The Old Card Catalog

Due to numerous patron requests, we will bring back the old card catalog on April 1st.

April Fool!

The Library will be closed Sunday, April 1

The Library will be closed Sunday, April 1, in celebration of Easter. See you Monday!

 

Self Defense Class for Women

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Learn the basic skills necessary to empower and protect yourself in a Women’s Self-Defense class held at the Library on Wednesday, April 4 at 7 pm.

Previously taught in December, Women’s Self-Defense is back by popular demand. Taught by instructors Peter Hebert and Zoila Urbani of Great Bay Karate in Dover, the class will explore the different basic self-defense techniques including simple strikes and movements that could save your life, all taught in a safe, positive environment.

Ages 14 years and older are invited to attend. Sign up is not necessary. Those attending should wear comfortable clothing.

Meditation Class

Several years ago Jacqueline Finnerty suffered from chronic pain. To help ease the intense discomfort, she began practicing meditation. She noticed that the meditation not only helped with her pain, but that it also helped relieve stress, decreased anxiety and made her feel more positive.

On Tuesday, April 3 at 7pm Finnerty will share her love of meditation in a free class at Dover Public Library. Finnerty is the creator of Blissful Soul Studio and is a meditation instructor at Serenity Spa & Salon in Dover.

“I want to share my passion for meditation with others to help people become calmer, happier and have an alternative way of coping with stress or whatever problems they may be facing,” she said.

The class is an introduction to meditation and will talk about the benefits, different techniques, and tips on how to practice on your own. Finnerty will also walk attendees through a 30-minute meditation using breathing techniques and guided imagery.

The Meditation Class is part of Public Health Awareness Week, which takes place from April 2 to April 8. Goodwin Community Health coordinates Public Health Awareness Week by partnering with many other businesses across Strafford County to schedule public health events and classes open to the public. The library will be hosting two other events as part of Public Health Awareness Week. On Monday, April 2 at 6:30pm Lauren Williams, a dietetic technician at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, will teach a course on nutrition and healthy eating habits, and on Wednesday, April 4 at 7pm Peter Hebert and Zoila Urbani, of Great Bay Karate in Dover, will teach a women’s self-defense class. All events are free and open to the public.

Learn How to Eat Healthy Monday, April 2, at 6:30

Healthy habits being pushed to the wayside because of a busy lifestyle? Having trouble finding nutritious snacks for the picky eater in your life? Wondering what’s really in the food you’ve been eating?
All these questions and more will be answered during a special nutrition class at Dover Public Library taught by Lauren Williams, a Registered Dietetic Technician at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, on Monday, April 2 at 6:30pm.
The nutrition class will focus on incorporating healthy habits such as what “healthy” actually means, reading nutrition facts labels, healthy foods on a budget, avoiding fad diets, helpful phone apps, and mindfulness of balance.

In addition to her work at Wentworth-Douglass, Williams works at Exeter Hospital in the diet office, and is a Restaurant Manager in Hampton. She also volunteers at local Hannaford stores assisting a registered dietitian with her Kids in the Kitchen Cooking Classes. She is currently working towards becoming a registered dietitian.
“I maintain healthy eating and active lifestyle habits in my own life,” Williams said. “I am always interested helping others pursue their healthy goals.”
The Nutrition Class is part of Public Health Awareness Week, which takes place from April 2 to April 8. Goodwin Community Health coordinates Public Health Awareness Week by partnering with many other businesses across Strafford County to schedule public health events and classes open to the public. The library will be hosting two other events as part of Public Health Awareness Week. On Tuesday, April 3 at 7pm Jacqueline Finnerty, Meditation Instructor at Serenity Spa & Salon and creator of Blissful Soul Studio, will teach a beginner’s course on meditation, and on Wednesday, April 4 at 7pm Peter Hebert and Zoila Urbani, of Great Bay Karate in Dover, will teach a women’s self-defense class. All events are free and open to the public.

Hear the Soggy Po' Boys at the Library on March 20!

The Friends of the Library are delighted to sponsor a New Orleans style jazz concert on Tuesday, March 20th at 7pm by Dover’s own Soggy Po’ Boys. Born on a snowy Fat Tuesday night of 2012, the Soggy Po' Boys have been honing their craft of New Orleans music  in their home town of Dover, New Hampshire. The New Orleans-flavored band plays more than a hundred shows every year, from festivals and concerts, to politics-infused burlesque collaborations and street parades.  We believe that this is their first time in a public library and we promise it will not be quiet once the joint starts rockin’! Please join us for some great music!

The performance is free and will be held in the Library’s Lecture Hall. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at (603) 516-6050.

The 10th Annual Peeps Show Contest Begins this Month!

Calling All Peeps to the Dover Public Library!

The Dover Public Library is looking for creative Dover residents, Dover students, or Dover Public Library cardholders to enter our annual “Peeps Show” Contest this March.

Here’s how it works: Build a diorama using Peeps of any color or species in a standard size shoe box. The theme is anything literary; recreate a scene from your favorite book, play, or poem. The first 8 entries will receive a free plush Peep chick!

Those 17 or older are invited to compete in the Adult Division, while peeps, er, people 11- 16 may enter the Teen Division. Children ages 2 – 6 are invited to enter the Kids Division, and ages 7 – 10 may enter in the Youth Division. On the back of your standard size shoe box, please include your name, address, phone number, and title of your “Peeps Show”. All Peeps displays may be dropped off at the Dover Public Library beginning Monday, March 19 through Saturday, March 31. The Peeps will be displayed in the library for all to enjoy. The winner of each division will receive a $25 Target gift card, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Prizes will be awarded on Monday afternoon, April 2. Peeps should be picked up by 5pm on Saturday, April 7. All Peeps not picked up by the deadline will be discarded or eaten!  For more information, call the Reference Desk at the Dover Public Library: 516-6082.

Winter Break Fun for Kids @ the Library!

Join us at the Dover Public Library for a full week of free school vacation fun. Tired of the snow and cold but can’t get away? Come to our Beach Party on Monday, February 26 from 2-4pm. We will have summer-themed crafts, activities, and games, sure to help chase away the winter blues. Wear your beach attire to really get in the spirit!

On Tuesday, February 27, from 2-4pm the Children’s Room will be transformed into a Mini-Golf venue. Come practice your skills on our 9-hole course. Everyone who participates will be entered in a drawing to win a prize.

Teens are invited to a “Dancing Through the Decades” Escape Room on Tuesday, February 27. Students in grades 5-12 can sign up for either the 2pm or 3pm session by calling 516-6050 or online at library.dover.nh.gov.

On Wednesday, February 28 at 2pm we will host “Curious Creatures” from Groveland, MA. This family program will feature 10 animals including a baby crocodile, rabbit, tortoise, chinchilla, and a snake.

A special Teen Movie Night featuring “Mean Girls” (PG13) will take place on Wednesday, February 28 at 6:30pm.

Stop into the Children’s Room on Thursday, March 1 anytime between 2pm and 4:30pm to create a Silly Sock Puppet.

Kids in grades 3 and up can work with our Snap Circuit sets and accessories on Friday, March 2 anytime between 2-4pm. And the library’s Creation Station will have a “Make and Take” Hawaiian lei craft available anytime between Sunday, February 25 and Saturday, March 3. 

And don’t forget, we have plenty of books, DVDs, audiobooks, museum passes, and online digital media selections to keep you happily entertained during the winter break. Make sure the Dover Public Library is part of your vacation week plans!

3-session Organic Gardening Class: Feb. 26, March 5 & 12 from 6-8pm

The Dover Public Library is pleased to offer a free, comprehensive 3-part organic gardening course on consecutive Monday nights, February 26, March 5 and 12, 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.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/library/events/index.html.

   

   

The Library Will Be Closed Monday

The Library will be closed on Monday, February 19th for President's Day.We will be open Saturday from 9-5 and Sunday from 1-5 as usual.

History of NH’s African-American Soldiers in the American Revolution: February 20, 7pm

     

 In honor of Black History Month, the Friends of the Library are pleased to welcome Glenn Knoblock for a program entitled “Strong and Brave Fellows: A History of NH’s Black Soldiers and Sailors of the American Revolution” on Tuesday evening, February 20 at 7pm.

       One of the most interesting aspects of the American Revolution is the role played by African Americans in the fight for independence. Both free African Americans and those that were enslaved were key in manning state militias and Continental Army units, as well as serving on the high seas in the Navy and on privately armed ships. Indeed, their service to the colonies was crucial in a conflict that lasted nearly seven years. Prohibited from serving in military units and largely considered “undesirable elements,” how is it that these black soldiers came to fight for the cause of liberty, even when their own personal liberty was not guaranteed?

       Glenn Knoblock will examine the history of African-American soldiers’ service during the war, including how and why they enlisted, their interaction with white soldiers, service on the battlefields, how they were perceived, both by the enemy and the officers under whom they served, and their treatment after the war.

       Glenn Knoblock is an independent scholar and author of fifteen books and over 100 articles. He has served as the historian on projects relating to northern New England bridges, New Hampshire cemeteries, brewing history, and African-American military history. Knoblock has served as the primary military contributor to Harvard and Oxford University’s landmark African-American Biography Project. He holds a BA in History from Bowling Green State University.

          This program is free. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at (603) 516-6050.

The Library will close at 3pm Wednesday

The Library will be closing at 3pm today due to hazardous weather conditions. You can still download books, magazines, movies, music and audiobooks while we are closed. Stay safe everyone.

Convert your older media to digital files with the library's new Memory Lab!

Do you have shoeboxes full of photographs?  Or carousels full of slides?  Do you have a shelf of VHS tapes of your kids’ school plays, or of Christmases past?  Do you even have a VHS player, or a slide projector anymore?  It is time to copy these precious memories to a format that will withstand the test of time, and the Dover Public Library can help you!

The Dover Public Library’s Memory Lab has the equipment you need to convert your photographs, negatives, slides, VHS tapes, and cassette tapes to digital files.  You can save these files on your computer, on a thumb drive, or in the cloud. 

The library offers three different Memory Lab Equipment Stations:  the scanner (for photographs, negatives, and slides), the VHS/DVD converter (for VHS tapes), and the Cassette converter (for cassette tapes).  You can make an appointment on our website to use one of these stations for free!  Appointments are for 2 ½ or 3 hours.  During your appointment, you can convert your memories to digital files. 

Please be aware that the VHS conversion and Cassette conversion occurs in real time. If you are going to copy a 2-hour VHS tape it will take 2 hours to copy the contents, with some additional time to finalize the DVD.  But no worries…the library has lots of books and magazines for you to read while you wait!

All Memory Lab apparatus comes with easy-to-follow, detailed instructions (with pictures!) telling you how to use the equipment. Library staff cannot do the conversions for you, but we can certainly help with questions as you start your process.  

The library is also offering tutorial programs to introduce each Memory Lab Equipment Station so that you can get the most out of your appointment time. Our first instructional programs will be held on Thursday, February 15 and Saturday, February 17 from 2-4pm, and on Monday, March 5 from 6-8pm to introduce the equipment:

February 15 & 17: From 2-2:30pm  the Cassette converter; from 2:30-3pm  the VHS converter; from 3-4pm  the Photograph, Negative, and Slide Scanner.

March 5: From 6-6:30pm  the Cassette converter; from 6:30-7pm  the VHS converter; from 7-8pm  the Photograph, Negative, and Slide Scanner.

You may attend as many sessions as you wish!

Come to the Library to take a walk down memory lane and save those memories for the future. For more information, call Peggy Thrasher at the Dover Public Library (603) 516-6050.

Bring Us Your Old Junk for the Take Apart Program

We are still looking for items for our Take-Apart Program to be held on Saturday, February 3 at 2pm. Do you have old junk laying around? This is your chance to unload it--appliances, computers (no moniters) printers, keyboards, DVD players, VCRs, vacuum cleaners, and old office phones. Basically any appliance that doesn't have glass or sharp edges. Any questions call the Library at 516-6050.

Introduction to Acupuncture

On Wednesday, January 24 at 7pm, licensed acupuncturist Julie Condon, of Dover Community Acupuncture, will talk about the benefits of acupuncture and about the community model of treatment. 
What is Acupuncture? How can it help you?  Come learn about how acupuncture works and how it can help improve your health and wellness.  For those interested in experiencing acupuncture, Julie will offer a free 20-minute session focused on relaxation and stress reduction.  Free!  For more information visit www.doveracu.com

The Library will be Closed Monday

The Library will be closed on Monday, January 15 in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"A Search for Justice" performance at Library April 9, 7pm

The Friends of the Dover Public Library are delighted to present a one-man show, “A Search for Justice”, featuring actor Stephen Collins, on Monday evening April 9, 2018 at 7pm.

In this performance piece, the audience will hear the words of Abolitionist editor William Lloyd Garrison, and John Brown will tell you why he resorted to violence. Abraham Lincoln will deliver his oration at Gettysburg, and Thomas Hardy and other writers will comment on war and religion.

These historical figures will examine timely issues of social, political, and religious justice. Can justice ever be defined or is it just an abstract concept? What is Truth? How do leaders, both political and religious, use language to motivate or dissuade people? Is violent action ever justified when all else fails? Is there ever be a “just war” or is conflict inherently unjust?

Stephen Collins currently performs eight one-man shows. Receiving rave reviews for over a decade, Mr. Collins’s shows deliver not just the poetry and plays, but bring poets and playwrights to life on the stage. His shows also convey an understanding of the impact and the reactions of the characters to their respective times, giving the audience not just a performance, but an experience. This is the first of three shows Stephen Collins will present at the Dover Public Library: in May 2018 he will perform as the poet Walt Whitman and in November as the renowned American artist James McNeill Whistler.

This program is free and open to all. It was rescheduled from two earlier snowed-out dates. For more information, please call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Learn About Our New 3D Printer and How You Might Use It!

The Dover Public Library has recently purchased an “Ultimaker 2+” 3D printer.  Now library visitors can come see a 3D printer in action near the front desk daily. There’s always something interesting being built inside its case! 

Patrons may also request that an object (customer’s choice!) be printed for them, and pay only for the materials used in their object, usually less than $2.00. We recommend checking out Thingiverse.com for ideas. Of course, you may create your own object then send us an .stl file: we have just printed a prototype cooking tool that one of our patrons designed! 

This exciting technology is quickly becoming mainstream.  On Tuesday, January 16, at 3pm and Wednesday, January 17 at 7pm our Systems and Technology Librarian, Peggy Thrasher, will explain how the 3D printer works.  At this program, she will talk about why this printer is important for the library and how our patrons can make use of it.  She will explain some of the characteristics of 3D models that make successful prints.  3D printing is solving real world problems: find out how at this program.  The Dover Public Library will help you understand how this technology can fit into your life.

Both 3D programs are free and open to all ages. No pre-registration is required. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at (603) 516-6050.

National Recognition Award for the DPL!

Maybe you've heard? Our library started accepting Passport Applications in January 2017, the first public library in NH to do so! After much training (and an exam!) 15 of our staff were certified as Passport Acceptance Agents by the Department of State. By the end of the year, we'd processed over 350 passports and received a 100% rating during an annual inspection. We helped to encourage two other libraries (Bow and Milford) to join the program also.

Unbeknownst to us, our colleagues at the National Passport Center at Pease (the folks who'd recruited us in the first place) nominated the Dover Public Library for a Special Recognition Award. Given by the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State, these national awards recognize "facilities and agents who have gone above and beyond in offering superior customer service or implemented innovations that streamline processes and enhance the customer experience.

We are honored to be attending the official Ceremony in Washington DC on January 29 to accept our award! See the announcement here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/recipients-of-the-2017-national-awards-for-passport-acceptance.html

Please call the library 603-516-6050 to make a passport appointment if you're a new applicant. (Note: renewals must be done online.)

White Chrysanthemum review

I try not to judge books by their cover, but sometimes I pick up one to read based on it.

This was certainly the case with White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht.

The photo of the woman with her feet dipped into the water, goggles on her head and net flung over her shoulder caught my attention. She looked strong, important, like she had a purpose. I immediately knew I wanted to read about whoever this was. Besides, I was really curious what any of this had to do with chrysanthemums. If you want someone to pick up your book then having a cover like this is definitely the way to go.

I wasn’t disappointed with the story, but it was far different than what I expected from such a beautiful cover. The story itself was not as beautiful.

White Chrysanthemum tells the heartbreaking story of a sister’s sacrifice and the horrors the people of Korea faced during WWII under the Japanese occupation. Split between two narratives and time periods, the plot follows sisters Hana and Emi who were torn from each other when Hana sacrifices herself to save her younger sister from a horrible fate.

Set shortly after her abduction by a Japanese soldier, Hana’s narrative follows her horrific journey as she is forced to become a “comfort woman” in a Japanese military brothel. Meanwhile, Emi’s storyline follows her present-day search for answers on what happened to her older sister after that fateful day.

Due to the sensitive nature of the plot, this book is not meant for everyone. Some sections can be downright disturbing at times and hard to swallow. Bracht has done an amazing job tackling such a difficult story. She has a beautiful style of writing that flows easily and this helps when she writes about particularly gruesome scenes. Her descriptions are done in such a careful way, giving the reader insight into the situation without being graphic.

Those who enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha will most likely be fans of this book as they have similar writing styles and plot lines. In fact, that seemed to be my main problem with the story: it felt too unoriginal. Some people may like this about the story. Instead, I felt like I was having déjà vu as I read. I’ve also become bored of the split narrative that takes place over two time periods. I understand why Bracht did it, but I would have much rather followed only Hana’s story. Emi’s was a bit lackluster.

Despite my own personal objections, I did still managed to enjoy the story – not necessarily for the storyline, but for the history behind it.

I am grateful that Bracht chose to write this story because it is a subject that is not written about in fiction a lot. When I picked up the book I was fairly unfamiliar with the Korean comfort women. I didn’t even realize that it was still a sore subject between Japan and Korea to this day. The protest Emi goes to every year in the story is actually a real protest. For the past 25 years, Koreans have gathered every Wednesday in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul demanding that the Japanese government apologize and compensate the women (an estimated 200,000) who were forced into prostitution. It is the world’s longest-running protest. Right beside these protesters is the same bronze statue Bracht writes about in her story – the small barefooted Korean girl with the shoulder-length hair. It is called the “Statue of Peace” and has become a symbol of the protest and an object of remembrance of these girls.