Baby Grand Jazz this Sunday

UConn Jazz Faculty Ensemble

Hear our very own local performers make some beautiful music together.

Sunday, January 22th, 3 pm

Center Church

675 Main St., Hartford, CT 06103

Seating will be first come, first seated, starting at 2 pm each Sunday. No registration is required. Concerts will continue to be streamed on Hartford Public Library's Facebook page and YouTube channel. Learn more HERE.

The lives of fascinating people

The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man

Paul Newman

Time Magazine Best Book of the Year

A deeply intimate and honest portrayal of a fascinating and complex man.

"It is Newman at his best. … [It] is twice the book one could have dared to hope for, a narrative that is astute, introspective and surprisingly graceful." — The Wall Street Journal

"The book is an extraordinary glimpse into the psyche of one of Hollywood’s greatest icons." — Vanity Fair

Finding Me

Viola Davis

Oprah's Book Club Pick

New York Times Best Seller

Davis shares her triumphant story of overcoming some incredibly difficult circumstances to include a childhood of poverty and abuse.

"[A] fulfilling narrative of struggle and success. ... Her gorgeous storytelling will inspire anyone wishing to shed old labels." — Los Angeles Times

"Brimming with love, heartbreak and hard-won wisdom." — Bustle

Hartford Reads in Color Book Club

for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf

by Ntozake Shange

This work has excited, inspired and transformed audiences all over the country for nearly 50 years. Passionate and fearless, Shange’s words reveal what it meant to be a woman of color in the 20th century and beyond. This groundbreaking dramatic prose poem resonates with unusual beauty in its fierce message to the world.

"Extraordinary and wonderful ... Ntozake Shange writes with such exquisite care and beauty that anyone can relate to her message." — The New York Times

Sunday, January 22nd, 2 pm

Boundless Library @ Rawson reopens

The Boundless Library at Rawson will be reopening to the public this week! The library, colocated with Rawson School at 260 Holcomb St., will be open for public service from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Boundless is our innovative education partnership with Hartford Public Schools that empowers and enables youth to pursue their own interests and create their own future. Learn more about this fantastic program HERE.

Hartford Stage tickets available

Espejos: Clean

January 12 – February 5

(Told entirely in English and Spanish — with respective supertitles)

Free tickets to this "groundbreaking bilingual tour de force" are available now for HPL cardholders while they last.

You can pick up passes at your favorite branch or reserve them online HERE.

School choice: We're here to help

Join staff from our School Choice Assistance Office at one of our branches to learn more about school choice and your options. Applications are due February 28th. Learn more HERE.

Wednesday, January 18th, 4 pm

Pizza Party

Albany Library

1250 Albany Ave.

The School Choice Office at the Downtown Library is temporarily closed for in-person visits but you can reach our staff by phone, email or Zoom (Monday-Saturday, 12-5)

Crochet class for teens

Make a cool necklace and maybe some friends too.

Thursday, January 19, 3 pm

Dwight Library

7 New Park Ave.

Popcorn & PJs with Read To Grow

Leap into Learning's Funday Friday!

Slip into your favorite cozy PJs and pop open the gift box filled with our featured book, crayons, sketch pad and popcorn.

Author Gaia Cornwall will read her book The Best Bed For Me. Popcorn and PJs is brought to you by Read to Grow and made possible by generous supporters.

Friday, January 27th at 7 pm

Space is limited. First come, first served.

Helping you stay warm this winter

We will distribute gently used/new coats, gloves and socks for all. Join us and also enjoy a warm cup of hot cocoa.

Thursday, January 26th

Dwight Library

7 New Park Ave.

Big gratitude

Thank you to everyone who made a contribution to our HPL Restore & Renew campaign to help cover the cost of any repairs or restorations to the Downtown Library that may not covered by insurance.

We are grateful to all of our community partners who have jumped in to help and to each of you for your support. Thank you!

You can learn more or make a donation HERE.

Check out our FAQ document that will be regularly updated with the latest information on our Downtown Library and how we are adjusting operations.

COVID-19 vaccine clinics, testing and masks for you

This week's vaccine clinic:

Thursday, January 19th, 1-5:30pm

Albany Library

1250 Albany Ave.

Ages 12 and up (no appointment needed)

COVID-19 tests, masks

The City of Hartford will be distributing N95 masks, thermometers and at-home COVID-19 testing kits to Hartford residents. Supplies are available at the following locations:

Albany Library