Important Library & Community Resources |
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Although our buildings are closed, our friendly staff are available
by phone at the Easton and St. Michaels branches
Easton: 410-822-1626 | St. Michaels: 410-745-5877
Monday and Thursday: 10 a.m. – noon & 3 – 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9 a.m. - noon & 2 – 5 p.m.
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Sharing Our Memories
2nd & 4th Mondays, 10:30 a.m. – noon
Begins February 8, 2021 (ongoing)
If you have been thinking about writing your memoirs but don't know how or where to get started, this Zoom class is for you! During sessions, each participant will share their 500-word essay assigned during the prior session. Writing takes place at home, and stories will be read and discussed during class time. This ongoing course meets the second and fourth Monday of the month, 10:30 a.m. - noon, beginning February 8. To register, call the library at 410-822-1626 by January 31. Upon registration you will receive a Zoom invitation and the first writing assignment which will be read and discussed during the first session on February 8.
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Cabin Fever Film Festival
The Chesapeake Film Festival and the Talbot County Free Library are co-sponsoring the Cabin Fever Film Festival with a Zoom discussion of The Magic of Belle Isle on January 13 at 7 p.m. If you’re stuck at home due to the pandemic and you have the winter blahs, take a break and enjoy a rare cinematic gem whenever is convenient, then join the Zoom discussion afterwards. This film is free and can be found on YouTube here.
The Magic of Belle Isle and other films can also be accessed for free on Hoopla
for anyone who has a library card from any of the Eastern Shore libraries.
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This Beautiful Fantastic
Set against the backdrop of a beautiful London garden, this contemporary fairy tale centers on the unlikely friendship between a reclusive young woman who dreams of writing children’s books and a cranky widower. Facing eviction over her neglected garden, Bella (Jessica Brown Findlay) meets her grumpy, loveless, next-door neighbor (Tom Wilkinson), who happens to be an amazing horticulturalist. Click here to join the Zoom discussion Wednesday, January 13 at 7 p.m.
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The Zoom discussion will be led by the Chesapeake Film Festival Director Cid Collins Walker and Executive Director Nancy Tabor. Come prepared to have a fun and insightful time! For more information about the Cabin Fever Film Festival, contact Executive Director Nancy Tabor, at executivedirector@chesapeakefilmfestival.com.
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Registration for the Isabel Wilkerson: Caste program
on January 15, 7 p.m. is full and closed.
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Easton Book Group to Discuss All The Pretty Horses
January 18, 6:30 p.m.
Join the Easton Book Group (open to all!) for a discussion of Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses via Zoom . To register, email Susan Sherman at susancs@goeaston.net. |
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Zines! Publishing on the Edge
January 20, 7 p.m.
Join us online for a history and how-to with Yago Cura, Bilingual Outreach Librarian for Los Angeles Public Library. Register here!
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The New Shade Garden: Strategies for Sustainable Landscapes
in the Age of Climate Change
January 26, 11 a.m.
The Talbot County Garden Club will host Ken Druse, author, photographer and lecturer, who will cover The New Shade Garden: Strategies for Sustainable Landscapes in the Age of Climate Change. Register for this virtual event here. For more info call 301-237-3197 or email rmassoc@aol.com.
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Mastering the Elevator Pitch and Interview
January 27, 7 p.m.
A Howard County Library System Program
Learn communication strategies to effectively market yourself in an interview or while networking. We discuss how to present achievements during an interview, what to expect, and how to answer behavioral questions. Making the best impression helps you get the job you want! Presented by Rachel Bachman, M.Ed. - Rachel has over six years of career counseling and coaching experience in higher education. She currently serves as a Career Specialist in the Career Center at UMBC.
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The Day the Music Died: The Stars, the Tours, the Crash & the Aftermath
February 3, 7 p.m.
On February 3, 1959, rock & roll legends, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” died violently in a frozen Iowa field. The event was the first tragedy of the rock & roll era and was later called “The Day the Music Died.” Learn about the final, fatal tour of the three stars and the fateful conditions, events and decisions that led to the tragedy. Hear about the surprising back story and curious facts about the Winter Dance Party Tour of 1959 and the musical legacies of the three stars. This behind-the-scenes look at “The Day the Music Died” tragedy will provide answers to many questions. What caused the tragedy? How did a half-dollar decide life or death? Why was Buddy Holly’s concert tour called “the tour from hell?” What controversy arose 50 years after the crash? What joking comment haunted a survivor for years? What future star received his big career opportunity as a result of the tragedy?
Joe Koper has been a fan of rock & roll since his youth and remembers, as a boy, hearing the news reports about “The Day the Music Died.” After serving in the U.S. Army and earning degrees from Gannon College and George Washington University, Joe’s career was in human resources management, followed by post-retirement “careers” as a landscape designer and crew member on the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry.
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Love, Jane Austen
February 14, 2 p.m.
A Calvert Library Event
Valentine's Day during the time of Covid is much like a Jane Austen novel. As we lead our quiet, domestic lives, we inquire regularly on each other's health and we take brisk walks followed by a cup of tea! Sound familiar? If you are a Jane Austen fan, or want to be, join in for a fun discussion of her works and her lasting impact. Book and movie recommendations will be included. Register here: https://calvertlibrary.libnet.info/event/4777750
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February 25, 5 p.m.
A Talbot County Master Gardener Program
Join volunteer Mikaela Boley for a free virtual screening of SEED: The Untold Story as we explore the importance of seeds, preservation of biodiversity, and the impacts on our environment. The film will be followed by discussion and participant Q&A as we discuss highlights from the film.
Brief synopsis: "Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. SEED: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy."
Mikeala will also answer questions regarding the Talbot County Free Seed Library, a community resource in partnership with the Talbot County Free Library. Through our seed library, we offer additional programs, information, and a free source of seeds for home gardens.
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
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It's Not Too Late to Join the
Winter Reading Challenge January 1-31
For all Ages!
Participate in Beanstack’s Fourth Annual Winter Read Challenge: Books Like Us, sponsored by Simon & Schuster - a celebration of diversity, harnessing the transformative power of seeing oneself reflected in a book.
- Read at least three hours during the month of January.
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Keep track of your reading on the Beanstack site at tcfl.beanstack.org, or through the free mobile app which can be downloaded to your device.
- Grand prize winner will receive a $50 gift card of their choice from either Flying Cloud Booksellers or Amazon.
- For more details on the Winter Reading Challenge, or to order books through our
- Books-to-Go Service, visit tcfl.org, email askus@tcfl.org, or call 410-822-1626.
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Story Time
Tuesday, January 12, 19, 26, 5 – 10 a.m.
Thursday, January 14, 21, 28 – 10 a.m.
Stories, songs and rhymes for families with young children.
Teen Journaling via Zoom
Wednesday, January 20, 1 p.m.
Want to try journaling, but not sure how to start? Join Ms. Laura for talking and writing fun! Inspired by the book, Journal Sparks by Emily Neuburger.
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ABCs of Black History Story Time with Rio Cortez
January 21, 7 p.m.
Carroll County Public Library Event
Join us for a special story time with author Rio Cortez. Letter by letter, The ABCs of Black History celebrates a story that spans continents and centuries, triumph and heartbreak, creativity and joy. Watch live on Facebook or YouTube: https://www.facebook.com/carrollcountypubliclibrary/
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Mindful Start Kids Yoga
February 4th, 10 a.m. (1st Thursday of the month)
Mindful movement for young children. Recommended for families with children under age 5. Past programs can be found here!
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Dial-a-Story Available
Are you missing storytime? Call our Dial-A-Story number
(888-964-2686) to hear a children's book read by a librarian!
The stories are updated every week on Wednesday and will be read by librarians from across Maryland's Eastern Shore. Visit our library's website to check out all of the other programs you can enjoy from home.
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Talbot County COVID-19 Update
Gov. Larry Hogan urged patience at his press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 5, while also announcing measures to speed up the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine. Talbot County Acting Health Officer Dr. Maria Maguire echoes his advice, while also stressing that Talbot County’s plan is well underway.
The Talbot County Health Department has already begun giving COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare providers and others on the frontline of the public health crisis. Health Department staff are currently vaccinating first responders and have arranged vaccine clinics at private medical practices as the first line of defense, or “vaccinating the vaccinators,” as Hogan explained.
While doses of the vaccine are still limited in Talbot County, Dr. Maguire says the Health Department has a solid plan for distributing the vaccine. “Implementation is the most important piece,” she explains. “We have worked hard to make sure our plan is both efficient and effective.” Local health departments are working under the Maryland State Health Department vaccination plan.
For more about Talbot County’s vaccination plan, check out the recent Q&A with Dr. Maguire here.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced on January 8, that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially, only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, January 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, January 13. The PPP will open to all participating lenders shortly thereafter. Updated PPP guidance outlining Program changes to enhance its effectiveness and accessibility was released on January 6 in accordance with the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act.
This round of the PPP continues to prioritize millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $284 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses through March 31, 2021, and by allowing certain existing PPP borrowers to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan.
This webinar will help you to understand what will be required for you to apply and will outline the available options of the PPP and other programs:
☑️ PPP Guidelines for First-Time and Second-Round Applicants
☑️ PPP Revised Eligibility, Uses, & Forgiveness
☑️ Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
Q & A with Roderick Johnson SBA
Washington Metropolitan Area District Office (WMADO)
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
1:00PM - 2:30PM
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No In-Person Tax Appointments at Library Branches
Mid-Shore AARP Tax-Aide Suspends in-Person Tax Preparation
The Mid-Shore branch of the AARP Tax-Aide program, which provides free Federal and State tax-preparation services to taxpayers in Kent, Queen Anne, Talbot, and Caroline Counties, announced that it is suspending in-person tax services for the 2020 tax season, which begins on February 1, 2021.
“We are greatly saddened to take this step,” said District Coordinator Jeff Haertlein of Easton. “We know how much taxpayers on the Mid-Shore have come to rely on our services; but the current state of the Covid-19 pandemic simply will not allow us to open our tax preparation sites safely for our clients and our volunteers.”
“We wanted to make this announcement early enough that taxpayers can find other means of preparing their taxes,” Haertlein said. “AARP is still committed to providing tax-preparation assistance, but that aid will have to be online and virtual.”
Haertlein explained that there will be two forms of assistance available through the AARP website, www.aarp.org. Both methods, Contactless and Self Preparation, will be free to the taxpayer and will be available beginning in early February 2021. It is suggested you check www.aarp.org for updates on the other forms of assistance at that time.
Contactless: Taxpayers interact with Tax-Aid’s IRS-certified tax counselors online or by phone and exchange documents electronically.
Self-preparation: Tax-Aide provides taxpayers with free access to software so they can prepare their own taxes. Taxpayers can also request help from an IRS- certified counselor to coach them through the process by phone or through computer screen-sharing.
As to the future, Haertlein said that “if conditions permit a return to in-person tax preparation this year, AARP Tax-Aide will announce how and where assistance will be available and we certainly hope to be back in full swing a year from now for the 2021 tax season.”
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