We are in the home stretch, construction-wise, and we hope, pandemic-wise, with 5 weeks to go to our substantial completion countdown, and over 200 million people in the US vaccinated against COVID-19, including 8,649 from Grafton with at least one dose, and 4,715 with 2 doses. What does this mean for us? We look forward to opening to the public this summer -- still socially distanced, still masked, without indoor programming -- to offer browsing by appointment along with curbside and home delivery, computer access by appointment, and passport acceptance, notarization, and book donations.

Our shelving will be delivered June 11 and then take about 2 weeks to install and then the movers will arrive July 12 to begin moving us from 53 North Main Street back to 35 Grafton Common. We will be closed to the public (no curbside) for about a month, and will do our best to keep up with remote requests like ebook troubleshooting. Your library card is good at all C/W MARS member libraries, so place your summer reading requests early and schedule pickup for another local library. Our Summer Reading Program will be virtual, and there will be some DIY grab bag activities for pickup at a remote location so we don't get in the way of the movers.

What a long, strange (two!) years it has been! To that end, we invite you to participate in a special art project to capture your mood, emotions, experience through the last year on an 8"x8" canvas, to create our first art display in our new building. Details follow. We can't wait to see what you create.

In April, the exterior siding was painted, the foyer was finished, cabinetry was installed, IT was on site running cable, carpeting was completed on the second floor, bathrooms and hallways were tiled, appliance were ordered, the Children's amphitheatre is under construction, exterior sun shades were installed. In May, we will finalize carpeting, finish repainting the Main Reading Room and give the building some time to off-gas (note: chemical off gassing should be very low as we chose materials with high standards for minimal impact).

Some costs have run over the 2017 estimate, but our Capital Campaign is making up the difference by covering some FF&E costs: IT, furniture and shelving.

Check out construction photos in albums on our Facebook Page:

Take home a canvas the week of May 3-8 and return the finished product the week of May 24-28 to take part in a Community Art Quilt display when our renovated library opens! For more info, click here for the Facebook event information.

Asian American Literature* is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of Asian descent. Asian American literature became a category during the 1970s but didn't see a direct impact in viewership until later in the 1970s. It encompasses the rich and widely diverse cultural and ethnic heritages found in such countries as China, India, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and more. Common themes in Asian American literature include race, culture, and finding a sense of identity. Long-standing traditions have played a major role in shaping the future of Asian Americans. Some literature touches upon the effects of traditional Asian culture on Asian Americans living in a more liberal country.

2019 American Book Award winner, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

2018 Nebula Award finalist The Poppy War Trilogy by R.F. Kuang

2017 National Book Award Finalist Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner The Sympathizer: A Novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Shogun by James Clavell

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Watch this space for a partnership with the Grafton Land Trust! Local Gold Award candidate Girl Scout Madison Berardi created a Reference Guide that is now available for checkout at the Library (and all 4 elementary schools!) and we are in process of developing a series of booklists and social media promotions encouraging residents to exercise body and mind: take a hike with a good book! Madison's beautifully photographed and captioned fact-filled guide book might be a good place to start.

Grab your card and head directly to Gale OneFile Gardening and Horticulture: https://libraries.state.ma.us/login?db=PPGL&locid=mlin_c_graftpl

Not sure where to begin? Read an overview with some tips by our very own Susan Leto! https://graftonlibrary.org/2021/04/14/gale-onefile-gardening-and-horticulture-database/.

Want to visit Garden in the Woods? Reserve a museum pass on our website.

See all of our upcoming LIVE and PASSIVE PROGRAM events, including Children & Teens:

Visit graftonlibrary.beanstack.com to participate or learn more and see a list of all our challenges at graftonlibrary.org/beanstack/

C/W MARS has added over 3,000 new titles to their OverDrive magazine collection! These magazines are always available and there are never any holds or waiting. Go to https://cwmars.overdrive.com/cwmars-grafton/content or open the Libby app and log in with your library card number to access.

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Teen - for grades 6-12 and their caregivers

Children for ages 0-grade 5 and their caregivers

Wowbrary - weekly new releases of library materials in digital and physical formats.

via Zoom

Questions? Please contact info@friendsgpl.org.