"Hedy Lamarr: Stolen Legacy" Film Talk with Frank Mandosa 

Stop by the library at 6:30 p.m. on Wed., Jan. 24 for a film talk by expert Frank Mandosa on Hedy Lamarr. He'll present a look at the life and career of Lamarr, who declined roles in "Casablanca," "Laura," and "Gaslight." At one point, her studio bosses restricted her to selling kisses for war bonds during WWII.

Instead, she invented a covert communication system to help defeat the Nazis; it's the very technology we use today for secure Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

Frank will show slides with film clips, some with interactive trivia questions. There'll also be a photo display, and raffle for a chance to win a movie-themed door prize.

Thanks to the Friends of the Middleborough Public Library for sponsoring this film talk.

Next Up in Our Virtual Author Talk Series

Our virtual author talk series features bestselling, award-winning authors, covering a range of fiction and nonfiction genres in one-hour-long programs.

Register for upcoming events here and submit your questions for the author, or you can watch here, at any time, any of the previous programs archived up to a year back.

TONIGHT! Embrace Love in the New Year: A Heartfelt Conversation with Rebecca Serle, Wed., Jan. 10, 8:00 p.m. (VIRTUAL)

Log on and kick off the New Year talking to Rebecca Serle about her journey writing epic love stories to span generations. And, in a special preview, Serle will briefly discuss her forthcoming novel (due out on March 5, 2024) Expiration Dates.

Serle is the author of Expiration Dates, One Italian Summer, In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Find out more at RebeccaSerle.com.

Register here.

Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster? How to Avoid the Hidden Traps in Retirement Planning Advice, Tues., Jan. 23, 2:00 p.m.

Start your New Year off right by logging on and learning how to avoid the hidden traps in retirement planning advice.

Did you know that a large financial portfolio, an estate plan, and long-term care insurance won’t be enough to prevent your dream retirement from becoming a disaster? Maybe you know someone who was forced into institutional care after a health crisis and lost assets due to unplanned medical and long-term care costs, or became a burden on loved ones.

According to Elder Law Attorney and bestselling author Rajiv Nagaich, these results are called “retirement plan failure.” Over his 20-plus years of experience in US elder law, Rajiv has developed a step-by-step guide to retirement planning by connecting the various dots of the retirement planning process. The LifePlanning approach is a system that brings together legal, financial, and housing issues into a coordinated effort that can work to make sure you don’t end up being forced into institutionalized care, going broke, and being a burden on your family. In this enlightening and informative webinar, Rajiv explains why “retirement plan failure” happens and how you can keep it from happening to you.

Nagaich, author of Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster, is an elder law attorney, speaker, and retirement planning visionary. He hosts two popular public television specials (Master Your Future and The Path to Happily Ever After) and the AgingOptions Radio Show, dispensing retirement planning advice to people in the Pacific Northwest.

Register here.

Are You Up to the Challenge?

A new year brings a new reading challenge from the Massachusetts Center for the Book. When they launched the challenge last year, they hoped to reach readers across Massachusetts and provide a fun way for people to choose their books for the year. They didn't expect to have more than 2,500 participants and more than over 9,000 books submitted.

If you'd like to participate, here's what you'll do:

1. There's no sign-up this year. Your first monthly entry will enroll you in the challenge. Fill out this form if you would like to receive a reminder via email to complete your January entry.
2. Choose a book to read corresponding to each month's challenge.
3. When you finish each book, report on it using this short web form.
4. Look for news toward the end of the year about a celebratory gathering of Middleboro participants.

New this year is the ability to log in and see your entries over the course of the year. There's also a new Facebook group for participants to be able to share their reading experiences.

The Massachusetts Center for the Book, chartered as the Commonwealth Affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is a commonwealth-funded public charity charged with developing, supporting, and promoting cultural programming that will advance the cause of books and reading, and enhance the outreach potential of Massachusetts libraries.

Early College Planning Webinar

Join us virtually on Tues., Jan. 30 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. for a free webinar for parents with children in middle school and high school on early planning for college. 

Julie Shields-Rutyna, the Director of College Planning from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), will describe information and resources that families can use to put a college savings plan in place, as well as what tools students and parents should consider when beginning the college search.

She'll address questions of how best to save for college, how college savings impact financial aid, where and how to begin the college search, and what role cost plays in the college decision. Join us to learn how to prepare best for college costs. Live transcription will be available.

Register here. 

This event is co-sponsored by the Middleborough Public Library, East Bridgewater Public Library, Hanson Public Library, Bridgewater Public Library, and Pembroke Public Library.

Read and Rise with Ms. Jen and Ms. Gina

Join Ms. Jen and Ms. Gina on for Read and Rise, a five-week parent-child playgroup focusing on letter recognition, vocabulary, and other literacy skills. It's designed to help families support children’s literacy development through stories, games, and activities. The program begins Thurs., Jan. 11 and meets every Thursday after that through Feb. 15.

This group is best for ages kids ages 3.5 to 6. Make-up date is 2/15. 

Click here to register.

This program is brought to you by Self Help Inc. CFCE.

Organized with Tate Britain, “Fashioned by Sargent” explores the artist’s complex relationship with his often-affluent clients and their clothes. The exhibition reveals Sargent’s power over his sitters’ images by considering the liberties he took with sartorial choices to express distinctive personalities, social positions, professions, gender identities, and nationalities. Alongside about 50 paintings by Sargent, over a dozen period garments and accessories shed new light on the relationship between fashion and this beloved artist’s creative practice.

You'll need to pay a special exhibit fee, but our promo code will get you into the museum for $10 each for up to two adults and up to four children ages 7-17. (Children six and under are free).

There's nothing to pick up at the library. When you book tickets on the MFA website, enter the Promo Code: IP-14483 on the general admission ticket screen to get the discount. (Please do not use this code again for a future visit without a reservation with the library.)

This pass is sponsored by The Friends of the Middleborough Public Library.

Sharebrary Item of the Week: Snowshoe Set

Sharebrary: Borrow. Try. Experience.

We all tend to indulge a tad too much over the November and December holidays so there's no better time to work off some of those extra calories than today. Grab a partner (we have mutiple sets of these) and check out our Snowshoe set from the Sharebrary collection.

Each set comes with two snowshoes, two trekking poles, a bag with two snow baskets, and two trekking basket accessories for the pole bottoms. Two sets are for those weighing 150-200 lbs and one is for those weighing 100-150 lbs.

The Snowshoe Set is one of 40 different items we have in our Sharebrary collection. Check them all out!