Curbside, Show-Offs, and Resources for 5/14/2020

Hiya, everyone out there in library land!

Today, I bring you a grab bag of of fun Upper Valley and Vermont resources! There’s also information about curbside service starting on Monday (yay!) and the Baxter Show-Off Show that rolls into town on Monday, as well! Let’s delve right in….

Montshire Live at Home – Creepy Crawly Cockroaches
Join Montshire Educators, Rebecca and Amy, Friday at 11:00 am for a live Zoom webinar featuring the museum’s hissing cockroaches and another surprise visitor! Ask your insect questions, play some bug pictionary and see the cockroaches super close-up! Upon registering you will be sent the Zoom Webinar link. The webinar is free, but space is limited so please register for this event in advance. Upon registering you will be sent the Zoom Webinar link. The webinar is free and will be recorded and available at the Montshire at Home resource page if you cannot attend the live broadcast.

Math Among Peers (MAP)
MAP is an entirely free, student-run source for virtual math help during this time of learning at home with offering peer support and preparation for fall classes! Started by Miriam Viazmenski, a junior at Hanover High School. Miriam says, “I love sharing my passion for math with others and have enjoyed tutoring peers for several years. My idea for this project grew out of the need for instructional support in the face of our new educational reality. I have organized a group of high school students enthusiastic about sharing their love of math with peers.” You can check out the Facebook page at the link above or sign up here.

Green Mountain Chronicles
The Vermont Historical Society has re-released their vintage Green Mountain Chronicles radio program from the 1980s as a podcast series. The episodes tell the history of Vermont in the twentieth century using archival sound recordings and oral history interviews. The latest episode is about the 1918 Flu epidemic. Other episodes focus on the introduction of the telephone in Vermont, the Long Trail, the popularity of the trolley, and more.

HOP@Home
Each week, HOP@Home virtual stage brings adventurous artistry into your living room. The Hop offers a varied weekly line-up of online programming including live-streamed performances, film recommendations and live chat, digital dance parties for kids and grown-ups, and projects cooked up by Hop directors. Tonight, don’t miss a free show with local fiddler Patrick Ross as he recreates from home the great music and joie de vivre of his band Atlas Key, and this weekend, he’s back with his daughter Ophelia performing shows for the younger crowd! There’s lots more coming up, and quite a few recordings of past presentations. You can find some of the recordings at their YouTube page. (Kids might be particularly interested in Simon Brooks’ wonderful storytelling videos.)

Musicians as Mentors
Every Tuesday at 2pm through June 2, Musicians as Mentors will present a 30 minute ZOOMCAST with a guest recording artist! This presentation is provided for free by the Upper Valley Music Center. Parent permission for those under 18 is required. If you have any questions, email emzanleoni@gmail.com

And now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for…. (Drum roll, please!) Curbside pickup begins Monday, May 18th! How will it work, you ask? Read on….

1. Choose the materials you’d like to request. Feel free to place holds online if you’re comfortable doing so. If not, just send your requests to me at sharonbaxterlibrary@gmail.com, and I’ll place the holds for you. You can also call the library at 763-2875 and leave a message specifying which items you’d like. Remember, some items (such as puzzles) may not be entered into the system, so if you know we have something but you can’t find it in the catalog, just let me know.

2. Using gloves, I’ll gather your requests, disinfect the covers, and place them inside a grocery bag. Then, I’ll set the bag on the back porch. It will have a tag with your name and instructions for disinfecting or quarantining items once you get them home.

3. I’ll contact you via email and/or phone when your items are ready. (If you can only pick up items at certain times, email me to let me know, and we can make arrangements.)

How long is the lending period?
The lending period will be one month for all materials – old and new, books, DVDs, games, puzzles, you name it. As usual, we’re not crazy-strict with return dates, but please consider that others might be wanting to read the material you’ve checked out (especially if it’s new).

Can I request items through interlibrary loan?
The interlibrary loan service was put on hiatus for a spell, and libraries are just beginning to start it back up. Once there’s a sufficient number of libraries using the system, we’ll start back up, too. I’ll let you know when that happens.

How will returns work?
Please return materials in the book slot in the front door and not the book drop in the back. (The height of the book drop makes it difficult to retrieve items safely.) If you have any items out currently, please return them using the book slot as soon as you are able.

How will you handle returns?
Using gloves, I’ll retrieve items and then quarantine them for 10 days before handling them.

If you have any questions or concerns, send me an email or give me a call. I’m happy to chat any time.

And, in other news, the Baxter Show-Off Show will roll into town on Monday!! What’s the Baxter Show-Off Show, you ask? Well….

Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages! Step right up and join Baxter’s Show-Off Show! Come one, come all to an unbelievable online event filled with daring crafts and awesome arts, marvelous stories and mind boggling poetry!

What have you created during the quarantine? SHOW IT OFF at Baxter’s Show-Off Show!

Painting, music, poems, science experiments, works of clay or wood or metal, videos, knitting and crocheting projects, art parodies, origami, photography, gardens, stories, Lego constructions, computer programs, comics – even face masks! Whatever it is, here’s your chance to SHOW IT OFF May 18-22!

Just send a photograph, document or file of your Show-Off to Shana any time or post it on Baxter Memorial Library’s Facebook page May 18-22! We’ve already received some spectacular creations – you don’t want to miss out on the excitement!