Manchester City Library

Manchester, NH's Online Library

Manchester City Library header image 1

A Taste of the Old Country in the New: Franco-Americans of Manchester

May 4th, 2022 · Author Talk, City Library, Events, Local History, Main Branch, Uncategorized, Virtual Programs

The Manchester City Library invites you to an informative look at Franco-American history here in Manchester on Tuesday, May 10th at 6pm! We will be hosting this program both in-person and virtually.

Manchester is just one example of the many industrial cities that attracted immigrants from Quebec in numbers large enough to warrant the creation and maintenance of an infrastructure of religious, educational, social, cultural, and commercial institutions that helped preserve this community’s language and traditions. Robert b. Perreault shares stories about life in one of America’s major Franco-American centers.

Robert B. Perreault has worked as a research assistant/oral history interviewer, librarian/archivist, freelance writer, historical tour guide, public speaker, photographer, and conversational French teacher to promote Manchester’s history and New England’s Franco-American culture since 1973. Perreault holds an MA in French with specialization in New England Franco-American studies from Rhode Island College and an MFA in Creative Writing/Fiction from SNHU. In June 2012, Manchester’s Centre Franco-American named him “Franco-American of the Year.”

For questions, call Caitlin at 603-624-6550 x3320 or email cdionne@manchesternh.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID, we ask that all attendees wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, and maintain a distance of 6 feet from other attendees. To ensure your seat, please sign up!

Visit www.manchesterlibrary.org and click on “Upcoming Events” to view the library calendar. Click here to be taken directly to the signup page, or copy and paste the link below into your browser.

http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm?curOrg=MANCHCITY&curName=2022/05/10_A_Taste_of_the_Old_Country_in_the_New:_Franco-Americans_of_Manchester

→ 2 CommentsTags: ····

Adult Craft: Yarn Bird

April 30th, 2022 · Adult Take & Make Crafts, City Library, Events, Main Branch, West Branch

Bring a little bit of spring inside by making one of these adorable songbirds out of yarn scraps.  Each kit includes all the supplies and instructions to make one bird (yarn colors will vary). This is a great craft for using up left over or recycled yarn, and a fun way to add a little cheer to your home.

These kits are intended for adults and will be available starting May 10th. Pick up your kit in the Main Library rotunda, while supplies last. For more information, contact Dori Eisenstat at 603-624-6550 x7620 or email deisenstat@manchesternh.gov.

→ No CommentsTags: ······

Waking up French: Documentary Viewing and Community Discussion

April 26th, 2022 · City Library, Events, Main Branch

Join the Manchester City Library for a viewing of Waking Up French! Réveil: The Repression and Renaissance of the French in New England, followed by a community discussion at 6pm in the Library’s Auditorium.

Learn about the French heritage, immigration history and cultural renewal of New England Franco-Americans. Discover the “universal message to Revéil that applies to both older immigrant groups that suffer the loss of heritage culture and newer groups struggling to preserve their culture as they become new Americans.” This documentary challenges viewers to consider: What is the importance of cultural heritage? Does the loss of language mean a loss of culture?

Waking Up French… website: “The film traces the French heritage beginning with immigration from the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Acadia through persecution by Ku Klux Klan and language loss, to cultural renaissance and heritage preservation.” https://www.wakingupfrench.com.

About the Director: “Ben Levine’s award-winning work expands uses of documentary video from storytelling to engaging both the film and the filmmaking process to motivate social change, address injustice and trauma stories, and revive endangered languages.” Mr. Levine  is also the director of Speaking Place, which works to revive native languages and empower social change in communities. For more information, visit https://www.mainemedia.edu/faculty/list/ben-levine/

For questions, call Susan Harmon at 603-624-6550 x7620 or email sharmon@manchesternh.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Due to COVID, we ask that all attendees wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, and maintain a distance of 6 feet from other attendees. To ensure your seat, please sign up!

Visit www.manchesterlibrary.org and click on “Upcoming Events” to view the library calendar. Click here to be taken directly to the event, or copy and paste the link below into your browser.

http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/ekform.cfm?curOrg=MANCHCITY&curName=2022/05/24_Waking_Up_French:_Documentary_Screening_and_Discussion

→ No CommentsTags: ······

Disability Book Week! April 23-29, 2022

April 23rd, 2022 · Books, City Library, Main Branch, West Branch

 

What is Disability Book Week? It is a chance for individuals to become more inclusive in what they read. People are encouraged to read a book with a disabled main character and/or one written by a disabled author. Seeing different types of characters in books not only helps disabled readers feel included, but also allows people without that disability to better empathize with them.

Disabilities, both visible and invisible, are all around us and shape the day to day lives of millions. So, what is a disability? According to the CDC, a disability is “any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.” Invisible disabilities are simply disabilities that are not outwardly visible (example, the individual does not use adaptive devices).

What can you do?

Educate yourself!

Use vocabulary and symbols that disabled people prefer

Assume competence

Listen! Nobody knows a disabled person’s experience better than a disabled person.

Read! We have a number of books about disability, by disabled authors, or featuring disabled characters. You can find some of them here:

 

→ No CommentsTags: ·······

The 2022 Audie Award Winners

April 23rd, 2022 · Audiobooks, City Library, Main Branch, West Branch

Looking for a new Audiobook?

 Find this year’s Audie Award winners on display at the front entrance

 View the Complete List of 2022 Audie Award Finalists and Winners

Find lots of other Audiobooks on CD in the catalog

Enjoy and keep on listening

Comments Off on The 2022 Audie Award WinnersTags: ·····

Happy Earth Day

April 22nd, 2022 · Children, City Library, Events, Holidays, Main Branch, Teens, West Branch

 

Comments Off on Happy Earth DayTags: ·····

It’s a Teddy Bear Picnic

April 21st, 2022 · Ages 0-2, Ages 2-3, Ages 4-5, Ages 6-13, Children, City Library, Events, Grades 3-5, Grades K-2, Main Branch, Teddy Bear Picnic, West Branch

Come join us on Wednesday, April 27th at 11:00 for the Manchester City Library’s Teddy Bear Picnic. 

We will gather in the Children’s Room and when everyone is ready, we will parade through the library and then outside to the side lawn for a picnic.  Beginning at 11:30 am, Musician Mr. Aaron will be on the south lawn for a foot stomping interactive concert.  Don’t forget to bring your teddy bears!  Registration is not required.  Social distancing will be at this program.  For more information please call 624-6550 ext. 7628.

If you are unable to catch Mr. Aaron this morning at the main building, you will have another chance to see Mr. Aaron at the West Manchester Branch Library at 2:30 pm.  All ages are welcome to come and tap your toes to this fun musical show.  We will be practicing social distancing at this program.

See you at the picnic!

Comments Off on It’s a Teddy Bear PicnicTags: ·····

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Recommendations for April

April 20th, 2022 · Books, City Library, Main Branch, Teens, West Branch

You wouldn’t want to meet these assassins in a dark alley! There’s something mysterious, powerful, intriguing, and dangerous about these skillful men and women in disguise. Hidden beneath a robe, mask, shadow, or cart of hay, their very nature brings tension to a plot as you wait for them to strike!

Authors also frequently use assassins to play with questions of morality: Is there ever an acceptable reason to kill? Do ethical assassins exist? Can you be absolved for past mistakes? When given two terrible choices, which one is the right one? Is it right to do something, even if it goes against your convictions?

Explore these moral quandaries, adventure, and mystery in this month’s Fantasy lineup! Have you read any before? Tell us about your favorite assassin of all time!

 

Comments Off on Sci-Fi/Fantasy Recommendations for AprilTags: ········

Hour of the Witch

April 17th, 2022 · Book Group, Books, City Library, Events, Main Branch, West Branch

Our Brown Bag Book Club will be reading and discussion The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. For more information about our Brown Bag Book Club or for help locating a copy of this title please call us at 603-624-6550. See you at the book club!

→ 1 CommentTags: ······

Let’s Talk Tarot!

April 14th, 2022 · Books, City Library, Events, Grades 6-12, Main Branch, Teens


This event is for any teens who want to learn more about tarot cards, using the classic Smith-Rider-Waite deck as a guide.


This workshop will cover basic tarot theory, giving you a bird’s eye view of all 78 cards and how they work together. The goal is to demystify the tarot in order to empower you to use the cards for self-reflection and personal growth. Throughout the workshop, you’ll be invited to consider card images using both the information from the workshop and your own intuition. At the end of the evening, you’ll be shown how to conduct a reading for yourself or others, and you’ll leave with practical next steps to do at home.


You may want to bring a notebook and pen, plus your favorite tarot deck, if you have one, or choose one of ours to keep. While some of the workshop material will certainly apply to oracle cards, please note that this workshop is focused on the traditional 78-card tarot.

Kate Sheridan, a.k.a. The Laundress, is a tarot reader and astrologer who believes that fortunes are created rather than told. Her style is down-to-earth and conversational, and she draws heavily on her previous life as a high school English teacher to ensure that her clients understand the logic behind the intuitive information she provides. You can find her on Instagram @themodernlaundress or online at www.thelaundresstarot.com.

Registration is required for this event. For more information about this teen program or for help registering please contact Sarah at sballard@manchesternh.gov or call us at 603-624-6550 ext. 7628.

Comments Off on Let’s Talk Tarot!Tags: ·········