
with the Hingham Public Library. Pre-registration is suggested.
Call (617) 287-7312 . OLLI is located at UMass-Boston.

National
Issues Forums discussions begin on September 17th

The Hingham
Public Library, Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution (MODR),
and Osher Life Long Learning Institute (OLLI) at UMass-Boston are
pleased to present three monthly National Issues Forums discussions
at the Hingham Public Library. The programs are free but sign-up
through OLLI is encouraged.
(617) 287-7312 .
All programs start at 1 PM and run a minimum of two hours. Meet
in the Whiton Room.
September 17 National Issues Forums-Breaking
the Habit of Deficit Spending
The bad habit of deficit spending is more apparent than ever, and
pressures on the federal budget will soon get worse. It is not enough
to support deficit reduction in principle. The challenge is to see
what changes most Americans are willing to accept as the best way
out of a difficult situation. This deliberation presents three possible
approaches for dealing with this problem. The Library will have
a limited number of free issue guides available on a first-come,
first-served
basis once a participant is registered through OLLI.
October
15
National Issues Forums-The Rising Cost of Food
The cost of food has increased considerably, and Americans are being
forced to stretch their food dollar further and further. For many,
this is a challenge. For vulnerable people living on the margins,
higher food costs could spell disaster. What has gone wrong with
our food system, and what should we do about it? This deliberation
presents three possible approaches for dealing with this problem.
Click
here to download a free copy of the issue guide.
November
19 National
Issues Forums-Coping With the Cost of Health Care:
How Do We Pay for What We Need?
Nearly three out of four Americans today worry that their income
will not keep up with rising prices...These worries outstrip anxieties
about losing a job, terrorist attacks, crime, and losing savings
in the stock market. The questions we must address are: How can
we get the health care we require, in the face of rising costs?
How can we pay for what we need? This deliberation presents three
possible approaches for dealing with this problem. Click
here to download a free copy of the issue book in brief. The
Library will have a limited number of free unabridged issue guides
available on a first-come, first-served basis for participants registered
through OLLI.
About
our discussion facilitator:
Mary
Jean ("MJ") Shultz - MJ helped to institute Massachusestts
Office of Dispute Resolution's Deliberative Dialogue Program and
she serves as a trainer of dialogue moderators. MJ administers the
affordable housing mediation program sponsored by the Housing Appeals
Committee of the Department of Housing and Community Development
to resolve comprehensive permit disputes under MGL. Ch. 40B. For
over 20 years MJ served as the Zoning Administrator for the Town
of Hingham, where she aimed to provide rational and collaborative
approaches to land development, expeditious interpretation of regulations,
and support as a resource for other town officials. MJ has a B.A.
from Wellesley College and an M.S. from the Georgetown University
School of Foreign Service. She has a Certificate in Dispute Resolution
from the University of Massachusetts Boston and has completed advanced
land use mediation training at the Consensus Building Institute.
Outside of her work for MODR, MJ maintains a private consulting
practice to assist clients in zoning and land use permitting applications.

Boston
Globe reporter speaks on pension system scams on 9/24 @ 7:30
PM
Sean
P. Murphy, a Boston Globe veteran investigative reporter, says the
vast majority of public pensions are well-deserved, but the politically-connected
have scammed the system to outrageously enrich themselves .
"I
have uncovered examples of pensions that look like larceny,"
said Murphy, who has published dozens of stories on such scams in
the Globe. Murphy will present an hour-long talk on the public
pension scandal, along with a narrated slideshow, in the Whiton
Room, on Thursday, September 24, at 7:30 PM . The talk is
free and open to the public. All are welcome.
Murphy ticks off dozens of outrages - including how a former state
Senator and Beacon Hill lobbyist grabbed $20,000 a year, and how
he wound Up featured in one of Murphy's page-one stories, eventually
promptly the former Senator to give back the money. "Most
of the abuses can be traced to the State House, where legislators
for generations have done favors for friends and themselves,"
he said. " Beacon Hill is a very dangerous place. People get
robbed there everyday ."
Murphy is an award-winning journalist and an experienced public
speaker . Since 2007, he has appeared in more than 50 public libraries
to narrate illustrated talked on the Big Dig, casinos and gambling
and public pension abuses. Murphy is also a lawyer who focuses
on using the state public record law to force government agencies
to release stacks of documents to him. He teaches journalism at
Suffolk University .
The
Green Square Mile: The Charlestown Irish on 9/30 @ 11:30 AM
The
"Green Square Mile" documentary is the result of a Charlestown
Historical Society initiative called the "Charlestown Irish
Renaissance Project," and follows Charlestown's history from its
settlement to contemporary times. Charlestown is one of Boston's
oldest ethnic communities and the Irish presence here in Charlestown
spans nearly three centuries. It reflects the dreams and aspirations
of a resilient immigrant population and their descendants, who endured
incredible hardships to survive as a distinct subculture in 21st
century America.
The history of Charlestown's Irish community has never been documented
or recorded until now. This documentary film will be presented in
a free showing on September 30 at 11:30 AM as a "warts-and-all"
portrait of Charlestown's Irish community, while at the same time
it strives to project a realistic and positive picture of an ethnic
neighborhood with strong survival skills and a promising future.
Retired
professor Dan Casey will offer a commentary on how and why this
documentary was made and will answer any questions that may arise.
Dan Casey, a well known expert in Irish studies, has been professor,
dean, vice president, and president of colleges and universities
in Britain, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.S. He
has published more than 150 books, monographs, articles, and reviews,
as well as fiction and poetry. He has also written and co-produced
"The Green Square Mile," a documentary on the Charlestown Irish
and is currently at work on a feature film set in 11th-century Ireland,
as well as a documentary on Boston's Italian North End, entitled
"America's Italian Neighborhood."
Presented
free by the Osher Life Long Learning Institute @ UMass-Boston and
the Hingham Public Library. Sign-up by calling OLLI (617) 287-7312.

Library
Trustees dedicated a sculpture created by Susan Luery on Sunday,
January 13, 2008
The Trustees
of the Hingham Public Library dedicated a sculpture created by internationally
recognized sculptor Susan Luery . The dedication ceremony took place
at the main entrance of the Library on Sunday, January 13, 2008.
Hingham Town Moderator Thomas L. P. O'Donnell was the event's keynote
speaker. Shown below are sculptor Susan Luery [seated left] and
the models who sat for the sculpture. Photos courtesy of Library
Trustee Edward Boylan.
The
sculpture is a gift to the Library from Hingham residents Pat and
Jim MacAllen . The MacAllen family has a four-generation association
with Hingham and its public library. The sculpture is dedicated
to the memory of “Thelma and William MacAllen and their love of
Hingham”. The MacAllens selected the Hingham Public Library for
their gift because they believe “the Library fosters a celebration
and love of reading that can be shared by parents and their children
throughout their lives”.
The Trustees
of the Library commissioned Hingham resident Susan Luery to create
a life-sized bronze sculpture depicting a young mother and her daughter
enjoying a “story-time” while seated on a two-tiered base
formed from Deer Isle, Maine granite. The sculpture is located adjacent
to
the Library's
main entrance.
Susan
Luery was born in Baltimore and attended the Maryland Institute
College of Art. Her gift for sculpting was refined in Carrara, Italy,
where she worked with Alberto Sparapani, Maestro sculptor of Italy's
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Luery's best known sculptural works
may be Babe's Dream”, the 16-foot monument to Babe Ruth located
in front of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore and the Cal
Ripken, Jr. monument that welcomes fans to his museum in Aberdeen,
Maryland. Her works also can be found in private, public and museum
collections throughout the world.
The
Book Group of the Hingham Public Library
The
Book Group of the Hingham Public Library meets at 7:30 pm on the
last Tuesday of each month, except for December, in the Fearing
Meeting Room. The building is fully handicapped-accessible.
Next Book Group Meeting:
Tuesday,
July 28th
Book
selection:
Still
Alice by
Lisa Genova
Newcomers
are welcome to drop in at any meeting. Library staff will be pleased
to help readers place reserves on current book selections. For more
information, call the library reference desk (781-741-1405,
x2650).
Twitter,
it isn't just for the birds...how tweet it is!
Twitter is
best described as a free social networking and micro-blogging service
where users have up to 140 characters to “tweet,” and get their
message out. Signing up for an account is free, and users can “follow”
or have “followers” to their posts. Posts can appear on the Twitter
home page for all to see, or posts can be made private, sent only
to groups of friends.
The Library
will twitter to stay in touch with you about events, books, films,
music & more. You'll also get weather-related schedule
changes. We'll tweet no more than once a day. Sign-up
for a free Twitter account.
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