Berkshire Athenaeum Pittsfield's Public Library

Athenaeum Renovation Project Underway temporary wall View photos of our progress! The long awaited, much anticipated renovations to our Local History and Reference Departments began on February 28. Without altering the library footprint, the two departments will offer expanded technology to visitors and staff, including a laptop computer lab, new microfilm scanners, a new LAN for Local History resources and additional Internet workstations. Collection growth will be accomodated with compact shelving in the Local History Department. Other enhancements include climate control in the vault; video and collections security systems; more efficient microformat storage; and new service desks and office space for both departments. The Local History Department has been temporarily relocated to the balcony level of the library; and some of the LHD special collections, including much of the Melville collection, are currently unavailable. Expected project completion date is July 1.

Photos from our Teen Poetry Slam poetry slam poster On April 30, as the concluding event of Pittsfield's Poetry Week, the Athenaeum co-sponsored with the Pittsfield Youth Commission a Teen Poetry Slam. The open slam drew area students who performed their work before an audience of family and friends.. Emcee and local poet Carol Stroll requested scores from judges, who ranked each poem on a scale of 1 - 10 for content, style and how well the poet engaged the audience. According to Pittsfield Youth Commisioner Cassandra Ynocencio, in remarks to the Berkshire Eagle, "This is not poetry from your English class. It doesn't matter how it reads on the page. It's about how it's presented... A slam is a competitive salon where poets and an audience interact." Event rules required all poems be original and timed at no longer than three minutes.See photos of this exciting event!

Pittsfield READS! bear reading book Pittsfield READS! is a citywide reading adventure, encouraging Pittsfield residents to read A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson's hilarious account of his experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail. The fun kicked off in January with Mike & Lori Innes' fascinating talk about their experiences hiking the AT, drawing a crowd of interested humans and one curious ursine (at left). So why not follow the example of our furry friend, borrow a copy of the book, and plan to join in on the fun events.

Chess for Kids: 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the Month knight Chess for Kids: Players up to age 18 of all skill levels are welcome in the Young Adult Department on the 1st & 3rd Saturdays of the month, 10 am - 12 noon. Sponsored by the Pittsfield Chess Club..

Grant Research The Berkshire Funding Resource Center, a cooperating collection of the Foundation Center, is located in the Athenaeum's Reference Department and offers access to print and online sources of information for those researching sources of grant funding. Professional assistance in using the databases is available; access to Internet computers, word processing workstations, and a wireless Internet connection are provided.

Downloadable audiobooks, videos and ebooksDo you love to be read to? Do you have a long commute, a planned vacation drive, or a household task that would go faster if you could listen to an engaging book? Browse our collection of downloadable audiobooks. You'll find audiobooks for Children, Young Adults and Adults; fiction and nonfiction titles; biographies, business, history, romance, foreign language study, classics, mystery, science fiction and self-improvement titles. Many can be burned to a CD. Also available are downloadable videos and ebooks. All you need to begin is a library card and a high-speed Internet connection. Browse the digital catalog and choose some titles today.

Berkshire Athenaeum

Pittsfield's Public Library

One Wendell Avenue