Register now for FREE 3-part Organic Gardening Course

Free Organic Gardening Course

at the Dover Public Library March 7, 14, & 21

   The Dover Public Library is pleased to offer a free, comprehensive 3-part organic gardening course on consecutive Monday nights, March 7, 14 and 21, from 6-8pm in the Library’s Lecture Hall.  The course, totaling six hours over the three nights, will include practical tips on how to create a new garden, soil preparation, seed starting, planting techniques, container gardening, cultural techniques during the growing season (such as watering, fertilizing, and pest and weed control), how plants and soil interact, succession planting, planting multiple crops in the same space at the same time, how to compost, crop rotation, cover cropping, and mycorrhizobials. 

     The sessions will also include discussions about our existing industrial food production system, including pesticides, genetically modified seeds, seed labeling and supplier concentration, globalization and famine, organic certification, and regulatory capture.

    The instructor is Vincent Cirasole from Rochester. He has taught physical education and organic gardening in New York before relocating to the Granite State in 2013. He is also a Master Gardener, a commercial vegetable grower, and organic growing enthusiast. Over a period of years, Cirasole developed this tri-part course which has proven to be fascinating and popular with students. Reference material and sources of additional information will be distributed to all participants at no charge, but pre-registration is required.  Interested gardeners may call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050 to sign up for Mr. Cirasole’s course, or you may register online at http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=DOVER.

Free Flute/Piano Recital Sunday, March 6, 2pm

The Dover Public Library will host an informal recital of flute music performed by artist, writer, and musician Ross Bachelder, on Sunday, March 6 at 2pm. The public is cordially invited to attend. Accompanying him will be well-known Greenland, NH pianist Cheryl Lynne Stromski.

     Ross Bachelder  lives in Berwick, Maine and travels frequently to perform, to paint and to photograph. He has performed in musical theatre as well as solo as “The Flute Guy”. He has exhibited his drawings, paintings, assemblages, and photographs in area galleries for many years. He was the founder and coordinator of the KAA Seacoast Moderns (within the Kittery Art Association), and the coordinator of The Abstract Artists Group of New England (within the Newburyport Art Association).

     In 1980 he founded Artful Endeavors, a consulting service for creative people of every kind. In 1984, he founded the Berwick Young People’s Theater, where he wrote and produced musical comedies. For twelve years he managed the Frame Shop and Franklin Gallery at Ben Franklin Crafts in Rochester. He is currently writing a book, “Happy Dawg Walks The Sad Man: The Remarkably Varied Adventures of a Confirmed Arts Multiple”.

     Bachelder’s accompanist, Cheryl Lynne Stromski, has a very successful career  as an in-demand pianist, pit orchestra musician, church-based Musical Director, and highly respected  accompanist. She and Ross have performed together at many Seacoast area events and at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

     Stromski has performed in Italy, Ireland, and at a Vatican mass. She was the Music Director of the Prescott Park Arts Festival for eight years, and is currently the Minister of Music at the Stratham Community Church UCC.  She is studying for her Master of Divinity degree at Andover-Newton Theological School.

     For  more information about this free recital, please call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050 or write Ross Bachelder at artsmultiple@gmail.com.

The Library Will be Closed Monday

 

The Library will be closed Monday, February 15, in honor of Presidents' Day.

 

Job opening for Building Maintenance Mechanic at Dover Public Library

February Vacation Events

The STEMbassadors, from UNH's College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, will be at the Library on Thursday, February 25 offering programs for 4th thru 7th graders (see descriptions below). The activities are limited to 20 kids in each group and registration is now open. http://www.dover.nh.gov/…/c…/library/events/stem-events.html
 
Design a Theme Park Ride is an activity for 4th & 5th graders:
Thursday, February 25 @ 1pm
In groups, students will design a theme park ride that will drop as fast as possible while keeping riders safely inside the ride using various materials provided. There will be other constraints to make the design activity challenging. With the help of UNH engineers, students will learn the various steps required for good engineering - ask, imagine, build, test, and improve. This activity will address mechanical engineering, designing, teamwork, and time management.

Does it Float? is an activity for 6th & 7th graders:
Thursday, February 25 @ 1pm
In this group hands-on activity students will learn about buoyancy and design by building and testing tinfoil boats in water tanks. Students will be called upon to design and build their boat to hold the most weight while remaining afloat.

Have You Joined a Book Group Yet?

The library has two book groups now! The inaugural meeting of the morning book club will be Thursday, February 4 at 10am. We will be discussing Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman. The morning book group will meet on the first Thursday of the month at 10am in the Trustees Room of the Library.
 
If evening works better for you, the evening book group meets on the 3rd Monday of the month, at 6:30pm in the Trustees Room of the Library. February 22 we will be discussing Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan.

Everyone is welcome.

 

You Can Borrow a Launchpad!

We now have available for borrowing 5 educational tablets called "Launchpads". Each is loaded with fun games designed for children ages 3-7. Each Launchpad has a different theme: ABCs and language arts, Math, Building and Engineering, STEAM, and Critical Thinking. Borrow one today for your child and have a ball!

Fergus Cullen on New Hampshire's Primary @ DPL Jan. 26, 7pm

 Join us on Tuesday evening, January 26 at 7pm for an engaging and timely talk by Dover resident and former NH Republican Party chair, Fergus Cullen.  Cullen’s new book, “Granite Steps: Stumbles, Surprises, and Successes on the New Hampshire Primary Trail” recalls the last two decades of our state’s first-in-the-nation primary election and is published in partnership with the New Hampshire Union Leader.

         It focuses on the campaigns of 1992-2012: Bill Clinton's first campaign; George H.W. Bush's re-election struggle; Pat Buchanan's insurgent campaigns; George W. Bush's stumble; Al Gore and John Kerry as successful frontrunners; John McCain's two improbable victories; the epic battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; and Mitt Romney's second chance.             Mark Halperin, of Bloomberg Politics and co-author of “Game Change”, comments that Cullen’s book is "told with an appreciation for great storytelling and the rhythms of the battle for the White House on a human level."  Former U.S. Senator Judd Gregg adds that Cullen is “one of New Hampshire's leading historians and politically knowledgeable people” who has “explored this important stop on the road to the Presidency… the stories are fascinating and make for great reading."

         Fergus Cullen is principal of Fergus Cullen Communications, a research, advocacy, and public affairs consulting company. He was chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party in 2007-08, the youngest state chairman in the country. He has been an editorial page columnist for the New Hampshire Union Leader and a frequent contributor to the op/ed pages of several New England newspapers. He appears as a commentator on numerous television and radio programs. He is one of National Journal's "Political Insiders" polled regularly by the magazine about contemporary political issues and is a member of Politico's Caucus.
           Fergus is a graduate of Gilford (NH) High School, Yale, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. A competitive distance runner Fergus has coached high school boys and girls cross country and track for nearly two decades.

          This program is free and autographed copies of “Granite Steps” will be available for sale after the program. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050

You Can Borrow a Chromebook!

We have 10 Chromebooks available for in-house use, for up to 3 hours per day per user. 

A chromebook is a special purpose laptop. It has the Chrome browser installed, so you can use it to go online and do anything that you can do in a browser. Chromebooks can not have applications installed on them, so programs you might usually find on a computer are not available such as Microsoft Word and Excel.  If you have a Google account, you can use Google Docs and Google Drive.  Even without a Google account, you will be able to view documents. All of your data is completely erased from the chromebook when you return it to us, so your browsing history is private and you'll get a fresh chromebook when you check one out.

Come on in and try one out.

Library Hours for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Library will be open Saturday 9 - 5, and Sunday 1 - 5. We will be closed Monday, January 18th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Newbery & Caldecott Winners Announced!

Newbery & Caldecott Winners Announced!

Matt de la Pena won the Newbery medal, for most distinguished contribution to children’s literature, for his book "Last Stop on Market Street". The book was illustrated by Christian Robinson. The 2016 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book was awarded to Sophie Blackall for “Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear,” written by Lindsay Mattick.

Movies from Books in 2016

Here's a list of forthcoming 2016 movies that were adapted from books! Enjoy!

"Living the Traveling Life" with Dan Szczesny, Jan. 19, 7pm

The Friends of the Library are pleased to present a program by long-time journalist and travel writer Dan Szczesny on Tuesday evening, January 19 at 7pm at the Dover Public Library. Dan will take us around the world in “Living the Traveling Life: from Hong Kong to the Grand Canyon; from Nepal to Northern England; from Quebec City to the White Mountains”. He will include readings from his travel books and slides from his work as a travel writer.

     The presentation will cover some of the most common travel issues - how not to get sick, how to prepare for culture shock, how to take a baby with you, and more. And bring your own travel bucket list as well for an interactive look at how you can visit some of the places you've only dreamed about.

     Dan Szczesny began his career in Buffalo, New York but has lived in New Hampshire since 2000. In 2001, he became Associate Publisher of The Hippo, now the state’s largest Arts and Entertainment journal. Since then, he has written for a wide variety of regional and national publications, including the Main Line Times, Philadelphia Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Princeton Packet, Pennsylvania Magazine, all4woman,com, Yahoo! Parenting and Huffington Post. He currently writes an occasional column for Good Men Project, called Modern Dad, about getting kids into nature and the challenges of being an older dad.

     Dan is a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s 4,000-footer club and has written extensively about the outdoors and hiking. He has camped in the Grand Canyon, hiked England’s Coast to Coast Trail, trekked in Nepal, and traveled by rail in Northern India with his ten-month old daughter. His books include “The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie”, a hiking memoir about a year-long journey through New Hampshire’s wilderness with his 10-year-old foster daughter, and “The Nepal Chronicles” about a trip to Everest Base Camp and marriage in Kathmandu. Dan’s newest book, “Sing and Other Short Stories”, was published this year and includes a variety of short fiction spanning his 25 year career as a writer and journalist. “Mosquito Rain: Alaskan Travel Essays” will be published in June 2016.

     This presentation is free and all are invited. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050. Or visit Dan’s website at: www.danszczesny.com.