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'Final Vinyl' sale at Robbins Library. / Tony Moschetto photos
UPDATED May 25: The Community Room at Robbins Library, 700 Mass. Ave., was the place to be Saturday, May 20, for the “Final Vinyl” event. It lasted six hours, during which all of the library’s estimated 2,000 to 3,000 LPs were offered up for sale starting at $3 each, or, for the real bargain hunter, two for $5.
Thanks to Director of Libraries Anna Litten and the library's booster club, the nonprofit Friends of the Robbins Library, the cozy basement space resembled a mom-and-pop-type record shop that a music customer might have visited in the 1980s or even earlier.
The atmosphere was festive. A hit song from six decades ago, “Blame it on the Bossa Nova,” by '60s pop chanteuse Eydie Gormé, played from a small turntable on one side of the room, even prompting some Friends volunteers to dance.
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Final Vinyl Record Sale took place Saturday, May 20, in the Community Room.
The Friends of the Robbins Library organization held a sale of all of its vinyl records -- more than 2,000, priced at $3 each and higher, and in a wide variety of genres: classical, jazz, pop, rock and more.
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Cantilena sponsored a free showing of the film "How Long Must We Wait?" on Saturday, April 29, at 2:30 p.m. in the Community Room on the lower level of Robbins Library, 700 Mass. Ave. "Voters and voters-to-be aged 12 and up are invited," a news release said.
"How Long Must We Wait," a film by Jaclyn O'Loughlin, is a historical documentary about the 72-year battle that women fought to achieve the right to vote in the United States.
The film focuses on the events in 1917 that led to the imprisonment and brutal treatment of suffragists in a prison in Lorton, Va. This was considered a turning point in the suffrage campaign, which helped turn the tide of public opinion and ultimately led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. While that was a huge victory, the film also focuses on the fact that there is still much work left to be done in the fight for women's equal rights, the release said.
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The Friends of Robbins Library invite the public to “Between Us Sisters: A Dialogue with Louisa and May Alcott” on Wednesday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in the Robbins Library Community Room (lower level). Admission is free and open to all.
Perhaps some of the most famous sisters of all time are the Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth of Little Women fame, the classic coming-of-age story set in Civil War-era Concord, Mass.
Their real life inspirations were the Alcotts, Louisa, Anna, May, and Lizzie, all deep-spirited personalities who have enchanted readers across the world.
But the relationship between Louisa and May remained a largely unexplored mystery – until now.
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Judy Heumann
UPDATED March 18: Judith “Judy” Heumann, renowned advocate for the rights of disabled people and author of the memoirBeing Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of Disability Rights, was to have been the featured speaker for the annual Arlington Reads Together (ART) program later this month. But she has died, NPR has reported.
She is being honored at Robbins Library this afternoon. See the program >>
In a statement issued Sunday, March 5, Anna Litten, libraries' director, wrote under the headline 'Arlington Mourns Death of Judy Heumann' that “Arlington joins those across the nation and world mourning the death of Judy Heumann, lifelong advocate for disability rights and author of the 2023 Arlington Reads Together title,Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.”
Heumann died Saturday, March 4, at age 75. She had been hospitalized the previous weekend in Washington, D.C., with breathing problems, the National Public Radio account says.
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The Friends of Robbins Library accepted donations to the Children's and Young Adult Book Sale, set for Saturday, Feb. 25. Contributors may bring gently used items to the Robbins Library, 700 Mass. Ave., whenever it is open; look for the big blue bin near the circulation desk on the ground floor.
On Feb. 25, readers can support Arlington’s libraries by attending the event and purchasing children’s and teen books, movies and music at the sale, held in the Community Room (lower level) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. That day there also will be craft activities to help keep children occupied as parents search for picture books, early readers, chapter books, books for teens, puzzles and games.
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Charles Dickens in 1838. / Samuel Laurence drawing
"The Dickens You Say," a show about Charles Dickens and his characters, will be presented on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Community Room (lower level) of Robbins Library.
The program, a creation of the Delvena Theatre Company, is sponsored by the Friends of the Robbins Library. It is free and open to all.
Charles Dickens wrote some of the most powerful, imaginative and adored novels of all time. Using lots of humor, the actors will take the audience on a journey into the life and loves of the great man.
Through the use of monologues and scenes, the actors will embody the ridiculous, the romantic and the frightening characters that Dickens so richly created. They will also explore with the audience some of Dickens's romantic adventures, and how he loved with every “chink and crevice” of his being.
There’s a bit of scandal, and a whole lot of worship for the great man who loved Boston profoundly. The cast will open up after the show for a lively discussion regarding Dickens.
"The Dickens You Say" is supported in part by a grant from the Arlington Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
This news announcement was published Friday, Nov. 18, 2022, based on information from Amy McElroy of the Friends of Robbins library. YourArlington volunteer Kim Haase prepared it for publication.
A comedy set during the London Blitz of World War II is scheduled to be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Robbins Library, 700 Mass. Ave., in Arlington Center. The title is "A Cup of Tea, A Crumpet and a Gas Mask."
In the story, despite harsh wartime conditions, Mrs. Henderson, an upper-class British woman has been keeping one little theater alive in a unique way. Her friend Margaret Rutherford comes to visit, and they discuss matters of the heart and how to make dreams come true. The theme is that to get through difficult times, you need a lot of laughter and a good friend.
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It’s time again for one of Arlington’s venerable Town Day traditions -- the Friends of the Robbins Library’s Town Day Book Sale.
The sale will take place in the parking lot behind the library as well as in the library’s Community Room. There will be thousands of books at affordable prices. Shoppers may also purchase tote bags and more to support Arlington's public libraries.
This event will take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Those who are members of Friends of the Robbins Library may come at 9:30 a.m. Any shopper may become a Friends’ member that morning if desired.
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Summer reading programs are back at Arlington’s libraries with fun activities and reading suggestions for kids, teens, and adults.
Registration for all ages opens Saturday, June 18. Children aged 0-14 are also invited to the Kids Summer Reading Kickoff Party in the Children’s Room and adjacent garden patio on Saturday from 10 to noon. Kids who sign up can pick up a free book, play games, blow bubbles, eat a Popsicle, enjoy face painting and more.
Kids can sign up for summer reading all summer long at either the Robbins or Fox library, and choose a free book to keep.
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- Anna Litten, assistant director of libraries By
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