May 2023

A Note from the Director

Please join us in May for a celebration of correspondence and cuisine! Love & Saffron: A Novel of Food, Friendship, and Love by Kim Fay is our 2023 Community Read. This short and sweet epistolary (written in the form of letters) novel focuses on correspondence between a food columnist and a fan that evolves into a wonderful friendship. They exchange recipes, ingredients, and details about their lives. Each voice is distinctive and their letters give a glimpse into life in the Northwestern US in the 1960s and touches on politics, history, love, race, and food trends. It is a a fast, richly detailed read, and our Reference Librarian has put together a lineup of programming and a book discussion on the evening of May 11 to feature this book.

Free Comic Book Day is THIS Saturday! Thanks to all of our local comic book partners and Diamond Distributors for organizing this event.

We are very pleased to partner with Willard House, Apple Tree Arts, and the India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB) for programs this month; check out the complete lineup of May events at https://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=GRAFTON.

April showers bring May flowers... but only if we weed and water! Gardening help is still needed. Please complete an application at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGYAhmhj5gxroJZwDkmLv7bQTPbnmWtB_gj3XOS1zxOP1kAA/viewform.

May also marks Town Meeting and Town Elections. If you have not already registered to vote, the deadline has passed for this two important spring events, but it's not too soon to register now for the next opportunity. Visit https://www.sec.state.ma.us/voterregistrationsearch/myvoterregstatus.aspx for details, and please attend Town Meeting on Monday May 8 at 7pm at Grafton High School (22 Providence Road) to vote to approve the proposed FY24 Municipal Budget, which includes $1,106,760, for the Library. The complete Town Meeting Warrant is online at https://www.grafton-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8897/2023-Town-Meeting-Warrant_Signedpdf, and complete budget docs are online at https://cleargov.com/massachusetts/worcester/town/grafton.

We thank Board of Library Trustees chair Karen Ceppetelli and Board member Martin Estner for their service; they are not running for re-election. Their support and guidance through COVID-19 and the construction project have been invaluable! Carrie Hogan and Roger Trahan Jr. who are running for the open seats. Meet the candidates at https://youtu.be/nKPjVUhXHeY.

May 1 also marks the sunsetting of the OverDrive app--we've been promoting the Libby app for some time, and if you need a lesson on how to use it, just ask at any service desk or email info@graftonlibrary.org to schedule an appointment for a one-on-one ebook lesson. I prefer to do my searching, selecting, and placing holds through http://digitalbooks.cwmars.org--and then opening the Libby app to view, read or listen to the items on my digital bookshelf. Download Libby today at https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby. Happy Reading!

Beth Schreiber,

Library Director

Expansion Update

In April, we received our permanent certificate of occupancy, which is the benchmark for our fourth MPLCP grant reimbursement. We are scheduled to receive $1,487,008 before the end of the fiscal year. Doors for the Maker Space and Presentation area were installed mid-month. The circuit board for the Library's accessible entrance was replaced and the ADA door opener is working again. A coil will be replaced on a rooftop HVAC unit, which is a last step for commissioning.

The Library Planning and Building Committee is scheduled to meet next when we have an invoice to approve from CA construction. Please check the Town website for the posted agenda! Zoom Link remains the same.

Meeting ID: 879 0582 0658

Passcode: 478236

Additionally, BuildCom will give an update at Town Meeting on Monday May 8, 2023 at 7pm at Grafton High School.

Check out construction photos in our Construction album on our Facebook Page!

Willard House & Clock Museum Hosts

the Gravestone Girls

“Welcome to the Graveyard” examines the reasons for cemeteries, focuses on

the interesting history of Grafton and explores the Willard family connection.

From colonial New England burial grounds of the 1600s and 1700s, through the nation-wide rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations, the program examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years.

“Welcome to the Graveyard” is loaded with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from Grafton and surrounding towns visited by Gravestone Girls in preparation for this program.

The presentation will take place on Thursday, May 4 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the Grafton Public Library Community Room.

“When Gravestone Girls approached us for the May event, it was something we simply couldn’t pass up”, says Beverly Snow, museum Program Coordinator. “We expect a large turnout, hence the reason to move it to a larger venue and the newly expanded library was an ideal setting.”

The event is expected to fill up quickly, so please register in advance at

https://willardhouse.org/events/calendar/2023/gravestone-girls

Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 6

We're excited to announce that on May 6th, we'll be celebrating Free Comic Book Day by offering FREE comic books to all who visit us!

Join us on May 6th to celebrate Free Comic Book Day and pick up some awesome comics! We'll have something for everyone, from classic superheroes to new and exciting titles. Test your super sleuthing skills by participating in our superhero scavenger hunt. Plus, we’ll be hosting giveaways all day.

Grafton Public Library is thrilled to be part of this amazing event that celebrates comics and their important role in promoting literacy and imagination. Don't miss out on this chance to connect with fellow comic book fans and explore our amazing collection!

Visit our library on May 6th and discover a world of comics waiting for you!

Other Birds

By Sarah Addison Allen

Between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways.

Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey comes to claim her deceased mother’s apartment on an island outside of Charleston she meets her quirky and secretive neighbors, including a girl on the run, two estranged middle-aged sisters, a lonely chef, a legendary writer, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn’t yet written." (Macmillan Publishers)

Request a book, a CD-Audiobook, or an e-book on the Libby app (available on Android, iPhone, tablets and computer. Stop by the library to take a Libby brochure home or ask a staff member.