Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the library’s typical ongoing book sale in the lower level meeting room continues to be closed to the public. However, in an effort to provide the community with great used books (and to clear a little more space on the storage shelves!), the Librarians and Trustees and Book Sale Committee have organized a new way to “shop” the Used Book Shop. It is called “Bundles of Books” and will require lots more participation from the library’s volunteers, who are eager for this new enterprise to begin. The process starts online, specifically on the library’s website www.woodsholepubliclibrary.org clicking on the “Used Book Shop” link. Their people will find a request form which goes into great detail as to what sort of books they are looking for. They just choose the type of book they would like, submit the form, and wait patiently while the newly formed cadre of volunteers fulfills the order. Then the shopper will receive a notice by either email or telephone that their bag of between 5-10 books awaits their pick-up at the library for the set price of $ 10. This type of shopping may not be for everyone. It will require a certain daring and willingness to take a chance and enjoying the surprise. But the risk factor is minimal, and the possibility of a bargain is tangible, so the library hopes many people will try this out. The volunteers are standing by! Marking Women’s History Month, the library, in conjunction with the Woods Hole Diversity Initiative Advisory Committee of all six Woods Hole scientific institutions, is presenting the film “Picture a Scientist.” The film features three brilliant and successful women scientists: Dr. Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at MIT, Dr. Jane Willenbring, a geologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dr. Raychelle Burks, a chemist at American University.  In this vivid documentary, we hear the tale of their careers and how they have overcome barriers to reach their current status. The film will be available to stream from the comfort of your own home between noon on Friday, March 19, and noon on Monday, March 22. Interested viewers must register by emailing whpl_mail@clamsnet.org or calling (508) 548-8961 before the screening date in order to receive the link to watch. Word has just been received that a follow-up live panel discussion entitled “When You Picture a Scientist, Who Do You See?” will be held on Wednesday, March 24. Drs. Willenberg and Burks and a larger group of scientists will join a candid conversation on advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM. As part of the library’s license to show the documentary, our viewers will also be invited to view this discussion. Instructions to the link for this event will be included in the email the library will send out to all registrants for “Picture a Scientist”. For more details, view the library’s website www.woodsholepubliclibrary.org. The library is inviting the public to enjoy an armchair trip and some excellent food in a virtual gustatory trip to India. The library will provide a packet containing a selection of traditional Indian spices as well as an assortment of recipes. It is hoped that people will not be limited to those recipes but will check out titles from the abundance of wonderful cookbooks available at our local libraries and through the CLAMS system.  Of course, librarians are always happy to help and advise. Since armchair travel and eating is even more enjoyable when done together, the library will have a Zoom meeting in the early spring for people to share the results of their culinary adventures. Potential participants should call (508) 548-8961 or email the library at whpl_mail@clamsnet.org to register. Numbers are limited. Spice and recipe packets will be available to registrants at the library’s pick-up window Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The library has been quietly offering its patrons a series of slightly quirky and inventive projects all through the winter, including several neighborhood scavenger hunts. For the past month, they have been holding the first Great Woods Hole Library Bird Count which tops the charts for taking people outside and making them observe their surroundings. It started in conjunction with the national Great Backyard Bird Count in mid-February, but due to popular demand, it will continue through to the first day of spring. It is a sort of special scavenger hunt for very special birds. This project was created, both figuratively and literally, by one of the librarians who has actually sewn and stuffed all the birds in very colorful cotton and placed them in their roosting spots.  There are 14 library birds to find. Two are at the library to help with identification and twelve are along the four streets bordering Eel Pond: School Street, Millfield Street, Albatross Street, and Water Street. The birds are perched on branches and bushes. Interested people should stop at the library’s lower door and pick-up a map and sheet to tally their results, then go forth looking for birds. Finding as many birds as possible and returning the sheet to the library will enter the bird watchers in a drawing for a prize.