Library Corner: Springvale

by Springvale Library Staff

Latest News

Springvale Public Library is now fine-free! After dropping late fees for two years during the pandemic, we have decided to do away with them altogether. Libraries are supposed to be places of equity, including economic equity. Owing a fine should never be a barrier to using the library, nor should a fine be punitive. We welcome any long overdue items.

New England Quilts and the Stories They Tell with Pam Weeks Wednesday (2/23) at 6 pm via Zoom & In-Person Zoom (We will be Zooming from the community room in the Library and you are welcome to join us there). Nearly every world culture that has cold weather uses quilted textiles – quilting is NOT just an American art. Pam Weeks weaves world history, women’s history, industrial history, and just plain wonderful stories into her presentation. Please email us at spl@springvalelibrary.org for the Zoom link. If you have any quilt questions or would like to share pictures of quilts for the presentation you are welcome to send them to us for Pam to address during her program. Take a peek at her website here: www.portablepatchwork.com.

Book Group: March’s next book (3/2) is The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue, and books are available now at the front desk. Our book group meets on the first Wednesday of each month.

Bundle up and Read winter reading program continues through the end of February. Each bundle contains 3-5 books on a theme with activities that help extend the fun of the stories. Prize week will be February 28- March 6; those who have participated will receive a free book and a cozy prize to enjoy.

Our Annual Online Auction is April 8-17. We are gratefully accepting donations – please call, stop by and chat with Lesley or email her at lunger@springvalelibrary.org.

New Books

New in Genealogy:

• Maine Families in 1790, Volume 12
• Fish Scales and Stone Chips by Sidney L. Winslow
• Vital Records of Jefferson, Maine
• Lincoln County, Maine Master Index to Deeds in Volumes 1-100 (1760-1818)
• New England Additions to the Six State Bibliographies, Volume 8
• Bibliographies of New England History: Further Additions to 1994, Volume 9
• Writings on New England History: Additions to the Bibliography of New England History Series (to 2001) Volume 10

Fiction: The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. In this taut and explosive debut novel, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance.

Non-Fiction: Fun City Cinema by Jason Bailey. A visual history of 100 years of filmmaking in New York City, featuring exclusive interviews with NYC filmmakers.

Young Adult: Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte. The sequel to the Schneider Family Award book Show Me a Sign. This is historical fiction at its best. Mary, who grew up on Martha’s Vineyard in a deaf community, has been summoned to Boston to help teach a young girl to communicate. Unforeseen challenges await. Readers will also be challenged with issues of ableism, racism, and colonialism.

Children’s: The Story of a Story by Deborah Hopkinson. A young writer prepares a special table with all the needed materials to start writing a story. When nothing interesting or creative seems to take shape on the blank page, it’s the chickadee outside the window that provides the spark to help the young writer begin. Hopkinson provides a few writing prompts around the chickadee. It’s a story that encourages persistence and celebrates the strength of every child’s unique voice.

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