The First Tuesday Book Club's next meeting has been postponed until Tuesday, July 6, at 3 p.m., when the group will discuss “The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home,” by Dan Ariely. We will meet on the lawn in back of the library, weather permitting. Please email Tavi at tprugno@clamsnet.org if you plan to attend.

If you picked up a blackout poetry kit and would like to submit your work, please drop it off at the library or email it to Kaimi at klum@clamsnet.org by May 31, 2021. We will publish an online gallery of your blackout poems in June. If you missed your chance to pick up a kit or would like to request another one, please send an email to Kaimi or call 508-240-3760, ext. 11.

Thank you to those who have already submitted poems!

There will be no outdoor book sale on Saturday, May 22. Please attend Orleans’ Annual Town Meeting instead! It starts at 10 a.m. outside the Nauset Regional Middle School.

Outdoor book sales will be held on May 8, May 15 and May 29, weather permitting.

The twelfth week of the 2021 winter-spring session of Lifetime Learning brings back Mark McGrath for another virtual walking tour, this time through sites of historical significance on Cape Cod. Also in the line-up: Audubon naturalist Mark Faherty, who will be talking about horseshoe crabs, and continuing courses in music and medical science.

The eleventh week of the 2021 Winter/Spring Session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library will include the following new and ongoing courses. Most classes are recorded and can be viewed at your convenience.

Tuesday, April 13 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Peggy Kelleher presents the final class in her popular three class course, “Murder and Mayhem in the Ancient World (And You Think Your Family Was Dysfunctional?).” Learn about the family chaos and carnage caused by curses, oracles, and prophecies as depicted in the works Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and others. This class explores Oedipus (“No one loves you more than me, mom!”)…

Snow Library recently added “A to Z World Culture” to its online reference offerings. This new library database includes detailed information on 175 countries. Starting with a country snapshot and cultural overview, topics include climate, food and recipes, history, language, maps, money and much more. “A to Z World Culture” also includes teaching tools and lesson plans for educators.

The tenth week of the 2021 Winter/Spring Session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library, beginning next Tuesday, includes a new course on groundbreaking American composers John Ives and Aaron Copland, led by Joseph Marchio, as well as continuing classes in mythology, wellness and science. Unless otherwise indicated, most classes are recorded and can be viewed at your convenience. …

The Friends of Snow Library are delighted to announce that weekly book sales will be resuming in the back parking lot of the library beginning Saturday, April 17. The sales will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., weather permitting. If the yellow and red “book sale” sign is not out on a particular Saturday, the sale is canceled. In conjunction with the sales, the Friends will resume taking book donations – by appointment only – on Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning Wednesday, April 7.

The 2021 Winter/Spring Session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library continues with new courses exploring mythology, literature and science. On Tuesday, March 30 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Peggy Kelleher returns to present the first class in her popular three-part course “Murder and Mayhem in the Ancient World (And You Think Your Family Was Dysfunctional?).” Experience the family chaos and carnage caused by curses, oracles, and prophecies as depicted in the works Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and others. The first class explores the House of Atreus: the curse that started it all….

The eighth week of the 2021 Winter-Spring Session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library includes the following new and ongoing courses.

On Tuesday, March 23 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, art historian Beth Stein presents a one-class course titled “Henry Matisse, the Master of Color.” Beth will examine many of Matisse’s most important works from his early years, through his rivalry with Picasso, to his final form of artistic expression, the cut-outs, all of which have become synonymous with the name Matisse. …

On Tuesday, March 16 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger presents "A Performance Review: Democracy in America Under the Stress of Recent Challenges." In this one-class course, Scott discusses the institutions, norms and values of democracy and the rule of law as they responded to the challenges of 2020 - the pandemic, the election and the Trump presidency.

Also on Tuesday, as week seven of the Friends of Snow Library’s 2021 winter-spring session continues…

The sixth week of the 2021 winter-spring session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library includes the following new and ongoing courses.

On Tuesday, March 9, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Joseph Auciello presents the final class in his five-part series titled "Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses." Joe will conclude his discussion on this major literary work and its social, religious and cultural references. Later on Tuesday, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Richard Finnegan presents the third part of his four-class course that explores what happened to the optimism and dreams that today’s baby boomers held in the 1960s. …

Come to the library and pick up a “Take and Make” craft kit. This month’s crafts include a rainbow made from an egg carton and a colorful bunny made using contact paper. Directions and most supplies are included in each kit.

Leigh and David Fisher return with their “Reel Time” course on “Great Movies from Great Directors” (cancelled last year due to COVID-19) as Lifetime Learning continues online at Snow Library in March. The Reel Time class begins at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, with a screening and discussion of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M For Murder,” starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings. The series continues with a different movie every Wednesday through March 31….

In next week’s round of Lifetime Learning classes, political scientist Richard Finnegan leads a course exploring what happened to the ideals and optimism of the baby boomer generation. The four-part course begins at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Finnegan will look at how four institutions — the Supreme Court, Congress, the presidency and the media — affected the trajectory of baby boomer aspirations, beginning with the Supreme Court.. …

The third week of the winter-spring session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library features a new course on the history of jazz and brings back lecturers on Salman Rushdie, World War I, “super musicals” and more. Most classes are recorded and can be viewed at your convenience.

On Monday, Feb. 15 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., George Scharr launches his two-part course on the history of jazz. From Afro-American spirituals and the formative elements of jazz, through the Harlem Renaissance to George Gershwin and the concert hall, you’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories and see video clips of jazz greats….

The second week of the Winter/Spring Session of Lifetime Learning at Snow Library includes an array of new and ongoing courses. Most classes are recorded and can be viewed at your convenience.

On Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Joseph Auciello launches a five-part course on Salman Rushdie and "The Satanic Verses," leading the class through this major literary work and discussing its social, religious and cultural references. Also on Tuesday, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Russ Leng presents the second class in a three-part series on "World War I: Its Causes and Consequences,” focusing on Woodrow Wilson and the Great War. …

The 2021 Winter/Spring Session of Lifetime Learning will begin on Feb. 1 and run through April 30. There are 24 courses to choose from. You will have the opportunity to enjoy some of your favorite presenters and also meet some exciting new ones, all of whom planned courses especially for you. You might find it hard to choose, and it will hopefully help you get through the winter as we eagerly anticipate the end of the pandemic. As in the fall, all courses will still be held via Zoom. Most courses will be recorded.

Brochures have been mailed to Friends of Snow Library members who can begin registering on Jan. 4. On Monday, Jan. 11, registration will be open to the general public. Course information and registration will then be available online at www.friendsofsnowlibrary.org/lifetime-learning-program. Brochures and registration sheets will be available at Snow Library.

As a gesture of appreciation for all the parents and care-givers out there who have been working so hard to keep everything together in these difficult times, the library is handing out free “self-care” packages this week through Thursday (Christmas Eve) at 12:30 p.m. Come by the library to pick up your goodie bag. Each contains a tea bag for a soothing cuppa, some dark chocolate, a recipe for a face mask, a luscious soap from the amazing Anya of Anya’s Herbals, and more! Supplies are limited, so stop by early.

The library will be closed on Friday, Dec. 25 and Saturday, Dec. 26 for the Christmas holiday.

On Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, we will close early. Our Christmas Eve hours are 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Our New Year’s Eve hours (Thursday, Dec. 31) are also 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The library will be closed on New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021.

We wish you all a merry and bright (and safe and healthy) holiday season, and a Happy New Year.