How Hard is Your Resume Working for You?

Come in for a free resume critique and find out! Elizabeth Schoch, a professional writer, marketer and published author, will be available at Falmouth Memorial Library from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22nd to review your job-hunting materials and offer constructive feedback and job-search tips. If you are planning to look for a job in the New Year--or if you've been looking for awhile but are having trouble getting interviews--now is the time to take advantage of this one-on-one consultation opportunity. Please bring your resume and cover letter and also the job description, if available. Your resume needs to sell your strengths--make sure yours is doing the job for you!

Holidays at the Library

Please join us for several events this month. Saturday, December 5th, we are holding a special childrens book sale 1pm to 4pm in the library's Russell Room. Come support the library with your purchases of gently used children's books.

Then join us on Friday, December 11th 2pm to 4pm for the library's Annual Holiday Revels. There will be refreshments, Doc's Banjo Band will entertain, Kathie Harper and Mrs. C. will read some great holiday stories and Andi and Laura will teach you how to make your own Artist Trading Cards. And, don't forget, we'll have refreshments!

We're Branching Out...with Our Reading!

It might not surprise some of our patrons, that the staff of Falmouth Memorial Library really enjoys reading. So, in an effort to better serve our patrons and to expand our own horizons, the staff has been participating in genre studies. So far, we've read mysteries, literary fiction, science fiction and romance. Next time you're in, ask us what we're reading. And check out our book displays. This week we're highlighting the genre possibilities!

What Do These Three Things Have in Common?

They add up to our Annual Fall Clean Up Day! Grab your rakes and gloves and join us as we round up leaves and debris on Saturday, November 7th 9 am to noon. We provide the coffee and donut holes, you provide the muscle!

What's Coming Up? Help Us Clean Up!

The leaves are falling, the cold air is closing in. It's time to clean up and get the library ready for the winter! Please join us on Saturday, November 7th 9am to 12pm for our Annual Fall Clean-Up.

We are looking for volunteers to rake, pick up wayward trash, prune...etc, etc, etc. Please bring a rake and your gloves. We will provide the coffee and donut holes!

Textile Day

Please join us for Textile Day, this Saturdaym October 17th 1pm to 4pm. The event will start off @ 1pm with the first of two free workshops, Blending Two Colors to Make Three with Rachel Bingham of Portland Fiber Gallery and Weaving Studio.

The second workshop is led by Carolyn Turcio-Gilman of Four Seasons Quilters. This workshop is Painting the World: Selecting Colors for Your Next Project

After the workshops, join our many volunteers who will be demonstrating various textile art and craft. Ever wanted to try lacemaking? Knitting? Quilting? Maybe a little weaving or spinning? Please join us for some fun!

Questions? Please contact Mrs. C or Andi at 781-2351.

Annual Fall Book Sale

The library's Annual Fall Book Sale is coming right up next week. We have many, many, many books. If you're interested in getting the pick of the bunch, show up Friday, October 9th 4-6pm. This is the Friends of the Falmouth Memorial Library Sneak Peek event. The event is free to all current Friends, all others can enter with a $5.00 donation.
The book sale continues all weekend, Saturday, Oct. 10th 9:30am to 5pm and Sunday, Oct. 11th 1pm to 5pm. On Sunday, Oct. 10th 3pm to 5pm join us for our famous buck a bag close-out. Please bring your own bag(s). Everyone is in for some great bargains!

Join us for Maine Snapshot Day!

Today, September 30th, is Maine Snapshot day. The Maine State Library has invited all libraries in Maine to participate. We are not only gathering daily statistics on library use, but also asking our Falmouth Memorial Library patrons to share their comments and stories about our library. Stop in and visit us today!

Falmouth Memorial Library's Annual Meeting Invitation

Our Annual Meeting is this coming Monday, September 14th @ 7pm in the library's Russell Room.
Please join us as we celebrate another year with staff, volunteers, Trustees and patrons! There will be delightful desserts and interesting information provided at no charge. The FML staff will be doing a presentation on reader's advisory. Don't know what that is? Come to the meeting and find out, we look forward to talking about some interesting books and some secrets on finding more to read.

Our director, Lyn Sudlow, will also be presenting highlights of the past year. Library Trustees will get us all up to speed on what they've been doing as well this past year.

It's Back! It's Back!

Yes, the staff at FML is jumping with joy! The interlibrary loan request service is back up and running again as of this afternoon. We've heard from a lot of our patrons while this wonderful service was down. Believe me, we've missed it as much as you all have.

So, that list of books you've been waiting to request? Go to our catalog, start choosing your titles and hit that request button!

It's Over

That's it folks, until next year. The Summer Reading programs at the Falmouth Memorial Library have ended. The adult program was fun, low key and we hope to continue it next summer. We'd love to have your feedback and ideas whether you participated or not.

The children's Be Creative @ Your Library was a huge success! Mrs. C reports there were over 600 children registered and over 300 children completed the program! Hat's off to all those who participated. The end of the program ice cream party was a big hit, as well as the puppet show.

Thank you to everyone who helped our staff during these summer programs. The final "goodbye" will be when the quilt is raffled off at our Annual Meeting on Monday, September 14th. Raffle tickets are available for sale at the circulation desk.

Hey, Where's the Request Button?

Many of our patrons have noticed a change in our online requesting service. There's no Request Button!
Falmouth Memorial Library participates in the state-wide delivery service which has been temporarily stopped due to loss of service. Please refer to the Portland Press Herald's front page story from Friday, July 17th's issue for additional information.

We all miss this great service and appreciate everyone's understanding while the staff @ FML deals with this issue.

The staff can still place holds on items owned by Falmouth Memorial Library for our patrons, please call us at 781-2351 or e-mail @ library@falmouth.lib.me.us!

Did You Miss Library Sundae?

Library Sundae was a fun event, the sun was shining and the breezes were gentle! Remember to check out our library event calendar and you won't miss another event.

Summer Reading

Today is the kick-off for the Falmouth Memorial Library's Summer Reading program! The library was packed this morning with families signing up for the Childrens' Summer Reading program! Don't forget, all participants who want to attend the Magic Show tomorrow, June 23rd, you need to bring in your reading log. The Magic Show is open to children participating in the Summer Reading Program.

Adults, you don't need to be left out. We have a Summer Reading Program for you as well. You don't need to sign up, but if you want to be eligible for the weekly prize drawing, drop your reading list into the beehive near the circulation desk. Celebrate Creativity this summer at Falmouth Memorial Library.

"Be Creative" Programming

Did you miss Beekeeping with Erin MacGregor-Forbes? We hope to have her back to discuss the ins and outs of beekeeping.

Magazine Swap

Do you have a collection of current magazines at home? Are they stacking up after you read them? Looking for a new home for them? Bring them to the library's Magazine Swap Room where others can share them. The Magazine Swap room is located off from the Audio Room. Used, current magazines can have their lives extended here at Falmouth Memorial Library!

Civics Test

I just received a box of Civics Flash Cards from U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services. How do you think you'd do trying to pass a Civics test?

Try answering these few questions (pulled from random)

1. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

2. We may elect a President for how many years?

3. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

Think you've got the answers? Post them here!

Newbery Award Committee

Congratulations to our Mrs. C, FML's own Children' s librarian! She just received notification this afternoon that she's been elected to the 2011 Newbery Award Committee. (note the telephone message in her hand).

We're all so proud of her!!!

Falmouth Memorial Library's FEF Spelling Bee Team

The Falmouth Memorial Library's team entry into FEF's Annual Spelling Bee are from left to right:

Dave Billings, FML Staff member
Alison Bishop, FML Trustee (with children!)
and Jeannie Madden, FML Staff member.

Be sure to go to the FEF Spelling Bee on Thursday evening, June 4th in the Falmouth High School theatre and cheer us on!

On the Move!

O.k, we're not really going anywhere, but we've moved around the work stations at our Circulation Desk. Increased usage of the library has created the need for additional work stations. Now you can check out at two computer stations and returns have moved down the desk to the end. Check out the picture above . The computer under the Returns sign is now another check out station and where access to the public computers is given out. Please be patient while we get our signs moved around! We have posted smaller printed signs to help us all. Please visit us soon!

April is National Poetry Month

Poetry Book Display
LunchFriends with
Annie Finch

We had poet, Annie Finch visit the Lunchbox Friends event on Tuesday, April 14th. The Lunchbox Friends and Annie wrote a Community Poem after we ate our lunch and read some of our favorite poems. Check out the finished poem "Falmouth" here

It's Time for our Annual Spring Clean Up

Please join us on Saturday, April 25th 9am to noon as we clean up the gardens and lawn around the library. We'll bring the coffee, juice and donut holes if you bring your rakes and gloves! It's a great way to spend the morning with your family and library staff. We need to sweep the walkways, rake up the lawn and prune some plants.

We hope you'll join us.

New!!! Audiobook Downloadables @FML

Have you checked out the new audiobook downloadables now available? All you need is a computer, access to the Internet and a Falmouth Memorial Library card. What could be easier? There is a wide variety of selections, including some for using Apple products, such as the iPod.

The Maine InfoNet Download Library is supported by its member libraries. Explore the growing collection.

You can access the website for downloading from FML's homepage. I would suggest you check out the online tutorial and then the Quick Start Guide. The directions from Overdrive are great and easy. Questions? Ask the staff at the library 781-2351.

This Weekend -- Spring Book Sale!

Join us for our annual Spring Book Sale. There is a sneak peak this evening 4pm to 6pm. This event is free to current Friends of the Falmouth Memorial Library group and costs $5.00 to others.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 4th the book sale will be open in our Russell Room 9:30am to 5pm. The last two hours on Saturday (3pm to 5pm) are the great A Buck A Bag sale! Bring your own grocery bags and fill them up. I've checked out the selection and there are some really nice books in good shape and tons of paperbacks for .50 cents each.

Beauty and the Books

Visit the library up until March 26th to view all the great donations to this year's Beauty and the Books! There are some very talented artists and craftsmen in the area who have donated their work for the benefit of the Falmouth Memorial Library. And this year, Beauty and the Books is celebrated further with this beautiful fabric banner created by Marsha Clark. Come visit the library in March to put in your bids!

Great Books Discussion Group

Are you interested in joining a Great Books Discussion Group? Not sure what the Great Books program is? Check out this link to Great Books Foundation. If you're interested in joining us, please contact Andi Jackson-Darling@ library@falmouth.lib.me.us.

Weather Results

Check out the circulation desk! We were without power after the last storm from sometime Sunday, February 22nd to 2:45pm on Tuesday, February 24th. It took us a while to catch up. Thank you to all our great volunteers and staff who helped us out.

Comments Please!

Are you interested in responding to any of the posts on this blog? It's easy to do. Just click on the "Comments" link under the post you wish to respond to. This link should be to the bottom right at the end of each article. When you click on the link, you will be taken to a page that allows you type in your question or comment. Next, you need to select an identity. The final step involves copying in letters into a box and clicking the publish button.

If you have any questions or have trouble leaving comments, please contact us at library@falmouth.lib.me.us

What's on Display?

Have you checked out the displays that staff has set up across from the circulation desk? This week we're featuring "I Didn't Know the Library had That!" with books pulled from our adult nonfiction collection. Some of the titles in this display include; "The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz, "Good Books Lately" by Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens and "Communicating in Sign, Creative Ways to Learn American Sign Language".

Another display just went up this morning is "Live the Legacy" in honor of the bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth, February 12, 1809. Several of the books on display include; "Did Lincoln Own Slaves?" by Gerald J. Prokopowicz, "1863, The Rebirth of a Nation" by Joseph E. Stevens and "Abraham Lincoln, The Prairie Years and the War Years" by Carl Sandberg.

We're closed today--January 28, 2009

Today, January 28th, the library will be closed all day due to the storm. All items due today, but returned tomorrow will have all late fees waived for today.

Library Use Value Calculator

There is a great calculator available to anyone via the Maine State Library website:
http://www.state.me.us/msl/services/calculator.htm. I thought it would be interesting to find out what my own use of the Falmouth Memorial Library would be for a typical two-week period. My total savings is based on the following usage:

Five Books from our library shelves
Five books via Interlibrary Loan
4 movies
2 magazines
1 audiobook

Total saved: $410.00

The explanation for how the values were calculated can be found at:
http://www.state.me.us/msl/services/calexplantion.htm

Granted, I don't usually purchase DVDs, but even the cost of renting them is at least $1.00 per movie.

Check out the value of our library to you and let us know what you think!