November 7, 14, 21, 28 & December 5, 12 all at 4pm

We’re happy to welcome Art Instructor Lisa Buglione back again to do another 6-Week art therapy painting program for patrons currently receiving cancer treatment or who have received cancer treatment in the past.

Create Still Life & Landscaping watercolors using the individual skills, techniques, and experience you have.

Materials will be provided. 

November 15 at 6pm

Cheryl Field will help us gain the knowledge and confidence needed to ask meaningful questions and feel empowered as you coordinate, collaborate, and communicate the needs of a loved one with their health plan.

Personal stories, examples and insider tips for advocacy and negotiation will be shared.

Cheryl is an author of the book "Prepared! A Healthcare Guide For Aging Adults”, which will be available to purchase.

Then on Sunday, November 26 at 3pm, join us for a Holiday Kick-Off Concert. Local musician Dan Kennedy plays piano versions of popular holiday favorites as well as a few classically tinged compositions of his own.

An artist meet-and-greet will follow, and, his CD, “An Enchanted Noël”, will be available for purchase.

November 13 - November 18 During Open Hours in the Fireplace Room

Stop in the library anytime and swap your puzzles for some new-to-you puzzles! No need to drop them off ahead of time, we have plenty to get the swap started.

We do recommend that you tape your puzzle boxes, or put the pieces in a Ziploc bag inside the box to help keep everything together. Nobody wants a puzzle with a missing piece!

It’s also a great idea to stop in a couple of times during the week, as the puzzles available change with each visitor to the swap. We just want to be sure everyone ready puzzle-wise before the winter weather settles in!

Now that the spooky fun of October is gone by, we look ahead to a busy November – even with several holiday closures for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, we’re chock-full of great programs this month. We’ll be kicking off a new program series, “Reading Is Magic,” for age 8-18, holding weekly programs to celebrate the magic and joy of reading through the end of December! Kids can learn about potions, spells, magical creatures, and more – and we’ll wrap up the series with a magical ball. We’ll also offer take-home crafts each week, and kids can join different teams and compete to see which team reads the most!

We’ll be offering our usual array of storytimes, book groups, and baby/toddler programs, of course, with a few we’d like to specially point out: our Community Connections Storytime features guest reader State Rep. Estela Reyes this month, who will read aloud some favorite stories for her youngest constituents; and art teacher Lisa Buglione will hold a 3-hour weaving workshop for kids aged 9-16, where they will create a potholder from a table loom and a small rug from a real floor loom.

Last but not least, especially for parents of young children, we’ll hold another Parents Peer Group session. If you are a parent of a preschooler (infant-5 years old), you might enjoy this opportunity to connect with other adults whose kids are in that age range, to exchange ideas, information, stories, and advice. (Or just to chat about anything!) Come spend some time with your peers; we’ll have plenty of toys on hand to occupy your little ones while you enjoy some grown-up conversation. 

November also leads into a lot of holiday activity, of course, including our yearly tradition of sponsoring a gift drive to benefit homeless children in the Merrimack Valley who are served by Emmaus, Inc. Did you know that the average age of a homeless person in Massachusetts is 8 years old? Through its shelters and housing programs, Emmaus has served thousands of children since 1985, and on any given night 300 adults and children call Emmaus home. Please help ensure that these children have a happy holiday by donating gifts through our Giving Tree – last year our wonderful patrons were able to meet every child’s wish, and we hope to match that success this year! If you’d like to help, just drop by the Children’s Room, choose a Wish List item to purchase, and put it under our tree by December 15 (we’ll wrap and deliver them to Emmaus). Thank you!!!! 

Keep an eye on the Youth Services calendar and Facebook page to learn the latest about upcoming programs, fundraisers, and special events – there’s always something interesting going on! 

Happy November, and Happy Reading!