Poet T. S. Eliot said “April is the cruelest month.”  

I beg to differ, not at the Grafton Public Library at least. April is shaping up to be a wonderful month at the library – with many activities for you to enjoy. On April 12th, the Friends of the Grafton Public Library will hold their annual Spring Egg Hunt on the Grafton Common between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM (RAIN OR SHINE!) with ‘hunt times’ being 10:45 AM & 11:30 AM. There is also a smaller, sensory-friendly hunt taking place at 10:00. It is BYOB (bring your own basket) and participants can collect 10 (!) pre-filled eggs. There will also be games and face painting on the library front lawn and Springtime crafts and story times taking place inside the library.  

We also have some special activities scheduled for School Vacation Week, April 22-25, including Lego Builders, Science Heroes: Adventures of the Lost Treasure, and (I kid you not) a Poop Museum. For more information, and to register for these events, please visit the library Calendar of Events or inquire in the Children’s Room.  

Besides these fantastic activities, we have plenty more as well: Yoga (for both preschool ages and adults), Belly Dancing, Cribbage every Friday, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saturday Afternoon Knitting, Bookbinding 101, Tasting Tuesdays, a variety of book groups, and a DIY Teacup Fairy Garden! That is a lot, and that’s not even all of them – again, visit our Calendar of Events to learn more and register.  

And if you are thinking ‘wow, the library is going all out for April’ I should tell you that this is what we do. While April does have some particularly special events taking place, most of the activities listed above, and others like them, take place every month. 

But I will admit that April is special – particularly because it is the month when we celebrate National Library Week (April 6-12). This is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities* - How can you celebrate during National Library Week...? Well, you could participate in Right to Read Day on April 7th, National Library Workers’ Day on April 8th, National Library Outreach Day on April 9th, or Take Action for Libraries Day on April 10th. 

April also happens to be National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and poetry and encourage everyone to read, write, and share poetry. If you are looking for some books of poetry – we’ve got them. There are actually a number of librarians who were also poets (Ben Franklin, Callimachus, Jorge Luis Borges, Marianne Moore, Archibald MacLeish, & Philip Larkin, to name a few) As a poet myself, I would love to talk poetry with you – feel free to stop in to chat anytime. 

There are some wonderful poems about libraries too – “In the Library” by Charles Simic, “Because of Libraries We Can Say These Things” by Naomi Shihab Nye, “If Librarians Were Honest” by Joseph Mills, and “My First Memory (Of Librarians)” by Nikki Giovanni, which includes the stanza: 

The welcoming smile of my librarian 

The anticipation in my heart 

All those books — another world — just waiting 

At my fingertips. 

*According to the American Library Association  

~ Tom O'Connell, Library Director

We will be closed on Thursday, April 10 for a Professional Staff Development Day.

Operating Hours

Monday - Thursday: 9 AM - 8 PM

Friday: 9 AM - 6 PM

Saturday: 9 AM - 2 PM

This is a 1969 autobiography about the early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self-possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice.

Request a book, a large print book, a CD Audiobook, an e-book, or an eAudiobook.

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.

Our Seed Library is Open! Grow your garden at home with our selection of flower, vegetable, fruit, and herb seeds, including organic and heirloom varieties! Located at the second level in Borrower Services and Reference.

12 Months 12 Books

The Grafton Public Library is participating in the Massachusetts Center for the Book Reading Challenge.

April's Challenge

Choose a book about books, bookstores or libraries. Click here for some book recommendations for the month of April or visit our endcap display in April!

How the Challenge Works

• Choose a book that fits the monthly challenge from our display
• If you would like assistance in choosing a book, consider asking a GPL staff member for a recommendation.
• After you read, fill out this form to tell the Mass Center for the Book about what you read.
• Dedicated readers will be invited to a year-end celebration hosted by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.

In addition to the Libby app, we have another reading app for our Grafton residents. Hoopla has no holds and no waiting! These items are always available!

With Hoopla, you can borrow and enjoy audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines, or music everywhere you have a screen-your computer, your phone, your car, even your TV. All you need is a library card. Hoopla syncs across all your devices, so you can stream titles immediately or whenever you’re in the mood. Most titles can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet. Hoopla offers more content, in more places, than any other digital library platform and it’s all FREE thanks to your public library! You are allowed to check out 6 items each month on your library card.

If you had a Hoopla account previously through the Grafton Public Library your old login will not be valid. Click on this link to Register for your new account: https://www.hoopladigital.com/register

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

See what is happening

around town:

Top 10 Books Requested in CW MARS

1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
2. James by Everett Percival
3. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
4. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
5. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
6. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
7. Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney
8. We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes
9. Battle Mountain by C.J. Box
10. The Crash by Freida McFadden

Top 10 Movies Requested in

CW MARS

1. Wicked
2. Gladiator II
3. Conclave
4. Outlander: Season 7
5. The Substance
6. Juror #2
7. Nosferatu
8. The Order
9. Red One
10. All Creatures Great & Small: Season 5

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, April 23 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 taking donations on the first Friday and Saturday of the month. The Friends will be setting tables in the Friends Corner for people to leave the books on.  April's donation days are Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.

Friends' gifts are available for purchase at the library.

Members can check the Friend's Facebook page for scheduled meetings.

https://www.facebook.com/GPLFriends

Join or renew your membership at www.friendsgpl.org/join. Questions? Please contact info@friendsgpl.org.