by Eileen and Sujei If you’re like me, you have a ton of things on your mind/plate. And although I knew July was International Zine Month, I couldn’t quite pull the trigger on this blog post till now. But, all this information is still valid – and it’s always a good time to enjoy and make…
Since our Muslim Journeys series began at SPL, I’ve been reading quite a bit about Islamic history and culture and taking note of events in the Islamic calendar. As with Christianity and Judaism, the Islamic year is based on a lunar calendar. Ramadan, the period when Muslims must fast between sunrise and sunset, ended recently….
Boston University professor Linda Heyw0od gave a great talk last night on Prince Among Slaves, one of the titles in our Muslim Journeys bookshelf. Prince is the story of Abdul Rahman, a Fulbe prince captured and sold into slavery in Mississippi and his quest for freedom. The book is also a fascinating portrait of antebellum…
Somerville Public Library’s central branch is marking its centennial this year. Way back in January of 1914, the Italian Renaissance-style building at 79 Highland Avenue opened for patrons after its dedication on Dec. 17, 1913. Famed library architect Edward Lippincott Tilton designed the new building. According to the Somerville Journal in an article dated Dec….
Books for Somerville Reads 2014 have arrived and are now available at all SPL locations! Somerville Reads is a project that promotes literacy and community engagement by encouraging people all over the City to read and discuss the same book. The book that has been selected for 2014 is Dark Tide: the Great Boston Molasses…
One of the most interesting books I’ve read this year has been Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders. I would have been drawn to it anyway because of my love of history, but I was especially intrigued by the book’s subject because I’m in charge of the library’s programming series Muslim Journeys. Thomas…
For most of us today is just another Monday, or at most an excuse to go out for Mexican food tonight or make a margarita at home. For Mexican-Americans and Mexicans residing in the US, today is a celebration of Mexican heritage. But what is Cinco de Mayo? The holiday commemorates the highly unlikely victory…
Visitors to the Central Library often comment on the frieze in the main reading room that runs along the perimeter of the room just below the ceiling. It’s a partial reproduction of the friezes on the Parthenon, one of the finest surviving buildings of Classical Greece and a symbol of Western civilization. Ever since this…
Somerville Public Library was one of ten libraries in the U.S. chosen to be a StoryCorps recording site! If you don’t know what StoryCorps is, it’s a foundation dedicated to honoring the lives of Americans by recording their stories. That means anyone. That means you. The story you record and share with us doesn’t have…
For the next few months we will continue our series of NEH/ALA-sponsored programs Muslim Journeys, an effort to educate the public about Islamic history and culture. In keeping with the spirit of Muslim Journeys, I thought I should note that Mawlid, the celebration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, begins at sunset today. Observances…
