Library District Plan

I’d like to continue the discussion of the library parking lot plans in a slightly more positive way.  I’ve really appreciated your comments so far, and I want to see if we can talk about what we do want (if, as seems to be the case, we don’t want two hockey rink/arenas).

One of the things that was mentioned last night that I neglected to talk about was an assignment for the library board:

What if this wasn’t the Theater District, but the Library District?

What would your ideal Library District Plan look like?

(The idea comes from Tim McGourthy, whose presentation I missed.  In the interest of full disclosure, I really like him.)

So, readers —

Let’s say the McGrath Parking Lot should be developed.  What would you like to see in there?  What would complement the library?  What would bring new patrons to the library?

Let’s say we could have an entrance to the Library along Franklin Street/Salem Square.  Would that change your opinion of the availability of parking?  How important is nearby parking to your use of the library?  Would you mind walking 1-2 blocks to the library if it was an easy/interesting walk?

Let’s say some sort of athletics (field, complex, park) should be a component of development.  What would you like to see?

Let’s say there was going to be street-level storefronts on Salem and/or Portland Streets.  What would you like to see?  What would you use?  What do you think would be a natural fit/extension for the library?

Anything else you can think of?

CWW: Free Audiobook Downloads

If there’s a teenager in your life (or if you or anyone you know enjoy audiobooks), Sync is once again offering two free audiobook downloads every week this summer.

This begins tomorrow, and each selection is only available for a week, so if you see audiobooks you’d like, make a note on your calendar!

The schedule is as follows; they usually pair a contemporary book with a classc one:

June14 – June 20, 2012
The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, Read by Dan Bittner (Scholastic Audiobooks)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Frank Galati [Adapt.], Read by Shirley Knight, Jeffrey Donovan, and a Full Cast (L.A. Theatre Works)

June 21 – June 27, 2012
Irises by Francisco X. Stork, Read by Carrington MacDuffie (Listening Library)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Read by Wanda McCaddon (Tantor Media)

June 28 – July 4, 2012
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, Read by Simon Jones
(Listening Library)
Tales from the Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang, Read by Toby Stephens
(Naxos AudioBooks)

July 5 – July 11, 2012
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Read by August Ross (AudioGO)
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Read by Ian Holm (AudioGO)

July 12 – July 18, 2012
Guys Read: Funny Business by Jon Scieszka [Ed.] et al., Read by Michael Boatman, Kate DiCamillo, John Keating, Jon Scieszka, Bronson Pinchot (Harper Audio)
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories by Mark Twain, Read by Norman Dietz (Recorded Books)

July 19 – July 25, 2012
Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter, Read by Kirsten Potter (Oasis Audio)
Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, Read by a Full Cast (AudioGO)

July 26 – August 1, 2012
Pinned by Alfred C. Martino, Read by Mark Shanahan (Listen & Live Audio)
TBA (Brilliance Audio)

August 2 – August 8, 2012
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Read by Khristine Hvam (Hachette Audio)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Read by Simon Prebble (Blackstone Audio)

August 9 – August 15, 2012
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, Read by Rupert Degas (Harper Audio)
Dead Men Kill by L. Ron Hubbard, Read by Jennifer Aspen and a Full Cast
(Galaxy Press)

August 16 – August 22, 2012
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, Read by Jay Laga’aia (Bolinda Audio)
The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Read by William Roberts (Naxos AudioBooks)

—

You can find free downloads of other kids’ books here, and plenty of books to read and listen to are available from the Worcester Public Library.

CWW: Worcester Public Library book sale on Saturday

via the library’s Facebook page:

Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Banx Room at the Main Library, 3 Salem Square in Worcester. Stock up on summer reading at the Friends of Worcester Public Library’s “Beach & Backyard” Book Sale. A large selection of fiction for adults and children will be available. Prices are only 25 cents per book, or five books for $1.00, so you can fill up your beach bag! All proceeds benefit the library.