Note from the Director

On behalf of our staff, board members and the friends of the library, I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year. The past year has been a monumental one for the Library. We started a much awaited renovation/expansion project with the support of our community. In November, we closed our operations at 1601 Darby Road in preparation for the renovation/expansion of our existing building. In December, we opened our temporary library at Manoa Shopping Center.  We are anticipating for the renovation/expansion work to be completed in early 2025, when we will move back to a new and expanded library that meets the needs of a 21st Century community! 

We are excited about the programs and services we will be providing to serve our community in 2024 from our temporary location. We are thrilled that we are seeing greater numbers of patrons coming in each week to our Manoa location to browse our collection, pick up holds, and use our community spaces. For your convenience, the Library is open Monday through Sunday each week.

This past week we resumed programming for kids, teens, and adults! Children and parents have been able to attend storytimes at the temporary library at Manoa Shopping Center (1305 West Chester Pike), teens have been attending programs at the Kelly Center (4 East Eagle Road) Monday through Friday, and adults have participated in programs at locations throughout the Township. Check out the programs we have to offer by going to our website, picking up a paper calendar at the Library, or reading this newsletter regularly.

The Library continues to acquire new items for our patrons. During the month of December we were able to add thousands of books, games, books on CD, music and more to our collection. Our shelves with new items are expanding by the day. We encourage you to stop by and check them out!

As we embark on this remarkable year in the life of the Haverford Township Free Library, we ask you to consider making a donation to the Library. If you have already made a donation to our annual appeal, we want to thank you!  We are able to deliver our excellent programs, services, and collections with your support!

Warm regards,

Sukrit Goswami, Library Director

Regular Weekly and Monthly Adult Programs

We are happy to announce that our regularly scheduled programs are coming back in January! Please note the location of the program and give the Library a call if you have any questions about where a program is located (610-446-3082).

Graphic Novel Club (Zoom) meets Monthly on the 1st Wednesday at 7:00 pm.

Do you like graphic novels? Join our Graphic Novel Discussion Group! Each month readers discuss alternative graphic novels that tackle real-life issues and non-fiction subjects, and the independent publishers that release both alternative and mainstream superhero, sci-fi, and fantasy graphic novels and comics. Meets on the first Wednesday of the month.

Tea and Stitch Needlework Program - (St. James United Church of Christ - 135 Myrtle Ave, Havertown) meets weekly on Fridays at 10:00 am.

Join us for time to stitch, drink tea and visit.

HTFL Writer's Group (Quadrangle - 3300 Darby Rd, Havertown) meets monthly on the 1st Monday at 7:00 pm.

Are you a writer who is tired of creating alone? Do you need some extra support in your work and want to share it with others? Do you just need to brainstorm ideas with other artists on some aspect of your writing? Come join Reference Librarian Mandy Folwell in our writer’s group at the Quadrangle. Bring something you would like to share, or whatever you are working on, to discuss it in our monthly writer’s group. Here we will support each other, share criticism, and offer advice.

Cookbook Club (Community Recreation and Environmental Center - CREC - 9000 Parkview Dr, Haverford) meets Monthly on the 2nd Monday at 6:30 pm The Cookbook Club is for anyone who loves cooking, likes to talk about cooking, or wants to explore new recipes. Each month we select a cookbook: participants select a recipe, prepare it, and bring it to share with the group.

Quilting Group (temporary library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike, Havertown) meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday at 2:00.

Attention Quilters! Join us to talk about patterns, techniques, and useful books and to share your handiwork through Show and Tell.

Books on Tap (J. D. McGillicuddy's, 33 Brookline Blvd, Havertown) meets Monthly on the 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 pm starting 1/16/24. Join us for this book club at the local bar!



Cookies and Mystery (St. James United Church of Christ - 135 Myrtle Ave, Havertown) meets Monthly on the 3rd Thursday at 11:00am starting on 1/18.

Cookies and Mystery features cookies, coffee and discussion of a different mystery genre.

Hooked on History (Zoom) meets Monthly on the 4th Monday at 7:00 pm starting on 1/22/24.

History Lovers! This book club is for you! The group reads a variety of history books including U.S., European, and non-western histories.



Reading a Round (Zoom) meets Monthly on the 4th Tuesday at 7:00 pm starting on 1/23/24.

A different contemporary adult fiction or non-fiction book will be discussed at each meeting.

Nonfiction Book Group (Quadrangle - 3300 Darby Rd., Havertown) meets Monthly on the 4th Wednesday at 7:00 pm starting on 1/24/24.

Interested in nonfiction? Join our book club featuring only nonfiction titles.

Adult Calendar

Tuesday, January 16

7:00 pm - Books on Tap (McGillicuddy's - 33 Brookline Blvd.)*

Thursday, January 18

11:00 am - Cookies and Mystery (St. James United Church of Christ - 135 Myrtle Ave., Havertown)*

Friday, January 19

10:00 am - Tea and Stitch (St. James United Church of Christ - 135 Myrtle Ave., Havertown)

Monday, January 22

7:00 pm - Hooked on History (Zoom)*

Tuesday, January 23

7:00 pm - Reading a Round (Zoom)*

Wednesday, January 24

7:00 pm - Nonfiction Book Club (Quadrangle, 3300 Darby Rd, Haverford)*

Thursday, January 25

2:00 pm - Quilting Group (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center

Friday, January 26

10:00 am - Tea and Stitch (St. James United Church of Christ - 135 Myrtle Ave., Havertown)

*Registration is required

Teen Programs at the Kelly Center!

Teens (ages 12-18) are invited to meet us at the nearby Kelly Center (4 East Eagle Road, Havertown) every day after school from 3-4:15 PM for daily programming! Please note that these programs are intended for active participation. Registration required for all events and programs.

Mindful Mondays - Weekly Mondays @ 3-4:15 PM

Start the week off with some calming mindfulness activities, sponsored by the Trent Stetler Memorial Fund.

Teen Reading Lounge (TRL) - Biweekly every 1st and 3rd Tuesday @ 3-4:15 PM

Teens take the lead in selecting the books we read, steering the discussions, and connecting themes from the books to tangible action in their communities.

Teen Advisory Board (TAB) - Monthly every 2nd Tuesday

@ 3-4:15 PM

Make your voice heard! TAB members help design the teen library experience and develop leadership skills.

Tween Book Club - Monthly every 4th Tuesday starting 1/23/24 @ 3-4:15 PM

January Theme: 2024 Reading Goals - Tweens (ages 10-13) are welcome to share the book they're most excited to read this year!

Dungeons & Dragons - Weekly Wednesdays

@ 3-4:15 PM

Open to new and longtime players! Create your character, paint minis, and play one-shot and extended collaborative campaigns! 

Art Club - Weekly Thursdays @ 3-4:15 PM

Explore your creativity with different projects each week. Materials are provided.

Gaming Club - Weekly Fridays @ 3-4:15 PM

Video games, board games, and card games for a fun Friday!

Location for Teen Programs: Kelly Center, 4 E. Eagle Rd, Havertown, PA 19083

*Registration is required for all teen programs

Teen Calendar

Monday, January 15

3:00 pm - Mindful Monday (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Tuesday, January 16

3:00 pm - Teen Reading Lounge (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Wednesday, January 17

3:00 pm - Dungeons and Dragons (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Thursday, January 18

3:00 pm - Art Club (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Friday, January 19

3:00 pm - Gaming Club (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Monday, January 22

3:00 pm - Mindful Monday (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Tuesday, January 23

3:00 pm - Tween Book Club (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Wednesday, January 24

3:00 pm - Dungeons and Dragons (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Thursday, January 25

3:00 pm - Art Club (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Friday, January 26

3:00 pm - Gaming Club (Kelly Center - 4 East Eagle Rd)*

Children's Programs at the Temporary Library!

*Registration is required for all programs except for Baby Social.

Storytimes are back! Join us for stories and songs at the temporary library in the Manoa Shopping Center!

Circle Time Storytime - Mondays & Thursdays, January 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, 25 and 29 - 10:30 am. Join Haverford Library’s children’s librarians for a delightful time of books and songs!

Babies and Books Storytime - Tuesdays, January 16, 23, 30 - 11:30 am. Join our children’s librarians with your infant or baby for this quiet and cuddly storytime that includes books, songs, lap bounces, and simple rhymes! Babies & Books is tailored to children under the age of 18 months.

Baby Social - Tuesdays, January 16, 23, 30 - 12:00 pm. After Babies & Books Storytime, it’s time to make some new friends! At our Baby Social we bring age-appropriate toys to our tumble mats so that babies can play and learn to interact in a safe environment while their caretakers get to know each other, share their experiences or just relax while watching their little ones play. No registration required.

Saturday Storytime at HTFL - Saturdays, January 13 & 27 - 10:30 am. Start your weekend right with storytime at the Library!

Lego Club - Mondays, January 8, 15, 22, and 29 - 4:00 pm.

Can you complete the challenge? – Using LEGO kits, kids will compete to become master builders!

Kids Calendar

Monday, January 15

10:30 am - Circle Time Storytime (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

4:00 pm - Lego Club (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

Tuesday, January 16

11:30 am - Babies and Books (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

12:00 pm - Baby Social (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)

Thursday, January 18

10:30 am - Circle Time Storytime (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

Monday, January 22

10:30 am - Circle Time Storytime (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

4:00 pm - Lego Club (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

Tuesday, January 23

11:30 am - Babies and Books (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

12:00 pm - Baby Social (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)

Thursday, January 25

10:30 am - Circle Time Storytime (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

Saturday, January 27

10:30 am - Saturday Storytime at HTFL (Temporary Library - Manoa Shopping Center - 1305 West Chester Pike)*

*Registration is required for all programs except for Baby Social

Surrey Services Bryn Mawr Upcoming Open Houses

Wednesdays, January 17, 24, & 31

10:00 am - 2:00 pm

119 Radnor Street, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Surrey Services, a 501c3, has opened a new Surrey Center for Active Aging location at 119 Radnor Street, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010. This site, which serves seniors in Montgomery and Delaware counties, will offer weekday hot lunches, exercise and other classes, transportation to appointments, and more. Click here for more information.