Important Library & Community Resources
Monday and Thursday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday and Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Easton: 410-822-1626 | St. Michaels: 410-745-5877
Talbot County Free Library | www.tcfl.org

TCFL Opens Saturdays Beginning August 14

Beginning August 14 both the Easton and St. Michaels branches will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Masks Required to Enter Library
 
All individuals ages two and older who enter Talbot County Free Library buildings will be required to wear a mask or a face covering, regardless of vaccination status.

The library is making this change due to the rising cases of COVID-19 among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in our area and as a result of a recommendation made by the Talbot County Health Officer.

Safety Reminders:
  • Do not come to the library if you are sick.
  • Face coverings that cover your nose and mouth are required for staff, patrons, and visitors (no chin masks please). Masks are available while supplies last.
  • Maintain a six-foot distance between yourself and others.
  • If visiting with children under 8, help them follow safety guidelines.
  • Outdoor programs do not require mask usage.

Service Reminders:
  • If you prefer remote assistance, library staff continue to be available to help by telephone and email.
  • The library continues to offer many virtual and outdoor programs for all ages.
  • Printing of 5 free black and white pages per day remains available.
  • Meeting rooms are open for public use, at reduced capacity. 
  • Study rooms are available at the Easton Library.
  • Wi-Fi is available at both branches.

Vaccines continue to be available from the Talbot County Health Department with clinics offered Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 12 - 6 p.m. No appointment is needed, and vaccines are free. Call the Health Department at 410-819-5641 for assistance.
We appreciate your understanding and support. Thank you for helping us to keep everyone healthy by wearing a mask while inside the library.
Wi-Fi Hotspots Available for Check-out

New and improved Kajeet Wi-Fi hotspots are now available for check-out. A WiFi Hotspot is a small portable device that enables users to connect their laptop, Chromebook, smartphone, tablet, and other WiFi-enabled device to the Internet through local cellular networks. The library’s WiFi Hotspots, also known as Kajeet SmartSpots, operate on the Verizon cellular network. These devices are meant to be paired with your own laptop, Chromebook, or other WiFi enabled device. The Kajeet SmartSpots can be borrowed for a one-week period, free of charge, by library cardholders 18 and older in good standing. To borrow a hotspot, visit the circulation desk at either branch.
One Maryland One Book Selection
Available for Check-Out

This year's One Maryland One Book (the Maryland Humanities program in which people all across the state read the same book at the same time) is Ross Gay's The Book of Delights. In its review of Gay's book, The New York Times said, "The delights he extols here (music, laughter, generosity, poetry, lots of nature) are bulwarks against casual cruelties. As such they feel purposeful and imperative as well as contagious in their joy.”  Both branches of the Talbot County Free Library now have plenty of copies of The Book of Delights available for check-out. 

Library guy Bill Peak's column about the book is scheduled to run in this coming Sunday's (August 1) Star Democrat. Bill will host discussions of the book via Zoom on Tuesday, September 7, at 6 p.m., and again on Friday, September 10, at 2 p.m.  
To participate, click here and type in the passcode 679571.

Bill will also host the Easton Book Group’s Zoom discussion of the book on Monday, September 20, at 6:30 p.m. This group is open to all, so if that date works better for you, please email Susan Sherman at ssherman@tcfl.org no later than 5:30 p.m. on September 20 to let her know you would like to participate. 
ADULT PROGRAMMING
Sharing Our Memories
2nd & 4th Mondays, 10:30 a.m. – noon (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. To register, call the library at 410-822-1626. Upon registration you will receive a Zoom invitation and a writing assignment which will be read and discussed during the next session.

Book Discussion: Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Monday, August 16, 6:30 p.m.
IN PERSON! Easton Library Meeting Room

The Easton Book Group (open to all) discusses Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout. For questions, email Susan Sherman at ssherman@tcfl.org.
Family Law Assistance Clinic
Thursday, September 2, 4:30 - 6:30
Easton Library Meeting Room

Free family law assistance is available by calling Barbara Mitchell, Family Services Coordinator, at 410-770-6806 to schedule an appointment. Appointments must be made in advance by 3:00 p.m. the day of the clinic.
CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
Be an Engineer! Science in the Summer
Extended through August 31!
For children ages 7-13, and fun for the whole family!

The GSK Science in the Summer™ Be an Engineer program has been extended throughout the month of August. Through online videos and at-home experiments, children take on the roles of different engineers to solve real-world problems. Learn more here. FREE Science in the Summer take-home kits available through August 31, while supplies last. REGISTER HERE, and visit the Easton Library or St. Michaels branch to pick up your kit.
Outdoor Preschool Story Time
August 17, 10 a.m. (Easton Library, Children's Garden)

Stories, songs and rhymes recommended for children birth – 5 years (with parent or caregiver). Bring your own blanket. In case of inclement weather, event will be cancelled. Registration is limited and required: http://www.tcfl.org/child/programreg/
Daniel Tiger to Visit Easton Branch
Saturday, August 21, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

On Saturday, August 21st, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Daniel Tiger is coming to the Talbot County Free Library branch in Easton for a FREE event! No registration required.
Talbot County Free Library, and Maryland Public Television, are proud to present Be My Neighbor Day. Come to the library in Easton on Saturday, August 21, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. to meet Daniel Tiger and community neighbors. These activities are powered by PNC "Grow Up Great," the Talbot County Free Library, and our community's early literacy partners. Have FUN with music, crafts, and more! Find more information at the library's website, or call 410-822-1626.

Creative Journaling via Zoom
Wednesday, August 25, 4 p.m.

Join Ms. Laura for artful word and color play with your notebook, pens, and coloring supplies. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Register here or call 410-822-1626.
Mindful Start Kids Yoga
Monday, September 6, 10 a.m.

Mindful movement for young children on Facebook. Recommended for families with children ages birth -7 years. Past programs can be found here!


Family Crafts - St. Michaels Branch
Thursday, Sep 16, 3:30 p.m.

Bring the family and make Back-to-School Folders!
Come visit the Library's table at the Festival of Hope!

End-of-Summer Art Sale

Come check out the library's end-of-summer art sale! Affordable art for your home or as a gift, available for HALF PRICE.
On display in the lobby at the Easton branch.
Talbot County is currently updating its Hazard Mitigation and Community Resilience Plan. This is a federally mandated plan that must be updated and approved by FEMA every five years. One of the first steps of this planning process is to survey the public on hazards that impact our area. This is an eight-question survey that takes only a few minutes. Please feel free to share this survey far and wide. Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K6ZZ9HS
 
To learn more about our planning process, please visit www.talbothazardplan.org. Our hazard mitigation and community resilience plan is the foundation to our planning and preparedness efforts in minimizing impacts from hazards that our area experiences. It is our priority to prepare for, mitigation from, respond to, and recovery from hazards that impact Talbot County. This plan addresses action items and strategies that sustain the pillars that establish the foundation of resiliency in our county: Education; Public Safety, Health and Welfare; Economic Stability; Infrastructure; and Environmental.
Governor Hogan Announces $1 Million VaxU Scholarship Promotion
Winners Will Receive $50,000 Scholarship,
Covers Full Tuition and Fees
For a Public, In-State Institution
Vaccinated 12- to 17-Year-Olds In Maryland Eligible
Drawings To Begin Next Week, Run Through Labor Day

Governor Larry Hogan today announced the launch of the $1 million VaxU Scholarship Promotion, an incentive program to encourage 12- to 17-year-olds to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Winners will receive a $50,000 scholarship, which covers the equivalent of full tuition and fees at a public, in-state institution of higher education. The Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will jointly administer this initiative, which will select 20 winners through random drawings between now and Labor Day. Learn more here.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES HOSTED BY THE EEDC

The Easton Economic Development Corporation is sponsoring music in downtown Easton this summer! Come listen to local musicians in the heart of Easton's historic district while you enjoy shopping and dinning in the most charming small town on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Don't forget to check out the full Easton events calendar for even more festivals, music, and activities hosted by other organizations and local businesses. There is always something happening around town!

Saturday, August 14, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - PENNY PISTOLERO at The Tidewater Inn
Friday, August 20, 6 - 9 p.m. - OPEN MIC at Thompson Park
Saturday, August 21, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - YES AND NO BAND at The Tidewater Inn
Friday, August 27, 6 - 9 p.m. - JAYME DINGLER
Saturday, August 28, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. - MAC AND BLUE at The Tidewater Inn

Jazz Alive

Dedicated to the continuation and preservation of jazz, Jazz Alive will be performing public concerts at the Waterfowl Building in Easton. Check out their schedule here!


Your Voice Matters!

Click here to take the survey for Caroline, Kent, and Talbot Transit Development Plan.