Not to confuse the issue, this post has nothing to do with I.R.S. records but this was one of my favorite record labels growing up, why not leverage them into the important article of filing your taxes?  If you've thought about waiting last minute to file them, don't!  Due to the changes to the postal service, they no longer guarantee that your tax return will get the cancellation stamp the night you drop it off to the post office!   Avoid paying penalties for a late filing, if you have to wait last minute, send it registered mail.  I do this regardless of the filing date, especially as the free e-file service is no longer available through the IRS website.  You can use other services at your own peril.  If you're interested this bit of news comes from NPR and can be found below.

What a recent change in the USPS postmarking system means for your important documents

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2026/04/03/taxes-usps-postmarking

Nell Coakley, Chris Stevenson and Wendall Winters are three women who have decided to take up the news torch and fill the information gap that Medford so desperately needs.  In the last year, we've seen their site ramp up their reporting on such issues as the new school proposal, zoning and other relevant issues facing the city.  Their website if you are not aware is https://gottaknowmedford.com.  A news source is so vital to a city and its connections to what is happening.  If you haven't been to their site, check it out and consider supporting a vital news source for Medford.

Also be sure to check out and subscribe to their daily newsletter highlighting city events - https://www.gottaknowmedford.com/tag/hey-medford/

Good morning!  Here is hoping you enjoy the start to a week that will be warming up and feeling a lot like spring!  We had our Book and Bake Sale two weeks ago and as usual the event has been very successful.  There are a lot of things on tap for this week including Barbara Kerr's going away party scheduled for this Friday at the library from 3pm to 5pm.  Please drop by and say "Hey!"  If you've never had the pleasure of meeting her, this is a good time as any.   Cake and refreshments will be served!

Well this is exciting!  The following are book reviews written by the library staff.  This is our first run at this segment and look for a lot more in the future.  If you have a book review or want to report on an upcoming or past event just let me know - bruce@friendsofmedfordlibrary.org!

The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. 

It's like a roadmap that guides the reader through challenges in life. The theory behind the phrase "Let Them" is a practical one, relatable through stories and backed by research. It teaches the reader to let others do what they need to and lets the reader use the tools and exercises described within to find peace and move on. For me, it's been freeing to learn to do this. 

-Evalyn, Administration 

Schott's Significa: A Miscellany of Secret Languages by Ben Schott

This dictionary of dozens of English-language jargons is fascinating reading for any word nerd!

-Andrew, Adult Services

Where the Dark Stands Still by  A. B. Poranek. 

A story about accepting yourself, demonic bargains, and semi-sentient forest manor homes. This dark fantasy tale based on Polish folklore is great for fans of "The Ancient Magus' Bride" and "Howl's Moving Castle".

-Maddie, Youth Services

A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O'Leary

One child is worried that her family is just too different to explain, but one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them -- family of every shape, size and every kind of relation -- the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special.

-Ash, Youth Services

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

A middle grade novel about a ten year old who lives in a motel with her immigrant parents who manage the motel. Though they go through hardship, it's balanced with warmth and humor. Kelly Yang shows the power of a child’s courage to change her family’s future. 

-Ash, Youth Services

Patience and Fortitude have a new, freaky playmate. Tom Verlaine, the late livewire best known as frontman for the proto-punk band Television, has left his remaining archive to the NYPL.

According to Fine Books & Collections, six decades of Verlaine material “including lyric drafts, handwritten notebooks, short stories, correspondence, and hundreds of hours of unreleased music” will soon be housed at the Library for Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. These treasures stand separate from Verlaine’s massive personal library, which went on sale to the public in 2023.

In a letter to the library, Verlaine’s old friend Patti Smith framed this as a most suitable get.

“It is impossible to speak of Tom Verlaine without giving prominence to his deep relationship with books. It was through a shared passion for books that we forged an enduring friendship, collecting volumes on everything from poems of Rumi, French literature, ufology, detective novels, to mystical and spiritual literature,” she wrote. “We spent hours in used bookstores and loved the Public Library. I well remember mounting those steps with him and whistling a hello to Patience and Fortitude, the library’s magnificent guardian lions.”

Verlaine’s works are joining friends. The Lou Reed papers can also be found—via onsite request—at the Library for Performing Arts. Ditto the diaries of Jim Carroll, former downtown fixture and author of The Basketball Diaries.

To read the rest of the article check out the site - https://lithub.com/the-nypl-has-acquired-tom-verlaines-archive-which-other-rock-stars-live-on-at-the-library/

I hope wherever you are its warm and dry!  If your internet is still up, consider yet another option if you do not have streaming services OR you're tired of scrolling through netflix, hulu, hbo/max. etc, etc.  Consider linking your library card to Kanopy and start streaming movies tonight!  For more information, go to their website - https://www.kanopy.com/en

The Friends of the Medford Public Library have released a new episode of the podcast. 

Bruce apparently has forgotten how to count, despite this being labelled episode 7, its actually episode 6. We’ll release the ‘lost’ episode later in the year.

Join Sam Sednek and Jenna Barry as they discuss the Digital Archiving Project. They discuss the mountains of work that is going on in regards to digitizing, collecting, recording and sorting. This is no small feat. What you need to know. They are looking for volunteers to help with the project and if you are interested, email them at medford@minlib.net. If you want to tell your story and why you chose to live in Medford, they would like to hear from you. Again send your email to medford@minlib.net.

Podcast Episode 7 - fmpl7.mp3

To download this episode, just right click on the player and “save as”. We hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed putting it together.