history

07 8, 2020

Mentor Library’s Cold War series explores the crises of 1956

By admin|2020-07-08T06:00:18-04:00July 8, 2020|

Discover how the Cold War nearly came to a boiling point in 1956 during a special online program from Mentor Public Library.

Our resident historian Dr. John Foster will continue his series on the history of the Cold War during a special online program at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 23.

He’ll discuss a series of crises that all contributed to rising tensions globally, including the crushing of democracy in Hungary, the Suez Crisis, turbulence in Poland, and even the Montgomery bus boycott.

This program is free and open to all. It will be broadcast online using Zoom. Those who wish to watch can register on our online event calendar. This program will also be recorded and available for viewing at a future date on the our website, Facebook, and YouTube page.

This special program is the second in a 4-part series about the history of the Cold War. The first talk focused on the years after World War II and the rising tension that led to the Berlin Blockade. This talk can be viewed in its entirety on our website.

In addition to being a reference librarian, Foster has a doctorate degree in history. He has taught history at both high school and college levels. Previously, he has led series on the Battles of World War II, the American Revolution and US Presidents of the 20^th Century at the library.

06 29, 2020

Study anything for free with the Great Courses & your library card

By admin|2023-11-04T09:02:31-04:00June 29, 2020|

Whatever you want to learn, there’s a Great Courses series about it. And there’s a great chance that you can enjoy that Great Courses series for free with your library card.

Have you heard of The Great Courses?

They’re a collection of phenomenal lectures series created by esteemed college professors for the general public on fascinating topics like Decisive Battles in World History, Writing Great Fiction, and Physics & our Universe.

They’re engaging, enlightening, and understandable. The only downside? They can be a touch expensive to buy.

Fortunately, your Mentor Public Library offers three ways that you can enjoy more The Great Courses for free.

1. Borrow them from us

We have several DVD sets of Great Courses series that you can borrow from our collection, including:

Browse from the dozens of sets in our collection.

2. Stream them using Kanopy

If you’re not familiar with Kanopy, it’s a streaming service that lets you watch some of the world’s greatest films and documentaries. And it’s free with your library card!

It also has dozens of Great Courses series that you can stream onto your computer, phone, tablet, or Smart TV.

Learn as much as you want to about history, skills, hobbies, humanities and science.

3. Stream audio versions of the Great Courses for free with Hoopla

By the way, if you prefer streaming audio, you can stream more than 100 Great Courses in their entirety as audiobooks using Hoopla. Once again, Hoopla is free to use with your Mentor Public Library card. You can borrow up to 20 items per month from its collection, which also includes audiobooks, movies, music, and comics.

So what do you want to learn first?

04 22, 2020

Celebrating Women Artists: Helen Dryden & Lee Miller

By admin|2020-04-22T15:00:06-04:00April 22, 2020|

To commemorate National Library Week, Barb Hauer examines and celebrates the work of Helen Dryden and Lee Miller.

Hauer prepared this talk for our Book & Brush Club, which she has led since its inception in 2009. Each month, she offers a visual presentation based on the lives of artists and associated art movements based on either art historical fiction and nonfiction.

Our buildings may presently be closed because of the coronavirus, but we can still share Hauer’s presentation with you!

Dryden is best known as a cover artist for Vogue, while Miller began as a model before becoming an acclaimed photographer and war correspondent. Discover more about these talented women who forced themselves into artistic realms that were dominated by men.

For more Mentor Public Library programs, we encourage you to visit our YouTube channel. For years, we’ve been posting many of our full programs and author interviews there. You can watch:

We miss you and want to see all of your faces soon. But we are still with you, even when our buildings are closed. Keep your eyes on our website and social media for our latest news, updates, and offerings.

02 23, 2020

Revisit the Battle of Midway

By admin|2020-02-23T06:00:56-05:00February 23, 2020|

In four minutes, the trajectory of World War II and the fate of the Pacific changed during the Battle of Midway.

Our resident historian, Dr. John Foster, tells the story of the battle and of the incredible heroism of the sailors and naval aviators who achieved victory that day.

In addition to being a reference librarian, Foster has a doctorate degree in history. He has taught history at both high school and college levels. Previously, he has led series on the Battles of World War II, US Presidents of the 20th Century, and the Revolutionary War at our library.

02 22, 2020

The Life of Abraham Lincoln

By admin|2020-02-22T06:00:15-05:00February 22, 2020|

He’s on the short list of most important Americans ever. So what can you say about Abraham Lincoln in one short hour? A lot, actually.

Todd Arrington (site manager for James A. Garfield National Historic Site) guides you through the tragedies and triumphs of Lincoln’s life.

You can join our Civil War series each month. It continues at noon on Wednesday, March 11 at our Main Branch. We’ll discuss the famed Irish Brigade. They fought in most of the major battles of the war’s eastern theater and had the third-highest number of brigade members killed in action of all Union brigades during the war. As always, the talk is free and open to all.

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including:

Antietam: The Deadliest Day in US History
The Atlanta Campaign
Gettysburg
The Fourteenth Amendment
The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Life & Legacy of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

history

Title

ABOUT MPL

CONNECT