This is a new blog series we're doing on religious and cultural holidays/celebrations that are commonly celebrated in Massachusetts to help create awareness for these traditions and their origins. If there's a particular religion or celebration you or someone you know participates in that doesn't appear on this list, let us know by leaving a…
Library Conversation: To Vote Or Not To Vote
2018 is a midterm election year, where people can cast their ballot for new (or re-elect existing) representatives on the federal and local level. This year, 36 out of 50 Governors, all 435 House seats, and 35 Senate seats are up. 2014 was the lowest midterm election voter turnout since WWII. Turnout of the voting-eligible…
A Military History of the Brown Rat in Boston, Part II
This post is Part II of a series. Read Part I. Combat Talk No matter the scale of the offensive, military jargon was omnipresent in the propaganda produced to accompany every new initiative against Boston’s rats. By 1967 the Second Indochina War was raging overseas. At home, its methods were seeping into the public discourse…
The Origins and Practices of Holidays: Birth of the Báb and Halloween
This is a new blog series we're doing on religious and cultural holidays/celebrations that are commonly celebrated in Massachusetts to help create awareness for these traditions and their origins. If there's a particular religion or celebration you or someone you know participates in that doesn't appear on this list, let us know by leaving a…
Karl Marx at 200: Time to Revisit?
This year is the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth (May 5, 1818). The anniversary is being celebrated throughout the world. It is especially celebrated in Trier, Germany, where Marx was born. China presented the city a large bronze statue of Marx. Trier changed its pedestrian lights to show images of the famous philosopher. Memorabilia…
A Military History of the Brown Rat in Boston, Part I
A Martial Legacy "The word was probably spread with the reintroduction of rats to Northern Europe during the Viking Age..." From the Oxford English Dictionary entry for 'rat' From the moment it set foot on American soil, the brown or Norway rat has always been linked with war. It is claimed that Hessian mercenaries working for the…
Books for Podcast Fans: What Should I Read Next? with Anne Bogel
As a librarian – or, more accurately, as a certified, professional, pathological Book Person - I spend too much time pondering what book I should read next. It almost always feels like one of my life's most pressing questions. The right book can introduce fascinating new ideas, boost my mood, or maybe even change my…
Tween Tech Workshops!
Does your kid like video games? Do they like to play with robots? You're in luck! The Children's Library at Central is excited to welcome Empow Studios for a five-week series of workshops. Kids between the ages of nine and thirteen will join instructors for programs that include 3D modeling, LEGO robotics, and video game…
Diverse Books for Halloween Time
Apples, pumpkins, and colorful leaves, oh my! October is here and with it comes tasty treats, festive decor, parties, and, of course, Halloween. What better time to tuck into some books from the Boston Public Library collection. Here are a selection of six spooky picture books, informative holiday tales, and creepy chapter books that feature…
Eight Ways of Looking at Climate Change
For those of you who missed the 'Thinking Through Climate Change' program offered last week as part of Climate Preparedness Week (and at last count, that was about 7,524,164,442 of you), below are some annotated lists of the BPL books and other resources that were discussed. Working through the huge amount of material that has…
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