Join us in person on Tuesday, May 28 at 7pm as Eric Jay Dolin discusses his new book “Left for Dead".

It tells the true story of a wild and fateful encounter between an American sealing vessel, a shipwrecked British brig, and a British warship in the Falkland archipelago during the War of 1812.

Eric Jay Dolin is the author of sixteen books, including “Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America”, which was chosen as one of the best nonfiction books of 2007 by the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe, and also won the 2007 John Lyman Award for U.S. Maritime History.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, per the CDC.

Join us as we meet with a trained facilitator from the Samaritans on Thursday, May 16 at 6:30pm to learn how to recognize the warning signs for suicide and how to provide support for the person struggling. We will also talk about self-care and post-vention strategies and skills.

The Samaritans have provided lifesaving suicide prevention services in Massachusetts for 50 years through helpline services, grief support services, and providing community workshops to help educate the public.

Stop by the library for a Free Blood Pressure Screening with Lawrence General Hospital Wednesday, May 1 from 9:30am-11:30am

Staff from Lawrence General Hospital will be here to help with:

• Blood Pressure Screening, including follow up if needed
• Connecting you to Insurance Plans
• Connecting you to a Primary Care Doctor

No need to register; just stop by when they are here!

Spring is in full swing, so it’s only appropriate that we’re launching a fresh springtime crop of new programs this month!

We’re offering three special events under the umbrella of our “Growing Readers” initiative, which seeks to create a supportive community for parents of children 0-18 months old and to encourage early literacy. The first is “Sing Me a Story,” led by performer and teaching artist Emilia Dahlin; caregivers and their young children will learn how to engage in singing and music more, employing an effective and powerful method for supporting the whole child.

Parents of our youngest patrons will also want to know about our “Healthy Sleep for Infants (&Parents!)” program, where you can learn how to support your baby’s (and your) sleep: we will review what is developmentally appropriate for sleep at different ages, discuss realistic expectations, and help prepare you for when and why your baby’s sleep may change. To accommodate families’ schedules, this program will be offered twice, once in-person and once via Zoom; the in-person session will include simultaneous Spanish translation.

The third Growing Readers program, “Newborn Class for New Grandparents,” offers new grandparents and grandparents-to-be a virtual 2-hour class that provides the latest knowledge and best practices for caring for newborns. Topics include safe sleep guidelines, back-to-sleep techniques, tummy time, swaddling, and safety precautions – join us and become a confident, well-informed grandparent, equipped to provide the best care and guidance for your grandchild's nurturing and well-being. (Thank you to Methuen’s Castle Fund for their generous grant in support of the Growing Readers programs.)

For older children, we have a couple of fun offerings this month: 6- to 9-year-olds can come celebrate Star Wars Day with us on May 4 (May the Fourth Be with You!), and once again we’ll be hosting One Up Games for ages 8 and up on May 24, an early-release day for Methuen schools. And don’t forget that Murphy the Dog is back from his winter vacation and is looking forward to listening to your children (ages 5-18) read aloud to him – and he’ll be visiting twice this month!

As ever, we’ll also have our usual variety of preschool programs, storytimes (including a bilingual program), book groups, teen programs, and more – keep an eye on the Youth Services Department calendar and Facebook page to keep track of what’s in store!

Happy May, and Happy Reading!