John Jermain Memorial Library Presents TED Talks, Celeb Readings & More
Sag Harbor’s John Jermain Memorial Library isn’t about to let East Enders’ minds go without stimulation and inspiration just because we’re stuck at home. The library’s Facebook page has erupted with new content and initiatives in recent weeks, each tailored to enriching the minds of children and adults, and the main site is bolstering its treasure trove of informational resources.
The library shares daily children’s book readings at 11 a.m., each read by famous celebrities including Chris Pine, Rashida Jones, Sarah Silverman, Rose Byrne and others. Individual readings come with activity guides for kids ages 5–7 that cover story themes and talking points, associated crafts to make and games to play. Then at 2 p.m. each day, children can watch an animated educational video by TEDEd that opens up family conversations about Harriet Tubman, honeybees, elephant memory, animals adapting to climate change and other topics. And don’t miss the weekly Wednesday Craft for fun ways to get creative.
Adults are invited to join their friends at the library in reading The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, with an eBook available at hoopladigital.com/title/12325751. Every Monday at 4 p.m., an episode of the 2015 podcast Talking Tolkien: The Silmarillion will be posted on Facebook to help readers better understand the tome. The book club started on March 23, with the second episode dropping today (Monday, March 30) at 4 p.m., so there’s still time to catch up.
Every evening at 6 p.m., the library shares a thought-provoking TED Talk on a range of topics from video game storytelling and women in Hollywood to the importance of farmers and the theory of evolution, and then poses a question or two for viewers to discuss in the Facebook comments. In addition, every week the library presents a new writing prompt to get writers, young and old, to stretch their brains for 10 minutes and share their results with their fellow novelists in the making.
The library has also updated the services available on its main site, with resources including homework help, free online tutoring, access to ancestry.com and other research databases, e-book and audio book archives, a Google Doc of Sag Harbor COVID-19 resources and more. These resources require a library card, which can be renewed or created at search.livebrary.com/selfreg. New cards created online are good for 90 days. Once the library eventually reopens, card holders will be able to use the new state-of-the-art 3D printer, which was recently purchased to join the county-wide initiative to build a print farm that creates face shields for Stony Brook University healthcare workers.
Visit johnjermain.org and facebook.com/johnjermainlibrary for more information.
Vetted Hamptons Resources
