HAPPENINGS
Newsletter • Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library • Quincy, MA • Fall 2013
Introducing Clayton Cheever
New Assistant Director at TCPL
The question is: “Who is that tall bearded guy
I’ve seen in the library recently?” The answer is:
Clayton Cheever, the new assistant director of the
TCPL. He joined the staff on July 1 and has been
immersed in learning the ropes, assuming his duties, and meeting lots of people. Don’t be shy
about introducing yourself to him.
Clayton comes to Quincy from the Boston Public
Library (BPL) where he held a number of positions and worked in the main and branch libraries,
as teen librarian, network administrator, and project manager. His career objectives revolve
around building community by connecting patrons with library materials that meet their needs
and wants, developing programs that unite people
around shared interests and passions, and using
technical and organizational skills to empower
people.
He commented that he “likes to be in a spot that
harnesses our collective power.” Clayton’s observation that the library is not a collection of dead
trees is a glimpse into his approach. He likes
working with people and is excited about the opportunity to become involved with the community through the TCPL.
Clayton is originally from Colorado and came
East to earn his BA in geography and sociology
from Vassar College in 1994. He returned to Denver and volunteered and worked in the non-profit
sector for several years before taking a job as database administrator, IS technician, and document
specialist at a private company.
The newest “kid” on the block at the TCPL
moved to the Boston area in 2002 for his wife to
pursue a doctoral degree in education, and Clayton earned a master of library and information
science from Simmons College in 2005. He
worked at the Harvard School of Public Health as
a staff assistant with multiple assignments for
three years before becoming supervisor of technical services at the Watertown, MA, library, and
then moving to the BPL in 2008. The TCPL will
certainly benefit from the wide range of skills and
experience he brings.
Clayton Cheever
noted that he’s
barely had time to
catch his breath in
the few months
since he came to
the TCPL. “This
is a wonderfully
busy library with
lots of interesting
programs (that I
get to help plan
and
implement)
for a fascinatingly
diverse community.”
Clayton was attracted to the TCPL as an opportunity to take on more leadership and to make the
greatest impact he can in collaboration with others. His many duties at the TCPL include lining
up lots of programs (many funded by the
Friends), helping to maintain the library website,
doing tech planning with Jim Jacquette (the new
coordinator of adult and young adult services)
and Rory O’Brien (the new coordinator of information technology services), working on the library’s long-range planning effort as well as
TCPL 21 which looks at innovative trends in library service models, and helping Megan Allen
run the library.
On a personal level, Clayton, his wife, and 11year-old son and 8-year-old daughter live in
Roslindale. He likes New England, especially all
the green trees, rivers, beaches, ponds, and the
ocean; the thriving multinational community; progressive culture; and all the rich history. He enjoys the outdoors, bicycling, kayaking, playing
the guitar, listening to music, and reading books.
He had a hard time choosing his favorite most
recently read book, but named Alone on the Ice
by David Roberts, The Technologists by Matthew
Pearl, and Cascade by Maryanne O’Hara (all authors with Massachusetts connections) as contenders.
Clayton is excited about working at the TCPL—
the people and the community—and we’re happy
to welcome him.
Check out the Friends on the TCPL website at www.thomascranelibrary.org; click “Friends of the Library.”
From the Director, Megan Allen
Share and Share Alike
Did you know you can take a cheaper vacation by
avoiding hotels and renting other people’s houses
or apartments instead? And while you’re gone,
send your pooch to staycation at someone’s private home instead of the kennel? Both options are
part of the rising new “sharing economy,” in
which companies offer an easy way to enjoy the
benefits of consuming without the cost of owning. You can now share cars via RelayRides and
office space with Desktime, borrow a pig roaster
or a wedding tent using SnapGoods, or even find
a cheap parking space with ParkatmyHouse.
All of these companies use digital technology to
quickly and easily connect people who have stuff
they’re not using all the time with other people
who’d like to borrow it for awhile. What a great
new way to share resources efficiently, expand
your choices, save money, and reduce wasteful
duplication, right?
Yes, but it’s not really new; the public library was
there first, dating back to 1852 when Boston officially established its public library. For a tiny
fraction of your tax dollars—about 1%—you get
“free” access to a vast trove of books, movies,
music, games, and magazines from the library
down the street and far beyond (because libraries
share with each other, too).
You can visit the library in person seven days a
week to use a computer and access the Internet,
print, scan, and fax, and you can enjoy all of the
different spaces we offer for reading, studying, or
meeting your friends. You can also visit the library 24/7 from anywhere via your computer or
phone to find and request traditional materials or
to borrow and download ebooks and get answers
to your questions from reliable online sources.
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 2
From July 2012 to June 2013, Quincy library users shared resources to the tune of:
•·760,000 items borrowed
•·660,000 visitors
•·81,000 public computer sessions
•·88,000 wireless Internet sessions
•·29,000 meeting and study room users
So for your next vacation, go ahead and try
Airbnb to find inexpensive lodging and DogVacay to board your pet, but don’t leave without
stopping at the TCPL, either in person or virtually, to stock up on your favorite vacation reading!
Claire Fitzmaurice is often found working at the main library in
the two beautiful flower beds that she envisioned.
Claire Fitzmaurice Is a Good Neighbor
Claire Fitzmaurice, a member of the Friends and
the Wollaston Garden Club (WGC), was recognized by the Patriot Ledger as a Good Neighbor
for being the driving force behind the transformation of two gardens at the main library.
Claire saw opportunity where others may have
seen only scraggly patches of garden. She wrote
and received two beautification grants from the
Quincy DPW program. The first year the Peace
Garden, at the end of the parking lot, was redesigned and planted with perennials. The Atrium
Garden, facing Washington Street, was started
with perennials, shrubs, and a granite stone. The
second grant went toward more work on the Atrium Garden. Claire saw the projects through from
her identifying the need, securing the grants, preparing the beds, lining up workers, planting, and
maintaining the gardens, to dealing with any
problems that crop up.
Claire observed that: “The gardens have been
very satisfying for me. The patrons really do appreciate the effort. Some say encouraging words.
Many just smile. To watch the littlest tots get up
close and wonder is a treat for me.” Her dedication and hard work have been recognized by the
Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, which
presented the Virginia Thurston Landscape Design Award to the WGC for the “ongoing maintenance of the Peace and Atrium Gardens.” The
Friends, library patrons, and anyone going by the
library can appreciate and enjoy what is possible
when one person sees a need, is able to muster
and organize the resources, and continues to follow through. Thank you, Claire!
Author in Our Midst
How many of us can say we‘ve achieved a major
life goal? Quincy resident and Friends’ board
member Rosalind Cuschera can. She recently had
her book, Journey from San Rocco, chronicling
her family history from 1918 to 2006, published.
A large and enthusiastic audience greeted Roz at her book
talk at the TCPL. One person
found the story “moving and
stirring,” while another was so
intrigued, “I couldn’t put it
down. I think it would be a
good movie,” and others recommended she send copies to
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and
Oprah Winfrey.
Her personal journey from idea
to publication started about
eight years ago. She originally
intended to record a family
history for her children and
grandchildren. After taking
early retirement from HewlettPackard to be a full-time caregiver for her mother, Roz
found she wanted some spiritual, social, and intellectual stimulation, and joined the OLLI
(Osher Lifelong Living Institute) at UMass Boston.
Italy in dire times with four small children. She
faces a terrible dilemma when she receives a letter from America with a marriage proposal from a
man who’d left her village 12 years previously.
To tell her story, Roz relied on family lore and
primary source material in letters, postcards (in
Italian), and photos, researched the history of the
times span for background,
searched for her relatives, and
made several trips to Italy and
Sicily. She considers her book
a fictionalized memoir as she
didn’t have all the facts and
changed peoples’ names.
Roz Cuschera presented her book, Journey
from San Rocco, to a crowd at the TCPL in
August.
She’d always been fascinated with her mother’s
family history and had jotted notes of the stories
handed down in the family; she didn’t want the
people to get lost. Then she took an OLLI course
on writing memoirs and other stories, and the students encouraged her to collect all of her family
stories in a book.
When she started writing, she only wrote when
she had a class. With other responsibilities, she
wasn’t able to concentrate on it; she kept editing
as she wrote before allowing herself to move on;
it was a slow process. The support of family and
OLLI friends kept her going through rewrites and
various interruptions, including a computer crash
that ate her manuscript. Eight years later, she had
a published book in hand.
The story begins in 1918 with the death of her
grandfather in WWI. Her grandmother is left in→
Roz has always been a writer;
she kept a diary and wrote
poetry as a kid and wrote promotional materials at her job.
Her advice to aspiring authors
is to just start writing and
keep at it. She belongs to a
writer’s group that meets every other week, and members
critique each other’s work as
well as edit and offer suggestions, all in a positive and supportive way, she’s quick to
point out.
She finds that writing “helps to
give you a growth experience…
has a lot of power to move people.” The challenge she faces now is to write about something
else. But for the moment, she’s busy giving book
talks and promoting Journey from San Rocco.
Cookbook Bonanza Sale!
Crane Library Bookstore
Come and get them!
Hundreds of titles!
Saturday, October 5
10 am to 4 pm
Hardcover $1.00
Softcover $.50
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 3
Meet Rosalind Cuschera
Crane Library Bookstore
Greetings. Fall is upon us, and thus a good time
for a bit more serious reading. We have lots of
nonfiction available to choose from.
Fortunately, both the library and the bookstore
were able to remain open on Saturdays throughout the summer. Saturdays are consistently busier
than Sundays, with the result that store sales have
been rather steady since we last reported in the
spring.
Please note that we still have free VHS tapes for
children and adults, as well as free audio books
on cassette. A limit of five per customer applies.
We are going to do something a bit different in
October. Rather than the usual month-long discount, we are going to have a sale for one day
only for just cookbooks. The date will be Saturday, October 5th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weather
permitting, two tables will be set up on the lawn
outside the bookstore entrance. None of these
books have previously been available in the
bookstore, and all have been donated in recent
months. Cookbook prices will be 50% off our
usual low prices. Operations in the bookstore itself will remain unchanged.
For those who are faithfully following the Red
Sox, baseball books are still available if you need
to get in the mood for the playoffs.
As always, thanks for your continuing support of
the bookstore and the library.
Thanks to Bill Mackey, co-chair of the bookstore committee, for his update on recent activity.
Crane Library Bookstore Coupon
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 4
You are invited to visit the Friends’ Crane
Library Bookstore at the rear of the Richardson Building. The entrance is from
Spear Street and is handicapped accessible.
The bookstore is open for business on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Look for the sandwich board and other signs directing you.
Present this coupon to the cashier for a
free book with the purchase of a book or
media of equal value ($.50 - $2.00).
Friends’ General Meeting & Program
Tuesday, October 15
Following a brief business meeting at 6:30 p.m.,
the Friends welcome Michael Tougias to present
his book, A Storm Too Soon, at 7 p.m. He illustrates his gripping story of disaster,
daring, and survival with slides of the
storm, survivors, and rescue.
Michael Tougias has written 20
books, and he is the recipient of
the Editor’s Choice Award from
the American Library Association and the Best Nature Book
of the Year Award from the
Independent Publishers. His
book, The Finest Hours,
(coauthored with Casey Sherman), is being filmed by Disney Studios.
His talk has been very well received by other
groups that have hosted him. The program is suitable for all ages, and books will be available for
purchase and signing. Plan to join us for an enjoyable evening.
Friends’ Facebook Page Growing
If you haven’t heard the news, the Friends are
now on Facebook. Board members Bonnie Ashworth and Diane Dopp created and manage the
Friends’ presence by producing status updates
and uploading photos to the page. They’ve enjoyed posting event information, Quincy-related
stories, library news, and intriguing facts.
“Facebook offers an instant means of communication with the members of the Friends,” noted
Diane. “It was truly exciting to see our ‘likes’
pass the 100 mark last month.”
When you “like” our page on Facebook, the
Friends’ Facebook posts will appear in your news
feed. You’ll see the latest news about the library,
reminders of scheduled events and programs, announcements of local doings, such as the Quincy
August Moon Festival or Cool Globes in Boston,
plus noteworthy and/or fun facts, such as August
28 was the 50th anniversary of MLK Jr.’s “I Have
a Dream” speech or September 19 was Talk Like
a Pirate Day.
You don’t need to have a Facebook account to see
the Friends’ page. To visit the Friends on FB,
simply go to www.facebook.com/FriendsTCPL.
Adult and Children’s Fall Programs for Your Viewing Pleasure at the TCPL
Sample the Offerings for Adults
Children’s Fall Programs Beckon
Just some of the wonderful programs for adults
offered by the library are shown below. They
start at 7 p.m. unless noted. As always, visit
www.thomascranelibrary.org for further information and program updates.
This fall the Friends are sponsoring a number of
children's programs for all ages. The various popular weekend program series will continue. Saturday Fun for Little Ones on the first Saturday of
each month will resume in November with special
programs for our youngest patrons. Cheryl Dunford provides a drop-in Saturday storytime for
children ages 2-5 on the second Saturday. Cheryl
will also be bringing Saturday Storytime to the
North Quincy branch on the 4th Saturday; this
program will be bilingual in English and Chinese.
Oct.7: Anthony Sammarco on Howard Johnson’s
Oct. 15: General Meeting & Program, 6:30 p.m.
Michael Tougias: A Storm Too Soon, 7 p.m.
Oct. 28 & Nov. 25: Quincy Unplugged, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 5: Election Day
Nov. 21: 50th Anniversary of JFK Assassination
Multimedia presentation with Christopher Daley
Food and History with Dr. Dan Breen
Oct. 1: The Story of Chocolate
Oct. 8: The Popular Banana
Oct. 22: Berkshire County Cheese
Oct. 29: Potatoes from Peru to Sligo
Thursday Night Movies
Oct. 3: Bless Me Ultima
Oct. 10: Iron Man 3
Oct. 17: Much Ado About Nothing
Oct. 24: Pacific Rim
Oct. 31: The Conjuring
Wednesday Movie Matinees at N Quincy, 2 P.M.
Oct. 2: Red
Oct. 9: We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
Oct. 16: Bless Me Ultima
Oct. 23: Much Ado About Nothing
Oct. 30: Pacific Rim
Mad Science of Greater Boston returns, bigger
and better, on the third Saturday of each month.
There will be two workshops, one for preschoolers ages 3-5 and a more in-depth program for older children ages 6-10. Come explore dinosaurs,
chemistry, and much more. Join us on Saturday,
October 26 for the Spooky Kooky Halloween
Magic Show with Mike Bent for ages 4 and older.
Looking for something to do during the December school vacation? Check the library website at
www.thomascranelibrary.org for details on special vacation week programs.
3 Months of Summer Reading Fun
The Dig Into Reading and A to Z Summer Reading Challenge were a big hit at the TCPL. 150
participants each read 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet, and were recognized for their
accomplishments at a medal ceremony held on
September 28.
The main and branch libraries were decorated to
reflect the chosen themes related to underground.
The main library was archeology, Wollaston subways, North Quincy gardening, and
Adams Shore construction.
The pictures show the decorations and various activities for the summer at the main and
branch libraries. Lots of kids had a lot of fun!
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 5
Oct. 5: Cookbook Bonanza Sale, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
You Too Can Visit the Zoo
The Friends provide reduced admission passes for three zoos: Franklin
Park, Stone, and Roger Williams Park. A crisp
fall day is the perfect time for a family outing to
any of them, but if you haven’t been to the Stone
Zoo in Stoneham, right up Rt. 93, give it a try.
The zoo is small enough for little ones to walk it
but has enough exhibits to hold the interest of all
the family. Parking is free and there’s a concession area for drinks and meals as well as outdoor
picnic tables if you bring snacks or lunch.
A special event on the fall schedule is Boo at the
Zoo. It’s on October 19 and 20 from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. and features trick-or-treating among the animals, creepy crafts, ghoulish games, costume contests, and haunted maze.
Building Projects Pop Up at TCPL
Fairy Houses and Marshmallow Construction
Some serious construction went on at the TCPL
over the summer. The library supplied the building materials and
the youngsters
provided the inspiration
plus
serious effort for
their fairy houses
and marshmallow structures.
These builders
share their creations with us.
For inquiries, please call 617-472-8793.
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Thomas Crane Public Library
Attn. Ina Cutler
40 Washington Street
Quincy, MA 02169
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If you wish to honor someone with a gift
to the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library,
please complete this form and mail it with your donation.
Frequently a member of the Friends wishes to acknowledge
a special occasion or honor a deceased loved one or friend.
HONOR YOUR LOVED ONES
& YOUR LIBRARY
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 6
Quincy History Online Collections
Have you looked at the Quincy Online Collection of
photos on the TCPL website? From the home page,
click Research and then Quincy History. You’ll find
a trove of photo albums, such as Historic Churches
and Schools, Granite Legacy, Shipbuilding Heritage,
even old high school yearbooks! Check it out.
And What a Difference the Friends Make!
Friends Funded Programs: 1/2012 to 10/2013
All Ages
 Movies
 Concerts at the Crane
 Concerts on the Lawn
 Drum Away the Blues
Adults
 Go Places @your library: Cuban Moments;
Travel Italia; Spain’s Camino de Santiago;
Amazon Rain Forest
 Your Big Backyard series: Emerald Necklace; Half an Hour a Day Across Mass.; The
Neighbors are Wild; Henry Beston Cape Cod
 Mass Murder with Christopher Daley
 What’s Cooking @your library: Pairing
Tea & Chocolate
 Discover Historic New England series:
Peacefield, the Adams’ Farm; America’s
Kitchens; The Hub’s Metropolis
 Listen Up series: Black Music in America;
Stars of American Music with Prof. Del Case
 Explore Your Past series: Researching the
History of Your House; Census of 1940;
Paddy on the Net
 Downsizing Your Stuff with Dave Downs
 The Story of Howard Johnson’s with
Anthony Sammarco
 Food & History series with Prof. Dan Breen
 A Storm Too Soon with Michael Tougias
Kids
 Monthly Drop-in Story Time with Cheryl
Dunford
 Mad Science programs
 Saturday Fun for Little Ones
 Music in Motion series
 School Vacation programs: Animal World
Experience; Learn Magic with Debbie
O’Carroll; Bubbleology
 Fun With Chocolate
 Origami Workshop
 Manga & Cartoon Drawing workshop
 Summer programs: ScienceTellers; Ani
mal World Experience; PuppeTree; and
more!
Teens
 Gingerbread House Making workshop →
Museum and Zoo Passes
 Boston by Foot
 Boston Children’s Museum
 deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum
 Fuller Craft Museum
 Harvard Museum of Natural History
 Institute of Contemporary Art
 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
 JFK Presidential Library & Museum
 Museum of Fine Arts
 Museum of Science
 New England Aquarium
 Pawtucket Red Sox
 Peabody Essex Museum
 Plimoth Plantation
 Roger Williams Park Zoo
 Zoo New England: Franklin Park/Stone Zoos
Mark Your Calendar: October 5
Cookbook Bonanza Sale!
Find the Friends on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/FriendsTCPL
Honor/
Remember Loved Ones
This successful program, initiated by Ina Cutler,
has been a source of income to the Friends. We
hope the Friends will increase their awareness
and participation in the project. You may honor a
living person or remember someone deceased.
Donations to the Friends of the TCPL have been
made in memory of Lawrence J. Boyle, Ellen
Dickson, Mrs. DiRocco. Mrs. Sylvia Gorwitz,
Bertha Lapon, Agnes Boyle McKenney, and
Yolanda and Anthony Petrelli.
Please use the form included in this newsletter for
your donation to honor or in memory of a loved
one. It is also available through the Friends’ page
on the TCPL website.
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 7
The Friends Make It Happen
Friends’ Board Meeting Highlights
The Friends of the TCPL have held two meetings
since the spring/summer newsletter. At the annual
meeting, members of the Executive Board were
elected to serve for the upcoming year. The members and officers are listed below. The board was
pleased to welcome Eileen Courtney. The dedication of all members of the board enables the
Friends to be a vibrant organization.
Kathleen McCormick reported that we now have
a membership of 544. The visibility of the new
posters and availability of membership applications are expected to aid in increasing membership. The glass case on the circulation floor,
maintained by Bonnie Ashworth for the Friends,
is a source of current information.
Bookstore activity continues to be consistently
high. The loyal volunteers enable this venture to
be very profitable. The income allows us to help
the library present programs, concerts, and museum and zoo passes for the patrons.
A cookbook sale is planned for Saturday, October
5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be outdoors,
weather permitting. On Saturday, November 2,
there will be a celebration of the second year of
successful operation of the bookstore.
Expanded Branch Hours Coming!
Branch libraries will be open more hours starting
Tuesday, October 15. Adams Shore will extend
hours to 9 p.m. on Mondays; Wollaston will extend hours to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, and North
Quincy will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. The full branch schedules are:
Happenings • Fall 2013 • Page 8
Adams Shore: Mon 1 to 9 p.m.; Tues-Thurs 1 to 5 p.m.
N Quincy: Mon-Thurs 1 to 5 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wollaston: Mon, Tues, Thurs 1 to 5 p.m.; Wed 1-9 p.m.
Friends...make it happen. The Friends of the
Thomas Crane Public Library is a nonprofit
volunteer organization dedicated to raising
money for special programs and raising public awareness of the library’s vital role in the
educational and cultural life of Quincy.
Many, many thanks to Karl Schwendenman
and Quincy Prints! He does a quality printing job on this newsletter, with a rapid
turnaround time, for a nominal charge!
There are smiles on the faces of patrons as they
pass the beautiful gardens designed and maintained by Claire Fitzmaurice. They enhance the
grounds of the library.
The social media committee launched a Facebook
page on May 29. This new initiative of the
Friends is moving us forward to stay in tune with
modern life and technology. Visit us at
www.facebook.com/FriendsTCPL and “like” us.
The Friends’ increased income from steady membership and bookstore revenue made it incumbent
upon the board to evaluate our resources and decide a course of action for the budget. Two meetings were devoted to this task, and the result is a
projected budget and budget request protocol.
Included in the new budget are allocations for the
branches and for a teen program.
Susie Wilkening, budget consultant, who with the
assistance of Betty Molloy created this budget
package, will make a monthly report to the board.
The Friends’ general meeting, open to the public,
will be held on Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m.
in the Community Room, and the program will
begin at 7 p.m. Michael Tsongas will make a
slide presentation on his recent book, A Storm
Too Soon, a riveting true tale of survival.
A Hearty Welcome to All the New
Members of the Friends for 2013!
There are currently 544 paid-up members of the
Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library including our newest members listed below:
Alia Aly
Rieko Arimoto
Anne Campbell
Meredith Dabek
Ann Donnay
Steven Friedman
Virginia Grassa
Ami Hanigan
Martin F. Joyce
Theresa Larkin
Louise Reilly
Andrew Richardson
Sue Roche
Ken & Em Stern
Margaret Thompson
Audrey Wilcoxen
TCPL Friends – Officers & Board Members
President — Betty Molloy
Vice President — Diane Dopp
Secretary — Marguerite Flavin
Treasurer — Alicia Coletti
Members at Large —
Bonnie Ashworth, Eileen Courtney, Harold Crowley,
Rosalind Cuschera, Claire Fitzmaurice, Bill
Mackey, Kathleen McCormick, Susie Wilkening
Library Director (ex officio) — Megan Allen
Sign up for the monthly library e-newsletter for updates and programs details or check the website: thomascranelibrary.org.