Library Blog

Posted on Sat, July 01, 2023 - 07:00pm
Last week’s “What Is It!” apparently stumped A Glimpse of Nature’s readers.  Such peculiar objects –  bright-orange, gelatinous balls hanging from a conifer! Those in the photo were about 2 inches in diameter.                                                           Pembroke, May 21, 2023   Even…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, June 23, 2023 - 07:00pm
Halloween decorations?  Wrong season.  Sea anemones?  Wrong habitat.  What are these orange blobs?  Email your identification to lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org and check in next week for their story.  Your nature photos are always welcome.  
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Thu, June 22, 2023 - 07:00pm
Easton students, find your school-assigned summer reading at the Ames Free Library! Oliver Ames High School students can find their books on the cart in the Teen Den, Southeastern Regional students can find their books on the display shelves outside the Teen Den, and Easton Middle School students…
Category: Teen, Youth Services
Posted on Fri, June 16, 2023 - 07:00pm
Attention readers:  Bonnie Tate created this week’s post.  Our guest author describes herself as a scientist, birder, and nature photographer.  You may recall her amazing image of an Eastern Screech Owl which won the grand prize of our “Picturing Winter” contest. Massachusetts boasts seven…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, June 09, 2023 - 07:00pm
When my coworker, Christie, stepped outside her front door on May 8, she saw a nest.  “When did that happen?”                                                                        May 8, 2023   Fortunately, for us, she documented the birds’ development from eggs to fledglings.  Let’s examine…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, June 02, 2023 - 07:00pm
June is “Turtles-Crossing-the-Road” month.  Let’s celebrate by driving cautiously on roads near wetlands while being alert to female turtles heading to their upland nesting sites.  Notice which roads seem suitable before you encounter an “object” on the road.  Slow down.  If you see a turtle in the…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, May 26, 2023 - 07:00pm
Sunday’s walk was splendid, a fresh green feast of loveliness savored in perfect weather.  My eyes hopped from wild geraniums to jack-in-the-pulpits, from tender ferns to mature skunk cabbages, landing eventually on show-stopping lady’s slippers.         Yet my chief delight was the soundscape. …
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, May 19, 2023 - 07:00pm
There is so much activity in spring!  Here are two sounds you may hear if you venture beyond your neighborhood.  You know the ropes:  email lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org with your answers and check back next week.        
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, May 12, 2023 - 07:00pm
Congratulations to Tom Cee who correctly identified last week’s “What Is It!” on Facebook.  This delicate spring flower is the lovely wood anemone, Anemone quinquefolia.                                                           Hanover, MA, April 29, 2023   Just three inches tall, this plant has a…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, May 05, 2023 - 07:00pm
Now blooming in selected woodlands near you!        Submit your identification to lrubinacci@amesfreelibrary and check back next week for info on this topic. Your photos of spring wildflowers are welcome, too.
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, April 28, 2023 - 07:00pm
Remember the swimming garter snake that headlined our March 30th post? Since that time, readers have shared sightings of two more snake species.       April 5, Hanson Courtesy:  Louis Vanrenen   First, we have an image of a young snake basking on a beam above a pond. According to the observer…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Thu, April 13, 2023 - 07:00pm
I regret to say that no one correctly identified last week’s “What Is It!”.  Guesses included a slug and a fossilized caterpillar.  Nice try, but . . . .  Let’s take a second look. The subject of this closeup photo is a one-inch object.  Here it is in the context of our reader’s backyard.…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, April 13, 2023 - 07:00pm
The library catalog is getting an update! From April 17 - April 21, some behind the scenes magic will take place to improve the functionality and display of the library’s catalog. During the update, some catalog functions you’re used to will not be available. Check out the lists below and be sure…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Wed, April 12, 2023 - 07:00pm
Did you guess correctly?  Frogs were the focus of last week’s “What Is It!” game. These gelatinous eggs contain wood frog embryos.  While wood frogs may not be as well known as bullfrogs or green frogs, they are a delight to observe in the late-winter/early-spring woods.  Listen for their duck-…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, April 07, 2023 - 07:00pm
Somehow, I forgot to offer a “What Is It!” post for March.  To make up for that oversight, April will be “What Is It!” month.  Here’s one to get us started.  A reader submitted this image from her yard in late March.  Email your identification and any comments to Irubinacci@amesfreelibrary.org and…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Mon, April 03, 2023 - 07:00pm
The results of our recent Storytime Survey, meant to determine where storytime attendees would like Wiggleworms, Babytime, and Family Storytime to be held in the spring and summer, are in! Your voices came through loud and clear! Over 90% of attendees selected our outside garden space as the…
Category: Kids, Youth Services
Posted on Sat, April 01, 2023 - 07:00pm
As children, we learn the archetypal signs of spring:  robins and tulips; nests and eggs; April showers, May flowers, and even Easter bunnies.  It’s a good starting point, but there is so much more.  The seasonal transition happens in a thousand steps.  This week I challenge you to notice some of…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Fri, March 31, 2023 - 07:00pm
From February 1st through March 15th, 2023, the Boston Bruins, Cradles to Crayons, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, and Wonderfund came together for the 16th annual Pajama Drive. Every year, the drive collects donations of new pajamas for children living in low-income and homeless…
Category: Kids, Youth Services
Posted on Thu, March 23, 2023 - 08:00pm
Our first week of spring brought mild temperatures, bird and frog songs, and some early blossoms.  At this time of year, watch for tree and shrub flowers like those of the pussy willow.  This might require adjusting your perspective because some of these flowers are quite small or located on upper…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Mon, March 20, 2023 - 08:00pm
If you’ve used the OverDrive app in the last few years, chances are you’ve been encouraged to make the switch to its sister app, Libby. Whether this encouragement came from a friend, family member, librarian, or a notification within the app itself, chances are you’ve heard about access to the…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 16, 2023 - 08:00pm
Most days, you’ll find me sitting behind the Reference Desk here at AFL. I’m always happy to be there to help you tackle technology troubles, find just the right book for research or entertainment, or to share some details about the history of our building. But earlier this week, I temporarily…
Category: Staff Picks
Posted on Thu, March 16, 2023 - 08:00pm
Last Sunday, like most Sundays, I went for a walk, though I really didn’t feel up to it. Tired, sniffly, and grumpy, I couldn’t face another damp, gray day.  Nevertheless, I donned my gear and set out to find river otter scat. Yes, that’s how I spend my weekends!   Once outside of my home and my…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Sun, March 12, 2023 - 08:00pm
As the days grow longer, crocuses bloom, and the temperature slowly climbs, your friendly Children's Librarians are thinking about spring. Specifically, we're thinking about what the new season might mean for storytime. In recent years, we've held storytime outside in the Queset Garden during the…
Category: Youth Services, Kids
Posted on Thu, March 09, 2023 - 07:00pm
When the library reopened after the Covid shutdown, a small table was added to an alcove adjoining the staff lunchroom, presumably to encourage social distancing.  The six-foot separations ended some time ago, but the miniature table remains . . . and it is my favorite spot for meals.  Some people…
Category: Staff Picks
Tags: A Glimpse of Nature
Posted on Tue, March 07, 2023 - 07:00pm
Easton Community Access Television, in partnership with The Ames Free Library and The Easton Shovel Town Cultural District, presents ROCK THAT CROWN; a children's book that celebrates the CROWN Act and encourages everyone to live their authentic self! The CROWN Act stands for “Create a Respectful…
Category: AFL Videos
Tags: Author Talks