Springvale Library Corner

by Springvale Library Staff

Harland H. Eastman Honored: Walking up into the research room you will be met by large framed photos and maps representing the history of Springvale and York County. You will be surrounded by books from the 1800s up until 2022 reflecting Maine’s history and genealogy, some of which are irreplaceable. This collection and research center would not exist without the dedication and generosity of Harland Eastman.

When Harland began to expand and grow our collection, there was one row on one bookshelf. We now have the largest collection of vital records in Southern Maine, and arguably the most robust collection of Maine history and genealogy, too.  The evening of his reception, Harland donated the last book to complete the Maine county maps. It is extremely rare to have a complete set and we are grateful for this, and so many more donations that Harland has contributed to us over the last 70 years.

To honor Harland, the second floor front room has been dedicated to him and is now the Harland H. Eastman Room.

Our Spice Library is Famous! Have you heard about our spice library? We have 33 spices that you can “check out”! If you’d like to try a spice before you buy, come on in and get a tablespoon of what you need. We’ll put the spice in a plastic cup with a lid and you can take it home to try something new. We also have a few recipes here that you can try or check out one of our 641.5 cookbooks.

We’ve even been featured in this national library collaborative. Check out the article at https://bit.ly/spicelibrary.

Indian Cooking with Paramjeet Bawa: November 9th at 5:30 come down to the community room where Paramjeet will show us how to cook 4-5 master Indian recipes. Keep an eye out at the library for a vegetable biriyani recipe. We have all the spices (including the saffron) to try it!

Sam’s Book Club Next Meeting November 5th @ 5:30 pm. The book to be discussed is The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve: In October 1947, after a summer-long drought, fires break out all along the Maine coast from Bar Harbor to Kittery and are soon racing out of control from town to village. Books are available to pick up the library now. This book group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 pm.  Sam will pick a shortlist of books to choose from for the next discussion to be voted on. Haven’t finished the book?  Don’t worry – come anyway!

From the Children’s Room: A special Thanksgiving Make it/Take it craft will be offered on Wednesday, November 16 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm in the children’s room.  The regular children’s programming continues through December 9. On Mondays, Baby Rhyme Time is at 10:00 am and Lego Builders Club for ages 5-12 is at 3:30 pm. On Fridays at 10:00 am, there is story time for ages 3-7.  A Homeschool Meet-up takes place the second Thursday of each month at 10:00 am and Little Yogis meets the first Tuesday of every month at 10:00 am for ages 3-7.  Weekly take-home crafts for kids are available when you come to visit us.