{"id":5986,"date":"2020-11-09T09:36:51","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T14:36:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regalhousepublishing.com\/?p=5986"},"modified":"2020-11-09T09:46:13","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T14:46:13","slug":"these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things-amherst-ma-public-libraries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regalhousepublishing.com\/2020\/11\/09\/these-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things-amherst-ma-public-libraries\/","title":{"rendered":"These are a few of my favorite things: Amherst, MA, public libraries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Shirley Reva Vernick<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Jones Library<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Back when I was checking out towns in which to raise my children, one of the first local stops was always the public library. The Jones Library in Amherst, MA clinched it for me. Nestled in a stately stone building right off the main street, the library bustled with patrons of all ages that day\u2014people reading, learning, enjoying group activities, installing exhibits, and generally creating an energized atmosphere of community. My family moved to town within a few months of that visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally housed in a local hotel, the 102-year-old Amherst library system now includes the main Jones branch and two satellites to serve the town\u2019s 40,000 residents. Through the years, the library has loaned millions of books and digital media; hosted thousands of meetings, book talks and musical events; and continually applied new technology to the service of patrons. Need to borrow a ukulele, an air quality monitor, a museum pass, or a wireless hotspot? Incredibly, it\u2019s just a library card away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literal\u2014and literary\u2014riches<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda Wentworth, head of adult collections, says she has her dream job at the Jones. \u201cI get to work with a community that\u2019s insane about reading, and I have the privilege of managing a 300,000-item collection, some of it in multiple foreign languages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Jones is now teaming up with another library in town, the national Yiddish Book Center, to (remotely) celebrate Coming to America. With the financial and intellectual support of the Yiddish Book Center, the Jones has arranged a reading group to discuss three books of Yiddish literature in translation, plus a fourth book related to one of Amherst\u2019s larger immigrant communities: the Chinese. 

The discussion series, facilitated by Wentworth, will use these books to explore the ways in which immigrants change our country, and the ways in which our country changes those who immigrate here. Through these discussions, participants will explore the range of immigrant experiences and how these experiences are portrayed in literature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another project on the drawing board is an ongoing book concierge service. Patrons will be invited to specify what kinds of books they like, and the staff will put two relevant selections on hold for them each month. Now, that\u2019s my kind of book-of-the-month club!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start \u2019em young<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The library\u2019s youth services have enjoyed increased attendance over the last five years, thanks to a trifecta of new children\u2019s programs, the creation of a young-adult librarian position, and a focus on inclusivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A captivated audience<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPublic libraries used to expect teens to act like adults and use the adult spaces,\u201d notes library director Sharon Sharry. \u201cNow that the Jones has given teens a dedicated space, their own programming, and a specialized librarian, we\u2019ve become a cool place for YAs to hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The children\u2019s room is continuously finding ways to embrace diversity. For instance, the library used to host an annual American Girl doll party, where girls could bring their American Girl dolls and participate in related activities. \u201cBut American Girl dolls are expensive,\u201d says Mia Cabana, youth services director, \u201cand are traditionally only for girls. So now we do a teddy bear\/doll tea party, where both boys and girls are welcome, and the toy you bring doesn\u2019t need to be fancy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some children have adopted this party as a way to explore their sexual identity. Whether it\u2019s a boy bringing a doll or a girl dressing up in a bowtie, all are welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something special<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many times over the years, I\u2019ve lost myself in the library\u2019s special collections. What a treasure\u2014especially, in my opinion, the manuscript collections of local icons Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. I was so delighted to find a handwritten rough draft of Frost\u2019s \u201cStopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,\u201d I was afraid I\u2019d stare the ink right off the page. I\u2019m also partial to the Amherst authors collection, which showcases books and articles written by Amherst residents from 1730 to today. You can find Noah Webster’s lexicographical studies, Robert Francis\u2019s poetry, Norton Juster\u2019s The Phantom Tollbooth <\/em>(my personal childhood favorite), and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe special collections allow people to bridge Amherst\u2019s past to its present,\u201d says Cyndi Harbeson, head of special collections. \u201cWhether I\u2019m sharing famous historical manuscripts or tracking the provenance of local buildings, I love working with school children, high school and college students, genealogists, international scholars, and general Amherst residents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harbeson points out that the collections also highlight non-celebrity residents, including \u201cregular\u201d people\u2019s historic photos, scrapbooks, store records, maps and legal deeds. \u201cWe serve as a repository for local Cambodian refugees\u2019 records too,\u201d she adds. \u201cMy hope is to expand this initiative and make the special collections more representative of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we\u2019re apart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quarantine, unfortunately, has closed the buildings. Nevertheless, the library services persist. The award-winning ESL and citizenship programs have thrived remotely. Dungeons & Dragons tournaments, wee sing-alongs, bilingual story times, tech support for personal computers\u2014all these are thriving virtually, as are author interviews, art instruction, and music lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to keeping its digital materials and research tools available, the Jones has developed an effective protocol for socially distanced book borrowing. The main branch is offering home delivery, as well as weather-dependent outdoor pickup. Meanwhile, the South Amherst branch has taken a page from the \u201cwine windows\u201d that dotted Florence, Italy, during the 17th<\/sup>-century bubonic plague scourge. Wine merchants during that time built tiny windows through which they could pass wine flasks, thus avoiding direct contact with customers. In just this way, the South Amherst branch is passing bagged books to patrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love ya, tomorrow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, the Jones is hoping to begin a significant building renovation, updating existing structures and adding new space. The library has already been offered a state grant to help support the renovation. Now the staff is awaiting a town council vote on whether to underwrite the balance. \u201cI\u2019m very optimistic,\u201d says Sharry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The library also plans to rev up its nascent anti-racism movement. \u201cWe want every person who crosses our threshold to feel at home,\u201d Sharry says. Indeed, one highly visible example of this initiative greets patrons as soon as they walk through the Jones\u2019 front door. The large painting in the entryway titled \u201cEnglish Nobleman\u201d (often mistaken for Lord Jeffrey Amherst, the man purported to have sent smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans in the 18th<\/sup> century) has been replaced with a landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jorge Luis Borges imagined paradise as a kind of library. It seems to me that the Jones is, if not a literal paradise, then certainly a warm and welcoming place for exploration and self-expansion. I can\u2019t wait to be able to pop back in for a browse, and I\u2019m grateful for the staff\u2019s creative and technical expertise that keeps me connected in the meantime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shirley Reva Vernick<\/a> is the author of The Blood Lie<\/em>, Remembering Dippy<\/em>, and The Black Butterfly<\/em>. Her work has garnered innumerable awards and recognition, some of which include: the American Library Association Best Fiction Books for Young Readers List, Simon Wiesenthal Once Upon A World Book Award, Dolly Gray Literature Award from the Council for Exceptional Children, Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction. Fitzroy Books is proud to publish Ripped Away<\/em> in 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Shirley Reva Vernick Back when I was checking out towns in which to raise my children, one of the first local stops was always the public library. The Jones Library in Amherst, MA clinched it for me. Nestled in a stately stone building right off the main street, the library bustled with patrons of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":194,"featured_media":5987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[80],"tags":[283,337,349],"class_list":{"0":"post-5986","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-book-bound","8":"tag-bookbound","9":"tag-shirley-reva-vernick","10":"tag-the-jones-library","11":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/regalhousepublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Jones-Library-exterior.jpg?fit=1920%2C1411&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9DpGh-1yy","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5583,"url":"https:\/\/regalhousepublishing.com\/2020\/08\/26\/bookbound-amherst-books\/","url_meta":{"origin":5986,"position":0},"title":"Bookbound: Amherst Books","author":"Shirley Reva Vernick","date":"August 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A literary powerhouse in Massachusetts\u2019 Pioneer Valley by Shirley Reva Vernick What better place to locate a bookstore\u2014one with a sprawling poetry section\u2014than just up the street from Emily Dickinson\u2019s house and around the corner from Robert Frost\u2019s home? 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