We would like to express our appreciation to all of you who took the time to complete our recent Beebe Library Survey. Your assistance will help us to serve our community’s present and future needs.

Beebe Library has added some of the latest feature film releases to our
DVD collection. Among the recent additions are:
“21,” starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Spacey. Ben Campbell is a young, highly intelligent student at M.I.T. Wanting to transfer to the Harvard School of Medicine, he learns that he cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. Then Ben is introduced into a small but secretive club by his math professor, Micky Rosa. The club has four other students and they are being trained by Mickey in the skill of blackjack card counting. Ben joins his new friends on secret weekend trips to Las Vegas, making hundreds of thousands of dollars winning blackjack at casino after casino. Continue »

Kidstock – original musical theater performed by kids for kids - returns to Beebe Library for one more performance this summer on Friday, August 15, at 10:30 a.m. This event is for all ages.

There are only two weeks left in the WildReads Summer Reading Program. If you haven’t signed up for the program yet, Friday, August 8 is the last day to join the club and earn prizes for the time you spend reading over the summer. The final day to get prizes or drop off raffle tickets is Friday, August 15.
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Too hot to do anything but swing in a hammock and read? Have we got books for you!
Adrenalin junkies have an array of new tales of action-packed adventure and turmoil to entertain and enthrall. Mark Alpert’s Final Theory is by a first-time author in the Michael Crichton vein. A science historian is on the run from the U.S. government and a ruthless assassin as he tries to uncover the meaning of a series of numbers whispered to him by his dying mentor. This “Scientific American” editor executes the action with enthusiasm and lays out the science without overwhelming the reader.
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The library has created a large display of books selected for Wakefield High School’s summer reading assignments. The books on display are arranged by grade level in accordance with the WHS Summer Reading List.

The Youth Room’s Summer Reading Program is in full swing with over 600 registrations. Registration is open through Friday, August 8. (You don’t have to register to attend special events.)

Next week is the first full week of events. There are two events for young adults, grades 5 and up. On Tuesday, July 1, join Young Adult Librarian Steve on the portico at 2 p.m. for tie dyeing. This event has been very popular during past summers and this year will be no exception. Bring your T-shirts (or whatever) that you want to dye and Steve will provide everything else you need, including instruction.
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Job hunting has always been a kind of competitive sport that requires stamina and a thick skin, but in the current economic climate it has become cutthroat and ruthless. It compels all job seekers to use every available asset to vie for a position.

One of the best ways to compete in this kind of market is to keep up-to-date on the current techniques to prepare your cover letter and resume for a prospective employer. Another essential aspect of the job hunt is knowing how to get ready for the job interview.
Brenda Greene, in her book, Get the Interview Every Time: Proven Strategies from Fortune 500 Hiring Professionals (Career/College 650.14 Greene) demonstrates how to prepare a resume so it stands out among the competition. She has also surveyed many hiring managers to find out what they want to see in a good cover letter. With an outstanding resume and cover letter these critical elements will help guarantee the all important chance for an interview.
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Beebe Library’s online catalog was recently updated to a newer version, with streamlined screens and a few handy new features. Most of the changes help to bring the catalog more in line with the way popular and familiar search engines work on the Internet. The catalog, which can be searched at catalog.noblenet.org, is maintained by NOBLE, the North of Boston Library Exchange, of which Wakefield is a member. The catalog includes the holdings of 17 area public libraries and ten colleges.
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Kids who read and are read to over the summer not only do better when they return to school in the fall, they have more fun all summer long, especially if they participate in the Summer Reading Program at Beebe Library. The theme of the Summer Reading Program is “Wild Reads at Beebe Library.” Registration for the summer-long event begins Monday, June 16.
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Wrote The House on Fortune Street

Margot Livesey, author of six novels including her latest, “The House on Fortune Street” (May 2008), will speak at Beebe Library on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 p.m. in the Lecture Hall.
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Mark your calendars!

On April 12 & 13, 2008 Beebe Library, together with the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce and the Friends of the Library will host some very special events in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Beebe Library renovation.

A centerpiece of the weekend’s events is a themed flower show. Businesses, individuals, amateurs and professionals are invited to create a floral arrangement based on a literary theme or a favorite book. Those arrangements will be displayed in Beebe Library on view to the public throughout the weekend’s activities. Local floral designer Beth Hylan of “Sweetbay” is coordinating the flower show.

The Blossoms at Beebe Library flower show is only part of the weekend’s excitement. The two-day celebration includes a gala 21+ fundraiser on Saturday evening, April 12, and an all-ages family day program of events on Sunday afternoon. Continue »

You may have seen it in the news a few weeks ago.

The Library of Congress announced that it had uploaded some 3,000 of its old photographs to the popular online photo-sharing service Flickr. Flickr users were asked to “tag, comment and make notes on the images, just like any other Flickr photo, which will benefit not only the community but the collections themselves.”

In other words, the Library of Congress was asking for public help in filling the gaps on photos that were missing key information - such as location, date and who or what was pictured. It’s an example of a phenomenon known as “crowdsourcing,” where an institution outsources a task to the public or a large group of strangers willing to work for free.

Even before the Library of Congress placed its photos on Flickr in January, Beebe Library was uploading its own collection of Wakefield historic images to the library’s Flickr page.
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Finding interesting websites was my New Year’s resolution this year and one I have a good chance of keeping (much, much easier than losing weight or getting more exercise!). The following is a list of fun, interesting websites that are worth bookmarking:
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If you are like most people, you probably had a spending spree during the holiday season. Even people who started out with a budget seem to have wavered and become carried away buying food and gifts.

Soon enough, January comes and reality sets in. Credit card bills arrive and the hard truth must be faced. In some cases, panic results because the amounts that are now owed are way beyond the resources available to pay them.
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You can now get access to the popular genealogical web site Ancestry.Com at Beebe Library.

Ancestry.com is a subscription-based genealogy research website with over 5 billion records online and more being added almost daily. The majority of records are from the United States, although a growing number of records are being added for other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and various European countries. Some of these records are free for anyone to access, but most are accessible only by paid subscription.
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Beebe Library is already planning entertaining and informative programs to help you through the winter slog of January and February.

On Thursday January 24, author William Martin will be at the library to talk about his new book, “The Lost Constitution.” Martin, who first came to national attention with “Back Bay,” considers himself a storyteller, from a long line of Irish storytellers, coming to this decision when he was in his teens.
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Many people marveled at the spectacular success of the Harry Potter books when they first came out in 1998.

“These books will really get kids reading again,” thought many educators and parents. It seemed like J.K. Rowling invented fantasy for a generation of children. But fantasy has been around for a long time. You might say that fantasy has been around since the very beginning of human existence.
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• Carson, Iain - Zoom : the global race to fuel the car of the future
• David, Laurie - The down-to-earth guide to global warming
• Goldstein, David B., Ph.D - Saving energy, growing jobs : how environmental protection promotes economic growth, profitability, innovation, and
  competition
• Gore, Albert - An inconvenient truth : the crisis of global warming
• Hillman, Mayer - The suicidal planet : how to prevent global climate catastrophe
• Horner, Christopher C - The politically incorrect guide to global warming and environmentalism
• Isham, Jonathan - Ignition : what you can do to fight global warming and spark a movement
• Mooney, Chris (Chris C.) - Storm world : hurricanes, politics, and the battle over global warming
• Palfreman, Jon - Global warming
• Robinson, Kim Stanley - Sixty days and counting
• Romm, Joseph J - Hell and high water : global warming - the solution and the politics - and what we should do
• Sommers, Michael A. - Antarctic melting : the disappearing Antarctic ice cap

Madeleine L’Engle, the prolific author best known for her book A Wrinkle in Time, died this week at the age of 88.

L’Engle is widely considered a children’s fantasy writer, but her lengthy list of works defies most standard classifications. She wrote for children, for adults, fiction and autobiographical memoirs–even plays and poetry. She deftly mixed elements of fantasy, science fiction and science fact that made her writing unique.
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Are you, or is someone you know, unable to come to the library because of physical limitations?

Beebe Library has a service for Wakefield residents who are physically unable to come to the library. We delivery books to their homes.
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When was the last time you were at the Harvard Museum of Natural History?

If you only remember the Glass Flowers exhibit and think it’s not a good place for kids, it’s definitely time to take the entire family to Cambridge to explore this fabulous museum. With its interactive displays, interesting video presentations and tons of history, the Harvard Museum of Natural History is an unexpected delight for the family. And with Beebe Library’s family pass, you can enjoy the museum at affordable prices.
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Library’s book discussion groups resume in September

Supper Sleuths, Beebe Library’s mystery book discussion group, will meet on Tuesday, September 11, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. Each month, members discuss books that they have read within a specific mystery sub-genre. Each person reads one or more books of the authors/titles from the prepared list or assigned topic. In the discussion, each participant reviews or reacts to one book.

Supper Sleuths is always welcoming new members who love to read and talk about mysteries. Members can bring a snack or a brown bag supper to the meeting. Combine sustenance with suspense!
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Beebe Library continues to add the latest titles to its collection of feature films on DVD. Here are just a few of the latest movies available at Beebe Library.

300 is a new “graphic novel” style film by director Frank Miller (“Sin City”) featuring a blend of live action and CGI animation.

Blades of Glory follows two male figure skaters (Will Ferrell and Jon Heder) through a preposterous story line in this silly comedy. Also featuring Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler.

In Georgia Rule, Rachel (Lindsay Lohan) comes to stay with her grandmother (Jane Fonda) and reveals a secret that upsets her family and the town.
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