This letter was sent to the Somerville Library Director in February, 2010, in order to inform her regarding the current inaccessibility of several of this program's events. However, she ignored our concerns, and all inaccessible programs were presented to the public as originally planned. The City of Somerville fails to demonstrate adequate understanding that inaccessible means: discrimination by design.

1. From: Community Access project
Date: February 17, 2010 10:48:56 AM EST
To: nmilnor@somervillema.gov
Cc: rebekah@rcn.com
Subject: Somerville Reads- Davis Square
planning
Dear Director Milnor,
Somerville Reads sounds like a Wonderful project.
Congratulations for this initiative!
However, in order to ensure that these free events are
genuinely com m u n ity-building, please find an
alternate neighborhood venue for the planned West
Library event on April 26th? Otherwise, this is yet
another slap in the face for residents in that
neighborhood who are still excluded from enjoying this
beautiful Library's refuge and resources due to its
inaccessibility.
I know you sincerely care about this issue, and would
never intentionally exclude residents. I've cc'd
Alderwoman Gewirtz in hopes that she can connect
you up with an accessible com m u n ity gathering
location in the Davis Square area.
Thank you very much.
Eileen Feldman

2. Project Director, Co m m u n ity Access & Inclusion
Project
cc: Alderperson Rebekah Gewirtz, Ward 6
---
RE
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Executive Director of the Somerville
Public Library Nancy Milnor announced today that the City of
Somerville
will launch its first "one city, one book" campaign in March
2010. Somerville Reads is a project that promotes literacy and
com m u n ity by encouraging people all over the City to read and discuss
the same book. The book that has been selected is The Things They
Carried by Tim O'Brien, a collection of related stories about a platoon
of American soldiers in the Vietnam War. Copies of the book are
available for check out at all Somerville Public Library locations and a
variety of events and exhibits will take place in venues throughout the
City beginning in late March and continuing through April.
"We are grateful to have received this grant, and to be able to
bring such a wonderful, com m u n ity-building program to the City of
Somerville and its residents," Milnor said. "Tim
O'Brien's book presents ideas and issues that bridge
generational gaps. Somerville Reads encourages all residents –
veterans, im m igrants, teens, parents, teachers – to come together to
learn and share."
The program will kick off with a concert of Vietnam War era music by
The
Band That Time Forgot and their special guests on Sunday, March 28th
from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Arts at the Armory (191 Highland Avenue.)
The
concert is free, refreshments will be served, and all are invited to

3. attend. ENTRANCE INACCESSIBLE
Other program highlights include:
· an exhibit of Somerville High School students' original
artwork relating to the Vietnam War at the Central Library (79 Highland
Avenue) throughout the month of April
· a talk on the history and culture of Vietnam by Harvard
history professor Hue- Tam Ho Tai on Thursday, April 1st at 7:00 p.m.
at
the Central Library
· a com m u n ity read-aloud from the book on Tuesday, April 8th
at 7:00 p.m. at the East Branch Library (115 Broadway) NEW
FRONT RAMP, BUT EXCESSIVE SLOPES. WHAT
ABOUT INTERIOR?
· a book discussion led by author Margot Livesey on Tuesday,
April 13th at 7:00 p.m. at the Porter Square Books (25 White Street,
Cambridge)
· a book discussion led by Tufts English professor Michael
Downing on Sunday, April 17th at 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library
· an all day Vietnam Film Festival on Saturday, April 24th at
the Central Library with screenings of Good Morning Vietnam, The
Quiet
American, and Born on the 4th of July
· a book/movie discussion on Monday, April 26th at 7:30 p.m.
at the West Branch Library (40 College Avenue) NO ACCESS
· a concert to benefit The New England Center for Ho m eless
Veterans at the Nave Gallery (Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church,155
Powderhouse Boulevard) [date and bands to be announced] NO

4. ACCESS
All events are free (with the exception of the benefit concert at the
Nave Gallery) and open to the public.
Somerville Reads is presented by the Somerville Public Library with the
support of a generous grant from the federal Institute of Museu m and
Library Services through the Library Service and Technology Act
administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Co m m issioners.
The
Institute of Museu m and Library Services is the primary source of
federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500
museu ms. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and
museu ms that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute
works at the national level and in coordination with state and local
organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance
learning and innovation; and support professional developm e nt. To
learn
more about the Institute, please visit www.i mls.gov.
The Massachusetts Board of Library Co m m issioners (MBLC) is a state
agency that supports, improves, and promotes library services
throughout
the Co m m o n w ealth. To learn more about the MBLC, please visit
mblc.state.ma.us.
More information about Somerville Reads will be coming soon!