The Next Chapter at Hoboken Public Library:
A Message from the Director
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Dear Library community,

This August marks my fifth anniversary at Hoboken Public Library. I joined the Library on the day the Main Library reopened after a month-long closure for an earlier phase of renovation work that ultimately transformed the third floor, created our makerspace, and upgraded the building’s heating and cooling systems.
Five years later, it feels especially meaningful to share that we are ready to begin the next chapter. On August 13, the Main Library will temporarily close as renovation begins on the first floor and mezzanine. The project will make the building more accessible, restore its historic character, and create more welcoming and usable spaces for all. This is the next phase of the Library’s long-term renovation plan, first adopted in 2017 and updated as the project has progressed. It is supported by a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust and funds the Library set aside over many years.
Here’s what you need to know:
When will the Main Library be closed?
The Main Library at 500 Park Avenue will be temporarily closed from August 13 through October 4, 2026. The second, third floors and the lower level will reopen on October 5, 2026. Renovation work will continue on the first floor and mezzanine after that date.
What improvements are being made?
The project will add a new accessible lift connecting the first floor and mezzanine. It will restore the building’s historic plasterwork, decorative metal ceilings, woodwork, flooring, bookcases, and original paint details, while adding more flexible seating and creating more welcoming, usable spaces.
Where can I pick up books and other items?
Books and other reserved items can be picked up:
- Inside the Grand Street Branch, 124 Grand Street
- At the Library’s 24/7 pickup lockers outside the Main Library, at the Grand Street Branch, and at the Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson Street
Where can I use computers and printing services?
Computer access will be available at:
- Grand Street Branch, 124 Grand Street
- The Learning Center at 401 Harrison Street
- The Cyber Café on Fifth Street, across from the Main Library
Hours vary by location, so please check the Library’s renovation page before visiting.
Where can I find Library programs during the renovation?
Children’s, teen, and adult programs will continue at the Grand Street Branch, in local parks, and at partner locations throughout Hoboken. Program locations may change during the renovation. Check the Library app, website, or social media before attending.
Will Libby and other digital services still work?
Yes! All Library digital resources will continue without interruption, 24 hours a day, so you can keep reading, listening, watching, and learning from anywhere.
Where can I find the latest information?
Visit hobokenlibrary.org/renovation for current hours, program locations, service information, renovation updates, and answers to frequently asked questions. Download the Hoboken Public Library app, follow us on social media, or call (201) 420-2436.
with gratitude,
Jennie
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Horror/Thriller Book Club Discussion & Movie Screening
Wednesday, July 22
Movie Screening at 4:30 PM
Discussion at 6:00 PM
Main Library, Small Program Room & Garden
One very good dog. One very bad monster. One unforgettable night at the library.
This month's Scary Movie Night features the 1989 film adaptation of Dean Koontz's Watchers, following a genetically enhanced golden retriever who escapes a secret government lab and finds his way to a lonely teenager named Travis, played by Corey Haim, while a ruthless government agent and something far more dangerous close in on them both. Light refreshments will be served during the screening.
Following the film, the Horror/Thriller Book Club will convene to discuss Koontz's original 1987 novel, a perfect companion piece that goes deeper into the science, the suspense, and the surprisingly tender story at its heart. Copies are available on reserve at the second floor of the Main Library, and the ebook is available through Libby. Come for the movie, stay for the discussion.
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Thursday, July 23 at 4:00 PM
Main Library, Small Program Room

Once a year, the library opens up its collection of withdrawn magazine issues to the public, and this is your chance to stock up. Scrapbookers, vision boarders, junk journalers, educators, collage artists, and anyone with a creative streak are all welcome to stop in and take what inspires them.
Something for everyone, and it only happens once a year. Please bring your own bags!
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Monday, July 27 at 2:00 PM
Main Library, Large Program Room

What happens while you sleep matters more than you might think. This educational seminar, presented by Cary Lopez, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Act Now Foundation, explores the powerful connection between sleep quality and brain health, with a particular focus on memory and dementia prevention.
Topics include the five stages of sleep, common sleep disorders and their warning signs, when to seek medical advice, and practical, healthy sleep tips for older adults. Whether you're looking to protect your own cognitive health or better support a loved one, this is an evening well worth showing up for.
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Tuesday, July 28 at 6:00 PM
Main Library, Small Program Room
Dust off your record collection and bring your favorite pressing to the library.
Bring Your Own Vinyl is a free evening of music, community, and the warm crackle of a needle hitting a groove, hosted by Eshrack, who kicks things off with an intro seminar on vinyl care and collecting before the floor opens up for listening, refreshments, and good conversation with fellow music lovers across Hoboken.
Whether you've been collecting for decades or just bought your first record last week, this is your kind of night.
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| Stamp Your Way Around BCCLS | | | | |
Join the 2026 BCCLS Scavenger Hunt - a fun-filled journey to discover the BCCLS logo hidden in participating libraries.
Here’s how it works:
- Pick up your scavenger hunt form at either Hoboken Public Library location starting June 15.
- Visit at least 3 libraries between June 15 and August 15, 2026, and find the hidden BCCLS logo.
- Get your form stamped with each library’s property stamp as proof of your discovery!
- Return your form to any BCCLS library by August 29, 2026.
​Visit at least 3 libraries (hint: the Main Library and Grand Street Branch are listed as two separate locations) and you may win a $50 Visa Gift Card!
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Recurring Programs
Remember to always check our website for up-to-date information.
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Wednesday, July 22 at 2:00 PM
Main Library, Reading Room
Your health matters, and the library is making it easier to stay on top of it. Representatives from Jersey City Medical Center's Community Health Outreach Program will be on-site offering free blood pressure screenings, blood sugar checks, and a range of health resources and information.
No appointment or registration needed, just walk in and connect with healthcare professionals in a welcoming, informal setting.
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Sit and Stitch Club
Thursdays at 6:00 PM
Main Library, Reference Books Room

Bring your works in progress and pull up a chair. Sit and Stitch Club is a relaxed, social crafting meetup where makers of all kinds gather to work on their own projects and enjoy some good company. Yarn, thread, embroidery, knitting, crochet, you name it, all are welcome. Please note this is a self-guided club, so bring your own materials and come ready to craft at your own pace.
No instruction or lessons are provided. All skill levels welcome.
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Story Time with Jack and Bill
Saturday, July 25 at 11:00 AM
Grand Street Branch
Saturday mornings are always fun when Jack and Bill come to Grand Street!
This month the beloved duo is reading If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't! by Elise Parsley, a hilariously cautionary tale for anyone who has ever had a very big idea and perhaps not thought it all the way through. Stick around after the story for a craft to bring the fun home. Perfect for little readers and their grown-ups looking for a great way to kick off the weekend.
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Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club
Monday, July 27 at 6:00 PM
Main Library, Large Program Room

Two sworn enemies. One ship full of secrets. And something waiting in the dark that neither of them saw coming. The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club returns to discuss Eliot Schrefer's The Darkness Outside Us, a propulsive and atmospheric space thriller about Ambrose, who wakes aboard the Coordinated Endeavor with no memory of launch, a ship's AI voiced by his mother, and a brooding, barricaded shipmate who is the last person he wants to trust. With his sister's life on the line and the truth of their mission growing stranger by the hour, the two will have to find common ground fast.
Come ready for a conversation as twisty as the book itself!
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Tuesdays at 3:30 PM
Columbus Park
The library is coming to you!
Catch the BookBike every Tuesday at Columbus Park, where you can check out books, return them, and sign up for a library card right in the heart of the neighborhood. Children's Story Time kicks off at 3:30 PM, and the BookBike stays until 4:30 PM. All ages are welcome.
Please note this program is weather permitting, so check the calendar before heading out.
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The Waterbearers
by Sasha Bonet
Three generations of single Black mothers, a bayou in Texas, and a lineage of women who built entire universes out of their own labor and love.
Sasha Bonét's The Waterbearers is a breathtaking work of life writing that traces her grandmother Betty Jean, her mother Connie, and herself across time, weaving their intimate family history together with the stories of the Black women who shaped American culture from Nina Simone to Audre Lorde to Darnella Frazier.
Sharp, tender, and genuinely sweeping in its ambition, this is a book about the weight mothers carry, the patterns that pass between generations, and what it takes to be the first in your family to look back clearly enough to imagine something new. A masterpiece from a thrilling new voice.
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Nav's Fool Proof Guide to Falling in Love
by Jessica Lewis
Nav has flirting down to a science and a very firm policy against catching feelings herself. But when shy new girl Gia shows up asking for romance lessons in exchange for a spot at the camp where Nav's best friend Hallie is spending the summer, Nav's carefully constructed rules start looking a lot less foolproof.
Jessica Lewis delivers a sharp, swoony summer romance full of best friend loyalty, slow-burn tension, and the particular chaos of trying to engineer everyone else's love life while your own sneaks up on you.
Perfect for readers who love a good scheme that goes beautifully, messily wrong.
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Detective Stanley and the Green-Thumbed Thief
by Hannah Tunnicliffe
Detective Stanley just wanted a quiet morning at the botanic gardens. But a priceless orchid has gone missing, his new friend Parker Pines is the prime suspect, and it turns out retirement is no match for a good mystery.
Hannah Tunnicliffe's charming whodunit is perfect for young readers who love puzzles, plant facts, and a detective who can't help but get back in the game.
Budding sleuths will be racing to crack the case right alongside Stanley.
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