Big Library Read

The library's ebook provider OverDrive, is unveiling the Big Library Read pilot today. This program allows millions of patrons from more than 7,500 participating libraries to simultaneously read Michael Malone’s critically-acclaimed ‘Four Corners of the Sky’ in OverDrive Read, Kindle and EPUB formats. Users from 10 different countries on five different continents join in one of the largest global reading events.

From now until June 1^st, users will be able to log in to their digital library website and check out this wonderful tale about love, secrets and the mysterious bonds only families can form. During this campaign, OverDrive will post discussion questions on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. All are welcome to be part of the dialogue. 

Go to digital catalog to check out your copy now! A valid library card is required.

Celebrate Mother's Day with a Great Book

Mother's Day is coming up, and in addition to taking our moms to brunch or dinner (or being taken out by our own children) it's a good time to explore the joys and complexities of motherhood with an engrossing book. The WPL has books that address all kinds of topics related to motherhood, including adoption, balancing family life and career, being a lesbian mom, growing up American with a mom from a different culture, caring for aging moms, working to get your kid the best education possible, surrogacy, and more.

Here are a few books about motherhood and the experiences of individual moms - experiences that may be unique or that you may recognize from your own life. If any of these books interest you, place a hold in the catalog to reserve it or call the Reference Department at (508)-799-1655 ext. 3.

Fiction

The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

Little Earthquakes, by Jennifer Weiner

The Ten-Year Nap, by Meg Wolitzer

The Accidental Mother, by Rowan Coleman

Come Home, by Lisa Scottoline

Mothers and Daughters, by Rae Meadows

Night Road, by Kristin Hannah

Nonfiction

The New Don't Blame Mother: Mending the Mother-Daughter Relationship, by Paula J. Caplan

Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak: An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood, by Amy Eschliman and Leigh Oshirak

Confessions of a Scary Mommy: An Honest and Irreverent Look at Motherhood: The Good, the Bad, and the Scary, by Jill Smokler

When Did I Get Like This? : The Screamer, The Worrier, The Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be, by Amy Wilson

The Price of Motherhood: Why the Most Important Job in the World is Still the Least Valued, by Ann Crittenden

Sh*tty Mom: The Guide for Good-Enough Moms, by Laurie Kilmartin, Karen Moline, Alicia Ybarbo, Mary Ann Zoellner

Memoirs and Biographies

Mom & Me & Mom, by Maya Angelou


Blue Nights, by Joan Didion

Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers, edited by Kathryn Kysar

The Source of the Spring: Mothers Through the Eyes of Women Writers: A Barnard College Collection, compiled by Judith Shapiro

Hard Time & Nursery Rhymes: A Mother's Tales of Law and Disorder, by Claudia Trupp

It Hit Me Like a Ton of Bricks: A Memoir of a Mother and Daughter, by Catherine Lloyd Burns

Las Mamis: Favorite Latino Authors Remember Their Mothers, edited by Esmeralda Santiago and Joie Davidow

Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story, by Carol Burnett

Remembering the Music, Forgetting the Words: Travels With Mom in the Land of Dementia, by Kate Whouley

The Eighth Promise: An American Son's Tribute to His Toisanese Mother, by William Poy Lee

A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother, by Janny Scott

Confessions of The Other Mother: Nonbiological Lesbian Moms Tell All, edited by Harlyn Aizley

Motherland: A Memoir, by Pamela Marin

She Looks Just Like You: A Memoir of (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood, by Amie Klempnauer Miller

Lives of Mothers & Daughters: Growing Up with Alice Munro, by Sheila Munro

A Special Education: One Family's Journey Through the Maze of Learning Disabilities, by Dana Buchman with Charlotte Farber

Waiting for Birdy: A Year of Frantic Tedium, Neurotic Angst, and the Wild Magic of Growing a Family, by Catherine Newman

The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, A Daughter, and the Town That Raised Them, by Amy Dickinson

Mother on Fire: a True Mother%#$@ About Parenting!, by Sandra Tsing Loh

Bringing in Finn: An Extraordinary Surrogacy Story, by Sara Connell

Lifesaving Lessons: Notes From An Accidental Mother, Linda Greenlaw

WPL Wins a MLA Public Relations Award: 1st PLace in Social Media Category

          Rezarta Reso, Dorrie Karlin, Jillian Parson, Priya Subramanian, and Pingsheng Chen

Congratulations to the creative and hard working staff of the Worcester Public Library for winning the first place in social media category of Massachusetts Library Association (MLA) Public Relations Awards.  MLA presented the 21th biennial awards at the Association’s Annual Conference at Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 25th, 2013.  Social media category winners were chosen by a panel of independent judges from the public relations, press, and library fields.  Evaluation criteria included creativity, functionality, and usage.

This is a biennial contest held by the Massachusetts Library Association, coordinated by their P.R. committee. We submitted an entry this year because we’re very proud of the work we’ve done this year with social media. Through the creation of an “e-group,” we’ve dramatically increased our online presence. We use Facebook as our hub, but we use a variety of other social media platforms, including Pinterest, Twitter, and GooglePlus, in order to reach as many patrons as possible and to ensure that everyone who wants to can access information about the library. We feel incredibly honored to have received this award!

The E-Group (Electronic Resources Group) is led by Pingsheng Chen, E-Resources Librarian with librarians selected from adult reference Priya Subramanian and Jillian Parson and from youth services, Dorrie Karlin and Rezarta Reso. 

Email Ping with any questions.

Digital Tools for Genealogists

One of the gems of the Worcester Public Library is our Local History and Genealogy Collection.  Located on the third floor of the library this section features a wealth of resources to help our patrons pursue research in family history as well as the history of Worcester.  In addition to these physical resources the web tools listed below offer social, interactive assistance for genealogists.

Geni.com
 Geni.com is a genealogy social networking site.  The goal of this site is to create a global family tree of shared ancestors.  It functions as a family tree building service, allowing you to build off the work that other members have already completed.  Family members can use Geni to share information and keep in touch.  Geni also works as an organizational tool for family documents and photographs.  Basic membership is free and includes 1 GB of upload space.
Find out more about Geni by watching this introductory video.

FamilySearch Blog
FamilySearch is the database associated with the Family History Library, the world's largest collection of genealogical records.  What once functioned primarily as a database connecting users to records now offers many more services.  FamilySearch, like Geni, includes a family tree tool and the ability to upload and share family photos.  One feature of this site which you may initially overlook is the FamilySearch Blog.  This blog keeps readers up to date with information on FamilySearch as well as news about the wider world of genealogy research.

Pinterest.com
Pinterest is an image-based social networking site which allows users to create virtual pinboards or scrapbooks.  Images posted to this site are called pins and may be shared, repinned and liked by other users.  Because of its visual orientation Pinterest is ideal for sharing historical family photos.  It can also be used to organize bookmarks to genealogical websites and resources, instructional videos and event-planning ideas for things like family reunions.  WPL has utilized this tool to share photos related to library history on our Worcester Room Board.  Check out how other genealogists are using this tool:

• AnceStories: The Stories of my Ancestors
• GeneaBloggers

For more information on using Pinterest for family history:

• Top 12 Tips for Using Pinterest for Family History
•  FamilySearch: Using Pinterest for Genealogy

Cyndislist.com
Cyndi's List is a curated index of websites relating to genealogy.  Of particular note is the category "Social Networking and Genealogy."  This page features of list of articles on how new social media can be used in the context of genealogical research.  It also features examples of how they are being used.  This list is updated daily so it's a good site to keep in your bookmarks if you want to stay up to date on what's new in genealogy on the web.

Ancestry Insider
For users of Ancestry.com and FamilySearch (which should be all modern genealogists) this blog is a must read.  The blogger attempts to independently and without bias critique and report on the two giants of online genealogy research.  Posts are timely and informative and will help to keep researchers abreast of the ever-constant changes which come with online research.

Here at WPL we are constantly researching and trying out new technologies in order to better serve and educate our patrons.  If you're interested in learning more about genealogy on the web you may consider attending next month's work shop with Joy Hennig, Web 2.0 for Genealogists (May 23rd and 28th).

More genealogy resources:
Online Databases - Genealogy
Local History and Genealogy Resources

Boston Strong: updates and support

• Boston Marathon 2013: complete coverage including video, photos and updates 
• Boston Marathon Victim:How to help
• Free counseling: at various sites throughout city of Boston
• Boston Strong: Facebook Page