Library News
March’s Note from the Director
Hello Library Friends! Hope you’re enjoying the warmer weather that has led to a melting March; I know I am heartened by the hint of spring in the air.
Whether you enjoy this time of year for March Madness, St. Patty’s Day, or Dr. Seuss’ birthday, there are monthly highlights in the library world as well, not the least of which is National Reading Month! Not that a librarian ever needs encouragement to read (my TBR list runs several pages), but I have decided to combine some of the March holidays in my reading choices this month.
The March Mass Center for the Book Reading Challenge is a book about someone with a marginalized identity. I’ll be combining that challenge with Women’s History Month when I typically read a book to honor strong women in the world. I could not pass up the chance to read Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books that Saved Me by Glory Edim, founder of the Well-Read Black Girl Book Club. It’s hard to select just one book, so others I hope to get to are Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uche Blackstock, M.D., Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality by Tomiko Brown-Nagin, and Roar!: A Collection of Mighty Women by Ashley Longshore.
March is also National Craft Month, a time to discover the joy of creating with hands-on projects. This month’s Create/Make for Adults will focus on beginning an embroidery journal. Not sure what that means? Come check it out on March 8. Or drop in on our Knit Together group meets on Tuesday at 2:00PM. The library has plenty of opportunities for crafting in community!
I would be remise if I did not mention National Freedom of Information Day, celebrated annually on or around March 16 in honor of James Madison, widely regarded as the father of the Constitution and a strong advocate of transparency and accountability in government. Libraries have long been on the forefront of access to information and the public’s right to know.
Finally, a couple of days after spring has officially begun, don’t miss the chance to bring the kids (ages 5-10) down to see Rabbits and Guinea Pigs at the Library! Manchester’s own 4-H club will be hosting this fun, furry program, but be sure to register to save your place on March 22!
In closing and in honor of spring, a line from Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale:
daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty
Happy reading!