April Fools tradition popularized

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On this day in 1700, English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools’ Day by playing practical jokes on each other. Although the day, also called All Fools’ Day, has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures, its exact origins remain a mystery. Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to …

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Latest Additions to the Archives!

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Recent donation by a life-long Gardiner, Maine resident to the Gardiner Public Library, Gardiner, Maine.

We have received an amazing donation of more than 50 historic, Gardiner-centric scrapbooks:     These gems were kept by a life-long Gardiner resident and encompass primarily local happenings (along with some regional and national highlights) from the early 1930s all the way through the 1990s & early 2000s.  The detail is impeccable and many of the clippings are entirely new to our collection. They are a treasure that we are delighted to preserve and make accessible to researchers, generations to come, and anyone interested NOW!  They contain SO much that we have only just begun to fathom their depths — …

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eBooks & eAudios

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For those of you who have used and either LOVE or at least tolerated the OverDrive eBook and eAudio service that we here in Gardiner, as well as libraries across the state, have been using for the past several years . . . . Maine InfoNet, the entity we, as libraries in Maine, work with, has changed our eBook & eAudio provider. As of Wednesday, March 1st, we are now using the CloudLibrary by Bibliotecha.  The address for the new service is http://yourcloudlibrary.com Visit the site, and with your valid library card you have access to many, Many, MANY books …

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Oscar Oddities

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 With the Oscars this weekend, it’s fun to look back at some of the odd and interesting facts you may not have known about the big event: Tom Hank’s acceptance speech for his role in Philadelphia became the basis of the film In & Out. Oscar winners sign a contract stipulating they cannot sell their Oscar without first offering it back to the Academy for the sum of $1. One of the requirements to be nominated for an Oscar is that the movie has to be screened in an LA theater for at least 7 days. 3 people have turned …

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10 Books That Stayed With Me (That Maybe You Haven’t Read)

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Recently I noticed a social media post making the rounds in which you are supposed to list ten books that have stayed with you in some way.  The goal is not to overthink it, but simply take a few minutes and answer.  They don’t have to be great books or the “right” books, just books that have stayed with you, impacting you in some way.  So, in no particular order, here are ten books that have stayed with me: 1.     Nine Stories~ JD Salinger:  A collection of stories that is sometimes disturbing, but always full of melancholy.  My favorites are …

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Reading Challenge 2017

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Are you looking for something different to read? Feel like you’re in a “reading rut”? Willing to try a new author? Or two? Have we got an idea for you!  We are trying something a little different this year – a READING CHALLENGE! Gardiner Public Library READING CHALLENGE 2017 A graphic novel An author whose name contains a set of double letters The first book you see in the library A book written by a Maine author A book that is becoming a movie this year Reread a favorite book from your childhood Two books on the same topic – …

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