Gardening Tips & Tricks for the Backyard Gardner

Monday, April 7th, 6pm

Parish Hall

All Saints' Episcopal Church

17 Clark Street, Belmont

Starting a garden this year? Or continuing to garden? Then join us for this program where you will learn some tips and tricks for your backyard (or frontyard!) garden. 

Learn about:

• Successfully growing fruit and vegetables
• When and how to start seedlings inside
• Watering and fertilizing best practices
• Pests, disease and critter management

Behind the Headlines: Understanding Bird Flu

Monday, April 7th, 7pm

Zoom

Dr. Catherine (“Katie”) Brown is the Massachusetts State Epidemiologist and Public Health Veterinarian, and current President of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

She plays a key role at the state and national level in monitoring and responding to infectious disease threats, and has been involved with avian influenza for over 20 years.

She will give a clear and authoritative overview of the nation's current situation and the risk that avian influenza presents.

Equal Justice Book Group

Monday, April 14th, 6:30pm

Parish Hall

All Saints' Episcopal Church

17 Clark Street, Belmont

Belmont Against Racism and the Belmont Public Library present the Equal Justice Book Group! We will read (and perhaps listen to/watch) materials to educate and inspire conversation about racist policies of past and present.

For our first meeting we will read The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. Copies of this book will be held at the library in its current location at the Beech Street Center (266 Beech Street, Belmont). 



John Muir, Ansel Adams & National Parks

Thursday, April 17th, 10:30am

Zoom

John Muir -- celebrated naturalist, promoter of the natural parks, and founder of The Sierra Club -- led an interesting life focused on conserving nature’s beauty.

Ansel Adams is perhaps the greatest American landscape photographer. Learn and see how their lives and works intersected and overlapped at Yosemite National Park.

Led by Eric J. Simon, Ph.D., a professor at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, who leads international biology-themed travel courses and teaches online lifelong learning classes at a variety of institutions.

Earth Day Waverly Tour

Saturday, April 19th, 10-11:30am

Beginning of Waverley Trail

Corner of Waverley Street & Trapelo Road, Belmont

In celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day, join us for a guided walking tour of the Waverley Trail - with some of the original architects of the trail itself! The Waverley Trail celebrates the neighborhood that's home to the Waverley Oaks, an ancient grove that inspired the creation of the world's first land trust and the nation's first Metropolitan Parks Commission in the 1890s.

What better way to celebrate both local and conservation history with a tour of this important nature trail.

This guided walking tour will begin at the "head" of the Waverley Trail (which can be found here) and is best suited for grade 2 children through adults & families. Please register so we can keep track of the size of the tour group and to relay important information prior to the tour.

Neurodiversity: Ally Guide

Wednesday, April 23rd, 7pm

Zoom

Join us for a virtual program put on by the Lark Center and the Belmont Public Library to learn about neurodiversity and the best ways to be an ally.  

The Lark Center is an organization focused on making neurodiversity-affirming, multidisciplinary best practices the norm in schools, clinics, and community organizations. They aim to provide outreach within communities to increase meaningful educational, recreational, social, and functional opportunities.

Open Mic Night

Monday, April 28th, 6pm

Parish Hall

All Saints' Episcopal Church

17 Clark Street, Belmont

Join us for Open Mic Night!

Celebrate National Poetry Month and bring a poem or two to share. Or, share a song, a short essay, even some comedy! 

Come and watch the fun, or take your turn at the mic!

There will be a sign up sheet at the event for performances.

We will have a mic available, but if you need other equipment, you will have to bring your own.

If you have any questions, please email Janina at jmajeran@minlib.net.

Performances may not last more than fifteen minutes. 

Show us what you got! 

Preserving Family Recipes: How to Save and Celebrate Your Food Traditions

Tuesday, April 29th, 7pm

 Zoom

Do you have a favorite family recipe that you would like to learn how to preserve? Often recipes are an important part of family memories and nostalgia but they can be impossible to read, damaged, outdated, missing essential information, or even be completely unwritten. 

Join us for a virtual author talk with Valerie J. Frey, author of Preserving Family Recipes: How to Save and Celebrate Your Food Traditions, who will guide us through gathering, adjusting, supplementing, and safely preserving family recipes.  

About the Book:

This book is a guide for gathering, adjusting, supplementing, and safely preserving family recipes and for interviewing relatives, collecting oral histories, and conducting kitchen visits to document family food traditions from the everyday to special occasions.

Storytime

Littlest Ones (ages 0-2): Wednesdays at 9:30am

Beech Street Center

Multipurpose Room

All Ages: Thursdays at 10am

Beech Street Center

Multipurpose Room

Preschool (ages 2-5): Tuesdays at 10am, Benton Library

No story times April 22-24 due to school vacation week.

Puppet Storytime with Leigh Baltzer

Friday, April 4th, 10am

First Church Belmont UU

404 Concord Ave., Belmont

Through Me To You Puppetry

 invites you to join Newton and the gang for Puppet Story Time!

Newton and his puppet friends take turns reading stories and singing songs with the audience. At the end of the 30 minute show, the audience are invited to say hi to Newton and give him a high-five. They can even stay after the show to play with some of Newton’s puppets during a hands-on Puppet Free Play session! Recommended for ages 2 through 6.

This program will be held at the First Church in Belmont in the Parish Hall. The First Church in Belmont is located at 404 Concord Avenue. Limited on-site parking is available. The church is accessible by the 74 and 75 buses as well as in walking distance of the commuter rail. More information is available here.

Please sign up online to reserve a space.

Pajama Story Time

Thursday, April 10th, 6:15pm Benton Library

Wind down with pajama storytime at the Benton! Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome as we curl up with some cozy books and relaxing rhymes. Don’t forget to bring a favorite stuffed animal to join in the fun!

The Benton Library is located at 75 Oakley Road; at the corner of Oakley Road and Old Middlesex Road in Belmont.

Recommended for families with children of all ages. Please register.

Little Puzzlers

Monday, April 14th, 10am

Benton Library

Come build with us! We will provide building toys of all kinds for your little ones to play and create with. Recommended for ages 2 to 5. 

Toys courtesy of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.







Reading is Magic with Ed the Wizard

Wednesday, April 23rd, 1:30pm

Town Hall Auditorium

Belmont Town Hall, 455 Concord Ave., Belmont

Books really can create magic!

Inspired by Albus Dumbledore, “Ed” decided to become “Ed the Wizard.” Using his own collection of magic books and visiting his local library, Ed began to teach himself the art of prestidigitation. Reading is Magic is full of new effects that allows volunteers to help where they are sitting.  Learn how Ed the Wizard learned it all! Be prepared to volunteer and have fun! Suitable for all ages.

Story Explorers for Kids with the Mosesian Center for the Arts 

Tuesday, April 15th, 3:30pm

First Church Belmont UU

404 Concord Ave., Belmont

Bring stories to life through art! Join educators from the Mosesian Center for the Arts in this special program where families will learn about the art of storytelling and make accompanying pieces of art. This program and its supplies are funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

This program will be held at the First Church in Belmont in the Parish Hall. The First Church in Belmont is located at 404 Concord Avenue. Limited on-site parking is available. The church is accessible by the 74 and 75 buses as well as in walking distance of the commuter rail. More information is available here. 

Teen Reference Hour

Wednesdays, 2-3:30pm

Beech Street Center

Reference Room

The Young Adult Librarian will be on deck to assist teens and teen-adjacent folks with research and homework questions, book suggestions, and any other teen-service-related topics!

Teen Advisory Board

Thursday, April 10th, 4pm

Conference Room #4

Belmont Town Hall

455 Concord Avenue, Belmont

The Teen Advisory Board is open to teens in grades 7-12. Come meet with other teens and your adorable young adult librarian to help brainstorm new programs, activities, and volunteer opportunities. This is a Community Service Opportunity. Questions? Email Maya Escobar at mescobar@minlib.net or

 askbelmontya@minlib.net.

Genealogy One-on-One Appointments

Fridays starting at 12:30pm

Beech Street Center

Reference Room

Interested in learning about your Genealogy or family history?

Meet with our Reference and Local History Librarian, Logan, to learn more about how to use the library’s online genealogy databases to discover your family’s history.

In these sessions Logan can help you get started with genealogy research, learn about the library's digital resources, or help you research a particular family member. 

Registration is required, so please check our calendar for a date and time to sign up.

Please note that patrons are limited to one session per month. 

Questions? Email Logan at lmanchester@minlib.net.

50+ Job Seekers

1st & 3rd Wednesdays

April 2nd & 16th, 9:30am

Zoom

Join us in a professional forum for networking with peers in a safe and comfortable environment conducive to developing new relationships and developing skills and strategies to help in your career transition.

Each meeting features a new topic. Meetings include a presentation and interactive workshop on topics relevant to career transition, guest speakers, access to hiring managers, small group breakout rooms to network, and 1-on-1 coaching guidance.

Participating on a regular basis will give job seekers the many tools and strategies needed for a successful job search.

Register for these sessions below.

April 2nd: Using AI in your Job Search

April 16th: Cover Letters

Virtual Trivia Night

Wednesday, April 16th, 7pm, Zoom

Join us for an evening of Virtual Trivia for solo players and teams!

Registrants (soloists and team captains only) will receive a link to access the Zoom Meeting. On the afternoon of the event there will be a follow-up email that will include the rules and an answer sheet. Team captains should share this information with their team members.

Our questions are geared towards adults in challenge rating, but for families who want to play together, please know that there are no "embarrassing" questions or content.

Participants' will not need video participation, so no need to worry about having a working webcam to play. The ability to access Zoom and view slides on a screen is all you need for this fantastic trivia fun!

Since this event is using Zoom, teams who don't live together will need to communicate by some non-Zoom means - for example, texting, Facetime, Google Hangouts, etc.

Let us know if you have any questions by sending an email to askbelmont@minlib.net.

Please register for the Zoom link!

Cookbook Club

Tuesday, April 8th, 6:30pm

Beech Street Center

Classroom A

Join the Cookbook Club as we cook through a title together each month! 

Copies of the book are available in the display across from the circulation desk. Participants should each cook a recipe of their choosing and bring it ready to eat to Classroom A at the Beech Street Center at time of the meeting. We will be reading The Lost Kitchen by Erin French

Email Ellen Girouard at egirouard@minlib.net with any questions.

This event is a potluck as defined under the Massachusetts Potluck Law.





Page of Enlightenment Book Club

Thursday, April 10th, 7pm

Zoom

We will discuss Nothing Like it in the World by Stephen E. Ambrose.

In this title Ambrose paints the picture of the men whose ingenuity, hard work, and blood went into linking the continental US with the transcontinental railroad.

Questions? Email Chris Tremblay at ctremblay@minlib.net.

Better Read than Dead



Tuesday, April 15th, 7pm

Zoom

We will discuss The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.

Questions? Email May Forkin at mforkin@minlib.net.





Rainbow Lit: LGBTQ+ Book Group

Monday, April 28th, 7pm

Zoom

We will discuss Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass.

Questions? Email May Forkin at mforkin@minlib.net

Dial M for Movies

Friday, April 25th, 6:30pm

Beech Street Center

Multipurpose Room

Join Director Peter Struzziero and fellow movie aficionados for a movie screening of The Founder. 

We'll bring the concession snacks, you bring yourself!