ArtWalk Opening
 
WOOD./WORD.
Rafael Oses and Michael Sweeney
Opening Reception
Friday March 17, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
3rd Floor, Downtown
Show Runs through April 30

Rafael Osés ' small word paintings — everyday or esoteric words and phrases, using geometric shapes and simple color symbolism — encourage viewers to consider both the meaning and visual attributes of language.

Michael Sweeney’s body of work,  the books of things we do not know, examines the book as a symbol and prompts consideration of a centuries-old technology that remains an elegant vehicle for exploring one's curiosity.

Sweeney’s carved books cannot be opened and perused, and Osés’ punchy little paintings make their statements blankly. Books and the language they contain are picked apart, examined, and reformatted; this exhibition presents paintings to be pored over and books that cannot be read.


Women's History Month

WE BELONG HERE, TOO:
Women’s Voices in Online Comments


Wednesday, March 29, 6-7:30pm
Hartford History Center, 3rd floor
Hartford Public Library
500 Main St, Hartford

Comments sections are our modern day venues for collaboration, for public discourse, for democratic deliberation. Ideally, digital discussion spaces are supposed to even the playing field for participation. But for many women, wading into the incivility of online comments is like walking alone down a scary back alley, or into an angry mob with torches and pitchforks. Why put yourself at risk?

The harassment that happens in online comments section is a form of the “heckler’s veto.” It keeps many female speakers from publicly expressing their views. This threatens to chill digital public discourse by discouraging half the citizenry from participating at all. Women should chime in. How can we do this safely, bravely and regularly? 

Join our discussion on the topic with UCONN's Marie Shanahan, (pictured upper left), Hartford Courant columnist Susan Campbell, and UCONN student and Daily Campus opinion contributor Haddiyyah Ali.

 

Carla Ten Eyck: Artist Talk
see real women:
really see women

Thursday, March 23, 6 pm
Hartford History Center, Third Floor
Downtown Library

Exhibit runs until April 7, 2017
Third Floor Administrative Wall

Originally commissioned in 2008, Carla Ten Eyck's exhibition, see real women: really see women, is part of the Hartford History Center's permanent collection. In honor of Women's History Month, the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library celebrates a Hartford-born photographer and her work that asks and answers the question, "When do you feel you are your most beautiful?"

Join us in hearing Carla Ten Eyck share her thoughts on how her images find new meaning almost 10 years since the project was conceived. 

Above, left: Marsha #1
Left: Seyenah #16


Call Me Ishmael

Third Floor, Downtown Library

Hartford Public Library invites you to try “Call Me Ishmael,” which looks like a vintage pay phone, but  uses new technology to share reader reviews of popular books. 

 “Call Me Ishmael” is the opening line from “Moby-Dick: or, The Whale,” written by Herman Melville and released in 1851.   

 Our staff has programmed the phone with reviews of these books in honor of Women’s Month: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Little Women by Louise May Alcott, The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.


Traditional Indian Dance
Kuchipudi Demonstration
Friday, March 24, 11 am
Center for Contemporary Culture
Main Floor, Downtown

Sarada Nori Akella will perform Kuchipudi, a traditional Indian dance. Sarada is the founder and artistic director of LayaVinyasa School of Dance and Music in Glastonbury, established in 2012. 
The demonstration will express the nine emotions in Navarasa: Shringara (love/beauty), Hasya (laughter), Karuna (sorrow), Raudra (anger), Veera ( heroism/courage), Bhayanaka (terror/fear), Bibhatsya (disgust), Adbutha (surprise/wonder), and Shantha (peace or tranquility).
Poets On Poetry
The Poetry of Elizabeth Bishop
  Hartford History Center,
3rd Floor, Downtown
Presented by John Stanizzi
Saturday, March 25th, 10:15 am
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short story writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1956, the National Book Award in 1970, and the Neustadt International Price for Literature in 1976.
John Stanizzi, poet, teaches at Manchester Community College and has published several collections of poetry.
Photo:
The O-Tones
Sunday, March 19, 3 pm
Center for Contemporary Culture

The O-Tones trio features Mary Witt on vocals, Wayne Roberts on bass,  Chris Haynes on piano and Mary Witt on vocals.
The O-Tones perform jazz standards, blues, R&B, and Motown tunes. Witt formed The O-Tones in the early 1990s to play at weddings, parties and dances. Chris Haynes, music professor at Springfield College, plays piano and accordion and has produced Witt's two latest albums, Dance with Me and Groove Duets. Wayne Roberts studied at New England Conservatory of Music and received a Master’s from Juilliard School.  He is Visiting Lecturer at Westfield State University and runs Ellingtonia Youth and Adult Jazz Workshops at Community Music School of Springfield.

The 14th Annual Baby Grand Jazz Series, sponsored by The Charles H. Kaman Charitable Foundation.

Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 1 pm. 

Information about Baby Grand Jazz.

We're Looking For Bands
For 2018 Baby Grand Jazz

Hartford Public Library has opened submissions for the 2018 season of Baby Grand Jazz, which runs 16 Sundays from January through April. These popular free concerts have been a staple of Hartford Public Library since 2004, thanks to support from the Charles H. Kaman Charitable Foundation. Concerts run from 3 to 4 pm. The Library live streams all performances on its website. Ensembles must include a pianist who will play the Library’s grand piano. Applications should include music samples (video encouraged), a list of ensemble members and their instruments, and high resolution images for publicity. Submit here

We Love Your Help
The Hartford Public Library needs your support throughout the year. Please consider making a pledge or donation to help us continue to offer a place that cultivates opportunities, empowers and inspires individuals, and fuels a more prosperous future.
We thank the leaders of Aetna, Travelers, and The Hartford, for their generous support.

Classes At Mark Twain Branch
Spanish for Beginners
Wednesday, 6-7:30 pm, March 22-May 17
Mark Twain Branch, West Middle School
927 Asylum St.

Hartford Public Library card holders can sign up for a beginner Spanish course, on Wednesday, March 22.
The classes cover basic Spanish grammar in a step-by-step approach. Classroom instruction will transition to an online program called “Transparent Language,” for continued studies.Classes will be taught by a native Spanish speaker. Class size will be limited to20 registrants.
Information: 860-695-6316 and [email protected]
Citizenship Test Prep Class
Tuesday and Thursday, 6-7:30 pm,
March 22-May 31
Mark Twain Branch, West Middle School
927 Asylum St.

Each class will focus on many of the 100 citizenship test civics questions. We encourage the community to join us for these lively interactive activities and discussions. The classes are open for U.S. citizens who want to improve their own knowledge of U.S. Civics or enhance their skills to tutor new arrivals on their paths to citizenship.
Information: 860-695-6316 and [email protected]
Read to Succeed (R2S) Hartford
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 3:30-7:30 pm
Starts March 22
Mark Twain Branch, West Middle School
927 Asylum Ave.

The classes are a combination of one-on-one instruction with a teacher and computer-based reinforcement activities for adults new to reading.
Information: 860-695-6316 and [email protected]


Chief Charles A. Teale:
The Tools of Learning
Open Enrollment

Classes Continue Tuesdays and Thursdays 5 to 6 pm, through April 13

Tutoring By Appointment  Wednesday
Mark Twain Branch, West Middle School
West Middle Community School
927 Asylum Ave.

Join Charles A. Teale, former Chief of the Hartford Fire Dept., to learn strategies on how to learn, understand, and remember information for academic and professional success. Program is for beginning to advanced readers 18 and older. Register: jeagosto@hplct,org or 860-695-6367.


The Library Is A Place For All

Read About Your Legal Protections
Hartford Public Library Serves Everyone

All community members of  every religion and ethnicity, whether citizens or immigrants, are welcome at the Library.
Stay informed and connected.

Try SCOLA
SCOLA is a new service that uses foreign television programming to help us all understand other cultures, languages and ideologies.

Learn more here.


Geographic Literacy
Maps for All 

Hartford Public Library and the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, launched its Maps for All Initiative, originated by Louise Loomis, on Wednesday, March 1, in the Hartford History Center at the Downtown Library.

The mission of Maps for All, is to promote geographic literacy and a greater awareness of global issues. Library visitors will be encouraged to mark the place of their birth on the map with stickers. World maps will be displayed at all Library branches.

Top picture, from left,: Megan Clark Torrey, executive director of Connecticut World Affairs Council; Michael Howser, director of the Harleigh B. Trecker Library, Hartford Campus of the University of Connecticut; Louise Loomis, Originator of Maps for All; and Bridget Quinn-Carey, CEO of Hartford Public Library.

Pictured left: Louise Loomis.

See a video of the ceremony.


Draw a Hartford History-Maker:
A Black History Community Project

On Display Through March 31
Glass Cases Near  Hartford History Center
Downtown, 3rd Floor

The Draw a Hartford History Maker exhibition kicked off Feb. 2 with a reception honoring the artists who created portraits from photos and biograp hies featured online in 2016's More than A Month series honoring African Americans who made significant contributions to Hartford.  
Read the biographies illustrated with new portraits on the Hartford History Center's Facebook page

Shirley Scott  portrait by Graham Sternberg
NonProfit Workshop Re-scheduled
So, You’ve Decided To Build a Nonprofit. Now What?
New Time!
Wednesday, March 22, 9 am to Noon
Downtown, Youth Program Room, 3rd Floor
Martey Rhine, owner of Management Solutions & Resources, will cover the basics of building a board, budgeting, operational planning, marketing, and fundraising.  Tools, templates, and references for taking the steps to effectively structure your nonprofit organization will be provided.  
Register: [email protected]


Sherry Horton:
Witness Chair: A Memoir of Art, Marriage, and Loss


Thursday,, March 30,, Noon to 3 pm
Main Floor, Downtown Library

Witness Chair: A Memoir of Art, Marriage, and Loss testifies to the power of art and long-term relationship to sustain a husband and wife under siege by illness. The story begins as the author watches her artist-husband hunch over a sketchbook hardwired to his latest project, designs and historical texts for a series of enormous steel chairs representing practices of interrogation and coercion used in the 1692 Salem witch trials. 
The author will have books for sale.

Book of the Week
Art Lab For Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media  by Susan Schwake

From creating foamy stamps to paper fish, you are sure to find some inspiration in this book to create your next great masterpiece. The book provides step-by-step instructions, materials list and full-color photographs.

Automatic Drawing Game

Park, Wednesday, March 22, 2-3 pm
Albany, Wednesday, March 22, 4:30-5:30 pm
Goodwin, Monday, March 27, 4-5:45 pm

March is Youth Art Month. Jump start your creativity by using the Automatic Drawing technique invented by Surrealists. This style of drawing begins with no preconceived subject or composition in mind. 

Leap Into Learning Programs for Birth to Five

Planting a Rainbow
Camp Field,Tuesday, March 21, 10-11 am
Goodwin, Wednesday, March 22, 2-4 pm
Downtown, Friday, March 17, 11 to Noon
Learn about the Spring colors of the rainbow and also about the world of flowers

Sensational Sensory Wednesdays
Downtown Children’s Room,
Wednesdays, 11 am - Noon
Interactive play time for children. Each week children will enjoy a new sensory, hands-on learning activity.

Leo Lionni's Animal Friends
Downtown, Friday, March 17, 11 am- Noon 
Celebrate the art and stories of author/illustrator Leo Lionni with stories and activities.

The Wind Blew Story Hour
Ropkins Branch, Wednesday, March 22, 10-10:30 am, 10.30-11 am
Enjoy a windy story with a craft.

Born to Read
Albany,  March 22, 11:30 am -12:30 pm
Blue Hills, March 23, 11:30 am -12:30 pm
Inspire, stimulate and create a love of reading with developmentally appropriate stories, songs and finger plays. There will be bubbles and parachute games with time for socialization and play time afterwards. No registration is required.

Every Child Ready to Read Story Time
Downtown, Friday, March 24, 11-Noon

An interactive program based on the five practices of the Every Child Ready to Read initiative: talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing. Listen to stories, learn finger plays, and sing songs.

 

Make Your Own Bracelets
  Friendship Bracelets and Cords

Albany Branch • March 21, 4:30-5:30 pm
Goodwin Branch • March 21, 4-5:45 pm
Park Branch • March 28, 2:30-3:30 pm

Make your own friendship bracelets and cords for yourself or as a gift. All supplies provided.

Put On Your Game Face

Ropkins Branch
Tuesdays, 4:45 to 5:45 pm

The popularity of tabletop games is trending. There are thousands of versions, such as Forbidden Desert, where players crash land in a barren space and search for a lost civilization, or Flash Point, where you must rescue people from a burning building.
Bring your friends and your favorite games and set up a match.
Writing Workshops At Barbour
Thursdays, 3 to 6 pm
Barbour Branch
Learn the basics of expressing yourself through the written word. .
Our intern, Tinasia, will run the workshops.

Makerspace Mayhem

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd floor

Come to YOUmedia for the twice-weekly Makerspace challenge.

Anime Character Creation

Wednesdays 3-5 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd floor

Animefy yourself and your friends at YOUmedia - or create a new unique character of your own.

3D Sculpting and Design

Thursdays, 6-8 pm
Downtown Library, 2nd Floor 

Learn how to design cool characters and objects to use in animations, video games, graphic design, and more.

Drawing With Kahairi
Mondays and Wednesdays, 1 to 6 pm
Downtown Library, 3rd Floor

Let's talk about anime, pop culture and video games while we draw.
 
business-meeting-convo.jpg
Lawyer At Your Library
First Tuesday of Each Month, 11 am-1 pm
Upcoming: April 1 
Downtown Library, The American Place 

Meet privately with an attorney from Greater Hartford Legal Aid concerning questions about rights in the workplace. No appointment necessary. Topics include unlawful discrimination, wages and overtime, and rights fo former offenders. Visitors are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. 

U.S. Citizenship Classes

Class cycles  range from 12-to-14 weeks and repeat. Legal assistance with application completion and submission included.

Passport Services
You can apply for a passport at Hartford Public Library. Hours are Monday though Thursday, 3:30 to 7 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 3 pm.  No appointment is needed and photos can be taken on site.

The Passport office is now located on the second floor.

Online Learning

Accessible through the library website in the Online Education & Research Section. All free with your library card. Log in with your card number and create a user name and password.

  • Learn a New Language: Learn or practice more than 100+ languages using the online learning program Transparent Language.
  • LearningExpress Library™: Build your academic skills in reading, writing, math, and science; prepare for standardized tests, college admissions tests, and professional licensing and certification.
  • Universal Class: Select from over 500 courses in a wide variety of subjects through a program called Universal Class. Learn a new hobby, improve your computer skills, or expand your job or career options. 
  • Career Online High School (COHS)Earn your high school diploma online, must be 24 or older.

American Job Center

Monday-Thursday, 10 am-6 pm
Fridays, 10 am-5 pm,
2nd Floor, Downtown

 Looking for a job? Feeling a bit rusty on your interview skills or bewildered by all the new technology a successful job search demands? We can help! CTWorks Capital Workforce Partners and HPL Library have partnered to bring a CTWorks "American Job Center" to the Downtown Library.

The Job Center is in temporary space in the Learning Lab on the 2nd floor to accommodate UConn construction.

Catalog Options
Have you checked out our
mobile-friendly catalog?
Hartford Public Library | 860.695.6300 | hplct.org