Show us your love!

February is National Library Lover’s Month, the 28 days of the year dedicated especially to the people who love books and the buildings that house them.

Starting next week, show us some library love and help us complete our community puzzle by decorating a piece today! Please color the pieces here at the library using the markers provided. 

As soon as every piece is colored in, the puzzle will be assembled and displayed here at the library.

There are countless reasons to love your local library, and if you’re a book lover, you only need one: books. However, February is a great time to share other ways to fall in love with your local library.

1. Prepare for a warm welcome. Our staff members are always ready to greet the community with a warm smile and friendly face and help you find what you're looking for, and maybe something extra!
2. Browse the shelves. Most book lovers could browse in a bookstore for hours, but why not do it at the library where everything is FREE? Peruse the stacks and see catches your eye. Can't find what you want? Ask us and we'll set up an interlibrary loan.
3. Bring your kids or grandkids. The library is one of the best spaces to host a play date and let your kids explore an environment that encourages creativity and creates lifelong readers. We’ve got great programs for kids of all ages – storytimes, STEM programs, crafts, make & takes, music and movement…
4. Get creative. Crafting can be relaxing and a great opportunity to meet new people. Workshop Wednesdays offer a variety of maker opportunities from handmade greeting cards, felting projects, upcycling creations. The library also sponsors the Quilting Circle on Tuesdays at the Town Hall Community Room. Check out our online calendar and register for something new.
5. Join a book club. Book clubs offer a unique opportunity to read outside of your preferred genre, talk about good books with a community of bibliophiles and meet new people! WPL hosts two monthly book clubs, the Adult Fiction Book Club and the Saturday Morning Book Club.
6. Come play with us. Try your hand at Mah Jongg or play a board game with Jillian.
7. Learn something new. The library offers opportunities for continuing learning. Learn a new game, or join us for an upcoming informational session, class or workshop. The schedule is constantly being updated with new programs!
8. Gain access to a wealth of information and educational resources. Libby, Kanopy, the Ulster Country Info Portal, a plethora of informational databases at your fingertips, and it’s all readily available to you with your library card.
9.  Visit a park or museum on us. We offer passes to several local and not-so-local sites. Borrow them from us and save the admission fee!
10. Last, but certainly not least: read! There are plenty of cozy chairs to cuddle up and enjoy a good book.

As always, happy reading, and happy National Library Lover’s month!

Connect. Learn. Go!

Did you know? Tutor.com can help you get your homework done, write your paper, or study for your test so that you can get back to your life. If you’re getting frustrated, Tutor.com can help you get unstuck. Create a FREE account or log in through Wallkill Public Library's website to get the help you need, online and on-demand.

Students and parents can get help with any kind of academic question in math, science, English, social studies and writing. Expert tutors work with students in kindergarten through grade 12 and can even help with AP-level and intro-level college coursework.

Connecting with a tutor is easy. You just need your library card and any Internet-connected device. Head to Tutor.com. Connect. Learn. Go!

Workshop Wednesday was overflowing with love and creativity. The recipients of these Valentines will be lucky to receive these little paper treasures.

It's Chronogrammies nomination time again

It’s that time again for you to vote for the Hudson Valley’s most outstanding establishments, organizations, and people. (Wallkill Public Library received third place in the Library category in 2024! Let’s try to improve our position this year!)

The Ground Rules

• The top 5 nominees with the most nominations in each category advance to the voting round.
• You can vote once a day for each category now through February 15.
• One ballot per person.
• Vote in as many or as few categories as you would like.
• You MUST submit your name and email address with entry to validate your ballot.

Nominate us now:

https://www.chronogram.com/hudsonvalley/awards/Page#//

Start at anytime!

Join the 2025 Reading Challenge at the Wallkill Public Library! Ask for your challenge card at the Circulation Desk. Read a book for each month as outlined on our challenge card and earn one raffle ticket for every completed month. Complete three challenges, and you’ll receive a special incentive prize plus an extra ticket for the final prize drawing.

The grand prize will be announced later, and the drawing will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026. Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to win fantastic prizes while expanding your reading horizons!

February is National

Snack Food Month

Stop in Wednesday, February 19 between 3:00 and 7:00 PM, take out a movie and get a bag or 2 of popcorn to enjoy while you watch! No registration required. All ages welcome!

Wallkill Public Library will be accepting donations of pre-loved and gently used books, CDs, DVDs, & Blu-Rays between now and mid-April in anticipation of the upcoming Town-wide Yard Sale. So, if you would like to clear some shelves for the New Year and support the library, please drop of your book and disc donations. If you have any questions about what sort of materials we will and won't accept please contact us either by stopping by the front desk, calling us at (845) 895-3707, or sending us a message through our Contact Us page: https://www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org/Pages/Index/225518/contact-us

As a rule of thumb, we will NOT accept the following:

• Items that are clearly damaged
• Textbooks or encyclopedias
• Reference or science books more than 5 years old.

28th Annual - February 14-17, 2025

Join the world in connecting to birds February 14–17, 2025. Count birds in your backyard, local park, or wherever you spot a bird, and submit your observations online by clicking this link: https://www.birdcount.org

Watch the video on the website to learn more about the count. Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use the bird identification apps, eBird or Merlin, your submissions over the 4 days count toward GBBC.

The Saturday Morning Book Club will hold their next meeting on Saturday, February 22 at 10:30 a.m. They'll be discussing The Color of Water by James McBride.

Touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son.

Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist, musician and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.

-- Goodreads

Board Game Afternoons

Mondays, 3:00-5:00 PM in the Reading Room

We meet in the Reading Room on Mondays from 3-5:00 pm to play classic and contemporary board games like Risk, Mysterium, Sherriff of Nottingham, and Scrabble. For teens and adults.

Textile Tuesdays

The Wallkill Quilter's Circle is sponsored by the Wallkill Public Library. The Circle meets for Textile Tuesdays in the Community Room at the Shawangunk Town Hall on Tuesdays from 10 am to 2 pm.

Bring your present project and your lunch and join us! No registration necessary.

Mahjong meet-ups

Every Wednesday at 1 pm and Thursday at 6 pm the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs in the Reading Room. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required.

Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!

Thursdays from 2 - 4 pm

Having trouble figuring out your new phone? Need some pointers on how to send that photo to your relatives? Until further notice, the Wallkill Public Library will be conducting weekly Tech Support sessions every Thursday from 2 to 4 PM. Swing by the library Reading Room if you need a hand, and we'll do our best to get you the answers you need and give you the know how to do it yourself. 

No registration required! Walk-ins welcome.

Recycling made easy

Wondering what's the best way to get rid of those used batteries rolling around in your junk drawer?

The Library accepts used batteries and cell phones to be recycled! You will find the WeRecycle Battery Box located on our window seat. Please use a plastic baggie (found on the side of the box) to place your batteries or cell phones in before placing them in the battery recycle box. Quick, easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly!

With apologies, our Take Your Child to the Library Day event on February 1 had to be rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. Join us in the Children's Room on our reboot date, Saturday, March 1 any time between 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, to do a scavenger hunt - once you complete your list, grab a prize and a free book! There will also be snacks... and some other things you can do while you're here - borrow a book or DVD, sign-up for a program, take a tour... and sign-up for a library card, if you don't already have one! Registration is not required - for ages 12 and under. While supplies last.

Saturday, February 22, 11 AM

Join Miss Michelle for a Special Saturday Pajama Storytime! Wear your coziest pjs and bring a snuggly blanket and your favorite stuffy! We might even play a game or two!

This program will be in the Community Room at Town Hall. Registration is not required - for ages 12 and under.

Zoe the Therapy Dog

Zoe's next visit with us will be on February 11 at 10:30 AM.

Zoe loves to join in on the fun - she also enjoys being read to and will take some gentle pets along the way…she might even surprise us with some tricks! Please register each child separately on our online calendar at the following link: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/13476629

Take & Makes

Did you know that we have weekly sign-ups for *FREE* craft kits? Register for "Miss Michelle's Take-and-Make Craft" each week by Tuesday to pick-up a take-and-make craft kit on Thursday or after! Recently we made Wiggly Snakes, to celebrate The Year of the Snake, and Pop-up Groundhogs with a little winter poem. For children ages 3 & up. Please register each child separately on our online calendar at the following link: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/calendar/wpl_programs_events

February is Black History Month

Check out our special Children's Room book display commemorating Black History Month.

Ongoing children's programming

In the Children’s Room on our lower level

• Storytime is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM,
• Crafting Caboodles is on Tuesdays at 11:00 AM, and
• STEM is on Wednesdays at 11:00 AM.
• We also have take-and-make sign-ups again!

Please click on the button below to link to our online calendar to register for these programs.

New Books for February

• Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
• Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
• Curbside delivery of pre-ordered items is available by request. Call the circulation desk at 845-895-3707 to make a pick-up appointment.
• Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
• Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
• In-person programming for all ages!
• Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for the Empire Pass, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Historic Huguenot Street Tour Pass, Mohonk Preserve, Motorcylcepedia, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
• We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.