Greetings!

February invites us to reflect on, and share affection for, the people in our lives who are near and dear to our hearts. Amid the candy, chocolate, and flowers, we take time to honor those who support us, cheer us on, and want the very best for us. We celebrate the people we love.

In my first couple of months here, there is a lot of love bopping around the library! Some of my favorite moments include:

• Two- and three-year-olds joyfully singing and dancing at storytime
• Teens trading study notes (and snacks) on the community room floor
• Helping someone successfully fax important medical paperwork to the right agency
• A middle school student excitedly checking out a book to read, for the very first time
• Adults sharing their time and talents while crafting their latest art projects

A few years ago, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners began an initiative called Love Mass Libraries. Residents of our town and state took a moment to share their love for their local libraries with a variety of photos, videos, hand made cards and stories like the ones listed above. It fills my heart to see the impact that these trusted institutions have on their communities. As part of this program, the library is hosting an I Love My Library display. Share the love by writing what you appreciate about the library on a paper heart and posting it for all to see.

At GPL, we are ready to support you, cheer you on, and want the best for you, too. We take great joy in serving our community! The next time you visit, I wonder if you can spot some of this library love.

After all, there’s always something new to love at your local library.

Warm wishes,

Katrina Ireland-Bilodeau, Director

CLOSED

Monday, February 16, CLOSED – President’s Day

OPERATING HOURS

Monday - Thursday: 9 AM - 8 PM

Friday: 9 AM - 6 PM

Saturday: 9 AM - 2 PM

Stop by a circulation desk to pick up your heart and submit it for the I Love My Library display.

Thank you to everyone who donated so generously to the Holiday Giving Tree. The new or gently used hats, mittens, gloves, and socks were donated to The Mustard Seed in Worcester, Massachusetts.

For more information about The Mustard Seed, please visit their website and Facebook pages.

The Borrower Services and Reference staff invite you to 

check out an item from our curated staircase displays in 

Room 201 - Large Print/New Books.

For February's Reading Challenge, choose a book outside your usual genres, spin the genre wheel on the Massachusetts Center for the Book website, or scan the QR code above.

In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater

and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe. As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.

Request a book, a Large Print book, a Wonderbook, a CD Audiobook, an e-book, or an eAudiobook.

The Grafton Seed Library is returning in March 2026! To help us get ready, we're asking our patrons and community for donations of flower, fruit, or vegetable seeds. We accept:

• Unopened packets of seeds, up to 2 years old
• Leftover seeds from opened packets
• Seeds from your garden

All seeds should be in good condition, stored in a dry and cool place out of direct sunlight. If they are not in a sealed package, please place them in a Ziplock bag and label it with the species and variety of seeds.

Donations can be dropped off at the Grafton Public Library during our usual hours. If you have any questions, let us know at leveilles@graftonlibrary.org.

Do you love to cook and bake? Want to connect with others who do too?

Join us this February at the Grafton Public Library for our monthly gathering of food lovers and kitchen experimenters!

This month’s theme is "Something Green" invites cooks of all skill levels to explore fresh, flavorful dishes inspired by the color green. Participants are encouraged to prepare and share a dish that features green as a key element, whether it’s a classic favorite or a bold new experiment. Come swap recipes, taste something new, and enjoy a relaxed evening with other people of the community.

Registration opens February 13th.

See all of our upcoming events, including Children & Teens:

See what is happening

around town:

Check out the CW MARS OverDrive website for a great selection of eAudiobooks and eBooks.

The next scheduled Board of Library Trustees meeting is Wednesday, February 25, from 7-9 p.m. in Meeting Room A at the Grafton Municipal Center. The agenda will be posted on the Town of Grafton website: 

https://www.grafton-ma.gov/AgendaCenter/Board-of-Library-Trustees-Grafton-Public-9

The Friends of the Grafton Public Library will be accepting donations on the first Friday and Saturday of each month. Tables will be set up in the Friends Corner where you can drop off your books.

The next donation days are Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7, 2026. The Friends will be accepting all gently used books, DVDs, CDs, games & complete puzzles on Friday, February 6, from 9 AM - 5:45 PM and Saturday, February 7, from 9 AM -1:45 PM. Please, no textbooks or heavily damaged items. Items may be brought to the Friends Corner area on the first level to the right upon entering.

For book sales and other information, please visit us at: FACEBOOK.COM/GPLFRIENDS.

Friends’ gifts are available for purchase at the library.

Stay connected! Visit the Friends’ Facebook page for book sale updates, meeting schedules, and more: facebook.com/GPLFriends.

Join or renew your membership at www.friendsgpl.org/join.

Questions? Contact info@friendsgpl.org.

Have recommendations of ebooks the Library should purchase?

Need reference, research, reader's advisory or information

and referral help?

Have questions?