MPL: Summer splash down

Summer reading, concerts, and more

Author

Rebecca Appelbaum
June 11, 2024

Hello friends, and welcome back to another packed installment of ‘what’s happening at the Millis Public Library’! We know you’re just as excited as we are for this, so we’ll dive right in~

Firstly, Juneteenth has become an official holiday, and we wanted to let you know that not only is it coming, but we’ll be closed for it. Juneteenth is Wednesday, June 19th this year, and we will only be closed that day. Feel free to stop in before or after to pick up anything you need, or check out our E-Resources page!

Next up is Summer reading, and this year, it’s not just for kids! We’ve started an Adult Summer reading challenge and invite you to take part~

Join us for our first Adult Summer Reading BINGO contest! Complete 5 challenges and win a BINGO prize. Complete all 24 to enter for a chance to win some great prizes from local sponsors. Share and compete with friends or just pick some squares to get you going! It’s all up to you~

  1. The game will run June 1-Sept 1

  2. Each square must be filled in with a distinct title.

  3. If you fill 5 squares, you win BINGO! and get a prize!  *Limit 1 prize/person.

  4. Library staff will initial the completed squares and hand out prizes at the front desk.

  5. If you fulfill all 24 challenges on the board, you can submit your form and enter into the GRAND PRIZE drawing. Completed Bingo cards must be submitted by September 2 for entry to the grand prize drawing. Winners will be notified by Friday, September 6th.

  6. Limit one board/patron.

Pick up your board at the library or print one up here!

That’s not to say we’re not also doing kids Summer Reading as well! Kids from K to 6th grade can snag a reading tracker from the children’s room or the website and tally the books and hours they’ve spent reading from June 12th to August 28th and exchange their totals for prizes.

The Store to exchange prizes will be open at set times, and points for reading can only be exchanged then. Store hours haven’t been set yet, so check the website or the Children’s room for updates!

And for older kids, Battle of the Books has returned! We are inviting students entering 5th-7th grade to join our yearly trivia competition! Each member of the winning team will receive a $25 Gift Certificate to Park Street Books in Medfield. The competition will cover 8 novels. Students can join in teams of 2-4, or as a solo team.   

To join, simply email Youth Services Librarian Rachel at [email protected] by July 1st, and let her know which other students (if any) are on your child’s team, along with a parent email for each student. Please feel free to read to your child or to access the books in an audio format if that works better for your family.

The competition will take place on a date TBD AFTER Labor Day to avoid running it while families may be on vacation.

Click here to find a list of our Battle Books. Each team should contact youth librarian Rachel at [email protected] to arrange pick up of a set of books for your team.  Pass them back and forth all summer!  It always helps to have more than one team member read each book.  Books will be available for pick up by July 1st, but feel free to reach out earlier: we may be able to get them to you a bit before that.

Next up, we’ve got our summer programs and the first on the docket is Board Game Night. Coming up Thursday, June 20th, join us at 6pm to play your favorite games, learn new games, and meet new board game buddies in the community!

We will provide different featured games each month and welcome gamers of all levels. Feel free to bring in your favorite game to teach as well!

Please register so we get a sense of how many games we will need! Contact Kim at [email protected] or 508-376-8282 with questions. 

Next up is a program from Jacob Litoff and the talented performers of the Charles River Sinfonietta, brought to you free of charge by a grant from the Millis Cultural Council in a two-part event! The first performance will be on Friday, June 21st at 6:30pm, and feature the following selections:

Mozart Grande Sestetto Concertante K364 

Villoldo "Tango El Choclo"

Weinberg Concertino opus 42 for violin & strings

Program two will be taking place on Tuesday, June 25th, also at 6:30pm, will feature:

Mozart Horn Quintet K.407 

Reicha Grand Hom Quintet opus 106 

Danzi sextet opus 10 2 horns and strings 

Jeff Smallman La Danza de la Noche string quartet

No registration is required for either concert! Come for one, come for both, and enjoy this summer concert series!

Toddler Water Play resumes this year! Join us on Wednesday mornings, starting on June 26th at 10am for our fun in the sun water play group this summer!  Perfect for toddlers ages 1-3 (siblings of any age welcome!) we'll set out water tables, a sprinkler, balls, boats and bubbles in our courtyard.  Come dressed to get wet!  Our courtyard has very little shade so please wear sunscreen and hats or whatever you need to be comfortable.  

*If we cancel due to weather, we will change the posting in the event calendar on our website to read "cancelled."

Library Legends is returning this month on Thursday, June 27th at 6:15pm with the theme Duck Hunt! This month's event we will be “hunting” resin ducks and the person who “catches” the most will be rewarded with a $10 Dunkin Gift Card.

We will also play another game TBD, have some snacks, and hang out. Library Legends is a newly formed activity group for students in 6th-12th grade, we welcome new attendees! No registration required~

Next up, join us for the virtual presentation of Deep Fakes and AI Media. Hosted by Bard College film professor Joshua Glick, get ready for a wide-ranging conversation about artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on contemporary media on Thursday, June 27th at 7pm. We’ll talk about how these technologies are shaping the film and TV industry as well as the proliferation of “deepfakes” – AI-enabled videos that depict people doing or saying things they never did or said. Come with your hopes, questions, and concerns about this emerging media landscape. 

Registration is required. Click here to receive your link to attend this virtual presentation.

Professor Joshua Glick is a film and media studies scholar focusing on the comparative histories of film, television, and radio; nonfiction media, race and representation; and the civic uses of emerging technology. In collaboration with the Center for Advanced Virtuality at MIT, he designed the interactive online curriculum, Media Literacy in the Age of Deepfakes. Professor Glick also co-curated Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen, an exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York.

And in a lighter tone, Stacey Peasley is also coming back! Join us on Friday, June 28th at 10:30am for this local favorite as she puts on a children's concert. Recommended for children ages 2-7, all ages welcome. No registration required~

Last, but not least, Color and Chill is a bit late this month but we're still inviting you to join us for a hour of quiet relaxation on Friday, June 28th at 6:30pm! Coloring has been proven to help reduce stress, so take a break from your busy life and distract yourself with a variety of intricate pages waiting for you with soothing music and snacks.

Everything you'll need will be provided— just bring yourself! No registration required, and if you want to come early, the sheets will be waiting for you.

We know this is a packed schedule (it is for us too), but there’s still more! For a full list of upcoming events at the Millis Public Library, please visit our event calendar.