News
Join us for the Summer Learning Kick-Off tomorrow!
Saturday, June 9, 12:30-3 pm
Downtown Library
Read. Go. Do. Kickoff our Summer Learning Program with Face Painting, Makerspace Activities, a Local Authors Fair, Community Organizations, and Ice Cream!

Featuring a performance by funk band Boogie Chillun at 2:00pm.

All ages welcome! 
Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America
Thursday, June 14, 5-7 pm
Center for Contemporary Culture, Downtown Library
Join us for a screening and panel discussion of Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America , a documentary that explores how access to technology can provide opportunities for learning and help level the playing field for underserved communities.

Click here to learn more.

Sponsored by the Hartford Public Library, the Department of Consumer Protection, and the Office of Consumer Counsel.
Register today for Faces and Places Collage Workshop!
With Andres Chaparro
Tuesdays, June 12 - July 17, 10 am - 12 pm
Albany Branch
The workshop series will celebrate Hartford history and Hartford artists past and present, using reproductions of materials from the library’s Hartford History Center collection. All workshop supplies and materials will be provided. 

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED - Space is limited! Classes are progressive - please plan on attending all 6 workshops.

Contact Sarah to register: spelletier@hplct.org; 860-695-6377. 

Workshops are part of the HPL series "Lifelong Learning for Older Adults: Classes in the Arts at Hartford Public Library." Classes are designed for adults ages 55+. Funding made possible through the generous support of the Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.
Chicago Style Steppin Dance Class
Monday, June 11, 6-7 pm
Atrium, Downtown Library
Open to beginners and all levels! Come by for a Chicago Style Steppin Dance Class by the Hartford City Steppers. Taught by experienced instructors Princeton Hayes and Jannett Jennings. This is a partnered dance class, but all are welcome to come as invdividuals, a couple, or a group.
ArtWalk Artist Talk: Linguistics Beheld
 Adam Viens with Gil Scullion
Tuesday, June 12, 5:30 pm
ArtWalk Gallery, 3rd Floor, Downtown Library

Show runs: May 18–June 29, 2018

Learn more about Adam Viens' ArtWalk show, “Linguistics Beheld,” as he discusses it with Gil Scullion. 

Special thanks to the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation for its support of our 2017-2018 ArtWalk season.
Games at the Downtown Library!
June - August 2018
Tuesday 5-8 pm, Thursdays 11 am-2 pm
Downtown, Main Floor

Weekly games! Activities include board games, puzzles, arts and crafts, jumbo games, marble mazes, cards, and more!
Good News
Hartford 40,000 Book Giveway!
Saturday, June 9th, 9 AM – 1 PM
Parker Memorial Community Center, 2621 Main Street

This Saturday, the City of Hartford’s Department of Families, Children, Youth & Recreation, in partnership with a number of community stakeholders, will be giving away 40,000 free books to Hartford children at Parker Memorial Community Center. 

Families are invited to choose up to 10 free, new books for each child age 18 and under on a first-come, first-serve basis. Children must be present to select books. There will be activities, crafts, and special guest readers.  

The book giveaway is sponsored by First Book and ESPN, with additional event support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Catholic Charities, the Metropolitan District Commission.

Upcoming
Bug-a-Palooza

Monday, June 11, 4-5 pm
What interesting insects can you find living right outside your library? Decorate your bug catcher then use it to carefully catch and identify different critters. You can take your bug catcher home but all insects will be safely set free! 
HPL Book Scavenger Hunt

DWIGHT BRANCH: Tuesday, June 12, 4:30-5:30pm
ROPKINS BRANCH: Thursday, June 14 3:30-4:30pm
Calling all book lovers, treasure hunters and adventurers! Join a city-wide book scavenger hunt inspired by the Book Scavenger series by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman. Solve a secret cipher to find books hidden in all the Hartford Public Libraries. 
Mindful Moments

Thursday, June 14, 2:30-3:30 pm
Take a break and learn how to handle stress with easy
relaxation tips using music, paint, and your own body.
Build Your Own City

Thursday, June 14, 4-5 pm
You are the City Planner in this fun program—what will your city look like, where will you put roads and buildings, do you want to have multiple parks? Use fun math skills to bring your vision to life!
Radiant Child :
The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Thursday, June 14, 4-5 pm
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings and graffiti art rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. Make your own work of art in his style and listen to a reading of the Caldecott award winning Book Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. 
Hartford Public Library | 860.695.6300 | hplct.org