3rd Annual UMass Chemistry Demo Night on May 13

The UMass Amherst Department of Chemistry is hosting it’s 3rd Annual Chemistry Demonstration Night. It is sure to be full of exciting chemical phenomenon!

When: Friday May 13th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Where: UMass Amherst Campus, Integrated Sciences Building Room 135
Cost: Free and open to the public.

The Jones Library Expansion Project Overview

Details provided by the Jones Library:

Jones Library Building Project - Special Edition #1 As many of you may know, the Jones Library is in the first stage of a building project, having received a building & design grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.  There is a wealth of information about the project on our website, which you can find here.  In an effort to keep our patrons informed about the process, we'll be sharing a number of documents with you this week.  We hope you find them helpful!

“Why Do We Need to Expand the Jones Library?   The Library is perfect as is!” In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need any more square footage.  We truly wish that re-designing our interior to flow more safely and efficiently would solve our problems.  As some people have noted, we have several inefficiently used spaces such as in the atrium and on the top floor.  Unfortunately, there isn’t enough of that inefficiently-used space to give us what we need. To fully understand the need, it’s best to look at each Library department separately, which is what we did when writing the Building Program, which you can find on our website.  For example: The Children’s Room This is one of the most beloved spaces in our building.  It’s comfy and cozy and it invites you to play on the carpet and read stories in the alcoves.  Without fully analyzing the space, one could say there is no need to change that space. However, we really do have to fully analyze the space and the services that we provide there.  On a daily basis, the Children’s Room staff serve hundreds of children of all ages, from birth through age 17.  That’s a very wide range of learning styles and abilities and needs.  Ideally, the Children’s Room would be separated by different age ranges.  For example, babies need their own space; preschoolers need their own space; middle schoolers and high schoolers need their own spaces.  They don’t want to be intermingled, nor should they be.  But right now, all ages are on top of one another, sharing the same space.  Our children’s computers are located in a room not visible from the children’s circulation desk.  When a five-year-old is playing “Little Einsteins,” he is doing so right next to a ten-year-old playing “Minecraft.”  Both children are using the Library’s resources appropriately, but the ten-year-old doesn’t want to see “Little Einsteins” and the five-year-old probably shouldn’t be watching “Minecraft.” Our Children’s Room only has room for two love seats.  This is unfortunate because caregivers and children LOVE to sit next to one another and read.  Nothing is more precious or valuable in a child’s life than reading with a loved one.  Children who read with adults, grow to equate reading with love.  We need more space for additional love seats. In any library, all ages of children should be served on the same floor.  Right now, our Children’s Crafts Room is in the basement, the majority of the youth collection is on the main floor, and a portion of the youth non-fiction collection is on the second floor.  This is neither ideal for parents watching over multiple children, nor is it ideal for staff having to oversee the services.  It is not safe. Our youth non-fiction shelving is much too high.  There are some staff members who cannot reach the top shelves!  Ideally, the shelves would be no higher than five shelves high, and only three shelves high for preschoolers, but we do not have the proper square footage to do that. Consider the amount of space it takes for a Children’s Librarian to prepare for and hold a story/craft time.  If you have ever held a children’s birthday party, you will understand.  Our Saturday events consistently draw upwards of 100 children.  That’s a lot of craft supplies to have to make available and cut out in advance.  The Librarians need space to prepare for the dozens of programs that happen at the Library on a monthly basis.  Right now, the Children’s Room staff do not have a place to work.  Or a place to be messy.  Or a place to plan.  Right now, they do this work while assisting patrons at the circulation desk. In preparation for these youth events, tables and chairs need to be set-up in advance and taken down afterward.  It takes 30 minutes for the makerspace programs to be set-up (with 3D printers and laptops) and even longer than that for our lego events.  Then clean-up has to occur.  (Imagine having to pick up all those legos!)  Time isn’t the biggest problem, though.  The problem is lack of meeting room and activity space.  Library programs have to compete with public programs for space.  But if the Children’s Room had their own program space, staff wouldn’t have to set-up and take down on a daily basis.  The other benefit to having a Children’s Activities Room is everything is cleanable.  There would be no carpet.  The glue, glitter, and perler beads could fly!  It would be a space for kids to be kids. Right now, kids are playing with modeling clay in the beautifully carpeted Woodbury Room.  This is not ideal. The last point about this Department has to do with the Children’s Librarian.  This topic is not as important as the others, but it does affect services.  Currently, the Children’s Librarian’s “office” is located in “prime real estate” – in what could be a truly gorgeous reading nook.  But because there is nowhere else for her to be located, her desk is in this nook.  We think the public would be overjoyed to see that “office” moved, and for the nook to be released.

The Coming Together Film Series continues on May 12th at the Jones Library

Thursday, May 12th at 7PM at The Jones Library for "JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH"    This is a new video about Muslim women, the hijab, and other issues of Islamaphobia and racism. Regrettably timely. (See more description below.)  Two local Muslim women, Naz Mohamed and Hind Mari, will share their differing perspectives and lead us in discussion following the film.  Come join with others who care about making our community more inclusive and just.

Clink here to see a trailer of the film.

*    *   * Naz is the Clerk of the Hampshire Mosque in Hadley.  Hind is the Director of the Women of Color Leadership Network at UMass Amherst.  Both are engaged in activities in our community and have rich experiences to share. *** At one of our recent film showings many people wanted more time to talk about the issues raised by the film, and suggested that we might more often show shorter films, thereby allowing for more discussion and connecting among those present.  This is a 34 minute engaging documentary, so we will have more time to engage with Naz, Hind and each other. *  *  * Just a Piece of Cloth is a documentary that unravels stereotypes perpetuated by the mainstream media about Muslim women. The video features four Muslim women in the U.S. from diverse backgrounds as they talk about what hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf, means to them and how it affects their daily lives. With humor, seriousness, and candor they speak from personal experience about this often controversial garment. Despite their unique stories, universal human questions lie just beneath the surface: What boundaries define me? How do I travel across those boundaries to be true to myself, my community, and my faith? How do I transform the stories that limit my potential? *   *   * The next video in our Coming Together series will be "What's Race Got to Do with It?" on Thursday, June 9th at 7PM at The Jones Library (our co-sponsor for the series).

LSSE Spring and Summer Programs

LSSE Announces Spring and Summer programs. Registration available at LSSE offices or online. See flyers for details.

Habitat for Humanity Home Ownership Application due by May 20th

For Affordable Homeownership Opportunity in Amherst. Applications are available at the Jones library, Amherst Town Hall & the Pioneer Valley Habitat office.

3 bedroom and 1.5 bathroom condominium unit on East Pleasant St in Amherst. Walking distance to UMass and local public schools.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday May 20, 2016

• View flyer (English): Flyer and Application Cover – English

2 OPORTUNIDADES DE VIVIENDA ASEQUIBLES EN AMHERST.  1 UNIDADES/CONDOMINIOS: CADA UNA TENDRÁ 3 DORMITORIOS Y 1.5 BAÑOS.

SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES EN LA LIBRERÍA JONES, EN LA ALCALDÍA DE AMHERST, Y EN LAS OFICINAS DE HÁBITAT.

ÚLTIMO DÍA PARA SOLICITAR: MAYO 20 2016

• View flyer (Spanish): Flyer and Application Cover – Spanish

Boy Scout Troop 500 Amherst Open House on May 10th

Boy Scout Troop 500 Amherst is having an Open House for prospective  scouts and their families Tuesday, May 10 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at the  South Congregational Church, 1066 Southeast Street, Amherst.  

Troop 500 has a 50+ year history in Amherst working with school-age boys  (grades 6-12).  Troop activities are organized and run by the boys,  including weekly meetings, monthly campouts, and projects in the  community.  Our Scouts learn practical outdoor skills and develop  leadership skills while having a lot of fun.  

Troop 500 does not  discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or sexual preference.   For more information, contact Scoutmaster Michelle Chandler at (413)  256-5412.

Charter Commission To Hold Initial Public Hearing on May 12

The Amherst Charter Commission will be holding its first public hearing on Thursday May 12, 2016 in the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m., for a community conversation about Amherst and its values about Town government.  

 

We invite participants to share their thoughts on questions such as the following:

·         What aspects of Amherst's current approach to government do you like?

·         What aspects do you think could be improved?

·         What do you see as key challenges facing Amherst?

·         How can we improve our Town government’s ability to meet those challenges?

·         Any other thoughts or feedback you would like to provide?

 

Residents will be able to provide input verbally (2 minute limit each) and/or in writing at the event.  Residents can also provide their answers to the questions above using the Public Input Form link on the Charter Commission webpage (see below).

 

The work of the Charter Commission can be followed online at www.amherstma.gov (look for “Charter Commission” on the “Boards and Committees” page).  

 

Feedback is also welcome via email atcharter@amherstma.gov.  Other opportunities for input from residents, staff, and other stakeholders will be forthcoming.

The Amherst Charter Commission:

Andy Churchill, Chair

Tom Fricke

Meg Gage

Nick Grabbe, Clerk

Mandi Jo Hanneke, Vice Chair

Irv Rhodes

Julia Rueschemeyer

Diana Stein

Gerry Weiss

Contact:

Andy Churchill

Commission Chair

Achurchill123@gmail.com

413.461.6310