Local Author Panel Thursday at the Robbins Library

The panel starts at 7 p.m. in the library's Community Room.

The following is from the Robbins Library. Join us on Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. in the Robbins Library Community Room as we welcome local Arlington authors Adam Pachter, Michael Prager and Miriam Stein. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to meet and talk with these wonderful local authors! They will discuss their books and publishing experiences, and will have their books available for purchase and signing at the end of the panel presentation. This event is free and open to the public. Just who are these fine local authors? Adam Pachter teaches literature at Cambridge College and novel writing at Arlington and various other community education programs in the Boston area. He is the author of the short novel “Ash” and editor of the “…

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Last Chance: To Thank Your Retiring Library Director

Maryellen Remmert-Loud's 27-year tenure is coming to a close.

A retirement reception for longtime town library director Maryellen Remmert-Loud will be held this Thursday, April 12, from 4 to 7 p.m., in the Robbins’ Reading Room. Remmert-Loud has served as Arlington’s library director for 27 years and even worked at Fox Branch Library as a teenager. The reception’s more formal program will begin at 5:30 p.m. At the reception, donations to the library will be accepted in Remmert-Loud’s honor. Checks should be made payable to the Friends of Robbins Library, who are sponsoring the event with the Friends of Fox Library and the Robbins Board of Trustees. Ryan Livergood, the assistant director and head of adult services at Robbins Library, will take Remmert-Loud’s place.

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New Arlington Library Director Named

The assistant director at Robbins has been promoted.

A new town library director has been named. Ryan Livergood, the assistant director and head of adult services at Robbins Library, will move into the position, according to Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, who made the call and recently agreed to terms with Livergood. Livergood, who was the assistant director in Dover before coming to Arlington last summer, will replace longtime library director Maryellen Remmert-Loud. Remmert-Loud, who is set to retire, served as Arlington’s library director for 27 years and even worked at Fox Branch Library as a teenager.  A retirement reception will be held for Remmert-Loud on Thursday, April 12, from 4 to 7 p.m., in Robbins’ Reading Room. The reception’s more formal program will begin at 5:30 p.m. At the …

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5 Things You Need To Know Today

Five Things: Town Has New Library Director Pegged

Also, the loud banging from pile driving at the old Faces discotheque construction site in Cambridge should now be over.

1. Today should be sunny with a high near 43 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. 2. After a thorough search, the town has selected its top candidate to replace longtime, outgoing library director Maryellen Remmert-Loud and is prepared to make an offer, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said at Monday’s Board of Selectmen meeting. Chapdelaine, who holds the authority to hire the position, said that the candidate will be revealed this week, as will the town's top pick for the new Council on Aging director. Remmert-Loud, who is set to retire at the beginning of April, held the position for 27 years and even worked at Fox Library as a teenager. The position was being advertised at about $80,000 to $105,000. 3. East Arlington …

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Selectmen Extend Right Turn-Only Trial

Drivers coming from Water Street and Spengler Way will have to turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue, as the town seeks ways to improve safety in the area.

The intersections of Water Street and Spengler Way will continue to be right turn only onto Massachusetts Avenue, as town officials try six more months of extra signage to improve safety in the area. The Board of Selectmen on Monday voted 4-0 to extend the right turn-only trial period at the request of Ed Starr, working group lead of the town’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Spengler Way, formerly known as Library Way, is the exit from Robbins Library. Water Street is on the other side of Massachusetts Avenue. Starr said there were 14 accidents there in just three years, four involving pedestrians. Last year, town officials started studying whether making those two corners right turn only would improve safety in the area. They added …

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Anonymous Donor to Match Donations to Children’s Programs at Libraries

Donor will match every dollar up to $2,000 donated this fall.

Editor's note: The following information comes from a Robbins Library release. An anonymous donor has pledged to match every dollar up to $2,000 that is donated this fall to support programs for children at the Robbins and Fox libraries. Library Director Maryellen Loud said the funds are much needed because children are sometimes turned away due to programs being filled to capacity. “With additional funds, the libraries will be able to offer both more of the very popular programs and also to further expand the variety of programs,” she said in a statement. The libraries offer a wide variety of programs for pre-schoolers and children of elementary, middle school and high school age.   Library programs include infant and toddler sing-a-longs…

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today, Nov. 11

What's open and closed today, Veterans Day parade, libraries to forgive overdue fines in November and a few more things to know this Friday.

1. Weather: Expect a shower or two this morning with partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. High temperatures could reach 51 degrees during the day, with an overnight low of 34 degrees. 2. Veterans Day Parade: Arlington's annual Veterans Day Parade stars at 10:30 a.m. this Friday. The parade will begin at the Walgreens parking lot, 324 Massachusetts Ave., in East Arlington and proceed along Massachusetts Avenue to Monument Square in Arlington Center by the Central Fire Station. Ceremonies will be held at Monument Square immediately following, to honor all those from Arlington who served their country. 3. Town offices closed today: Due to Veterans Day, administrative town offices won't open again until Monday. This includes Town Hall, …

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Libraries to Forgive All Fines in November

Overdue materials can be returned at no charge to you, no matter the fines they've accrued.

Start looking around your house for all those books you forgot to return to the library. This month only, Robbins and Fox libraries are vowing to forgive fines charged for any overdue materials, no matter when they were due.  Now is the time to bring back all those books, DVDs, videos and CDs that you keep meaning to return but always forget. Amnesty Month lasts through the end of November.

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Robbins Library Now on Twitter

Staff tweeting about local resources and services in efforts to further connect with Arlington community.

Robbins Library has taken a new step toward the digital age. The library is now on Twitter, using the micro-blogging website to tweet anything from new hours at Fox Library to using local resources to remember the death of Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. “We thought of it as another way to communicate our services and our resources to people,” said Maryellen Loud, director of the Robbins Library. “We’re trying to reach out to the community in any way that we can. This seems like a good way to keep people up to date as we’re introducing new services.” The library’s twitter account can be found at Twitter.com/RobbinsLib. Loud said she’s hoping to not only send information to library users, but to also hear what they think about the …

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Historical Arlington

Historical Arlington: Robbins Library and Town Hall

Historical Arlington wraps up our trip through time with two of the most prominent public places in town.

Every building has its story. The history of the stone and cement tells tales of years past—but not forgotten. Two of the most historically significant and well-frequented spots in town are Robbins Library and Town Hall, located next to each other in Arlington Center. Robbins Library Robbins Library was first built in 1807 in what was then West Cambridge. In 1835, a doctor by the name of Ebenezer Learned left $100 in his will to establish a juvenile section of the library. Learned's donation made it possible for Robbins to become the first continuous and free children's library in the nation. Jumping to 1872, the name of the town and the library had been changed to reflect the town's current moniker. During this time, the library moved …

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