In this Issue:

Call for Joy of Learning Instructors

Great Decisions 2024 Registration Opens

Weekly Staff Pick!

What's Happening This Week At The Library For Kids

What's Happening This Week At The Library For Teens & Adults

Connect with Us!

Call for Joy of Learning Instructors

We are currently looking for volunteer instructors, for this upcoming April and October, for our long-running Joy of Learning program!

The format is commonly four one-hour lectures or smaller discussions during a morning or afternoon of the instructor's choice, but the number and length of classes can be flexible, as long as they begin in April or October. Course ideas need to be ‘beginner-friendly’, accessible to those with little or no knowledge of the subject.

If you are interested in teaching a class in the future, or know anyone that might be interested, we want to hear from you! Please send an email to Sue Henken at [email protected], or call her at 508-457-2555 x 2934, with contact information, and course ideas, and we will contact you if the proposal is a good match.

Great Decisions 2024 Registration Opens

Great Decisions is America’s largest civic discussion program on world affairs.  On Wednesday nights from 7pm-8pm starting on March 6th and ending on June 12th, we will meet bi-weekly to discuss one of eight critical foreign policy challenges facing Americans.  In each bi-weekly session, a volunteer moderator will lead the group in discussing the selected topic in a non-partisan, open environment.  Prior to each session, participants will read the relevant chapter in the Great Decisions Briefing Book and watch the corresponding Master Class, which will be provided to participants for free.  Participants are encouraged to attend all eight sessions but you may choose to attend only certain topics.  Registration is required for each session and will be limited to 20 participants.  Register for each session you would like to attend by clicking the registration buttons below.

Mideast Realignment

Wednesday, March 6th from 7pm-8pm in the Hermann meeting room

The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads.  In spite of a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?  By Marc Lynch

Climate Technology and Competition

Wednesday, March 20th from 7pm-8pm in the Hermann meeting room

Will the United States and China, with other powerful countries following suit, approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism, by various measures including trade restrictions? Or could a growing spirit of international accord develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?  By Bud Ward

Science Across Borders

Wednesday, April 3rd from 7pm-8pm in the Hermann meeting room

Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?  By Mila Rosenthal

U.S. and China Trade Rivalry

Wednesday, April 17th from 7pm-8pm in the Hermann meeting room

China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?  By Jonathan Chanis

Click Here to view the Falmouth Public Library Weekly Update: January 4, 2024