Mentor Public Library

12 3, 2019

America in 1819: The Era of Good Feelings

By admin|2019-12-03T06:00:25-05:00December 3, 2019|

As part of our 200th anniversary – yes, we look spectacular for our age – our resident historian Dr. John Foster revisited America in 1819 and what is now known as “The Era of Good Feelings.”

Discover the (relatively) tranquil intermezzo between the War of 1812 and Andrew Jackson’s presidency, and see how President James Monroe’s disposition reflected that of the nation’s.

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.

His next talk will revisit France in 1793 during a special program that we’re hosting at 10 a.m. on Dec. 3, at the Concord Township Community Center—7671 Auburn Road, Concord Township.

In 1793, the French Revolution – which had started as a fight for human rights and justice – descended into a nightmare. Our local historian, Dr. John Foster, will talk about how a fight for Enlightenment and democracy became a civil war in which former friends and allies turned on each other with terrifying consequences

This talk is a sequel to a program Foster led earlier this year on the origin of the French Revolution. You can watch it now on our YouTube channel.

This special program is free to attend and open to all. People can register by calling the Concord Township Community Center at (440) 639-4650.

11 25, 2019

Jeffrey Stroup is your tour guide through ‘Abandoned Cleveland’

By admin|2019-11-25T06:00:00-05:00November 25, 2019|

Photographer and urban explorer Jeffrey Stroup has spent the last 15 years capturing pictures of Cleveland’s abandoned factories, mansions, malls, churches, and more. He’s collected his best images in his new book, Abandoned Cleveland.

Stroup visited us earlier this month to share his photos and anecdotes from more than a decade of combing the forgotten parts of our region.

Afterward, we interviewed him and he offered advice for aspiring urban explorers and the single scariest thing that ever happened to him while investigating an abandoned building.

By the way, you can visit our YouTube channel for dozens of more interviews with authors, including bestsellers like Christina Baker Cline, Paula McLain, Karin Slaughter, and Bernie Kosar.

11 23, 2019

Major Battles of the Civil War: The Battle of Franklin

By admin|2019-11-23T06:00:00-05:00November 23, 2019|

The Battle of Franklin pitted two flawed generals against each other: Union General John Schofield was too pompous; Confederate General John B. Hood, too stubborn.

But when they met on the battlefield, it was Hood’s flaws that came to the fore. Scott Longert, a former park ranger from James A. Garfield National Historic Site, explains how and why Hood and his “head of wood” ordered a charge more fatal than Pickett’s. He also tells how the Battle of Franklin spelled the end of the Army of Tennessee.

Our Civil War series continues at noon on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at our Main Branch. We’ll discuss what Christmas was like in a Civil War camp. 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:

11 11, 2019

Brad Ricca talks crime, comics & Cleveland

By admin|2019-11-11T06:00:30-05:00November 11, 2019|

Author Brad Ricca visited us earlier this October as part of our Mentor Mystery Month. He shared with us to the incredible story of Mrs. Grace Humiston, the detective and lawyer who turned her back on New York society life to become one of the nation’s greatest crime fighters.

Humiston was the subject of Ricca’s book, “Mrs. Sherlock Holmes : the true story of New York’s City’s greatest female detective and the 1917 missing girl case that captivated a nation.”

After his talk, we interviewed Ricca and he:

discussed his conflicted relationship with the true-crime genre
offered his theory for why so much comics talent comes from Cleveland
told us his favorite X-Man characters
and shared how comics legend Harvey Pekar changed his life.

Visit our YouTube channel for more author interviews.

11 9, 2019

Light therapy lamps available to borrow from Mentor Public Library

By admin|2019-11-09T06:00:29-05:00November 9, 2019|

You can now borrow light-therapy lamps from Mentor Public Library.

You can now borrow light therapy lamps from us to brighten your day.

Light therapy lamps have been used to help people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD,) which is exacerbated by a decrease in sunlight during fall and winter months. Symptoms can include depression, lack of energy and difficulty concentrating.

The lamps have a brightness control and timer to regulate the amount of light – up to 10,000 lux of white light – one receives during use. They are available to borrow at our Main Branch and can be reserved on our website.

Each lamp is available to check out for 14 days but cannot be renewed. The lamps must be picked up and returned at our Main Branch and cannot be put in the book drops. Patrons will be fined $5 for each day the lamp is kept beyond its due date.

Other items you can borrow from our Library of Things include mobile wifi hotspots, traffic cones, and ukuleles. Seriously, you can borrow a ukulele from the library.

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