Dear Friend,

It’s always exciting to open a blank calendar at the beginning of a new year: 365 days to explore and experience. I’m usually skeptical of New Year’s resolutions which tend to be lofty and expansive in scope – and therefore hard to accomplish. However, taking stock of your life and planning small steps to take towards the big achievements is not such a bad exercise.

This is true for our small library as well. We had a good 2022 with some major building projects completed. Looking ahead, it’s time to take a fresh look at our programs and services to see what we can add and improve. I’m very excited about “Boonton Cubed” a brand new initiative, spearheaded by local resident, Eric Glatz, which combines Minecraft and Boonton’s rich history. As always, we love it when members of our community contact us with ideas and insights. Do please keep them coming!

With best wishes for the New Year,

Lotte

Lunar New Year

January 22, 2023

We look forward to celebrating the Year of the Rabbit with activities for adults and kids. 

Thursday, January 26, 7 p.m. Adult Craft Night – Mason jar red and gold Chinese lanterns

Register to participate here.

Friday, January 27, 11:30 a.m. Adult Lunch & Learn – Lunar New Year traditions, food, and a craft

Register to participate here.

Friday, January 27, 3:30 p.m. Crafternoon for kids (ages 6 and up) – Dragon crafts and more

Register to participate here.

Youth Builders



Baby Builders: First and second Wednesday of the month, 10:30 a.m. This program introduces children ages 0-2 years to constructive play, socializing, and developing critical motor skills via soft building toys and more. Caregivers get to socialize as well! Register to participate here.

LEGO Club: Second and fourth Tuesday of the month, 3:30 p.m. We bring out thousands of LEGOs for Children ages 5 and up are invited to independent construction and play with the library’s enormous collection of LEGO bricks.  Register to participate here.

Registration is required for both Baby Builders and LEGO Club as space is limited.

The library offers 3 book groups for adults:



True Crime Chat Group: Second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Fans of true crime meet via Zoom to discuss intriguing cases and unsolved mysteries.  

Mystery Book Club: Third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. Mysteries of all kinds are read and discussed from classic cozies to the newest who-dunits. Hybrid meeting via Zoom and in person.

Adult Book Club: Last Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. This group reads a rich variety of genres, from newest fiction to classic non-fiction. Hybrid meeting via Zoom and in person.

No pre-registration is required for adult book club meetings. Please contact us for login credentials if you would like to join in via Zoom.

And also – our newest addition: Kids’ Book Club for Readers ages, 10-13: First and second Wednesday of the month, 4 p.m. Register to participate here.

Did you know? Any Boonton book club is welcome to contact the library and have us acquire a set of books for your meeting.  

Boonton Book Festival Update

Due to venue complications, the book fest is postponed to early April. Please stay tuned for a date!

Staff Reading Suggestion

Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask: Young Readers Edition by Anton Treuer is a user-friendly book of information about Indians -- or Native Americans, Natives, Indigenous -- in North America. The first question is about what terms to use when talking about the first people of North America and the complex answer (at least in the U.S.; Canada has one term: First Nation) is explained clearly and simply. (The answer: The four terms I just used in the first sentence here are generally acceptable, however, the best answer is to ask the individual(s) in question what term they prefer, if possible.) 

My favorite thing about this book is that it offers an introductory education on a wide variety of issues important to Indians. Each chapter addresses questions around a single topic, with questions naturally building one upon the other. The writing is conversational, which makes for relaxed yet informative reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading the adult version for perhaps more detailed answers.

-Annie Mizera