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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.
Boston Classical Guitar Society/Hingham Public Library 10th Anniversary CD on sale now
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:
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. "Renaissance Florence and the Palace of the Judges and Notaries: The Traditions and Transformations of Renaissance Iconography" on July 23 @ 7PM
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".
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.
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.
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?
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 .
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 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 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
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!
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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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. 
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. 
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. 
"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. 
The
"Green Square Mile" documentary is the result of a 
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
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. 