Monthly Archives: July 2017

07 28, 2017

Learn ‘How to Speak Midwestern’ with Edward McClelland

By |2017-07-28T06:00:38-04:00July 28, 2017|

Edward McClelland, the author of How to Speak Midwestern, visited our library earlier this month.

If you missed his talk, you can still watch our interview with him. McClelland:

  • takes us on a tour of some of the region’s most famous pronunciation tics
  • explains what interdental fricatives and monophthongizations are
  • discusses how the Northern Cities Vowel Shift has affected our accent
  • and tells us how the construction of the Erie Canal changed how we speak.

Visit our YouTube page for more author interviews.

07 20, 2017

MPL Talks: The Civil War & Grand Army of the Republic

By |2017-07-20T06:00:46-04:00July 20, 2017|


For years, we’ve partnered with James A. Garfield National Historic Site—our neighbors down the street—for a monthly program about the U.S. Civil War.

Their experts have discussed Civil War art, the Gettysburg Address, the role of female spies during the war, forgotten addresses at Gettysburg, and more.

Now, you can watch these talks even if you can’t make it to the library. We’re recording and sharing these informative programs in their entirety.

This month, Dr. Todd Arrington, the site manager for JAG National Historic Site, talked about the Grand Army of the Republic. For those who don’t know, the Grand Army is one of the most important veterans groups in our country’s history, and it was formed by Union veterans of the Civil War.

Its membership included five American presidents, one of whom used to live in Mentor.

By the way, our Civil War series continues at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Former Judge Paul Mitrovich, and also the author of Justice Delayed, will discuss slavery, the reconstruction, and the Civil Rights movement.

As always, the talk is free and open to all.

07 13, 2017

MPL Talks: Franklin Delano Roosevelt & WWII

By |2017-07-13T06:00:42-04:00July 13, 2017|

Our Major Leaders of World War II series continued with a program about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the longest-serving president in the country’s history.

Our speaker, John Foster—who, in addition to being a librarian, also has a doctorate degree in history—discussed:

• how his Roosevelt’s father’s illness contributed to his personality
• why someone tried to assassinate Roosevelt shortly after he was elected president
• his troubled marriage with Eleanor Roosevelt
• how he interacted with other world leaders like Churchill and Stalin
• the two biggest mistakes he made while in office.

If you enjoy history, the next talk in our WWII series will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 17, at our Main Branch. The subject will be Joseph Stalin.

Other historical talks by Foster can be watched on our YouTube page, including:

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