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Notes from the Reference Desk As we come to the end of another eventful year, we look forward to 2022 and all that it has to offer. Throughout 2021, the library continued to offer virtual programs to the community. Our virtual programs continue to be popular! Our Virtual Book Chat, which we created as a way for people to connect with each other through a shared love of reading, continues to thrive! We also started a Spice Club this year, which has been very popular and fun! Each month, we highlight a different spice, provide information about that spice, along with two recipes and enough spice for the recipes! Creating the Spice Club has been a great way for us to utilize and promote one of the many digital databases that the library has to offer.
We hope to bring back our in-person programs in a more permanent way, but for now we have begun on a limited basis. Some of these programs included Halloween Harvest: Ghosts, Goblins & More, and Old Town Cemetery Talk presented by Mansfield resident Marc Clamage.
We continue to add items to our Library of Things, so don’t forget to stop by and check them out! Many of these items are sure to make the holidays extra special! We have fun-shaped cake pans, lots of great crafting tools, a digital film scanner, VR Headset, and so much more! On behalf of the staff of the Mansfield Public Library, I wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you in the new year! Whitney Brown, MSLIS
Head of Reference & Informational Technologies/YA Librarian |
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Join the Board of Library Trustees
The Select Board is seeking a candidate to fill a current vacancy on the Board of Library Trustees beginning in January 2022. Board members are a vital link between the library and the community. The Board works to ensure that the library has the means to provide quality services and resources to the community. The Trustees meet once per month from September through June on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at the library. Interested applicants can fill out the application that is found on this site and bring it to the Town Clerk’s office. |
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Friends of the Library Book Sale Donations UPDATE: The Friends of the Library
are in need of children's books! The Friends of the Library happily accept donations of books in excellent condition, to add to their year-round Book Sale inside the Library. To make a donation, please call to make an appointment 508-261-7380. Please do not leave donations outside the library or in the book drop. The Friends offer a variety of books for all ages. Most items cost $1! The Friends do not accept: - Books that have been stored in an attic or basement
- Books that have mildew or mold
- Books with missing, yellowed or written in pages
- Books without the dust jacket
- Textbooks
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The Friends Need Your Support
The Friends of the Library support the library by purchasing museum passes, children's audiobooks, craft supplies and programming and so much more! Please consider supporting the Friends by choosing the Friends of the Mansfield Library, MA while shopping on Amazon. A portion of your purchase will be donated to the Friends! Thank-you! |
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Expand your culinary horizons with "A to Z World Food"! If you’re looking for new recipes for the upcoming holidays, or if you just want to expand your culinary horizons, then this database is for you! A to Z World Food contains international recipes and information on food culture for over 170 countries! It’s organized into 3 different sections: “Recipes & food culture,” “Ingredients,” and “Reference.” Recipes & food culture: Click on an individual country to get recipes for its Appetizers, Soups, Salads, Breads, Main courses, Side dishes, Desserts, and Snacks. This section also provides information on the country’s food culture, including Special Occasion Foods and Dining Etiquette. Ingredients: Explore specific ingredients organized into general categories like Condiments, Flavorings, Grains, Herbs, Legumes, Seeds, Spices, Sweeteners, and Vegetables. (And hey, speaking of spices, be sure to check out our library’s monthly Spice Club! Look on our website's Calendar of Events and sign up each individual month if you’re interested in the featured spice. Then, on the designated pickup day -- which is usually the 3rd Wednesday of the month -- you’ll come in to the library to pick up your kit that contains the spice, 2 recipes, and info about the spice!) Reference: Includes helpful and interesting topics like: - Cooking conversion calculator (for volume and weight measurements, as well as temperature)
- Food inventions
- Glossaries
- Herbs and spices
- How food is made (which includes videos on cooking techniques and food hacks)
Click here to access the A to Z World Food database, and then enter your Mansfield library card number. Please call the Reference Desk at 508-261-7380 x3 with questions about any of our online resources. |
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Virtual Author Talk - Dr. Andrew BudsonTuesday, December 7th, 6:30-7:30PM, Zoom Meeting Room All are welcome to join the Mansfield Public Library for a virtual author talk with Dr. Andrew Budson for his discussion: Steps to Managing Memory, Alzheimer’s Disease, & Dementia.
Based on his award-winning book being translated into Chinese and Korean, Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory: What’s Normal, What’s Not, and What to Do About It, Dr. Andrew Budson will explain how individuals can distinguish changes in memory due to Alzheimer's versus normal aging, what medications, diets, and exercise regimes can help, and the best habits, strategies, and memory aids to use, in seven simple steps. He will also discuss his newest book, Six Steps to Managing Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: A Guide for Families, including how families can manage issues with memory, language, vision, behavior, driving, incontinence, sleep, and more. Educated at Haverford College and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Budson is Chief of Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Director of Education at the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and Lecturer in Neurology at Harvard Medical School.
This event is free and open to all. Registration Required for invitation to Zoom Meeting Room. Registrants will receive the invitation to the Zoom Meeting Room on the day of the event. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Virtual Author Talk
In Conversation with David Baldacci
Thursday, December 9th, 7:00-8:00PM
Zoom Meeting Room
We are so excited to join Tewksbury Public Library, who will be hosting a virtual author talk with David Baldacci for a discussion of his newest book, Mercy! **PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM.
Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Meeting via email.** How To Register: Register HERE. About The Author: David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world's favorite storytellers. His books are published in over forty-five languages and in more than eighty countries, with 150 million copies sold worldwide. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org. About the Book: FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s harrowing search for her long-lost sister Mercy reaches a boiling point in this breakneck thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. For her entire life, FBI agent Atlee Pine has been searching for her twin sister, Mercy, who was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Mercy’s disappearance left behind a damaged family that later shattered beyond repair when Atlee’s parents inexplicably abandoned her. Now, after a perilous investigation that nearly proved fatal, Atlee has finally discovered not only the reason behind her parents’ abandonment and Mercy’s kidnapping, but also the most promising breakthrough yet: proof that Mercy survived her abduction and then escaped her captors many years ago. This event is hosted by the Tewksbury Public Library in collaboration with Wellesley Books and many other Massachusetts Public Libraries. |
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Mystery Book ClubThursday, December 2nd, 6:30PM
Zoom Meeting RoomAll are welcome to join the Mansfield Public Library Mystery Book Club for a virtual book discussion of The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian.This program is free and open to all.
Registration Required for invitation to Zoom Meeting Room.
Registrants will receive the invitation to the Zoom Meeting Room on the day of the event.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER |
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Spice Club - CARDAMOMWednesday, December 15th, 10:00AM-6:00PMAdd a little spice to your life!!
For the month of December, we all get excited for CARDAMOM!!
Just in time for the holidays!! Do you love to cook and want to try new flavors and recipes? Or maybe you’re tired of cooking the same old thing and want to try something new? Then we have got just the summer club for you!!! Time to get spicy and join the Mansfield Public Library’s new Spice Club! Throughout the summer months of June, July and August, a new spice and recipes will be featured each month. We will provide a Spice Pack which will include: Once registered, come to the library on Wednesday, December 15th
(10 am - 6 pm) to pick up the kit. Be sure to register individually if you have more than one person to sign up.
The spice club is open to ages 13 and up. Don't forget to share images of your culinary creations on the library's Facebook and/or Instagram pages.
Use the hashtags: #mansfieldpubliclibrary #mplspiceclub #cookingwithallspice #librariesofinstagram #cookingfun CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Virtual Book ChatMonday December 20th, 6:30PMZoom Meeting RoomMiss talking about what you're currently reading, what you want to read, or just miss talking with others? Come to our virtual book chat!
We're physically distant, so let's be social together! This program is free and open to all.
Registration Required for invitation to Zoom Meeting Room.
Registrants will receive the invitation to the Zoom Meeting Room on the day of the event.
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It’s a Wrap! Present Wrapping Station for Teen
Thursday, December 9th-23rd 3:30-7:30 PM -
Ok, teens, still have holiday presents to wrap? If so, stop by the Teen Space in the Mansfield Public Library on
Thursday, December 9th THROUGH December 23rd between 3:30 and 7:30PM to use gift wrapping supplies!
The library will provide wrapping paper, bows, tape, scissors, pens and markers. Come to the library with the gifts you need to wrap and reduce the holiday stress of trying to wrap presents away from curious eyes! The gift wrapping station is available to teens in grades 6 through 12. No registration required! |
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Children's Sticker Swap! Do you LOVE stickers? Do you have a big sticker collection at home? Want to get some surprise stickers from another child? Join the December Sticker Swap! Here's what to do: 1) Bring in a bag (Ziplok bag/paper lunch bag) that contains at least 10 unused stickers. Give the bag to one of the people working at the Children's Desk and fill out a slip with your name. We will collect bags from December 1st through December 16th. 2) Come back to the library any time from December 20th through 30th and ask for your bag of new stickers in return! The stickers that you get will be ones that another child picked out and wanted to swap. It's fun to get surprises and this is a neat way to add to your sticker collection - maybe you'll get a rare sticker that you've never seen before! Have fun picking out some really cool stickers to give to another anonymous child and then enjoy the surprise of getting your own new stickers to keep in return! (Parents: Please make sure stickers are unused and not ripped. Stickers can be big, small, puffy, googly eyes, glittery, characters, shapes... anything! It's fun to pick out an assortment and think of the joy it will bring someone else! When you drop off we will take down your child's first name, age and a contact email address.) |
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December Story Times Please note changes to Story Times this month! Note: There is no story time the weeks of December 20th and December 27th Movers and Shakers (Ages 0-3) Tuesday - Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 @ 11:00am Mixed Age Story Time (Ages 0-5) Wednesday - Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 @ 11:00am Pre-K Story Time (Ages 3-5) Friday - Dec. 3, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 @ 11:00am Click here to access our Online Calendar for story time registration. Preschool Parachute Playgroup with Carol Carver! Wednesday - Dec. 1 @ 10:30am Moms, Dads, and grandparent caretakers of young children… Activities are geared for 3-5 year olds- Come join Carol Carver – Early Childhood Support Specialist from Self Help, Inc. Coordinated Family & Community Engagement Program!!! REGISTER by emailing ccarver@selfhelpinc.org, or call 508-559-1666 ext 1811. Parents can chat together, children can engage in toys and practice their social skills and then we all join together and everyone will have some FUN! The Playgroup will run for approximately 45 minutes-with free play at the beginning and then songs, stories, simple art and parachute play will be offered towards the later part! |
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Brickworks LEGO Club (Ages 6-12) Tuesdays - Dec. 7 and 14 from 3:30-4:30pm Stop by the Youth Room for Brickworks LEGO Club! Each session, participants will be presented with a new, exciting LEGO building challenge. They are welcome to engage in collaborative or self-directed building for the duration of each session. Finished work will be photographed at participants request and displayed in the Youth Room during the week! Registration is not required, just stop in! J CD Radio Hour Thursdays - Dec. 2, 9 and 16 from 11am-12pm Join us in the Youth Room for J CD Radio Hour! Children and their caregivers are invited to read and play while we play selections from our collection of children's music on CD for your listening enjoyment! Registration is not required. Dancing Candy Canes (To Go!) Thursday - Dec. 2 - Ages 5+ - while supplies last Did you know that you can make a candy cane dance? It's true! Come into the Youth Room and grab a kit to try this quick, fun experiment at home! Kits will be at the Children's Desk and are first come, first serve while supplies last. Recommended for ages 5 and up. (Note for parents: You will need vinegar and a bowl at home to perform this experiment! Candy canes will contain peppermint so please be aware for allergies.) Art Beats with Helina Saturday - Dec. 4 @ 11am - Ages 7-10 Children ages 7 through 10 can register for a fun and challenging art class with Helina Gajjar. During each session, Helina will teach children art techniques that will result in a unique art project! Registration is required. Click here to access our Online Calendar for registration. |
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Youth STEAMship (Ages 6-12) Two Options! In person and To Go Wednesday 12/1, 12/8 and 12/15 In-Person - @ 3:30pm To Go - Available AFTER 3:30pm - while supplies last
STEAMship will be offered both in person as to go in the month of December, with exciting explorations in S cience
T echnology
E ngineering
A rt, and
M athematics Let's do a fun STEAM exploration together as a group! If you can't make the group session, limited to-go kits will be available after the program - while supplies last! |
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Drop - In Coloring Wednesday - Dec. 22 and 29 10:00am-12:00pm - Ages 1+ Children and their caregivers are invited to stop by and color using our crayons, markers and colored pencils! We'll have supplies at our craft tables including themed coloring pages. Bring a friend and relax, chat and color. |
Catherine Recommends:
The Holiday Swap
by Maggie Knox
Catherine says, "This sweet holiday rom-com centers around twin sisters who switch lives in the 12 days before Christmas. Charlie Goodwin is a successful co-host of a televised baking show where she deals with an impossible cohost. When she gets knocked unconscious, she loses her sense of smell and taste and reaches out to her twin for help. Cass Goodwin has stayed in their hometown to run the family bakery and has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend. The holiday switch will give them both a respite from their lives but neither expects to fall in love. A deliciously fun holiday romance."
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Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings
by Liz Ireland
Catherine says, "When April falls in love with Nick, little does she know she'll find herself at the North Pole married to the new Santa. When Nick's brother Chris dies in an accident, he is the next in line for the Santa suit. The death of an elf who calls Nick a murderer is following by more suspicious deaths that point his way. Although April begins to wonder how well she knows her husband, she is determined to fid the murderer before anyone else meets an untimely death. Soon she is interfering in the police investigation by Jack Frost and getting herself into danger. This is a really fun mystery that was unexpectedly one I could not put down."
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The Twelve Dates of Christmas
by Jenny Bayliss
Catherine says, "This is a fun holiday rom-com filled with heart and humor. Kate Turner is 34 years old, single and living in the small town where she grew up. She has a career as an artist for Liberty fabrics which allowed her to move back home when her mother left her father. Along with her art, she also bakes for the Pear Tree Cafe, now owned by her childhood best friend Matt. Coaxed by her other friend Laura, a married mother of two, Kate sings up for the 12 Dates of Christmas. The service is expensive but offers 12 dates ranging from tea, to wine tasting, to salsa dancing. Surely Kate will hit it off with at least one guy. But as Matt teases her about the "12 Shags of Christmas," Kate experiences one disastrous date after another. Meanwhile, Kate begins to realize that love might be found somewhere completely unexpected. Full of laughs and love this is a perfect Christmas gift of a book."
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Geoff Recommends: Post Captain
by Patrick O'Brian
"If Jane Austen had written rousing sea yarns, she would have produced something very close to the prose of Patrick O'Brian." -Time. It's 1802. The Treaty of Amiens has brought an end to the hostilities between Great Britain and France. Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend, naval surgeon Stephen Maturin, are enjoying the respite in the English countryside, besotted with two beautiful cousins, Sophie Williams and Diana Villiers-until Aubrey loses his fortune and they flee to France to escape his creditors. While in France, Napoleon smashes the Peace of Amiens and war begins anew. Aubrey and Maturin, now finding themselves behind enemy lines, make their way back to England. Maturin is sent to Spain on an intelligence-gathering mission and the now-solvent Aubrey assumes command of a strange warship, pursuing his quarry straight into the mouth of a French-held harbor.
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Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was the sixteenth emperor of Rome -- and by far the most powerful and wealthy man in the world. Yet he was also an intensely private person, with a rich interior life and deep reservoirs of personal insight. He collected his thoughts in notebooks, gems which have come to be called his Meditations. Never intended for publication, the work survived his death and has proved an inexhaustible source of wisdom and one of the most important Stoic texts of all time.
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Deb Recommends:
Best in Snow
by David Rosenfelt
Lawyer Andy Carpenter investigates after his golden retriever, Tara, discovers in the snow the body of Alex Oliva, the Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, in the latest novel of the series following Dog Eat Dog.
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Kitty Recommends:
A Dog Called Jack
by Ivy Pembroke
A warm uplifting story of an ordinary street and the extraordinary dog bringing all its inhabitants together. In London, an abandoned dog finds a new family in the residents of Christmas Street--a group of people who just might need him as much as he needs them.
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Darcy Recommends:
Nothing But Blackened Teeth
by Cassandra Khaw
Darcy says, "It's excellent!" A Heian-era mansion resting on the bonds of a bride, the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding, find a night of revelry turning into a bloody nightmare.
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A Line to Kill : a Novel
by Anthony Horowitz
Darcy says, "I'm listening to the audiobook and really like this series." Invited to an exclusive literary festival on an island off the English coast, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the death of a local grandee in the latest novel of the series following The Sentence is Death.
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A Spindle Splintered
by Alix E. Harrow
Michelle says, "an unexpected surprise." When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past twenty-one. Her best friend Charm is intent on making Zinnia's last birthday special with a full sleeping beauty experience, complete with a tower and a spinning wheel. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, something strange and unexpected happens, and she finds herself falling through worlds, with another sleeping beauty, just as desperate to escape her fate.
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The Storyteller : Tales of Life and Music
by David Grohl
The legendary American musician, singer, songwriter and documentary filmmaker offers a collection of stories, written by his own hand, that focus on the memories of his life, from his childhood to today.
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The Apple Cookbook : 125 Freshly Picked Recipes
by Olwen Woodier
Describes different varieties of apples and their uses, and shares recipes for beverages, snacks, salads, side dishes, main dishes, breakfasts, breads, and desserts which feature apples.
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Nicole Recommends:
Make it ahead : A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
by Ina Garten
Nicole says, "every recipe is a winner - Pick any one, follow the instructions to the letter and you'll have a fabulous dish for any holiday gathering! I've done this many times with any of her recipes and they are always a success." The Emmy Award-winning celebrity chef shares favorite make-ahead recipes and meal-planning tips for a variety of occasions, suggesting preparation options for low-stress dishes that improve if prepared in advance.
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Barefoot Contessa Foolproof : Recipes You Can Trust
by Ina Garten
The Food Network celebrity chef presents a collection of accessible recipes that feature readily available ingredients, revealing how to use strategic menu planning and culinary know-how to prepare such options as Lobster Corn Fritters, Slow-Roasted Filet of Beef with Basil Parmesan Mayonnaise and Sticky Toffee Date Cake.
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Bare Minimum Dinners : Recipes and Strategies for Doing Less in the Kitchen
by Jenna Helwig
Nicole says, "and if you just need something for dinner this month, this is a great find. I love Real Simple magazine's recipes and the author is the magazine's food director." Offers delicious, easy recipes, with fewer ingredients, less cleanup and more, and shortcuts to spend less time in the kitchen.
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God Rest Ye, Royal Gentlemen
by Rhys Bowen
Spending Christmas at Sandringham estate with an aunt who has ties to the royals, Georgie is distraught when she learns the Queen expects her to spy for her in the newest novel of the series.
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Frankie & Bug
by Gayle Forman
During the summer of 1987, 10-year-old Bug is stuck with her neighbor Philip’s nephew, Frankie, a kid she’s never met, but they soon find some common ground, learning important lessons about each other and the world.
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A Tale of Sorcery...
by Chris Colfer
While searching for the Immortal after her deal with Death, Brystal Evergreen must stop a new evil that has risen deep from within the earth by working with the Righteous Brotherhood and their Army of the Dead.
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Cardboardia: The Other Side of the Box
by Richard Fairgray
When Mac, Masie, and Bird find mysterious tokens in their cereal boxes, they're transported to Cardboardia, a magical land made of paper and cardboard. In this parallel universe to ours, creativity thrives: Every time a box of anything is created in ourworld, a replica appears there, bringing residents art supplies, food, books, and more. But an evil presence is slowly moving in, threatening to wipe all art and beauty from this paper paradise. It's no mistake that the three friends have been transported through their cardboard portals. Each has a special talent they never knew existed. And only when they figure out to harness them together will they be able to stop the destruction.
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With Great Power: The Marvelous Stan Lee: An Unauthorized Biography
by Annie Hunter Eriksen
Every superhero has their origin story: a radioactive spider bite turns ordinary teen Peter Parker into Spider-Man, wealthy Tony Stark escapes captivity by building his Iron Man suit, scientist Bruce Banner survives gamma rays only to transform into the Hulk. For Stan Lee, it was books of adventure, monsters, and magic that helped him transform from an ordinary boy to a superstar superhero creator. At first, reading these stories was a pathway to a world bigger than his family's tiny apartment in New York City, but it wasn't long until Stan was crafting his own stories, creating comics professionally when he was still just a teenager! Still, writing wasn't exciting when the heroes were always the same: strong, perfect, and boring. Stan had a revolutionary idea. What if anyone--even an ordinary kid--could be a superhero?
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Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters
by Suzanne Slade
Rhythmic text by the award-winning author of A Computer Called Katherine and dynamic artwork by the award-winning illustrator of No Small Potatoes trace the story of the Harlem Globetrotters and how their remarkable performances indelibly transformed the game of basketball.
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What the Kite Saw
by Anne Laurel Carter
In this memorable story, a young boy finds solace flying his kite from the rooftop after soldiers take his father and brother away. Without his father and brother, the young boy's life is turned upside down. He and his family have to stay inside, along with everyone else in town. At suppertime, he can't stop looking at the two empty places at the table and his sister can't stop crying. The boy looks out the window and is chilled to see a tank's spotlight searching the park where he plays with his friends. He hears shouts and gunshots and catches sight of someone running in the street -- if only they could fly away, he thinks. Each day the curfew is lifted briefly, and the boy goes to the park to see his friends. One day, inspired by the wind in the trees, he has an idea. Back at home he makes a kite, and that night he flies it from his rooftop, imagining what it can see.
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What Can You Do With a Rock?
by Pat Zietlow Miller
A New York Times best-selling author presents this endearing picture book about creativity, imagination and friendship that reveals the many things one can do with a seemingly ordinary rock.
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Stretchy and Beanie
by Judith Byron Schachner
When she tries to teach her new—and very independent—cat companion Stretchy McHandsome how to be the perfect pet, Beanie, a fierce ginger-haired girl, instead gets a lesson in how to be an accepting friend.
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For Real Life: A Story Collection
by Penguin Young Readers Licenses
Collects four of Bluey's adventures including "Good night, fruit bat," in which Bluey wishes at bedtime that she could become a fruit bat and stay awake all night.
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