Welcome! It's Good to Be Back.

Time Is Running Out
On Raffle for Weber Grill

Partying on the Library Lawn

The parade through Edgartown on the Fourth of July was a grand success, and we like to think the very best spot for viewing was from the lawns of the library. A few hundred people seemed to think so, anyway. Camp Jabberwocky got the loudest applause, and running a close second was a surprise visitor on the last fire truck of the parade, Boston Celtics star Ray Allen, holding his team's NBA trophy high.

The Friends of the Library, an organization in renaissance this summer, were selling sodas, chips and tickets to the Library's raffle for the Weber grill, which was on display and getting lots of attention.

Some parade-watchers even found a use for the large, ugly green electrical box recently installed out front as part of the North Water Street Beautification Project (yes, we know; it's ironic). The view of the parade from atop the box is reported to have been terrific.

Helping Out on a Rainy Day

Not every day is a beach day, but the climate is always just right inside the Edgartown Public Library. If you're looking for something to do on a damp afternoon, perhaps you might be willing to volunteer for our shelf-reading program. We've got about a thousand shelves, and scanning them from time to time is an important part of keeping our collection in order. You, too, can experience the librarian's thrill of discovering a book that, by virtue of being mis-filed, was as good as lost to its readers.

This project is only the latest in a list of ways you can help, if you have an hour or two to give the library. We hope you'll stop by and ask for details at the front desk.

Where the Wild Things Are:
Summer Reading Program

Remembering Tasha Tudor

If you were watching Antiques Roadshow in May, you might have caught the segment in which a collector learned that her original illustration from the book Pumpkin Moonshine, by Tasha Tudor, was worth between $8,000 and $10,000.

Mrs. Tudor, who died Wednesday at her home in Marlboro, Vt., at age 92, was a prolific author and illustrator who produced nearly 100 children's books over her long career, winning Caldecott Awards for two of them -- Mother Goose in 1944 and 1 Is One in 1957. You can read about her life in this obituary in the Boston Globe.

If you aren't familiar with this artist's whimsical, country-flavored works, just visit our CLAMS catalog: Libraries in our network hold more than 80 titles from Tasha Tudor.

Shifting into OverDrive:
New Audio Book & Music Download Service Expands

George Carlin, May 12, 1937 ~ June 22, 2008

When you think of comedian George Carlin, who died Sunday at age 71, you might think first of his most famous routine, "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." Or if you're a serious fan, you might think of one of his loopy one-liners, like the advice: "Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."

If you progress from this to this sort of thinking to wondering how well Mr. Carlin is represented in the CLAMS network catalog, you might be surprised by all you find. An author search reveals 58 items held by the CLAMS libraries, from DVDs of Mr. Carlin's standup comedy work to his three books, Brain Droppings, Napalm & Silly Putty and the ever-popular Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

Thanks for the laughs, Mr. Carlin, wherever you are. We'll take some solace from your own goofy meditations on the afterlife, among which is this: "Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck."

Hot Off the Presses --

 Actually, our early-summer edition of the Edgartown Library newsletter isn't printed on presses -- we use the library's new color printer. Be sure to pick up a copy at the front desk next time you visit the library. Or if you prefer, download the file using the handy link below and print your own edition.

Selectmen's Meeting Minutes

Just click below to read the minutes from meetings of the Edgartown board of selectmen. We'll post minutes as they become available.

Best-Dressed Bears Support the Library

The sleuth of teddy bears that invaded our library in December made the town hall space decidedly cozier, and a number of them have moved back with us to the main library building on North Water Street.

The women who meet at the library on Friday mornings to knit (and to solve all the world's problems in their lively discussions) have taken to the bears in a big way. Thanks to them, our resident teddies now sport handsome new knitted outfits -- and they're for sale, to benefit the library, at the front desk.

We hope you'll stop to admire the Island's most nattily attired teddy bears the next time you visit us at the library.

Recycling Project Raises More Than $4,500

A volunteer program of collecting returnable bottles and cans, begun last year, has now passed the $4,500 mark in funds raised for the campaign to build the new Edgartown Public Library.

A friend of the library expansion project has kindly volunteered to manage this program -- with collection bins set up at sites around the Island for returnable bottles and cans, with all proceeds going toward the new building fund.

The going rate for returnables in Massachusetts is five cents, but last year an anonymous supporter of the building project matched the revenues from this program. Now the library is looking for a new friend of the library to match these recycling dollars in the new year. If you'd like to help, contact the library and we'll put you in touch with our volunteer.

Transcontinental Teddy Bear

How did this Edgartown Library teddy bear end up a resident at the Cambria, Calif., public library? The story goes something like this:

Abel Martinez, a patron of the Cambria Library in San Luis Obispo County, was in Boston this year to run in the marathon, and afterwards he and his wife swung down to the Vineyard for the weekend of lighthouse tours promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and the MV Museum. On their explorations, they visited the Edgartown Library and picked up a bear as a gift for their librarian friends back home.

Pictured at left with their new Edgartown friend, outside the Cambria Library, are Erin Perry, Joen Kommer and Destiny Carter.

Now Online: Our Annual Report

Here's our three-page annual report for the year ending June 30, 2007, as published in the pages of this year's Edgartown Annual Report. You can retrieve your copy by clicking below -- or by visiting the About Us page of this website and following the link (on the left) where our annual reports are archived.

Library Foundation Wins $50,000 Grant

The Vineyard Golf Club Foundation has announced a five-year, $50,000 challenge grant program to the Edgartown Library Foundation to support its campaign for a new library.
Under this new initiative, individual contributions from the year-round Island community of $2,000 or less, up to a total of $10,000 per year, will be matched by the golf foundation to encourage support for the library building program.

Using the CLAMS Catalog Is Easy --
Let Us Show You

It's been our experience that once patrons of the Edgartown Library try using the CLAMS catalog online to request books, movies and music, they're pretty much hooked. So in the spirit of getting you started, we've produced a two-minute video tutorial that walks you through the process. Here it is:

Have You Used Your PIN Lately?

This year at the Edgartown Public Library, all PINs are free. Actually, they always have been, always will be -- we're just trying to get your attention.

Your four-digit PIN, or Personal Identification Number, is your Internet doorway into the CLAMS network. With it, you can explore -- and request items from -- the nearly 1.5 million books, CDs and videos of our regional consortium of libraries.

Getting your PIN is as easy as stopping by the library circulation desk for half a minute, or calling us on the phone during our open hours. We'll be delighted to set you up. Because we want all our patrons to discover the wonderful world of library resources that awaits you online.

Hop Aboard the Learning Express

No matter which acronym you're studying for -- ACT, SAT, GRE or any of the others -- you’ll want to sign up for the online test-preparation service, Learning Express.

The Edgartown Library subscribes to this service, which means that all our patrons can enjoy free access to practice tools to help prepare for dozens of important tests, from real estate exams to the U.S. citizenship test.

Learning Express also offers free online courses which you can take at your own pace, in academic subjects from math to writing, reading comprehension and even English language skills.