The Brookings Institution calls libraries important community “third places,” defined as “places where people spend time between home (first place) and work (second place). They are places where we exchange ideas, have a good time and build relationships.”
As director of the Tyler Memorial Library in Charlemont, I couldn’t agree more with this description because I see all three factors every time the library is open.
Patrons choosing books from the shelves or waiting at the circulation desk share their selections and recommendations with friends, family, neighbors and sometimes strangers. Connections are made as they describe the transformative impact of books on their ideas and emotions, or how books transported them to new experiences in time or place. In this most traditional library interaction — the exchange of books — patrons are also making connections through fiction and nonfiction, art and music, film and magazines to historical and current cultures worldwide. Cultural connections bring us together.
Cultural connections are also made at the varied programs that libraries routinely offer. On Saturday, from 3 to 6 p.m., the Arms Library in Shelburne Falls is hosting a celebration of Herman Melville’s 200th birthday, featuring a talk by Michael Hoberman and screening of “Call Us Ishmael.”
Melville, famous for his book “Moby Dick,” lived and wrote in the Berkshires. Hoberman, an author, literature scholar and resident of Buckland, will explore Melville’s complex relationship to America. The film, “Call Us Ishmael,” by David Schaerf delves into the world of “Moby Dick” through interviews with musicians, artists and fans.
Saturday’s event is co-sponsored by the Arms Library, Belding Memorial Library, Buckland Public Library, Shelburne Free Public Library and Tyler Memorial Library, a network of third places connecting you to local, historical and current culture through a shared experience of film and literature.
The arts and artisans are integral to programming at Tyler Memorial Library, too. The Sunday Series, about to begin its fifth season, connects area residents with local experts to learn a new craft on one Sunday afternoon each month from the late fall through the late spring.
Each year, when I write a grant to the Charlemont-Hawley Cultural Council, which generously funds the programs, I come back to one key statement: “The Sunday Series, using the library as a community center, amplifies the library’s function as a cultural meeting place by connecting residents to artists and artisans, providing a platform for participants to explore their own creativity, learn new skills and build or strengthen connections.”
The Sunday Series will kick off on this week from 2 to 5 p.m. with “Nature Printing 101: Paper and Textiles,” a workshop by Marjorie Moser on dying with local plants. Upcoming workshops include:
■“Pattern Cutting and Hand Sewing for Beginners” with Heather Wynn on Dec. 8;
■“The Perfect Rye Bread” with Sam Coates-Fink of Backyard Bread on Jan. 12, 2020;
■“Learning Linked Jewelry” with Helene Uprichard, an artist with the Salmon Falls Gallery on Feb. 10, 2020;
■“Learn to Play Ukulele” with Julie Stepanek of the band Calamine on March 8, 2020;
■and a “Spring Pysanky Workshop” with Lida Forbes, an artist with the Shelburne Arts Cooperative on April 5, 2020.
For more information about the Sunday Series, contact Tyler Memorial Library at 413-339-4335 or charlemont.hawley.library@gmail.com. The library also has a Facebook page at facebook.com/tyler.memorial.library.
Most importantly, find a local library near you and make it your third place.
Andrea Bernard is director of the Tyler Memorial Library in Charlemont.