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Scenes from Natick book & music sale at Morse Institute Library

January 28, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

It looked more like the mall than the library when I showed up at the Morse Institute on Saturday afternoon to take a few photos, as families exited with bags or arms full of treasures scored at the winter book and music sale. With items selling for $1 and under, how could you go wrong?

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library sale, held on Saturday, Jan. 28 (8:30am-4:30pm) and Sunday, Jan. 29 (12-3pm), featured upper and lower level sales spaced out to give browsers and shoppers more room to maneuver.

The Friends raises funds to support library services and programs ranging from the check-out system to museum passes and educational programs.

book sale


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Filed Under: Books, Morse Institute Library, Music



Natick library winter book & music sale set for Jan. 28-29

January 22, 2023 by Admin Leave a Comment

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library is holding its two-day winter book & music sale on Jan 28 (8:30am-4:30pm) and Jan 29 (12-3pm). The book sale and children/tween book sale will  be on the lower level of the library and the music sale, with vinyl and CDs, will be in the Morse Room on the first floor. Adult books, puzzles, and games are $1, books for children, tweens, and teens are $0.50, and DVDs are $2. CDs are $1 each or $2/set.

No scanners or strollers on Saturday, please. Masks are encouraged.

Morse Institute Library


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Filed Under: Books, Morse Institute Library, Music



Friends of the Morse Institute Library’s book & music sale on Sept. 24-25

September 22, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library book and music sale runs from  8:30am-4:30pm on Saturday, Sept. 24, and from 12-3pm on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the library, 14 East Central St., in Natick.

Most of the book action is on the lower level of the library, with $1 adult books; $0.50 books for children/tween/teen readers; selected special-price books; and games and puzzles.

The music part of the sale (CDs and vinyl) will be open the same hours, in the Morse Room (old part of the library) on the main floor.

Restocking will take place throughout the sale.

Masks are encouraged.


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Filed Under: Books, Morse Institute Library, Music

Beloved Natick children’s librarian retires

September 19, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Bacon Free Librarian’s Fran Daneault was given a fond farewell as the beloved children’s librarian turned the page on the next chapter in her life. Fran retired on September 9 after many years of service. The Friends of the Bacon Free Library hosted a party in Fran’s honor that included refreshments, a book in which patrons entered their favorite Fran memories, and cake, of course.

Bacon Free Library, Fran

“The hardest part is leaving all these people I’ve had relationships with for fifteen years,” she said. “I’ve seen so many kids grow up. And I’ll miss doing story time.”

Amy Sadkin says that during the two years that she’s been the Bacon Free Director, it’s been at least a weekly occurrence for teens to come in and reminisce about Fran reading stories to them when they were little.

Fran’s only plans so far include “taking a whole week off.” Of course, being a librarian Fran’s a big believer in the power of information, gesturing to a pile of books she’s borrowed on shifting gears, retiring successfully, and how to manage her next act. The Natick resident says she’ll be around, but keeping a low profile. So if you see Fran out and about, greet her with a warm hello and congratulations.

MORE: Bacon Free Library fall hours

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Filed Under: Bacon Free Library, Books, Community

Morse Institute Library in Natick is a safe haven for banned books

August 30, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Book bans are on the rise across the country. According to the American Library Association (ALA), libraries in every state faced an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books last year. The ALA notes that most of the challenged books in 2021 were written by Black or LGBTQIA+ authors. Locally, although staff at Natick’s Morse Institute Library say they’re grateful that the community welcomes a diverse set of books, it hasn’t stopped library staff and trustees from proactively making a big statement about the freedom to read.

Freadom Wall, Morse Institute, Natick

The library this week has installed an interactive public art display in front of the Natick Center building to remind the public of the importance of the freedom to read. Library Director Miki Wolfe said, ‘The interactive fREADom installation invites our community to use the provided chalk to write the titles of books that they are delighted to have the freedom to read.”

The fine print on the fREADom Wall says the installation is inspired by the Before I Die project, a global art project that invites people to reflect upon their mortality and consider the things that matter most. Their website says there are over 5,000 such walls around the world. If you’ve ever come across a Before I Die wall (we haven’t, but we don’t get out much), participants list things they’d like to do before they, well, you know. Popular sentiments include “make a difference,”  “accomplish all my dreams,” and “rule the world.”

On the Morse Institute’s fREADom wall, instead of bucket list items, participants fill in the blank in the sentence FREADOM is reading _________. When we stopped by, titles on the wall included:

Maus, the Pulitzer prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, by Art Spiegelman. (Banned in a Tennessee school district in early 2022 due to “inappropriate language” and nudity.)

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, also a Pulitzer prize winner, about Scout and Jem Finch as their childhood innocence is stripped away when their father Atticus defends a Black man falsely accused of rape. (Removed this year from required classroom reading lists in Burbank, CA this year due to its use of racial epithets.)

Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe, recounts Kobabe’s journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author’s exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary. (Called pornographic by parents, and removed from public school shelves in Loudon County, Virginia.)

Freadom Wall, Morse Institute, Natick

With the fREADom wall, the Morse Institute librarians and board members say they seek to champion,  “the freedom to speak, the freedom to publish, and the freedom to read, as promised by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.”

Challenging a school board’s challenge

A School District School Board in Palmer, Alaska, in 2021 voted to remove I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, and four other books, from the school curriculum, due to what was identified as their controversial nature. Angelou’s autobiography recounts her early years, which were marked by racism and rape. Caged Bird was called out by a board member as containing “anti-white messaging.” After community members protested the school board’s vote, it rescinded its decision, and the books remain available in the schools.

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Check out Natick Report’s Instagram account for a video of the fREADom wall. Please follow Natick Report on Instagram while you’re there.

Filed Under: Art, Books, Community, Morse Institute Library

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