No one likes to look for a job (or, at least, no one I’ve ever met).  And while the Internet is an important resource, do you know the best ways to search for information? And, even more importantly, can you tell which sites are ones to trust?

The Watertown Library is trying to help. We started by setting up a display of books we felt were good resources for those on the hunt. If you’re at the library, this display is located behind the reference desk, before the stairs to the gallery.

In addition to our display, we’re also offering a number of classes that might be useful for those looking to brush up on their skills. Most importantly, we offer a workshop specifically about the online job search once a month. We also cater to those who are not yet comfortable with computers with our “Intro to Computers Class,” and for those who want add some technical skills to their resume, “Intro to Word,” and “Intro to Powerpoint.” These classes happen monthly, and are popular. Space is limited, so be sure check out information on our homepage and sign up before they’re full.

We also have many public computers available to help you with your search. If you’re at the library and the computers are all full, you can make a reservation and one will be available to you in just 5 minutes!

If you’ve had experience with certain programs, like Word and Excel, but haven’t used them in awhile, a good way to remind yourself of what you already know is to check out something like the Step By Step books Microsoft offers.

Are you writing your resume and having a hard time describing your proficiency/skill levels with certain tools, be sure to look at Learning Library Express, one of our databases you can use while at the library. This incredibly helpful site offers practice tests, skill-forming exercises, and courses to increase your knowledge.

Are you not even sure what field you want to work in? Another database we offer, that you can even use from home, is Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center. This site explains what jobs are in high demand, what categories jobs fall into, and even what skills are required to obtain certain jobs in the field you would like to work in.

If you’re not able to attend one of our classes, and want to use the internet for help, just remember, before you spend tons of time writing your resume or cover letter, to take your time and read over lots of good examples, not just one.

If you’re from the area, be sure to use local resources, like Mass Resources, which offers links to employment assistance and job training. Also, check out CareerOneStop for great advice and links on the job search.

If you have a favorite resource, please feel free to share it in the comments, so others can check them out!

Most of all, stay positive and GOOD LUCK!

Gwendolyn Hallsmith

For the kick-off event of this year’s One Book, One Watertown series, Gwendolyn Hallsmith will be speaking about community sustainability and local environmental issues. Ms. Hallsmith is the Director of Global Community Initiatives, and is the other of The Key to Sustainable Cities, which discusses new approachies to city planning.

Her writing and speaking share many common themes with this year’s selected book, Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman.

Join Lorena Prime at Tuesday, June 23 at 7 PM in the Lucia Mastrangelo Meeting Room for a workshop on how to keep organized.

Ever wonder how some people can be so organized? Being disorganized is not a character flaw! As a child you may not have learned the skills to be organized, but you can learn them now.

With the 5-step “C.L.E.A.R.” methodology, you can organize anything at work or home including your papers, things, and space. It’s easy once you know how. Through this 45-minute workshop, you will discover new abilities that you can apply immediately to your life and reap the rewards of a more calm, productive, and enjoyable day.

There will be plenty of time for questions and answers to help solve your own hot areas.

Please register for this free workshop by stopping by or calling the Adult Services Department, 617-972-6436.

The library will be offering free introductory computer classes for beginners on Thursday mornings in April from 10 AM to 12 PM on the following dates:

• April 2nd
• April 9th
• April 16th

Space is limited, so stop by the second floor reference desk to sign up for one of the dates above.

Classes will cover the following topics:

Types of Computers

Hardware

Software

Parts of the Computer

Computer Terms

Parts of the Desktop

Working with Windows

Internet searching

Creating an online email account

Combat the stress in your life with help from the library’s four part series on Thursday nights in April:

April 2: Mind/Body Approaches to Recognizing and Managing Stress

Watertown Center for Healing Arts

A panel of four practitioners from the Watertown Center for Healing Arts – psychotherapist Michael Keane, acupuncturist Jeff Matrician, yoga therapist Edi Pasalis and master herbalist Tommy Priester – will explore different mind/body strategies for recognizing and managing stress to create health and well-being.

April 9: Herbal Remedies for Stress Relief

Tommy Priester, Master Herbalist

Reclaim your natural health through the mindful use of plant medicine (herbs), nutrition, flower essence, Heart Mind Integration Method and homeopathy. Identify practical life style changes needed to bring the body, mind, spirit, emotions and soul back into balance with Tommy Priester, master herbalist.

April 16: Yoga and Meditation for Stress Relief

Edi Pasalis, RYT

Learn to use basic yoga and meditation techniques to feel more calm and positive about life even in the face of challenge or difficulty. No experience necessary. Beginners welcome!

April 23: Back Care Basics

Phoebe Barnes, RYT

In these uncertain times many of us take on the stress and it lives in our bodies as back pain or neck soreness. Yoga and breath work can help us here with simple exercises that take tension out of the body and help us center on what’s most important. Come to this workshop with Phoebe Barnes RYT to learn skills and stretches to take home to help with back and neck care.

Thursday, January 15th at 7 PM

Are you a homeowner considering a renovation or expansion? Then, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss! Diane Beckley Miller AIA & LEED AP, a licensed Architect who specializes in residential renovation and expansion projects in the Boston area, will be joining us for an informative discussion intended to help homeowners navigate through the process of planning, design and construction. Her presentation will cover a broad spectrum of topics such as scope and budget, green building, finding the right architect, understanding the building and zoning approvals process, and finding the right builder.

The discussion will also include some pros and cons of building during a sluggish economy. Participants will receive a packet containing useful information and resources, and the presentation will be followed by time allocated for individual questions.

When: Wednesday, October 29 at 7 PM

Jeffrey Cramer has spent more than twenty year immersed in the writings of Thoreau. He will discuss what he has come to appreciate and understand about this complex American writer and icon. The man at Walden Pond was only one small aspect of Thoreau’s life. Learn why many contemporary nature writers have left Walden behind to find a different man in Thoreau’s Journal. Discover how Thoreau wrote, how he used his Journal, and hear excerpts from his Journal that will introduce you to a very different Henry David Thoreau.

Last Thursday, October 9, was the date of our fabulous Indian dinner with Tamarind Bay, and our penultimate event for One Book, One Watertown.

After reading about all the delicious Indian food in the Namesake – because like any good family, the Ganguli family bonds through mealtimes – I was really looking forward to tasting what Jhumpa Lahiri had so lovingly described.

And Tamarind Bay, a local Indian restaurant, did not disappoint.  With heaping platters of soft rice, warm naan (flat bread), and plentiful helpings of vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings, there was something for everyone.  There was chicken tikka masala, a dish made of tender chicken, a creamy tomato sauce, and mild spices, saag paneer, cooked spinach, cheese and spices, and a rich and tasty dish with chick peas that I didn’t catch the name of.  And then there were tasty side dishes, and a uniquely spiced rice pudding for dessert.  Tamarind Bay also enlightened our group of diners with a brief, but fascinating lecture on Indian food.

Luckily for you, if you missed our all-you-can-eat Indian Buffet, we still have some room open on Tuesday, October 21st where we invite Tamarind Bay back to do it all again.  Tickets are on sale at the library for $5.

On Thursday, October 9 at 7 PM and Tuesday, October 21 at 7 PM, learn about – and taste! – Indian food in our closing events for One Book, One Watertown.

Local Indian restaurant, Tamarind Bay, provides the food for our final events. Tickets for this event will be on sale soon, for $5 each. Space will be limited, so make sure you get yours early!

On October 5th at 1 PM, we’ll be showing the movie version of The Namesake, starring Kal Penn.

Here are some reviews of the film to whet your appetite:

Roger Ebert: “The Namesake tells a story that is the story of all immigrant groups in America: Parents of great daring arriving with dreams, children growing up in a way that makes them almost strangers, the old culture merging with the new. It has been said that all modern Russian literature came out of Gogol’s “Overcoat.” In the same way, all of us came out of the overcoat of this same immigrant experience.”

Claudia Puig from USA Today: “Nair has taken a fascinating piece of literature and woven a rich cultural tapestry for the screen. The Namesake elicits laughter and tears in its profound and emotionally resonant family portrait.”

Ty Burr from The Boston Globe: “The Namesake has a deep, alluvial poetry to it, like a mighty river reaching the sea. It’s mysterious and ordinary, insightful and banal, rambling and precise, and it is altogether unexpected.”

This movie screening will be hosted by Project Literacy, and will feature a discussion after at 3:30 PM, led by Watertown’s Anne Benaquist.  Anne Benaquist is an adjunct instructor of English as a Second Language at MassBay Community College and at Showa Boston. She has also taught literature and film courses at Lassell Village and ESL to foreign post-docs and researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She has a masters degree in linguistics and education from Syracuse University and edited textbooks for many years.

Benaquist’s ESL classes and literature/film classes have included reading and viewing many compelling stories about immigrant experiences, including The Namesake. She is delighted to facilitate discussion of Jhumpa Lahiri’s renowned story.