- The Main Library is now open on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- In this issue: Giant Gingerbread House - Poetry at the Library - Adult Events - Teen Events - Children's Events - Special Collections Highlights
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Dr. Resciniti's Gingerbread House Has Arrived | |
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Our holiday season is not complete without Dr. Andrea Resciniti's gingerbread house.
Dr. Rescinit delivered her annual gingerbread house to the Main Library earlier this week. The giant freshly baked gingerbread house contains 34 batches of gingerbread and weighs over 100 pounds. It took the doctor a month to finish.
A surgeon at Emerson Hospital (Concord, MA), Andrea Resciniti (pictured here) has crafted and donated her gingerbread houses to the Concord Free Public Library since 1982.
The gingerbread house is on display in the Main Library Lobby this month for the public to enjoy.
Thank you, Dr. Resciniti, for continuing this beloved holiday tradition.
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Poetry At the Library: Helena Minton and Maya Janson
Sunday, December 11, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join us for an in-person Poetry at the Library afternoon with award-winning poets who will read from their recent collections and engage in a Q & A about craft, influences, and their writing lives. Books can be purchased before and after the reading. Conversation, light refreshments, and book signings to follow.
Former Concord resident Helena Minton and Maya Janson of Western, MA celebrate the wild contradictions and joys of life and the everyday moments and meditations on the past, especially the bonds of mothers and daughters.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Register]
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Holiday Stroll at Fowler: Henna and Garland-making for all ages
Saturday, December 10, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Fowler Branch
West Concord is celebrating the season with a Holiday Stroll from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Stop by Fowler Branch to warm up, make a citrus garland, and get decorated with henna (while supplies last). All are welcome. No registration required.
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Mindful Meditation at the Library
Tuesday, December 13, 7:00 - 7:45 p.m.
Trustees Room, Main Library
Join us to share excerpts from books displayed at the Library's new Mindful Reads kiosk followed by a 30-minute mindful wellness practice. Led by Be Well Be Here founder Lara Wilson, who guides the Library's popular online Thursday Morning Meditation. Discover simple ways to befriend the body, settle the mind, and enhance wellBEing. All are welcome. [Register]
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A Christmas Carol Featuring Actors Stephen Collins and Poornima Kirby
Wednesday, December 14, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join actors Stephen Collins and Poornima Kirby for a funny, heartfelt journey through Charles’ Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. This 1-hour adaptation shows Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation from a grumpy, selfish misanthrope to a generous, wise and kindly man, full of the spirit of Christmas. With Stephen playing Scrooge and Poornima swiftly changing between the other characters, this fast-paced, playful adaptation keeps the beauty and humor of Dickens’ original text, interspersed with melodious Christmas carols, and even a lively English folk dance. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Register]
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FREE Online Group Meditation with Be Well Be Here
Thursday, December 15, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Zoom
Join Be Well Be Here for a 30-minute morning meditation practice with the Concord Free Public Library and start your day with a moment of ease. Discover mindful tools that center the body, settle the mind, and open the door to wellbeing. [Register for Zoom Link]
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Fowler Afternoon Tea Book Club
Friday, December 16, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Join Samantha at Fowler Library to enjoy a selection of teas and discuss a blend of historical and contemporary fiction. This month we will discuss Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li. Copies of the selected book are available at Fowler and through Libby. We will discuss the book and Chinese recipes. We will meet in the Fowler Meeting Room. Please feel free to bring in food related to the recipe theme! [Register]
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Teen Dungeon and Dragons
Wednesday, December 14, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Teens - Join Dungeons and Dragons. Play casual one-off games or start a campaign with others. Beginners encouraged. Experts expected to help out! No registration required. Ages 11-18 welcome.
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Teen Board Game Advisory Board
Thursday, December 15, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Teens - Join The Board Game Advisory Board. Register now and visit the Teen Room on Thursdays this Winter. Receive your very own Board Game Board Member membership card! Choose from our game selection at the library, plan which games we purchase in the future, or bring your own from home (board games, table top role playing, card games [Magic, Pokemon, etc]). Popcorn will ALWAYS be provided. [Register]
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Teen Ornament Workshop
Friday, December 16, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Decorate a wood slice ornament - Paint, draw, hot glue, or affix with a polaroid. The perfect gift or decoration to cheer up the season. No registration required. Ages 11-18 welcome.
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Make Your Own Videogame with Coderdojo
Saturday, December 17, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
The Library is excited to invite videogame designer and master coder Matthew Mackowski for the first installment of a monthly program Make Your Own Videogame with Coderdojo. Teen participants will have the opportunity to learn the basics of coding and get an inside look at the videogame industry and what it takes to become a designer. Or if you already have projects you are working on, bring them in for consultation. No registration required. Ages 7-17 welcome.
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Children's Events at the Main Library | |
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Introduction to Italian Language
Saturday, December 10, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
The Concord Free Public Library is partnering with Concord Scholars Institute for Arts and Languages to host free monthly introductory language classes for children and their caregivers. Led by highly qualified, experienced and creative native-speaking teachers, these foreign language classes focus on developing communicative skills while enhancing a cultural understanding of these languages. No registration required.
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Take & Make Gingerbread Kits
Monday, December 12, All Day
Main Library and Fowler Branch
Our Children's Department is offering children free gingerbread house kits. Stop by the Main Library or the Fowler Library to pick up your free kit. These will be given out on a first come, first served basis. One per family. Please note: these kits contain small pieces. We recommend adult supervision for our youngest participants. Generously sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library Corporation.
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Musical Mondays with Hugh Hanley
Monday, December 12, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Come join the fun at our music/play activity session for young children and the adults who sing with them. The sessions will be lead by Hugh Hanley, a nationally– known early childhood educator and musical entertainer who specializes in programs for young children and their teachers and families. Hugh accompanies his singing with guitar and banjo and draws on a wide repertoire of songs, finger plays and music activities that are engaging and accessible to young children. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. No Registration Required.
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Concord Puppet Theatre at Main
Friday, December 16, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Each week we will feature different puppets, new songs to learn and sing along to, and occasional crafts. Feel free to bring your own puppet (sock or otherwise) or instruments from home to join in on the fun. No registration required.
For more Children's events at the Main Library, visit here.
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Fowler Branch Children's Events | |
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Fowler Baby Time, Ages 0-12 months
Monday, December 12, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Fowler Meeting Room, Fowler Branch
Join us for songs, stories, and a chance to chat with other parents. No registration required.
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Zoom PJ Storytime, Ages 5 and under
Monday, December 12, 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Zoom
Get a jumpstart on bedtime with songs, stories, and rhymes! [Register for Zoom Link]
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In Person Fowler Storytime
Tuesdays, 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. & 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room or
Labyrinth Garden at West Concord Union Church
Join us at Fowler for storytime. We will share stories, songs, and rhymes and do a simple hands-on activity. Rain location: Fowler Large Meeting Room. No registration required.
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ZOOM Storytime from Fowler, Ages 5 and under
Thursday, December 15, 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Zoom
Join Fowler staff online for weekly songs, stories, and rhymes. [Register for Zoom Link]
For more Children's events at Fowler, visit here.
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Special Collections Highlights: Introducing Project Archivist Anne Woodrum | |
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Hello Everyone,
My name is Anne Woodrum and in November, I joined the William Munroe Special Collections Department as a Project Archivist. In this role, I will be conducting a collections survey that includes creating an inventory of Special Collections materials, assessing their condition, and capturing baseline descriptions of any unprocessed collections. When I am not focused on surveying, I will be processing collections.
I received my master's degree in Library Science from Simmons University (with a concentration in Archives Management) in 2000 and since then, I have been lucky to have worked in a variety of academic and public libraries in the Boston area. Some of my prior positions include Collections and Library Services Assistant at the Harvard Kennedy School Library, Special Collections Librarian (2011-2020) and Research and Instruction Librarian (2007-2011) at Brandeis University, Humanities Research and Instruction Librarian at Salem State University, and Reference Librarian at the Boston Public Library. In addition to libraries and archives, I have a love for literary studies, and I recently completed the Master of Art program in English at the University of Massachusetts Boston. I am honored to be working at the Concord Free Public Library and with the fascinating materials in Special Collections.
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