It's Library Card Sign Up Month at the SPL!

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It's Library Card Sign-Up Month!

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month!

There's so much you can do with a library card from the

Somerville Public Library!

Having a card with us allows you to:

• Check out books, movies, CDs, and more from our library collection!

• Utilize e-resources, online databases, and newspapers

• Check out cultural passes to local museums and cultural institutions

• Reserve study and conference rooms for meetings

• Log in to computers at the library and use your daily printing credit

Interested in signing up for a card?

You can do this at the Circulation desks at any of our three branches.

All you need is a photo ID, and proof of Somerville address. Children ages 5 and up can also get a library card with their parents' information.

Can't get to the library in person any time soon?

Create an online temporary card, good for a six-month period, here!

You can use this online card to check out digital items from

Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, and more.

Upcoming Closure

Upcoming Programs

Tuesday, September 19 at 7pm on Zoom

Join us for a culinary celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month! Trisha will demonstrate how to make mofongo and empanadas.

Monday, September 18 at 7pm at the East Branch

Join us for an evening violin concert at the East Branch with returning performer Joshua Peckins. He will play classics of the past and contemporary pieces by living composers.

Learn more

Starting Tuesday, September 12 at 2:30pm in the West Branch Community Room

Do you have a sewing project that needs completion, but you just don't have the proper machine or space to do the job? Come to the West Branch Open Sewing Studio, running every two weeks on Tuesday afternoons starting on

September 12!

Learn More

Starting Saturday, September 16 at 10am in the Central Library Auditorium

The Somerville Public Library in partnership with St. Mark Community Education Program is offering a free, 10 week U.S. Citizenship Prep class.

The class will prepare students for the citizenship interview including the 100 civics questions, the reading & writing sections, and interview questions based on your N-400 application.

Learn more

Monday, September 18 at 6:30pm in the Central Library Children's Room

Now introducing a new Pajama Storytime for kids ages 3-7, led by Keri! Bring your favorite stuffed animals and come get cozy for an evening storytime at the Central library.

Learn more

Thursday, September 21 at 6:30pm in the Central Library Auditorium

Create your own soy wax candle and set of wax melts in this candle making workshop in partnership with local creator, Bits of Joy. Be sure to register to claim your spot!

Staff Recs: Hispanic Heritage Month

This month's recommendations are our favorite books by Hispanic American authors!

Looking for recommendations? Check out our

What Should I Read Next? reading recommendation service!

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

In a journey that led from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench, Sonia Sotomayor recounts her life story in this candid and inspiring memoir. My Beloved World is a must-read for those seeking a strong testament to the power of self-discovery and believing in oneself.

Recommended by Carrie, Reference Librarian

The Shamshine Blind by Paz Pardo

It's the year 2009, and drug agent Kay Curtida is stuck chasing small-time crooks outside the ruins of San Francisco when a colleague gives her a lead on a career-making case involving illegal chemicals that induce specific emotions on contact. This book is so much fun—it's a blend of speculative fiction and detective noir with a wry funny narrator straight our of a 1930s crime novel—except she's Latinx and it's the 21st century.

Recommended by Kevin, Head of Reference

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Trans teen Yadriel is determined to show his family that he is a real brujo, so he secretly performs a ritual to awaken his powers of speaking with the dead. He tries to summon the ghost of his murdered cousin, but instead brings back his classmate Julian. A mix of magical realism and mystery, Cemetery Boys is an entrancing exploration of family tradition and expectation, self-discovery, and love.

Recommended by Kelly, Head of Circulation

Crying in the Bathroom by Erika L. Sánchez

Erika Sánchez, the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, strikes gold again in this equally hilarious and touching memoir. In Crying in the Bathroom, Sánchez bring her lovable outsider perspective to topics like sex, White feminism, depression, and more.

Recommended by Bethany, Reference Librarian

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrara

Fiercely independent Luz Alana Heith-Benzan comes to the Exposition Universelle in Paris to save her family business, she has absolutely no interest in falling in love but the Earl of Darnick might just change her mind. I love the period details and exploration of the Latin American world in Europe at this time as well as the romance.

Recommended by Brigid, Community Service Librarian

Undercover Latina by Aya de Leon

This is an absolutely super book about gaming, race, friendship, and more! Andrea and her family, who are Latinx, are part of a spy organization dedicated to protecting people of color. When Andrea is assigned to go undercover as a white girl, she has to make some tough decisions and find her truth.

Recommended by Alison, Children's Librarian

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

This book is a response to our society's tendency, when discussing undocumented immigrants, to focus on either the inspirational DREAMer stories or the gruesome occurrences at the border, ignoring the flawed and messy everyday stories of folks trying to get by in the United States. A formerly undocumented immigrant herself, Cornejo Villavicencio is full of so much empathy in her writing, often forming long term bonds with people she interviewed. I've never read journalism like this, and am still thinking about it months later. Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Recommended by Cathy, Library Technician

Blanc a & Roja by Anna Marie McLemore

Anna Marie McLemore is a masterful storyteller who combines fairytale retellings with queer representation and sets them in the Latinx genre of magical realism. Blanca & Roja is a retelling of Snow White & Rose Red, and Swan Lake, where two sisters must learn to live under a family curse that will turn one of them into a swan, and fall in love with local boys who have been turned into a bear and a cygnet in this lush, detailed, and poetic novel.

Recommended by Laura, Generalist Librarian

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