Berkins on Main

Ribbon Cutting This Wednesday

Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam at Berkins on Main with owners Doug Barber and Andréa Hawkins.

Official Ribbon Cutting

January 17, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Celebrate with us and coffee, food, coffee, speakers and more coffee. (did we mention coffee?)

Speaker presentations start at 12 p.m.

HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:

Check out what we're reading

Celebrating The Best of 2023

The Bee Sting

Paul Murray

 The New York Times Top 10 Books of 2023

An epic saga that follows an Irish family through many struggles and fortunes, and the discovery of what it means to be a good person.

"Every paragraph is marked by Murray’s stylistic brilliance and daring.” —The Washington Post

“Murray’s writing is pure joy . . . "

—The New York Times Book Review

If I Survive You

Jonathan Escoffery

The 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

A beautiful collection of linked short stories about a Jamaican family struggling to survive and to remain hopeful at the same time.

"Escoffery's debut is nothing short of breathtaking." —The Today Show

"Remarkable . . . [there is an] immense talent on display in this debut." —Cory Oldweiler, Minneapolis StarTribune

Baby Grand Jazz

John Kordalewski Trio Performs This Sunday!

January 14, 3 p.m.

Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC) at the Downtown Library

John Kordalewski is best known as the leader, pianist, and arranger for the Makanda Project, a 13-piece, Boston-based ensemble. He is also arranger and conductor for the Chicago-based Chico Freeman orchestra and he currently works with the Ricky Ford Quartet, as well as leading his own groups. The music is a wide-ranging mixture of original compositions, pieces by Thelonious Monk and Makanda Ken McIntyre, as well as reflecting the musicians' experiences traveling over the world. 

Listen to the trio's 2021 Baby Grand Jazz performance HERE

John Kordalewski, piano

Wes Brown, bass

Royal Hartigan, drums 

Learn more about the entire series HERE

We're celebrating the 20th season of Baby Grand Jazz with the support of a generous three-year sponsorship from The Kaman Foundation. Our free series features accomplished jazz musicians and bands from around the region. 

See a Show at Hartford Stage

Simona's Search

January 18 – February 11, 2024

Simona’s Search is a riveting exploration of the bond between fathers and daughters, love and sacrifice, nature and nurture. From one of the writers and producers of Netflix’s Ozark comes this gripping world premiere. Learn more HERE

Free tickets are now available to HPL cardholders!

Reserve your tickets HERE

We are having so much fun celebrating our 250th birthday!

Hartford Public Library is Turning 250! 

We're kicking off a milestone year of festivities and reflections on the incredible history of this beloved place like no other.

HPL 250 Birthday Party

Thursday January 18, 3:30 p.m.

Camp Field Branch Library

We're taking our birthday celebration to all our neighborhood branches. We’ll have cake, activities, storytelling, face painting and so much more. Did we mention cake?

Explore our archives of photos of our branches.

Enjoy a sampling of images and ephemera from our past HERE

Learn more about our 250th year HERE!

P.S. Check out this great article in the CT Insider that shares more about our celebration and history HERE

A Place Like No Other

HPL offers engaging, educational, and fun programming for all ages.

Check out our calendar of programming HERE and head to your favorite branch!

Check out some of our upcoming programming:

Arts and Crafts @ Albany

Wednesday, January 17, 3 - 4 p.m.

Albany Branch - Ages 6-12

Release your inner artist with a variety of arts and crafts programs

Sleep Better, Live Better!

Thursday, January 18, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Camp Field Branch - For Adults

Learn some practical ways for improving sleep quality. Make a lavender eye pillow to help block out distractions and promote relaxation.

Register HERE.

CompTIA A+ - Classes for high school graduates with an interest in IT

Saturday, January 20, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

West Middle School Branch - Classroom 2016 - Ages 18-24

Learning program for high school graduates providing the needed preparation to sit for the CompTIA A+ certification exams.

“We’re all different, but we all think everyone else is the same, he said. If they taught us that in school, I feel like the world would be a much happier place.” ―Paul Murray, The Bee Sting