Good afternoon, Everyone!

We have updates on the Athenaeum's shift over to the CW MARS network - please read below for Ellen's information on how to work with the new system. And, as always, staff is available during all open hours to help you with your tech and catalog needs!

As I finish up my last couple of days of full-time work with the Athenaeum, I am filled with gratitude for my years here. I leave this lovely library in the most capable hands; our staff, trustees, and incoming Executive Director, Nicole Schulze will continue to collaborate to meet the community's needs for a traditional library and community center. I will hopefully see some of you around and about the county or when I attend BA programming.

I wish you all the best and thank you for including me in your welcoming, dynamic community of year-rounders and summer folk! I know you will give Nicole the same warm welcome you gave me six years ago. Be on the look out for a full introduction!

Warmly,
Jodi

The Becket Athenaeum has joined CW MARS, the largest consortium of libraries in Massachusetts!

We made this switch with our patrons in mind as we want to provide the best service possible. Our patrons can use the same library card at any CW MARS library from Worcester to Williamstown, providing access to millions of items. You will be able to easily check out from over 100 libraries and then return those items to Becket, Lee, Pittsfield, or any other CW MARS library that is convenient for you.

What does this mean for you? If you already have a library card from another CW MARS library (Dalton, Lee, Lenox, Otis, Pittsfield, Stockbridge, etc), you will use that same card in Becket and for accessing digital content in Libby. If you have a Becket library card but not a CW MARS card or have lost your card, come in or contact us to get setup.
Detailed instructions on using your account are available here including how to save you checkout and holds history.

You can continue to request items from libraries across Massachusetts via our interlibrary loan system and pick those items up at the Becket Athenaeum or another convenient CW MARS library. There is a mobile app for the CW MARS catalog and our patrons now have access to NoveList which provides reading recommendations for all ages. Holds can be placed in the online catalog using your library card number & password (automatically set to the last 4 digits of your phone number).

Digital holds placed in the CW MARS Libby collection will have priority over patrons from other library systems. If you have holds in Libby placed as a MassCat Library Patron, the hold will not transfer so you will lose your place on the waiting list. We apologize for the inconvenience! Follow these instructions for setting up your CW MARS card in Libby.

You may choose to download your checkout history from our previous system, MassCat, before we lose access. This information will not be transferred to CW MARS. To do so, log in here (contact us if you don't know your login details) and select “your checkout history” from the menu on the left. Then select “CSV” to download a spreadsheet.

Since CW MARS has over 1 million patrons, we may need a bit more information to find the right patron if you are checking out items without your library card.

Please contact us if you have any questions. We appreciate your patience as we learn this new system!

We will be closing at 6pm on Wednesday, August 23.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS:

Saturdays, 10:30am: Storytime & Craft
Tuesday, October 3, 1:30pm: Book Club
Monday, October 9, 6pm: Cookbook Club

Funding for our programs is provided by grants from the Becket Cultural Council, Washington Cultural Council, Berkshire Bank, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, and Mass Humanities, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Funding is also provided by the following grants from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation: ARTS Build Community: Innovation Initiative, ARTS Incubation Grant, and the Central Berkshire Fund.

Our Library of Things is expanding! Check it out!

Community Announcements:

-Today, August 18, 3-6pm
Jacob's Pillow annual Community Day celebration
Everyone is invited to this free, kid-friendly, all-ages Friday afternoon full of movement classes, dance-themed children’s activities, face painting, a drum circle, crafts, story time, a scavenger hunt, popcorn, cotton candy, and more!

- Today, Friday, Aug 18. 7:30pm
Defending the Dark at Monterey Library
In case you missed Destin's wonderful presentation at the Becket Athenaeum in June!

A short film about dark skies will be followed by an inspirational talk and, skies permitting, observations by the telescope astrophotographer Destin Heilman. Sponsored by the Monterey Native Plants Working Group. To register, kindly email: [email protected]. Family friendly event.

- Sundays in August, 4pm
Music in the Park at Washington Town Park

- Monday, August 21, 7am to Noon
Fred Snow Rd will be closed to thru traffic due to culvert repair.

- Tuesday, August 22, 3pm
Guild of Berkshire Artists Presents: Meet the Artist painter Karen E. Kane

- Karen Kane’s artist statement:
"My art is primarily generated through a visual and tactile discussion with internal and external forces -- emotion, memory, color, nature, structure, light, language, poetry. This discussion becomes the process of my art, and the expression itself. The energy I feel when I interact with these points of inspiration and my materials moves me to create a visual improvisation of color and form, which evolves beyond representation of visible life to a place where new relationship is created, where energy develops beyond reasoning."
You may see more of her art at karenkanestudio.com. Karen lives in Williamstown, MA.
Zoom link to attend "Meet the Artist: Karen E. Kane" on August 22 (click link no earlier than 3pm on Aug 22)
Meeting ID: 835 2024 1108
Passcode: 890387
- Saturday, August 26, 9:30am to 12:30pm
Becket Energy Committee Informational Session
- Saturday Sept 23, 10am to 3pm
Becket Police Association Cops & Rodders Car Show
- The Office of Representative Smitty Pignatelli invites residents to participate in a public survey for the Seal & Motto Commission.
More info here and survey link: bit.ly/StateSealSurvey
- Reminder from the Becket Fire Department: Emergency Responders Need Visible House Numbers.
E-911 Reflective Street Number Signs may be ordered through the Becket Volunteer Firefighters’ Association.
- Check out the new Born Learning Trail at Pinegrove Park in Dalton, MA. 
Proposed by Wendy Provencher, Central Berkshire Regional School District's family and community engagement coordinator and created with help from Lori Becker, Victoria Bleier, and Nena Kingsley.
- Help maintain Becket's beauty by participating in roadside trash pickup. Trash bags are available at Town Hall. More info here.
- Sign up to receive text message notifications from the town of Becket! More information here.