HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The library schedule for Thursday, December 31,2009, New Year's Eve will be from 1:00pm until 4:00pm. We will reopen Saturday, January 02, 2010 at 9:00am. Thanks for your patronage and support in 2009. We wish you all a Happy, Healthy 2010!

Holiday Schedule

The Library will be closed Thursday, December 24 and Saturday, December 26. We will open on Monday, December 28 at 1:00pm for all your library needs. Enjoy the Season.

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful

The library will be closed today due to the storm. In most cases when Quabbin Regional School District closes due to weather conditions the library will follow suite. We will reopen tomorrow, Thursday at 1:00pm.

Certification WooHoo!!!!!

I am so happy to inform you that Hubbardston Public Library has again joined the ranks of Certified Public Libraries in Massachusetts. You as a Hubbardston resident are now free to borrow from other Massachusetts Public Libraries in person or through interlibrary loan.
CWMARS Library Catalog start your engines please.

Holiday Raffle Returns

The Hubbardston Public Library will again be holding its Annual Holiday Raffle. The Library Trustees are again seeking donations of handcrafted items, merchandise and gift certificates. All donations are greatly appreciated and all proceeds directly benefit the library.
If you are an artisan, crafter or local business owner please consider making a donation to the raffle.
The drawing will take place on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Raffle tickets are on sale now.
Suggested donation is $1.00 per ticket or 6 for $5.00.
Prizes are being added daily so stop by often.

Solstice Lanterns

Come to the library Saturday, December 05 from 10 to 11:30 am
to create your own Solstice Lanterns with local art teacher Renee Malowitz.
This tissue paper on glass project offers an option of silhouettes for older students and adults. This is a great family project, a fun way to celebrate the change of seasons and it's free at your public library. Participants will have a finished project at the end of the workshop to take with them.
Contact the library for more information.

Library Coffee House

Please join us Thursday December 3 from 6:00pm until 7:30pm for our Coffee House Series.
This month we will feature local blues guitarist Fish Fry Fred who will perform an eclectic selection for your enjoyment. Coffee and Tea are provided as well as light snacks. The performance is free to all. Hope you can make it.

New and Improved Hours

We are happy to report that the library has added new hours to our existing schedule. You may now visit the library on Thursday until 7pm and on Saturday from 9am until 12pm. We hope these additions will make it more convenient for you to use our services.

The Library is now open:

Monday 1pm - 7pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 1pm - 7pm
Saturday 9am - 12pm

Children's Victory Garden Reception

The Hubbardston Public Library is holding a reception that is open to all to celebrate the work children did in the Victory Garden program. This program was inspired by the book, "How are You Peeling" written by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers and was funded by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation in Brooklyn, NY.Please come to enjoy a snack, read books, do some crafts.Dress to get dirty.

Saturday October 24, 10-noon

Hubbardston Public Library

Feel free to bring a snack to share.

See you there

Call the HPL for more info.

978-928-4775

Library Book Sale

The Hubbardston Library is currently accepting your gently-used books for its upcoming book sale. We do not however take magazines, textbooks, moldy or musty books or condensed books.
Our tireless book sale organizer Wendy is busy sorting all your donations in preparation for the BIG SALE.
The library will hold it's annual Book Sale on Saturday, October 17 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Please Go Green and recycle your gently-used books to benefit the library.
And Remember to stop in and shop on October 17.

Images of America Hubbardston

Join us at the Library for a Book Signing. On Monday, October 19 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm author Gary Kangas will be on hand to discuss his new book: Images of America HUBBARDSTON.
The library will hold an intimate reception to celebrate the release of this new book featuring images of Hubbardston's past.
I have it on good authority that McArthur's Famous Danish will be on hand, so come early.

Monet's Magic Garden

The Hubbardston Public Library is very happy to welcome back Mr. Greg Maichack, pastel artist and teacher extraordinaire. This years workshop will be held on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6:00-8:00 p.m at Hubbardston Public Library. Mr. Maichack will introduce his new program entitled How to Pastel Paint As Impressionists MONET'S MAGIC GARDEN. No experience necessary to participate in this adult workshop and all materials are provided. Seating is limited so sign up in advance by calling the library at 978-928-4775 or emailing at hublib@charterinternet.com This program is supported by a grant from the Hubbardston Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Not a Runner? Not a Problem.

The 12th Annual Hubbardston Library 5K Road Race/Walk is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 9:00 AM Sharp. Rain or Shine.

Even if you're not participating in this year's event you can look like you did! For a limited time, these indigo blue, 100% cotton, long sleeved t-shirts are being made available to the general public for only $12.00 each. Order forms are available at the Hubbardston Public Library until Wednesday, August 26. Don't get left at the starting line, order your tee shirt today.

Getting Up to Speed

The week of August 24, 2009 the Hubbardston Public Library will begin implementing our winter schedule. We are currently advertising for a paid staff position to help cover our new expanded hours. The library interim schedule (until our position is filled) will be:

Monday 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Wednesday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Thursday 1:00PM to 5:00 PM

After our new staff member completes their training period, we will increase the library's hours to include Thursday until 7:00 PM and add Saturday hours from 9:00 AM to Noon to our existing schedule.

We are also in the process of reinstating some of the library's previous library programing.

Look For:

• Story Hour each Wednesday from 10 to 11 beginning September 16


• Book Discussion Group for Adults will meet on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7 PM beginning September 17


• Coffee House Musical Series will continue on the first Thursday of the month from 6:30 PM until 7:30 PM beginning in October.

Thank You Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and Josephine Amato

After 8 weeks of digging, planting, weeding, composting and all other means of gardening, the Children's Victory Garden Project has come to its conclusion. The participants in this program took part in designing a garden, learning about plants, creating whimsical art and donating to the local food pantry. The Library owes a BIG Thank You to the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation for funding this socially relevant project for Hubbardston's Youth.

The Children's Victory Garden and Art Exhibit was brought about through the hard work of our own Library Trustee, Josephine Amato. The Victory Garden Art Exhibit is currently on display at the library. Please stop by and see the photographic display.

Hubbardston Library to Sport a New Look

The Trustees of the Hubbardston Public Library are delighted that the Town of Hubbardston fully funded the Library’s operations for Fiscal Year 2010 at its Annual Town Meeting in June. So now that they are able to devote their energies to something other than simply trying to keep the library open, they’re addressing an issue that has been on the back burner for the past couple of years—the state of the library hedge.
The barberry shrubs that define the front yard of the library building were originally donated by a group of Hubbardston residents and teachers at the beginning of the last century. They were designed to be a living fence to separate the Library grounds from the foot traffic from the newly built school building. The barberry species surrounding the building have since been classified an invasive species by the United States Department of Agriculture. Gaps have formed in the shrubbery, but because it is an invasive species it is not possible to purchase replacement plants. It therefore seems prudent to get rid of this hedge, since without ongoing maintenance it quickly becomes an eyesore.
Having voted to remove the hedge, the Trustees are open to considering various landscaping ideas that Town residents may have for the front of the library. The next Board of Library Trustees meeting will be at the Hubbardston Public Library on Monday, July 27, at 7:00 pm and the public is invited to attend. The Trustees welcome any suggestions on possible solutions to establishing a border around the front lawn of the library, whether it will be plantings or donated decorative metal fencing. It is important to note that any expenditure toward landscaping of the library grounds would come out of an existing special trust fund to be utilized for this purpose, not from the funding voted for library operations under the town budget.
So if you’d like a say in what the Hubbardston Public Library should look like, please attend the next meeting of the Board of Trustees on July 27.

Blast Off to a Starship Adventure at Your Library

Reading can take you anywhere you want to go. This year it can even take you on a Starship Adventure. !
Sign up has begun for 2009's Statewide Summer Reading Program:
A Starship Adventure at Your Library.
Our goal as always is to keep children reading over the summer and utilizing their library as well.
Children who sign up and agree to read over the summer can earn free ice cream at Calico & Creme, be eligible for discount passes to area attractions and enter into drawings for fun prizes.
It's free and it's at the Hubbardston Public Library so stop by and sign up today.

Starship Adventure at your library is sponsored by your local library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

LIBRARY CERTIFICATION

The Hubbardston Public Library is working with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners to regain our certification. At this writing we have no official word to share with you as to a date. We have worked hard to insure that all minimum standards of library service have been maintained over the past year. We know these efforts will aid us in regaining our certification sooner rather than later. We'll keep you posted.

We're Back!

We're so thrilled to be back among the funded Departments of the Town of Hubbardston for FY 2010. The staff and trustees wish to thank all those who worked so hard to keep the library a part of Hubbardston's past, present and future. Over the course of this difficult year so many good and noble people stepped up to the plate in support of our library and we wish to recognize them. We also acknowledge with gratitude the hard work and determination of the Finance Committee and Select Board in presenting a balanced budget which included the library.

As the library begins this new chapter in it's 135 year old history, we want to encourage all our patron's to tell us what they want their library to be in the future. We want to hear from you.
We have a long road ahead of us but we'll get there if we work together.

Summer Family Craft Program

Join local teaching artist Renee Malowitz in this recycling craft. We'll be making "stained glass" fish out of clear 2-liter soda bottles.

The date is Satruday, June 27 from 10 -11:30 am.

Any donations of clean,empty, clear 2-liter plastic bottles are welcome. Please drop off at the Library by June 17.

It'll be fun for the whole family. Dress for the mess!

This program is free and made possible by a grant from the Hubbardston Cultural Council.

Please contact the Library to sign up.

A Child's Victory Program

The Library has been the fortunate recipient of an Ezra Jack Keats Foundation grant for an 8-week hands-on gardening program for children. Join us on Tuesdays this spring and summer as we read books, examine plants, plant a garden, watch it all grow and more. For more information, call the Library. This program is free.

Native American Program at the Library

The Hubbardston Public Library is proud to present:

"In 1621, the Wampanoag of New England negotiated a treaty with Pilgrim settlers. A half-century later, as a brutal war flared between the English and a confederation of Indians, this diplomatic gamble seemed to have been a grave miscalculation."

From the award-winning PBS series American Experience comes We Shall Remain, a provocative multi-media project that establishes Native history as an essential part of American history. Episode 1: After the Mayflower premieres on PBS Monday, April 13 at 9 pm on WGBH, Channel 2.

Come in on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 pm for a 30-minute video preview event! Then, join us again on Friday, April 17 at 7 pm to meet Principle Cast Member Annawon Weeden and discuss the series and all things Wampanoag. This program is FREE.

About Annawon Weeden: (Mashpee Wampanoag), Actor, "King Philip"

Annawon Weeden, named after the last Wampanoag war chief to surrender during King Philip*s War, began performing with his family during his early years. Since then he has become a father, activist, tribal mentor, artist, singer, dancer, model and actor. His work has been featured at the Haffenreffer Museum, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Smithsonian and the Boston Children's Museum, and he has appeared in numerous publications including National Geographic. Currently, he is an educator working at schools and museums but also spends much of his time volunteering cultural services for his tribe. As an actor, he has appeared in films on the Discovery Channel, PBS, and most recently in Journey to 10,000 B.C. for the History Channel.

For more information about the series, visit: PBS. To learn more about Annawon, visit his site at http://www.myspace.com/annawon.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hubbardston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Upcoming Book Discussions

Here are the book titles and discussion dates for the remainder of the spring. We'll take a break for summer!

• April 7 I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
• May 12 American Gods by Neil Gaiman (May 5 is Town Election Day)
• June 2 The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson (nonfiction)

"How Can We Help?"

We've had several inquiries regarding statements made by the Select Board (as reported in the Gardner News last Thursday) in relation to the Library's budget. The paper stated that the Library is in agreement with a lower, bare minimum budget to fund next fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2009). The Select Board further stated support of a citizens petition to present an override ballot question to make up the difference.

It is believed that the citizens petition was meant to be a safety net in the event the town did not have the funds to meet the Library's budget request. As stated by Finance Committee members, the funds to fully meet the Library's needs will be available beginning in July. Fully funding the Library means re-certification in 15 months with a possible appeal option even sooner!

The Library is NOT in support of the split budget - part contingent on an override, part funded through current tax base. It is the Library's request that full funding be restored without an override.


Conversations with Select Board members have provided some insight on this "plan" however, the Library still does not support this approach. To date, there are no other overrides being presented this year.

Patrons have been asking how they can help support full funding of the Library. First and foremost, they can help by contacting the Select Board members and telling then how you feel. Letters to the Select Board can be sent to hubselectboard@charterinternet.com. The Library Trustees will be on the Monday, March 30 Select board Meeting agenda to discuss the funding of the Library. Feel free to join us - all Select board meetings are open to the public.

Secondly, please tell friends and neighbors to support the Library at Annual Town Meeting.

Last and most importantly, thank you for your continued support - we are operating a bare-bones, stand-alone Library funded through donations only at this time. Our patrons have made a huge difference in the past 9 months and we believe they can influence our future.

Art Meets Poetry at the Library

Saturday, March 21, 10-11:30 am

Teaching artist Renee Malowitz and creative writing instructor Rhonda Hamer join to provide an all ages project combining poetry and art.

Community members are invited to come together in a relaxed setting and create simple yet beautiful art.

Participants will make a paper of their own design and then write as well as pen their own poem using calligraphy markers.

The two will combine to create laminated book marks suitable to give as gifts or mark a page in a favorite book.

Call the Library and leave a message to register.

This program is FREE. Donations are encouraged and will go directly to supporting the Library.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hubbardston Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

March Book Discussion

Sorry for the late posting of this one but it took some time to get some books. We'll be reading J.D. Salinger's coming-of-age classic The Catcher in the Rye. It is a quick read - good thing because we meet Tuesday, March 3! The Library now has a readers group set of 5 copies plus the one circulating copy. If you read fast, stop in Monday to pick up a copy for Tuesday night's discussion.

Tells Us What You're Looking For

With the recent loss of certification, many patrons have expressed concern about not being able to get the books they really want to read, some to the point of deeming the Hubbardston Library's collection as "less than desirable." If there is something you are lookig for, let us know. We can't get what you need if we don't know what that is.

Currently the Library has a small budget and a very small trust account both specifically for the purchase of new materials. We are also accepting donations of gently used books and DVDs. We'll be creating and posting a list of patron requests as well; stop by and see if there is anything on the list collecting dust at your house that you might consider donating (receipts can be provided upon request). We'll post that list here as we begin to get requests.

The outrage and disgust expressed by patrons caused by the loss of certification is understandable. We love libraries and loss of library privileges is certainly something to be upset about. But that love needs to start at "home" - love your hometown library (right now, its the only one we've got!)

March-ing On

Despite the recent loss of certification, we are still a library, still open and still conducting business as usual to the best of our ability.

The Adult Book Discussion Group still plans to meet on the first Tuesday of each month. March's selection is JD Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. We'll be meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 pm in the Library. The Library currently only has access to one copy of this book so if you have it on your shelf to either read, loan or donate, please let us know!

Check back soon for other programs for adults, children and families!

Answers to some questions....

The Library is and will continue to stay open through the end of June. We intend to keep the hours we have now. If this changes due to staffing or funding, we will let you know. However, we have no reason to believe this will change as of this writing.


Our catalog is and will continue to be on the CWMARS site until further notice. This is a paid service and it is paid through the end of June. You can still search and request books from your home, place of business or other Internet source.

The books we have in Hubbardston will certainly continue to be available. We will add new books, audio books and DVDs to our collection as we are financially able.

Other libraries may choose to loan to us but most are NOT going to. It is too soon to know who but feel free to make requests through CWMARS. Most libraries will choose NOT to loan to decertified libraries. They will likely turn Hubbardston residents away if they try to check out materials in person at other libraries as well.

It does not matter what library your card is from - you live in Hubbardston. Each library makes its own policy on this. Please do not give these libraries a hard time - they too are looking at smaller budgets, smaller staffs, less hours and increased borrowing. Would you want to pay for their plowing? No? Well, they don't want to pay for our books.

If residents wish to see their Library return to its certified status and receive the privileges and state aid that come with that certification, they need to support the Library's budget at Annual Town Meeting in June. With restoration of the budget this June, we would be eligible for certification July 1, 2010 at the earliest.

Please continue to ask questions and we will do our best to answer them here. Residents are welcome to stop in the Library during open hours to talk with staff or trustees. Volunteers are needed during all open hours as are donations. Thanks to all who have supported the Library thus far - please stick with us!

DECERTIFIED

As of 12 noon on Thursday, February 12, the MA Board of Library Commissioners voted to deny certification to the Hubbardston Public Library. The reasons are outlined in their letter and the full text appears here.

The Library is still maintaining its current hours.

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Board of Library Commissioners

98 North Washington Street • Boston, Massachusetts 02114
(800) 952-7403 in state • (617) 725-1860 • (617) 725-0140 fax

February 12, 2009

Mr. Paul Hale
Chairman, Board of Selectmen
Office of the Selectboard
P.O. Box 106
Hubbardston, MA 01452

Dear Mr. Hale,

On behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, I deeply regret that the board has been placed in the position of denying a waiver of the FY2009 Municipal Appropriation Requirement (MAR) not certifying the Town of Hubbardston in the State Aid to Public Libraries program for FY2009.

This is a difficult position for the Board of Library Commissioners and the decisions made at the local level to inadequately fund the Hubbardston Public Library coupled with a disproportionate cut to the local library budget places the citizens of Hubbardston in an unenviable position of being one of only 17 libraries in the Commonwealth unable to achieve certification. While we recognize that all communities are facing extremely difficult fiscal climates, the Hubbardston Public Library has been placed in great risk by gross cuts that may lead to disastrous effect.

Libraries are the center of our communities and provide all residents regardless of age, race or economic status, access to services that improve their lives and their communities. Libraries will be needed more than ever as we recover from one of the most significant economic downturns our nation has ever faced. It must be recognized that the public library deserves proportionate funding and is equal to all other local services. When a library is singled out for such a significant disproportionate cut, the entire community suffers.

The Board could not, in good conscience, grant Hubbardston’s request for a waiver with a 69% cut in financial support for its library. I urge the local government officials and citizens of Hubbardston to become more aware of the value of their library and more cognizant in making sure that the library meets the minimum standards to gain state certification in the future.

To that end, I pledge the full support of the Commissioners and staff to work with the Hubbardston Public Library as the community and the library endeavor to build a way back into the State Aid to Public Libraries program and rejoin the 334 cities and towns that enjoy healthy and vibrant library services.


Sincerely,



George T. Comeau
Chair, Board of Library Commissioners

Deadline Fast Approaching!

Deadline for entries is this Sunday, Feb. 15!

On Sunday, the Frozen Assets outhouse was placed on Bent's Pond (aka Sawyer's Pond) on Rte. 68 in Hubbardston, near the watermelon rock and Rietta Ranch Flea Market. To play, you buy a ticket then enter your best guess as to when the outhouse will break through the ice. The person whose guess is the > closest to the actual sinking date and time (over or under) will win $2,000! And there are five other valuable prizes available:

• a 2009-2010 season pass at Mt. Wachusett Ski Area


• 4 tickets to a Red Sox home game


• a $250 gift certificate for service at Jon’s Auto in Hubbardston


• one cord of wood from Chris Pirner Logging & Lumber


• $250 off a dumpster rental from Central Mass. Disposal--for the nextclosest guesses, so there are a lot of chances to win!

Proceeds will benefit the Hubbardston Public Library, the Templeton Regional Animal Shelter, and the HBA. The last day to submit your guess is Sunday, February 15. Tickets are available at the following locations:

• Hair 4 You, 32 Main St., Hubb


• Horrigan Cleaners, 100 Pearson Blvd., Gardner


• Hubbardston Pizza Palace, Stamatia’s Plaza, Rt. 68, Hubb


• Hubbardston Public Library, 7 Main St., Hubb


• Hubbardston Rod and Gun Club, 55 Williamsville Road, Hubb


• Hubbardston Town Hall (see Joyce Green, Town Clerk, or call (978) > 928-4073)


• PJ’s Diner 32 Main St., Hubb


• Patriot Package Store, 394 Patriot Rd. (Rt. 2A), Templeton


• Templeton Country Store, 3 South Rd., Templeton

For a complete listing of rules and sponsors, visit the HBA Web site at http://www.ehubbardston.com/.

February Book Discussion

The selection for February is a novel entitled The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. We'll meet to discuss the book on Tuesday, February 3 at the Library at 7 pm. Stop in, call or log onto the CWMARS to request a copy of the book.

A Hubbardston Business Association Fundraiser

The Hubbardston Business Association (HBA) is proud to be launching FROZEN ASSETS, a program that puts the “fun” in “fundraising”!

This winter, we’ll be setting an outhouse on Bent’s Pond (also known as Sawyer’s Pond) just off of Route 68 in Hubbardston, Massachusetts, across from the Rietta Ranch Flea Market. Guess the date and time that the ice will thaw enough that the outhouse breaks through. Whoever guesses closest to the actual sinking date and time (either just before or just after) will win $2,000 cash! If you don’t guess correctly, don’t worry! There are also five valuable prizes for the next-closest guesses!

The proceeds from FROZEN ASSETS will be divided three ways:

• One-third will be given to the Hubbardston Public Library, whose budget was cut 100% in 2008.One-third will be given to the Templeton Regional Animal Shelter, which serves Hubbardston and Templeton in its mission to protect animals and citizens from harm and to educate citizens about animal safety and responsible pet care.
• One-third will be kept by the HBA to allow it to continue its mission of promoting Hubbardston-area businesses.
  For more information on the FROZEN ASSETS fundraiser or if you’d like to become a sponsor, please contact Laura Foley at (978) 632-2933 or laura@lauramfoley.com.