Need a laugh?

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette may just be the most unique and hilarious book I’ve read all year."
Bookpage

“…A shrewd yet compassionate portrait of family dysfunction and the volatility of genius in laugh-out-loud, irresistibly high-spirited prose."
Elle Magazine

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette is achingly funny and perfectly timed…"
Seattle Times

“And uproarious comedy of manners.”
People Magazine

Join the WMCC lunchtime discussion group as we meet to discuss Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple on Thursday, January 15, at noon, in the library.  Copies of the book are available in the library.   Feel free to bring your lunch!

Library Winter Break Hours

Closing early for the Nor'Easter

Due to inclement weather, the WMCC Fortier Library is closing at 5 p.m. (or earlier), on Tuesday, December 9, 2014.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Make Your Season Special

As the winter season approaches, you might want  kick back with a mug of hot cocoa, a warm blankie, and a holiday-themed book.  We can't help with the cocoa, but we've got a variety of books and other materials to keep you entertained this season.  This is just a sampling:

If you'd like to revisit a classic, there's always the original Dickens' A Christmas Carol; we have a children's version too

Escape into fiction with Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher or
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham 

Fill the house with scents of the season: Celebration breads : recipes, tales, and  traditions by Betsy Oppenneer, Christmas memories with recipes, and Sweet dreams of gingerbread by Jann Johnson


Explore holiday history with 4000 years of Christmas by Earl W. Count and Christmas in Williamsburg by Taylor Biggs Lewis

 
Get crafty: December patterns, projects & plans by Imogene Forte, Crafts for Hanukkah by Kathy Ross, and A Yankee Christmas : recipes, crafts, and carols

We've got a variety of holiday offerings for the kids too:
The magic dreidels : a Hanukkah story by Eric A. Kimmel,
The seven days of Kwanzaa by Angela Shelf Medearis
Owl moon by Jane Yolen
Winter poems
A wind in the Willows Christmas by Kenneth Grahame
Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back : a Native American Year of Moons by Joseph Bruchac

For your listening pleasure, we have music CDs:
Joy to the world by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Songs of the seasons family & community traditions in New Hampshire, and Vivaldi, Four Seasons




If you still have a VCR:  The Muppet Christmas Carol, and the classic, It's a Wonderful Life

Stop by the library and ask us about other books and materials to keep you distracted from the cold months ahead.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving holiday ideas

Thanksgiving dinner can be a wonderful time for family and friends to gather and give thanks for all they have. 

Unless you're doing all the cooking, that is. If you're the lucky host/hostess, the Fortier Library has a variety of books to help ease your stress. 

Check out our huge culinary collection, which covers cooking everything from salad, soup, veggies, turkey, breads, and pie.  We even have books on napkin folding, and crafts to keep the kids busy.  Bon appetit!

Lunchtime discussion: The Soloist

In 2005, author Steve Lopez walked down a Los Angeles street and encountered Nathaniel Ayers, masterfully playing a violin with only two strings.  This chance meeting profoundly changed the lives of both men.  As their friendship grew, and Lopez tried to help Ayers--a Julliard trained musician--out of a life of homelessness and mental illness, he was changed as well. 

Join the WMCC lunchtime discussion group as we meet to discuss Lopez's book, The Soloist, on Thursday, December 18, at noon, in Room 122.  Copies of the book are available in the library.

Bring your lunch!

Honoring our Veterans

Thank you to our Veterans!

Please stop by the Fortier Library to view our Veteran's Day display of books and videos to learn more about what these brave men and women sacrificed for our country. 

Revolutionary Voices

Flag of the 2nd NH Regiment

Although no major Revolutionary War battles were held in New Hampshire, the state played a prominent part in the war, which lasted from 1774 – 1781.  Militia men, and women nurses, from New Hampshire fought the British in battles throughout the colonies, and navy ships were built in the Portsmouth shipyards. 

Join Plymouth State University scholar Marcia Schmidt Blaine on Wednesday, November 19, at 6 p.m., in the WMCC library as she presents her lecture "New Hampshire Voices from the Revolution."


Sponsored by the Berlin Public Library, Gorham Public Library, and White Mountains Community College Fortier Library.  Funding provided by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Free admission.  Light refreshments will be served.



  

Halloween fun!

Celebrate All-Hallows-Eve with stories of ghosts and goblins, while you  enjoy holiday-themed crafts and goodies.  Find books to do it all at the library!  See our collection of Halloween books on our online catalog by clicking on:   Halloween

Unbroken

Read the true story of the Olympian athlete who became a WWII airman. By strength of will, he endured a harrowing ordeal when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, and he survived, against all odds.


Laura Hillenbrand's acclaimed novel (which was made into a motion picture), Unbroken, is the next book for the WMCC lunchtime book discussion group. We'll meet at noon on Thursday, November 6, in Room 122. Copies of the book and audio are available in the library. Bring your lunch!

Meet George Washington's Runaway Slave...

What was life like being the slave of the first President of the United States?   Ask Oney Judge.

Oney Judge lived with the Washingtons as Martha's personal servant and skilled seamstress until her escape, at the age of 23, to Portsmouth, N.H., in 1796.  Oney lived the remainder of her life in New Hampshire.   

Award-winning living-history performer Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti brings Oney Judge's story to life in her presentation "If I am Not for Myself, Who Will Be for Me", at 6 p.m. on October 15, 2014 in the WMCC Library.

Sponsored by the Berlin Public Library, Gorham Public Library, and White Mountains Community College Fortier Library.  Funding provided by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Free admission.  Light refreshments will be served. 

Library Assistance at the Littleton Academic Center

"Bunker Hill"

We've all heard of the battle of Bunker Hill, but what really happened?

Historian George Morrison will lead a discussion of the book Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick, on Wednesday, September 17, at 6 p.m.    at the WMCC Fortier Library.

Sponsored by the Berlin Public Library, Gorham Public Library, and White Mountains Community College Fortier Library.  Funding provided by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Free admission.  Light refreshments will be served.  Copies of the book are available at all three libraries.

 

New Children's Area!

The WMCC Fortier Library has a new children's area!  These lovely maple wood custom book cases were created especially for our library by the GraniteCor Correctional Industry Program at the Northern NH Correctional Facility Woodshop.  The industrial work program for prison inmates is self supporting, and assists in lowering recidivism rates by teaching inmates valuable skills. 

Stop by and check it out--and bring the kids!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

A man returns to his boyhood home and remembers things--terrible and wonderful things, that he'd forgotten about a girl, her mother and grandmother, and their home near a pond--no, an ocean, at the end of the lane...

Neil Gaiman's newest--highly acclaimed--adult fairy tale, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is the next book for the WMCC lunchtime book discussion group.  We'll meet at noon on Thursday, September 25, in Room 122.  Copies of the book and audio are available in the library.  Bring your lunch!

Academic Skills Workshops @ the Library

Do you know the difference between MLA and APA?

Do you get overwhelmed when doing research?

Do you want to Google like a pro?

Start your semester off right, and brush up on the skills that will help you succeed in your classes.

The WMCC Library is offering a series of FREE drop in workshops to help you with your research skills:

• September 9:  Formatting and Citing using MLA
• September 10:  Formatting and Citing using APA
• September 16:  Library Databases
• September 17:  Advanced Google

All workshops will be in the Library's Study Room 1, at noon (bring your lunch).  Stop in for a few minutes to ask a question or stay for 30 minutes to practice.   Can't make it during those times?  Stop by any time to talk with library staff about scheduling a meeting to go over your questions.

"Trading Partners or Enemies?"

Marcia Schmidt Blaine

On Wednesday, August 20, Plymouth State University scholar Marcia Schmidt Blaine will present the first event in this fall's New Hampshire and the Revolutionary War program series to be held at the White Mountains Community College.  "Trading Partners or Enemies?" New Englanders and the Revolution begins at 6 p.m. in the Fortier Library.

As with all programs in this series, this event is free and open to the public.  Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Berlin Public Library, Gorham Public Library, and White Mountains Community College Fortier Library.  Funding provided by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
Books for this series are available for loan at all three libraries.

New England Revolutionary flag

Olive Kitteridge

Another Pulitzer Prize winning novel is next on the list for the lunchtime book discussion group.  Elizabeth Strout's book, Olive Kitteridge, delves into the daily trials of the main character, Olive, a retired schoolteacher in a small coastal Maine town, and through thirteen stories, explores the lives of the people Olive's life intersects with.

The group will meet on Wednesday, August 20, at 1 p.m. in Room 122.  Bring your lunch!  Copies of the book and audio are available in the library.

Another slight change to our summer hours

New library hours

Looking for a summer job?

Let it grow!

Gardening is a fun and relaxing hobby for people of all ages.  If you have an interest to plant something and watch it grow, or to change your view with landscaping, the WMCC Fortier Library has a wide variety of books to help you get started!
Here are just a few:

Gardening success : a comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating and maintaining the perfect garden (2001)
By McHoy, Peter. Location: SB473 .M33 2001 



Urban gardens : easy gardening & stylish decorating for outdoor spaces (2001)
By Dale, Rose. Location: SB453 .D35 2001 



The victory garden companion : America's most popular gardening series offers expert advice for creating a beautiful landscape for your home (2007)
By Weishan, Michael. Location: SB453 .W423 2007

Gardening from scratch (1998)
By Lovejoy, Ann. Location: SB473 .L66 1998

 

 
Better homes and gardens home landscaping : plants, projects, and ideas for your yard.  (1996)

Location: SB473 .B48 1996

New Hampshire and the Revolutionary War

New Hampshire and the Revolutionary War will explore the myths and realities surrounding the American Revolution.  The identity and values of our nation are derived from this pivotal moment in history.  This multi-modal series will employ lectures, discussions, readings, and a living history performance to delve into how it all happened; from the famous revolutionaries like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, to ordinary New Hampshirites, including women and minorities.  We hope to bring to light a better understanding of our history and how it impacts our lives today.

All events except the school performance will be held at the Fortier Library at White Mountains Community College in Berlin.  Light refreshments will be served. 

• Wednesday, August 20, 6pm:  Trading Partners or Enemies?: New Englanders and the Revolution by Marcia Schmidt Blaine
• Wednesday, September 17, 6pm:  Book discussion of Philbrick’s Bunker Hill, led by George Morrison
• Wednesday, October 15, 6pm:  “If I am Not for Myself, Who Will Be For Me?”, living history portrayal by Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti
• Wednesday November 19, 6pm: New Hampshire Voices from the Revolution by Marcia Schmidt Blaine

This series is a partnership between the Berlin Public Library, Gorham Public Library, and the White Mountains Community College, and is funded in part by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.  Copies of Bunker Hill will be available on the first evening of the series, and afterward, at all three libraries.

Closed for Memorial Day

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fiction:  noun
: written stories about people and events that are not real : literature that tells stories which are imagined by the writer...

Merriam-Webster

This summer, escape your world, job, home, life.

   Travel through time and space.  

     Solve a bloody murder. 

       Visit new and impossible places.  

         Meet people who never existed.  

           Play with mythical creatures. 

Explore the fiction section of the library.

Summer Schedule

Empire Falls

Meet Miles Roby, who’s worked at the Empire Grill for 20 years.  Miles, who never was quite able to escape a small Maine mill town, wacky father and drug-dealing brother.  Father of a teenage daughter, and soon-to-be an ex-husband.   That’s just the tip of the iceberg for Mister-nice-guy Miles in this highly acclaimed novel by Richard Russo.  

The WMCC lunchtime discussion group will meet in the library to discuss Empire Falls by Richard Russo popular book on Thursday, July 17, 2014.  Bring your lunch!

Copies of the book and audio are available in the library.

Employment Resources at Your Library

Congratulations to the WMCC class of 2014!

If you haven't found the job of your dreams yet, we can help.  The library has a wide variety of employment books, ranging from where to look for a job, how to write a resume and cover letter, and finally how to present your best side in an interview.  We even have books that target your specific career.

And, if you're planning on continuing your education, we have resources for scholarship/grant opportunities to help with tuition too.  

April is Autism Awareness Month

What is Autism?  
"Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior." 

National Institutes of Health: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm

Although research is being conducted, not a lot is known about Autism.  Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders affects about 2 million people in the United States, and millions more worldwide.  Autism can't be "cured," but with medications, behavioral and therapeutic treatment can improve the life of someone living with ASD.

The library has a variety of books and electronic materials to help you learn more about this disorder.

Date change for Angela's Ashes

The Angela's Ashes book group discussion has been changed to Thursday, May 8, at noon in Room 122.

Copies of the book are still available in the library.

Angela's Ashes

For his first memoir, Angela’s Ashes, school-teacher-turned-author Frank McCourt  won the Pulitzer Prize.  Not bad for a dirt poor Irish American kid who grew up to write about his hellish childhood with fondness, humor and compassion. 

On Monday, May 12, at noon, in Room 122 join the discussion about this controversial book (which was made into an award-winning film).  Bring your lunch!  Copies of the books are available in the library.

Broadband is coming to WMCC!

On Wednesday, March 19, 2014, Broadband Internet is being installed at White Mountains Community College.  The installation process will begin at 10:30, and last through mid-afternoon.

During this time, there will be no Internet in the library, and printing will be limited. 

Library closed due to snow storm

Due to the storm, the WMCC Library will close at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 and will remain closed all day Thursday, March 13, 2014.  We expect to reopen on Friday, March 14, 2014, at 8 a.m.

Spring Break

During WMCC's Spring Break, March 17-21, the Fortier Library's hours are remaining the same as our normal semester hours:

Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Welcome Spring!