Register now: Program begins Tuesday, November 22
DIY Shadow Boxes
Mixed-media collage and assemblage with Anne Cubberly

Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 pm
Six weeks, 11/22-12/27
3rd Floor Program Room
Downtown Library

Call 860-695-6320 to register

Anne Cubberly, the artist who creates the giant puppets for the annual Night Fall in Hartford’s parks, will be leading a series of mixed-media workshops using collage and assemblage techniques to create shadow boxes. The boxes can display collectibles or be used as a decorative creation. 

Materials will be provided by the Library, but attendees are encouraged to bring additional objects and decorations.  

Support made possible by Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee.

News
Wally Lamb's I'll Take You There
to Launch at Beyond Words
Connecticut-based author Wally Lamb's new book I'll Take You There will launch at Beyond Words on December 1 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. Susan Dunne wrote about this new book, set in Connecticut, in Tuesday's Hartford Courant.

Read more
New Passport Photo
Guideline: No Spectacles
Planning a trip and need a passport?  We can help!  

Here’s a new guideline about your passport photo. As of November 1, eyeglasses are no longer allowed in visa photos (except for rare medical reasons).

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Trinity Health Donation  Helps 
Childhood Literacy Program
Trinity Health New England, which manages St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, visited HPL and donated goods to benefit early childhood literacy this week.

The basket contained copies of Jan Brett's The Mitten and gloves, which will both be distributed to children during a special program this winter. Trinity Health also gave  a check for $1,000 to HPL to be used for  Early Literacy Programming.
Thanksgiving Week Hours
Hartford Public Library will be closing at 5 pm on Wednesday, November 23, and remain closed all day Thursday, November 24, in observance of  Thanksgiving.  HPL will resume regular hours on Friday, November 25.

HPL Holiday Closings 2016-17
Programs
Poets on Poetry:
Gwendolyn Brooks
Presented by Kate Rushin
Saturday, November 26, 10:15 am- 12:15 pm
Hartford History Center

Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African-American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize, receiving the honor in 1950 for her collection, Annie Allen. Kate Rushin will lead a discussion of Brooks' poetry, including "We Real Cool."

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 1st Cultural Bombazo
with Cultura Mosaica

Tuesday, November 29, 6-7:30 pm
Atrium

Sample Puerto Rican Bomba, a traditional music style; Plena, which is music, chant and dance native to Ponce, Puerto Rico; and Afro-Caribbean Poetry. Learn about Cultura Mosaica and its programs.  The event features Gloria and Roberto Cepeda, with some of the area's best performers. 

1st Bombazo Cultural
con Cultura Mosaica

martes 29 de noviembre, 6-7:30 pm
El Atrium

Con Gloria & Roberto Ceepeda acompañados por algunos de los mejores músicos! Aprenda un poco de la Bomba, Plena, y Poesía Negroide de Puerto Rico, conoza más de Cultura Mosaica y sus programas, finalice sus matrículas, y conozca algunos de los maestros mientras se divierte! 

United Way Budget Coaching
Nilda Rivera, community advocate for Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, holds a weekly free forum for legal questions and referrals at Hartford Public Library, Tuesdays at 3:30 pm.

CWEALF  is working with the United Way of Central and Eastern CT and the Women’s Business Development Council to provide a free, four month, one-on-one budget coaching program. Application deadline is  Monday, Nov. 28. Questions:  Denise Rhone at CWEALF: drhone@cwealf.org or 860.610.6049

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business-meeting-convo.jpg
Lawyer at Your Library
First Tuesday of Each Month, 11 am-1 pm
Upcoming: December 6
Downtown Library, The American Place

Meet privately with an attorney from Greater Hartford Legal Aid concerning questions about rights in the workplace, such as:
  • Unlawful discrimination, including race, sex, physical or mental disability.
  • Violations of laws concerning wages and overtime, family and medical leave, domestic violence leave..
  • Rights of certified or licensed workers (such as Certified Nurse Aides, bus drivers,).
  • Rights of former offenders such as rejection/firing from a job due to one’s criminal record.   
No appointment necessary. Visitors are seen on a first-come, first-served basis.
UConn Writing Center at HPL
First Saturday of Each Month
Upcoming: December 3
Downtown Library, Wallace Stevens Room

Meet with students, graduate students and professors from UConn Hartford, to discuss your writing and receive feedback. Writing of all kinds and at all stages - planning, drafting or revising - is welcome. 

Visitors are met on a first-come, first-served basis for approximately one hour.

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Consulate General of
Mexico in New York
"Consulate on Wheels”

November 18, 9 am—1:30 pm
Center for Contemporary Culture

The Consulate General of Mexico in New York's “Consulate on Wheels” is at Hartford Public Library for its final day Friday, November 18. It is here to provide consular services to Mexican nationals in the greater Hartford area. Passport, consular ID cards, and birth certificate/dual citizenship services will be available. 

Appointments: According to the Regulations for the Mobile Consulates and Consulates on Wheels, consular services must be provided by appointment only. These appointments ARE FREE and can be made by calling 1.877.MEXITEL (1.877.639.4835), from 8 am to 10 pm (Monday to Friday) and from 10 am to 7 pm (Saturday and Sunday) or online here; or also with the APP; MiConsulmex here. For more information, contact the Consulate directly by telephone:  (1.877.639.4835) or visit the website here.
Youth & Family Services
Thanksgiving Gratitude Trees

Join us as we gather for a story time celebrtaing Thanksgiving. After the story, we will create decorative keepsakes for your home. Individuals and families are welcome.

Goodwin Branch, Monday, November 21, 4-5 pm
Albany Branch, Monday, November 21, 4:30-5:30 pm
Blue Hills Branch, Tuesday, November 22, 4:30-5:30 pm
Ropkins Branch, Wednesday, November 23, 10-11 am
Downtown Library, Wednesday, November 23, 3-4 pm
Campfield Branch, Wednesday, November 23, 3-4 pm
Barbour Branch, Wednesday, November 23, 3:30-4:30 pm
School Choice Application Assistance

The School Lottery Application for 2017-2018 is now open.
Need help with Hartford or Magnet School applications? Contact our School Choice Coordinator, Lauren Thompson, at 860-695-6325, and set up an appointment.

We will also offer application assistance sessions at each of HPL's branches in the coming months.

Click here
for more information. 
Teen Services

Makerspace Challenge

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd floor

Come to YOUmedia for the twice-weekly Makerspace challenge. Make personalized buttons, swag, phone cases and more. See Makerspace Queen Angelica for each week's project.

Paint Your #DigitalSelfie

Thursdays 6-8 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd floor

Know what's better than posting a photo your took of yourself? Posting a digital painting that you created yourself. Come to YOUmedia on Thursdays and work on your own digital selfie with Danielle.

Woke Teens Forum

December 5, 4-6 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd floor

Do racial politics affect food distribution? Talk about the social justice issues affecting Hartford with other woke teens.
College Application Assistance

November 29, 2:30-3:30 pm
Blue Hills Branch

Planning to go to college? Interested in college? Applications are due soon. Get the help you need to wow admissions departments by participating in this free opportunity.
Yarn Week
November 29, 2-3 pm
Park Branch

Make your own scarf, blanket, coasters, bracelets, or more. Make a special gift for someone you love or just pass some time. Learn to crochet or knit and get cozy with yarn.
Adult Learning

U.S. Citizenship Classes

Cycles are between 12 to 14 weeks and repeat. Legal assistance with application completion and submission included.

Online Learning

Accessible through the library website in the Online Education & Research Section. All free with your library card! Simply log in with your card number and create a user name and password.

  • Learn a New Language: Learn or practice more than 100+ languages using the online learning program Transparent Language.
  • LearningExpress Library™: Build your academic skills in reading, writing, math, and science; prepare for standardized tests, college admissions tests, and professional licensing and certification.
  • Universal Class: Select from over 500 courses in a wide variety of subjects through a program called Universal Class. Learn a new hobby, improve your computer skills, or expand your job or career options. 
  • Career Online High School (COHS)Earn your high school diploma online, must be 24 or older.
 

American Job Center

Monday-Thursday, 10 am-8 pm
Fridays 10 am-5 pm  

Looking for a job? Feeling a bit rusty on your interview skills or bewildered by all the new technology a successful job search demands? We can help! CTWorks Capital Workforce Partners and HPL Library have partnered to bring a CTWorks "American Job Center" to the Downtown Library.

Have you checked out our
mobile-friendly catalog?
Hartford Public Library | 860.695.6300 | hplct.org