[Barbara Kerr]: It's important that you be able to say what you want to say and publish what you want to publish. And we'll keep buying the stuff for another month and a half. And I don't know what they'll do after I'm gone, but they'll keep. They're good.
[Terry Carter]: All right, so the ubiquitous penguin.
[Barbara Kerr]: My mother is looking down at us and rolling her eyes right now. Let's talk about this, because it's not the only one I've seen. No, my office is full of stuffed animals, because I've always liked stuffed animals. I really always have. And so I always kind of, I always had them in my office. And then I used to go to lunch every day, and then go to CVS. And I can't, if I walk past the 75% off after holidays sale full of stuffed animals, I can't stop myself. I think he was Christmas in 1990, something. And then he hung around for a long time. One of my staff makes him sweaters.
[Terry Carter]: I was just going to say, what is his name? Penguin. Penguin? Yes. That makes sense.
[Barbara Kerr]: He has like a dozen sweaters. He has an orange is the new black sweater and a cardigan. One that's based on Bernie Sanders mittens. And then the one he had on earlier is like a confetti one, but it was too short. He looked fat. So this is not like this. He became kind of, we took him to a couple of library conferences, and we dragged him around, and somebody built him a wardrobe, and I got him a suitcase with my charge card miles. But I'm leaving him when I go, actually, because I'm leaving him with the one who makes sweaters. But when she leaves the library, which she probably never will, he comes back to me.
[Terry Carter]: That's the condition. But that's why. Now, do you have some other ones that will keep you company while he's gone?
[Barbara Kerr]: Oh, I have a house full. Half of my sofa is animals, and half of it is me.
[Terry Carter]: So clearly, this penguin has stature that, you know.
[Barbara Kerr]: Well, because he's got clothes.
[Terry Carter]: But yes.
[Barbara Kerr]: I'm going to miss him. But I think it's appropriate for him to stay. Because if he came to my house, he wouldn't be as special. Because there's a lot of special ones. It's very weird in my house. But evening, I'm having conversations with stuff Triceratops about. You've got to talk to somebody. Well, exactly.
[Terry Carter]: Absolutely.
[Barbara Kerr]: Like, I don't mind being alone, because I'm not really, because there's predators.
[Terry Carter]: Very good. Very good. Five years from now, what will you want the people of Metro to know about Barbara Kerr and the legacy you've created?
[Barbara Kerr]: That they didn't mess it up after I left. Well, I think that a life in service and doing good work has value, because I think for me, there was a woman in one of my book groups years ago who said, who was not allowed to pursue the career she wanted. And she said, do you like what you do? And I said, yes. She said, that's a blessing. And I always think of her and think, yeah, it was a blessing. So that, I liked what I did, and it worked. I'm an introvert, which I was surprised to find out. They did a training for the city within the last five years. And I called my brother and said, I'm an introvert. And he said, I know. I said, why didn't you ever tell me? I thought I was not an introvert. But yes, so I blither, and I'm funny. But really, I'm not. I don't think I'm shy, but I'm introverted. So I like going home and being alone with my animals.
[Terry Carter]: Well, you know, you're good with people, but you don't have to take them with you all the time.
[Barbara Kerr]: Well, that's true. And that's one of those hard lessons to learn. Becoming an administrator was very challenging. So I've learned a lot from that about not taking things with you.
[Terry Carter]: I guess because every time that I see you in public, you have a sparkle to you that really works with people, which is nice.
[Barbara Kerr]: I've enjoyed that part of the job a lot, although I will say that sometimes if I worked a Saturday and I was on a desk all day, I'd go home at night and just go, I don't want to talk to anybody. It's not that I don't like talking to people.
[Terry Carter]: I mean, I don't usually do this. This is probably going to be a first for me. If you want to ask a question, you just have to speak up loudly so that you can be heard on the video capture. Is there anyone that would like to ask Barbara a question? Sharon?
[SPEAKER_11]: Maybe you could just say something about the wildly popular coffee and books that Help me with the name. Oscar. Oscar, thank you. That Oscar Green talked about over and over and over again. He went to for years.
[Barbara Kerr]: That's one of my two programs. It's once a month. It's books I haven't read, but have looked at and read the backs of and have developed opinions about. And I give reviews. And Oscar, he'd do it for me sometimes if I wasn't going to be there. Mary Gallant, who's one of the people that I remember was a reference librarian. She did it for years, but I'm scared then. When she left, I took it over. And I like it, and it's going to keep going. But Sam, who's the assistant director, she's going to pick it up. But I'm going to come to it still. She has weird-tasted books, and I have to make sure. She's always handing me things about, like, Magic Fox, eat somebody. And I'm like, I'm not going to bring this to Coffee and Books. They like World War II. Stop. So I need to keep an eye on them.
[SPEAKER_08]: Eileen?
[Ilene Lerner]: I wonder, do you think that less people are reading nowadays? Because I remember when the city said they were going to build a new library, one of my neighbors said to me, I don't know why we're spending money on the library. Nobody reads anymore. And I was like, I read. And she said, well, everybody's on the internet, and they read on the internet. And since then, I've talked to a lot of people who don't read. And I'm wondering if reading is, do you think it's less popular now?
[Barbara Kerr]: I think it's different formats. That was the thing that happened when they were in, when I was in library school, and they kept saying, the book is going to be obsolete. It wasn't. It's just technology made it possible to have different formats. So I think people probably, if they're just on the internet, they're probably reading more than they did before, just because they're on there. But we still have huge circulation. I think it was like 300,000 items last year. And it's a mixture of print and electronic stuff. And I read electronic books now, because you can make the print bid, because I'm old. But I think people are still reading. But there always have been people who are just not readers. Like, my best friend is not a reader, except Cat Mysteries once in a while. But she never has been. And my mother wasn't. But my father was. My brother was. And I think people find their own level as far as it goes, too. But I don't think less people are reading. I think maybe they're not coming to the library and checking out a book. But you're on the internet every day reading articles. in the paper and stuff, so I think there's still a lot.
[Terry Carter]: Yeah, I do, too. I do, too. Please, Ken?
[SPEAKER_08]: What's on your personal reading list as you enter retirement? Do you have some books lined up that you tend to read?
[Barbara Kerr]: I just read a great sort of surprising. You know, John P. Marquand was a, like, early 20th century. He wrote the late George Apley that won the Pulitzer in, like, 1920-something. We have this e-book platform called Hoopla, and there's a lot of older writers on there. So I looked one up, and it was a great book. It's called So Little Time. And it was about, he wrote it in 1943 about a guy in the period 1940, 41, before America went into the war, who had a son of military age and was trying to, it like shook his whole life. That was great. That was really good. That was a good surprise. That was like, I used to read like that. I'd just take something and find stopped for a long time. So I'm glad to be picking it up again. But that was very good.
[Terry Carter]: Great question. Anyone else?
[Amanda Bowen]: What are the things that a lot, I mean, I think of libraries as being so much more than just books and reading. And so talk about some of the things, especially with the new building, that have made you happy, that go on that have nothing to do with books and reading.
[Barbara Kerr]: Well, I think the idea of the third space It's not the office, it's not home, it's another place. We've become that because we have study rooms and we actually, we have little corners that are sort of quiet and so there are people who spend the day and it's great because we couldn't do that before. There were two study carrels in the far back corner that were as close to you weren't gonna get to quiet, but no, but I think that's great, but we also have, as I said, we have a social worker the big thing, we have a giant, a lot of people who are constantly on there, but I'd say the study rooms are, and Ken actually, because of Ken, we have a big study room, because we started out with just a bunch of small ones, you suggested at some meeting that a bigger one would be good, so thank you very much. But that's like, they are in constant use. And the whole makerspace idea, that was coming along while we were building, and that was like, That was very new, but because we were starting from scratch, we were able to build this beautiful facility. So we have a laser cutter, we do 3D printing, and we also have a tech lab. And we have a recording studio, little recording studio. So because we started that way, we didn't have to try and fit new things into an existing facility. We were able to put them in and just start that way. So that was great. There's a lot of stuff. And I will say that the, My younger staff are bringing in a younger audience. So book discussion groups and things like tonight, where I don't know what they're doing, but it's going to be young. And just a variety of programming. And we also, in the last couple of years, we added a senior advisory board. So we have a group of people who are seniors who plan programming. And they do very well, too. So good question.
[Terry Carter]: Thank you. Excellent. Good answer. So I'm going to let that be the last word from the audience. But Barbara, do you have any parting thoughts?
[Barbara Kerr]: I liked it here. I mean, I liked it here as soon as I got here. And that was one of the, when I was fighting with my mother over why I didn't leave after five years, was trying to express to her that I came from a... like, I had a blue-collar father and my mother had a master's in education, so... and my parents were about 20 years older than everybody else's parents, so I always felt like I was an outlier. And then I came here, and everybody was different. It wasn't like... Newton was kind of homogenous, I thought. And I got here, and I recognized all the different people and the different points of view, and... I was comfortable right away, and... I've stayed that way, so I'm going to miss it here. But I'll come visit.
[Terry Carter]: Well, to Medford's credit, they got you and they didn't let you get away easy. I wanted to leave a few times.
[Barbara Kerr]: But that was when my mother said, well, you weren't supposed to stay that long. So yes, but I'm glad I stayed.
[Terry Carter]: Ladies and gentlemen, Barbara Campbell.
[Barbara Kerr]: Thank you very much.
[Terry Carter]: Thank you, thank you. So we're going to take a pause for the cause. We'll reset the floor, and then we're going to move into our musical diversion for the evening. So thank you for being an attentive audience and for welcoming Barbara into our little home. And we've got some good music for you coming right up.
[Terry Carter]: All right. All right, everybody. So first of all, thanks to everybody who joined us for our winter events. In December, we celebrated our 90th anniversary. We celebrated Martin Luther King over at our Tufts. We had a nice little celebration for Black History Month as well. So we've done a lot, but we have lots to do and will continue to need your growing participation and great partnerships to make things work. So if you're an elder and you want to join us Tuesday through Friday for a nutritious lunch and a vibrant fellowship, feel free to come on by. Lunch is served at 12 noon. And if you want to give me a call in advance, let me know you're coming, 781-483-3042 to reserve a place. Join us in WMCC membership and make sure that we have your contact information for future outreach. How can you help us? Real simple, your tax deductible donations help to support the mission of WMCC. partner with us in carrying the mission forward, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to this vital community organization. You can make your donation by phone, online, or by check. Please contact Lisa Crossman at 781-483-3042 for more information or to become a member. So, okay, this is how I like to say it, so you may have heard it before. It's now time to turn our attention to the lyrical miracle we've engaged for this evening's musical side of the ledger. Tonight, we feature another performer that has gained a dedicated local following and has made great friends here at the community center. Bill Kuklinski, definitely a friend of the program, having joined us before at the Medford Jazz Festival, Associated Saturday Jams, and as a holiday concert band leader. Him and a bunch of elves, really elves. Yes. So tonight his musical focus is on protest music of all shapes and sizes. I don't know about you, but I think it's a good time to reflect on the music that has accompanied those times when we need to say, as the old song says, come on people now. Smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Time to love one another right now.
[SPEAKER_08]: But we're not doing that one.
[Unidentified]: But I love the song.
[Terry Carter]: Absolutely. So Phil's got the band in tow, and it's featuring Debbie Lane on vocals. Paul Ervin on drums, excuse me, on keyboard. I'm looking right at the Don thing, on keyboards. Steve Jennings on bass and vocals. Dan Freitas back here on the drums. And Bill Huklinski himself on guitar and vocals. You know the thing, we all have a dream. Don't be surprised if your guy tries to sit in. In the meantime, I want to get out of the way and let y'all do what you do.
[Unidentified]: Children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down.
[SPEAKER_05]: And yes, Sidney didn't tell us. It's the same in the parade for our song.
[Unidentified]: Everybody set us down. Everybody, everybody talk to the man. Step out of line, let me know, and take you away. And talk to you, what's that sound?
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you very much. Thanks for coming out and being here. I want to thank Terry. I want to thank everybody at the community center here for having us do this. Steve and I regularly play in another band where that's one of the songs that we always do. And we're always struck by the fact that that could have been written last week, even though it was written, as you can see on your sheet, in 1966. just eat up and do what you're doing. And we can play more music as opposed to announce things all the time and stuff like that. If you feel like singing, by all means sing. If you feel like getting up and dancing to anything we do, just respect your neighbors and have a good time.
[Unidentified]: How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a man? How many seas must a wife dust in before she sleeps in the sand? How many times must a man be lost imagine us now How many years must one have had before he can hear people cry? And how many deaths will it take till he knows?
[kn5HbAhnwc8_SPEAKER_05]: Thank you. Some people in right up front might know all the words, I think. There we go.
[Unidentified]: And just like that river, I've been running endlessly. a long time coming. But I know a change is gonna come. Oh, yes it will. It's been a long, a long time coming. But I know a change is coming. I go downtown and somebody keeps telling me, don't, don't hang around. Oh, it's been a long, a long time coming. And I know, I know what changed. Oh, yes, it will.
[SPEAKER_03]: And then I, I go to my brother. And I say, brother, brother, can you help me?
[Unidentified]: But it keeps on, it keeps on knocking me back down on my knees. There were times when I thought I could not last for long. But now I think I'll be able to carry on. I know change is gonna come. Oh yes it will. I know change is gonna come. Change is gonna come. Oh yes it will.
[kn5HbAhnwc8_SPEAKER_05]: by one of my favorite artists, probably one of yours as well, Tony Mitchell. Please sing along if you want.
[Unidentified]: One, a two, a one, two, three, four. Flipping paradise, I couldn't put parking in line. Don't women always seem to know that you don't know what you've got to give? They made paradise, they put up a parking lot. They took all the trees and put it in a tree museum. And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see. You only seem to know that you don't know what you've got to lose. Living in paradise. Give me spots of apples, give me the birds and the bees. Please, don't you always seem to know that you don't know what you've got to lose. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got to lose? In a paradise in front of a parking lot. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got to lose? You're just a parking lot. You're just the foot of a parking lot.
[SPEAKER_02]: Blackbird singing in the bed of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly All your life
[Unidentified]: We were only waiting for this moment to arise.
[SPEAKER_02]: Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these sunken eyes and learn to see.
[Unidentified]: for this moment to be free.
[SPEAKER_02]: Blackbird, fly. ♪ That bird's eye ♪ That bird's eye ♪ Into the light of a dark black night ♪ ♪
[Unidentified]: You were only waiting for this moment to arise. You were only waiting for this moment to arise. You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
[SPEAKER_09]: Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young performed this on the Tom Jones television show. So they're all dressed up, you know, Neil's got the cowboy French thing going, and Tom Jones is wearing a leather suit. And he sung lead on it. And at the beginning of it, you can tell that Neil's all into it, like wildly, going crazy. You can search for, long time gone, Tom Jones, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on YouTube, since 1970. It's kind of shocking. But where was I? Oh, yeah.
[SPEAKER_05]: You gotta speak out against the madness.
[SPEAKER_09]: So I didn't beg, but when they asked, I didn't say no.
[Terry Carter]: So I wanted to do something that was consistent with the fact that this is Women's History Month. So this little ditty is called Heart and Home, a Suffrage Home. Leave your suffrage in the kitchen. I do not give you such permission. For all your hoping and ambition, all your thoughts of this sedition. This isn't the time nor the place for you to show a twisted face. Save your passion for our nights and stop thinking about your rights. Let me explain the way things are so you'll not seek to raise the bar. This is a man's world, straight and true. Men are the red, the white, and the blue. Why are you raising such a stink? Trying to push us to the brink. Demanding the franchise and the voice. Demanding new freedoms as a choice. Abolition did not pry loose this liberty you've now produced. The slaver's yoke is barely cold and we won't allow a move so bold. and prayin' that's the lot that suits you best, our foreman's taught. Manage the home and hearth and stay removed from the politics of the day. Next there'll be Negroes standing before us, raising the roof in angry chorus, suing for more and itching to try, seizing this mandate you've applied. How is your gender suited to lead, aside from the babies you suckle and feed? Why are you suddenly so hell-bent? The valid for you was never meant. You will upset the apple cart if you take such causes to your heart. No, rather roll within your lane and front such privilege, please abstain. We will write you tooth and nail, all your zeal to no avail. A rose who lays a trail to leave your mark you won't prevail. We want to buy you suffragettes marching on us like army cadets. Your flags and banners all ablaze will never change our manly ways. History's course will prove our mettle. Please go back to the sink and kettle. Put on some water and just settle. Arrange pink roses by each petal. Keep the children quiet and neat. My paper and pipe next to my seat. Perhaps I'll let you rub my feet. That will make my day complete. Let theory come for the dim of wit. The voters move this close. That's it. This is a man's world, straight and true. Man of the red, the white, and the blue.
[Unidentified]: My grandfather was a sailor. He blew one off the water. My father was a farmer, and I his only daughter.
[SPEAKER_02]: Took up with a no-good, no-working man from Massachusetts. Died from too much whiskey, and leaves me these three faces to feed. No work ain't hard.
[Unidentified]: No work ain't nothing but an awful boring job. I'm waiting for a daydream to take me through the morning and put me in my coffee break where I can have a sandwich and remember. And it's me and my machine for the rest of the morning, for the rest of the afternoon, and the rest of my life. Now my mind begins to wander to the days back on the farm. I can see my father smiling at me, swinging on his arm. I can hear my granddad's stories of the stores out on Lake Erie, where vessels and cargos and fortunes and sailors
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's my life that's been wasted and I have been the fool to let this manufacturer use my body as a tool. swearing by my sorrow that a young girl ought to stand a better chance.
[Unidentified]: And may I work the mills just as long as I'm able, never meet the man whose name is on the label. and the rest of my life.
[kn5HbAhnwc8_SPEAKER_05]: I just want to give a salute to Martha James Ford. It was his birthday yesterday, and he wrote, it's incredible, he wrote this song for her once.
[SPEAKER_09]: And he wrote Fire and Rain, so.
[kn5HbAhnwc8_SPEAKER_05]: Anyway, this is a real personal favorite of mine. It's by Forrest Silver, and you jazz fans will probably remember Eric in the evening. Oh, okay, I will listen to it now.
[Unidentified]: There's a place that I know where the sycamores grow and daffodils have their fall. Peace when the day is done If I go there I'll relate Let my mind meditate On everything to be done If I search deep inside Let my conscience be my guide And the answers are short Don't have to worry now When you find peace of mind
[SPEAKER_02]: ♪ Don't say that it can't be done ♪ ♪ With a little more joy in your heart ♪ ♪ Life's journey walks to you ♪ ♪ And the freedom you seek is what you'll find ♪ ♪ Peace is for everyone ♪
[SPEAKER_06]: I ain't no fortunate, I ain't no fortunate, I ain't no fortunate somehow.
[Unidentified]: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4 Lookin' out on the morning rain I used to feel on the spot And when I knew I had to face another day, oh Lord, it made me feel so tired. Before the day I met you, When my soul was in the lost and found, you came along, David. And I didn't know just what was wrong with me until your kiss, kiss held me in it.
[kn5HbAhnwc8_SPEAKER_05]: So they're writing all about this. We independently looked at Wikipedia about This Land is Your Land, and I didn't know the story about, there were these lyrics in 1940, and they changed the lyrics, so what do you got for your book? And then, so I was like, oh, let me put some more lyrics in here. Yes, and I was like, oh, okay, so we'll give you a taste of these lyrics. My most favorite key in this journey. Can you sing along please?
[Unidentified]: This land is my land. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_09]: Thank you again for coming. I hope you enjoyed it. I want to be good to everybody. Protest peacefully, please.
[Unidentified]: have all the things it's said to do. So much to serve and not involve in decisions that are made. It's not too cool to be ridiculed, but you brought this upon yourself. The world is trying to pacify, we want the truth and not the lies.
[Terry Carter]: All right, all right. From Shakespeare's line, face the lady, don't protest too much. This is protest too much.
[SPEAKER_02]: The band.
[SPEAKER_08]: Heavy Lane on vocals, Paul Lambert on keyboard, Steve Jennings on bassline vocals, Dan Ritz on drums, and band leader, Bill Kuklinski.
[Terry Carter]: I want to thank you and all of our guests for allowing us to invade their spaces, showing their faces. and sharing their graces. Special thanks to library diva of all divas, Barbara Kerr on the right side. And to Bill Kuklinski in protest too much for the musical inspiration. Air high five to Kevin Hamilton and Mark Davidson. And thank you all for helping us to be to be present in the moment. Thank you all for spending another evening with the WMCC. And we'll be back in April with a poetry edition, because it's National Poetry Month, of Words of Music. All right, thank you. Make yourselves have a great night.
[Unidentified]: I know, I know, I know.