The Dowling-Walsh Gallery is hosting an exhibit of a classic selection of paintings by well known contemporary Maine artists in the Picker Room through the month of February. This show of beautiful Maine landscapes are available at a significant value and the proceeds will directly benefit creative programs at the Camden Public Library. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours through February in the Picker Room. (more…)
The team of volunteers is once again busy assisting filling out tax forms. The volunteers are Bob Carter, Fran Moore, Melissa Bryan, and Dick Eichacker. The sessions are Tuesday mornings, 9:30 to 12:00, and Thursday evenings, 4:00 to 6:30. Please call the library at 236-3440 to make an appointment. (more…)
The Songwriters Sessions for 2012 continue on Thursday, February 23 at the Camden Public Library. The series is designed to encourage songwriters by giving supportive response to their work-in-progress and an opportunity to perform in public. This year the library has invited several well-known songwriters to create a “songwriting with the masters” series. The series culminates in a performance of the brand-new songs at the Library Coffeehouse in June. (more…)
Andrew Stancioff will give an illustrated talk on “Poverty, Resources, and Conflict in Niger” at the Camden Public Library on Thursday evening, February 23, at 6:30 pm. Stancioff, of Spruce Head, Maine, is a geologist and environmental consultant who has done extensive research on Zaire/Congo, Guinea, Central Africa, Niger, and Mauritania. He said in a recent interview, “Drought, deforestation, and government graft in the Sub Sahara has led to current conflicts and indicate a somewhat dire future.” (more…)
The Camden Public Library’s Brown Bag Lunch series continues at noon on Friday, February 24, with “The Estate Planning Checklist,” presented by Rebecca Sargent. The lunch is one of a monthly series of in-depth financial topics to help individuals plan investments and budgets. The series is supported by a grant from FINRA, the nation’s financial regulatory agency. (more…)
“Bones for Life” is a movement and exercise program based on the Feldenkrais Method developed by Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. Gretchner Langner has modified the method and applied it to a program employing chairs, which she calls “Bones for Life on Chairs.” A free introductory session will be offered at the library on Monday afternoon, February 27, 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Langner will offer the full series of sessions on Wednesdays at 12:30 beginning March 14. For fees and more information contact langnerdzign@gwi.net. (more…)
The library will again host the Camden Garden Club’s “Winter Horticulture” Series. The series is a very popular exposure to all things green in our icy winter months. The presentations are on Tuesday mornings, beginning with coffee and refreshments at 10:00 am and followed by the speaker for the day. The final event is Tuesday, February 28. (more…)
The next regular meeting of the Camden Philosophical Society reading group is Tuesday, February 28, at 4:00 pm in the second floor meeting room. The meeting time has changed to the fourth Tuesday of the month, instead of the fourth Thursday as before. The time is unchanged: 4:00 pm. “We look forward to seeing several of you on Tuesday, February 28, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Camden Public Library,” says coordinator Sarah Miller. (more…)
“What they don’t tell you & what it really costs you!”, a talk by Julie Allen, EMT-P, of the Camden First Aid Association, will be hosted by the library on Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30 pm. Allen’s talk will cover Medicare, MaineCare, and other third party insurers. She will also cover ways you can be in control of your medical costs and “why it doesn’t matter if your ‘doctor ordered it’” and more. (more…)
Work will begin soon on a number of important capital projects at the Camden Public Library, thanks to a major grant from the Branta Foundation, which was established by the late Harvey and Jean Picker. The grant was made possible by the wonderful support of the Picker children, Gail Picker and Bobbi Hamill, and will allow the library to continue to build upon the vision that the Pickers helped to establish at the library over 25 years ago. (more…)
For the March Coffeehouse at the Camden Public Library, Gordon Bok will perform a special concert to accompany his woodcarvings. The carvings will be on display in the Picker Room through the month of March. The “Songs in the Wood” concert begins at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 1. Seating is limited and tickets are $15, available at the library. (more…)
Simply Books!, the library’s adult book group, is looking for new members! We meet on “first Saturdays” at 2:00 pm. Simply Books! is a book group designed for book lovers. There’s no set reading list, we don’t all read the same book, and it’s very informal. We simply bring along whatever book we’re currently reading (usually the ones we’re loving and want to talk about!), and share it with the group. The next session of Simply Books! will be Saturday, March 3, at 2:00 pm. (more…)
The Camden Public Library will host a series of speakers on a wide variety of environmental issues in March. “Angles on the Environment” will include speakers on sustainability, permaculture, philosophy and aesthetics of the environment, preserving jobs in the Maine north woods, local effects of climate change, preserving Maine rivers, and more. (more…)
As part of the library’s “Angles on the Environment” series, the library will host a panel presentation by “Preserve Maine Traditions.” Preserve Maine Traditions is a citizens’ group committed to preserving Maine’s cultural heritage and land use traditions. “We work to ensure the continued respect between landowners and public,” says Andy Young, “sharing in the stewardship of this beautiful land for all to enjoy.” PMT will present a panel discussion at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, March 6, at the Camden Public Library (more…)
The next regularly-scheduled Midcoast Stroke Support Group meeting will be on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Meetings will continue on “first Wednesdays.”
The library will host a Senior College class on “The Rise of Modern Art” beginning on March 8 at 1:00 pm. The class meets weekly for 8 weeks. Chris Glass, Camden architect and long-time Bowdoin College lecturer, will lead the class for the Coastal Senior College. You must register with the Senior College at 800-286-1594 or http://coastalseniorcollege.org/catalog.html. The “text” for the class is the landmark BBC series by Robert Hughes, “The Shock of the New.” (more…)
As part of the “Angles on the Environment” series, the library will host a talk on Sustainability by David Oakes. We hear a lot about sustainability today, but what does it really mean? Is sustainability a fad or is it here to stay? And what is the role of the individual and of the community in promoting sustainable practices? Dave Oakes, Hope resident and co-founder of the Center for Ecological Living and Learning (CELL), will give a talk at the Camden Public Library on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:30 pm, addressing these and other questions. The talk will focus on hopeful signs for a sustainable future and will explore how sustainability is the largest social movement in the history of our civilization. (more…)
The “Wellness” Brown Bag Lunch on March 12 will feature a talk on acupunture by Jacquelyn George, M.Ac., L.Ac. of Abundant Health Acupuncture in Rockland. The talk begins at noon and is co-sponsored by the Camden Public Library and the Penobscot Bay Chamber of Commerce. Don’t know your yin from your yang? Sure, “qi” is a handy Scrabble word, but are you a bit unsure what it actually means? Come to “Acupuncture 101” to explore the theory, techniques, and diversity of uses for this fascinating natural medical practice (more…)
The Camden Public Library has earned Star status for the fourth year in a row as awarded by the Library Journal. The star rating is awarded on the basis of four measures of service, and compares the use of the library to other libraries of similar size across the country. The service areas used in evaluating the library are the number of individual visits, circulation, attendance at events, and internet use, all evaluated on an annual, per capita, basis. “We are very pleased to be rated a Star Library, not just once, but for four years in a row,” said library director Nikki Maounis. (more…)
It was 15 years ago that the Camden Public Library successfully expanded by building its remarkable Centennial Wing. Since 1996, well over 2 million people have come through the doors! That kind of use does have consequences. Currently, many areas within the library are in need of refreshing. With a Davis Family Foundation Grant of $20,000 the library will update and rejuvenate the entire Centennial Wing — including our public programming spaces – with new carpeting.
The Camden Public Library has partnered with Mango Languages to offer free language classes to our library cardholders. Mango is an online language learning system that teaches real conversation skills for practical communication. Through fun and engaging interactive lessons, Mango makes learning a new language fast, easy, and incredibly effective. (more…)
Ever wonder what everyone else is reading? Would you like to know what is going out under the arms of our readers? The library has compiled the Top Ten Most Favorite Books for 2010, in fiction, non-fiction, audiobooks, and DVDs. The top fiction book at the Camden Public Library is Sue Grafton’s “U is for Undertow,” and the top non-fiction book is “Game Change” by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. (more…)
Thanks to a grant from FINRA, the library is now able to offer Morningstar financial reports both in print and online. Click here to go to the library’s financial links page to log on to the Morningstar site. The new subscriptions to the print version of Value Line and Kiplinger’s newsletters will begin soon. The goal of the library in seeking the FINRA grant is to help create a financially literate community and to make online financial tools more accessible for library users. (more…)
The Camden Public Library was one of two libraries in Maine that were awarded national grants from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the American Library Association (ALA). The Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick and the Camden Public Library in Camden have both received “Smart investing@your library” grants for financial education programs in their communities. Twenty libraries across the country were awarded grants from the FINRA Foundation and ALA in this recent grant cycle. (more…)
CPL is now on Facebook! Check out our page for the latest news about events, new materials, and recommended reads. While you’re there be sure to follow the link to our staff Shelfari page to see what your librarians are reading, and see what we recommend in our weekly Staff Picks update. Click here to go to our Facebook page.
NEW! The library can now offer downloadable e-books as well as audio books! All you need is your library card number to download books from the Maine InfoNet Download Library! The e-books will work on both Macs and PCs, and on many reader devices, but they do not work as yet on Kindles or iPads. You will need to download the software first. When you visit the website, go to the “Getting Started” section and click on the Quick Start Guide. (more…)