Letters

LETTER: A Tribute to the Watertown Public Library

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Watertown Free Public Library. As we near the 150th anniversary of the Watertown Public Library, I wanted to pay tribute to this invaluable institution that has had a profound impact on my life. When we think of libraries, often the first thing we think of is books. While the Watertown Library has a great selection of books and is also connected to the Minuteman Network catalogue, the library is so much more than books. In middle school, high school, and as an undergrad in college, I did not have a computer, so I relied on the library computers and internet to do my school work.

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Watertown Library Hosts Showing of Black History Month Film ‘More Than a Month’

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The movie More Than A Month will be shown at the Watertown Free Public Library followed by a discussion, as part of the celebration of Black History Month. The screening will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 at 7 p.m. in the Watertown Savings Bank Room. The organizers of the event provided the following description:

Can Black history be contained in a single month? Should the U.S. eliminate Black History Month?

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Event at Library Focuses on African Americans’ Experience in Mass. in the Past and Today

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The latest event in the Watertown Free Public Library’s Democracy Talks series will focus on The African American Trail Project. The event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the Watertown Savings Bank Room. The Library provided the following information:

The African American Trail Project is a city-wide organizational network and community-based archive that maps African American and African-descended public history sites across greater Boston. Housed at Tufts University, the project aims to develop African American historical memory and intergenerational connections through research, exhibits, and community engagement.

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Free Lecture on the Social Life of Black Bears at the Library

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Dr. Ben Kilham will speak about the social life of black bears at the Watertown Library. The following information was provided by the Appalachian Mountain Club:

A free lecture on The Social Life of Black Bears will be presented presented by the Boston Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club at the Watertown Free Public Library on Jan. 5, 2019. Dr. Ben Kilham will present a program on the social life of black bears and what they can teach us about being human. Ben Kilham, Ph.D. is a wildlife biologist based in Lyme, NH.

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Learn About Early Literacy Development at Event at Watertown Library

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The following information was provided by the event organizer:

Lecture and Discussion: Early Literacy Development (Birth To Age 5) at The Watertown Public Library 

On Saturday Dec. 8, a lecture and discussion about early literacy development at the Watertown Public Library at 1 p.m. will be led by Teddy Kokoros, a Pre-K Teacher at Transpiration Children’s Center and adjunct early childhood education professor at Fisher College, Lesley University, and UMass Boston. The event will be at Watertown Public Library’s Lucia Mastrangelo Meeting Room and is free and open to the public. http://reservations.watertownlib.org/reservation/40734

This event will go over how teachers and parents of young children can best support young children’s early literacy development. Topics covered will including finding quality picture books, dialogic reading, vocabulary development, reading comprehensions skills, phonics and decoding.

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Group Discussing Creating Space for Civil Discourse on Divisive Topics at Library

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The following announcement came from the Watertown Free Public Library:
With hate crimes on the rise and inflammatory rhetoric dominating social media, the Watertown Free Public Library and Watertown Community Conversations are partnering to create a space for civil discourse on potentially divisive topics. The partnership begins Thursday, December 6 as a part of the library’s Democracy Talks series. The topic is a thorny one: Inequality and Public Policy. Sara Chaganti, Senior Research Associate at the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University, will kick off the conversation by discussing the role of public policy – both current and past – in driving inequality. She will show that inequality is not simply an unfortunate by-product of the free market, but is also driven by a series of policy decisions.

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Learn About Computer Coding from Panel of Experts at Watertown Library

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Find out about computer coding during the “Ask a Coder” event at the Watertown Free Public Library on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

The Watertown Library provided the following information:
If you’ve ever considered a career in coding, or simply wondered what goes into building and running the technology you use, this is your chance! A panel of professional developers and software engineers will reveal how they got started, describe their work, offer advice for those looking to break into the field. Bring your questions! Our panelists:
Rebecca Dornin: Senior Software Engineer at Charles River Analytics with additional tech experience at Harvard; M.S. in Software Engineering
Owen Cunningham: Principal Software Engineer at GMO with additional tech experience in the fields of insurance, marketing, healthcare, law, and aerospace; self-taught
Tai Dailey: Front-End Engineer at O’Reilly Media with additional tech experience at Northeastern, Boston.com, CVS; volunteer with the nonprofits Girl Develop It and Black Girls Code; (second) B.S. in Web Design and Interactive Media
WHERE: Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., Watertown, in the Watertown Savings Bank Room