June 2025 Newsletter

 Announcements:

We will be closed on Thursday, June 19th in observance of Juneteenth.

The Summer Music Series begins on Friday, June 20th! Dawn has put together an amazing lineup of brand new artists and a few old favorites. Bring a lunch and a lawn chair and enjoy an hour of music at noon every Friday on our patio. Check our  website for the list of musicians playing this summer. 

Chair Yoga Every Monday at 2 Join Betsy Baker from the YMCA for this class in the community room. No yoga mat required! Please arrive early to sign a waiver. Register on our website at springvalelibrary.org

Level Up At The Library Adult Summer Reading Program June 16-August 9th. Get your game board at the main desk! There’s a special fun prize at the end so read a great book and earn yourself some raffle tickets!

Music After Hours June 27 7:00—9:00 pm  We have a new program this year. Music After Hours is a fun concert complete with wine and beer to wind down on a Friday night! Find new friends or bring some with you. This month’s concert is Ragtime Destroyers featuring fun swing-time music.

From the Director,

When you walk into the Springvale Public Library, you get a sense that it’s a special place. You are always greeted with a smile and a hello. You’ll hear clapping and songs that echo from Sheila’s children’s room. You’ll get an offer of help and often a laugh from Dawn, Sam, Nancy, Kaity, and Paula, whether using the computers, printers or most often, wonderful personal book recommendations. You’ll hear me often singing the praises of all these wonderful staff, each whom bring something special to Library.

What you may not hear or see much of is our volunteers. You might see Sheri in the stacks shelving the books that you’ve just read, to much taller Josh and Jake who shelve on Thursdays and can reach the top shelves without effort! Another group of people that are my unsung heroes is my fundraising team: Janet Patterson, Paula Demers, Rosemary Sanborn, Dee Ames, and Leah Graves who work tirelessly supporting us and raising money for our library. The success of our Online Auction, Holiday Pop-Up Shop, and remarkable book sale are successful because of their tireless efforts (and Dave Demers‘ blood, sweat and hopefully not tears).

And to my Board of Trustees, you support me as we grow our special library together.

Thank you to all of you – you are what makes Springvale Library a special place!

Children's Programs

All Children's programs resume on June 16th

Mondays Baby Rhyme Time (6/16, 6/23, 6/30) @ 10 and @11 Babies under 3 meet together with parents or caregivers for 20 minutes of rhymes, songs and books.

Mondays Lego Builders Club (6/16, 6/23, 6/30) @ 3:30 in the Children’s Room. We provide the Legos and a challenge. Your creations are on display for the whole week!

Thursdays @ 10 Sensory Story Time (6/26) for ages 3-6 will incorporate a visual schedule and sensory activities to support neurodiversity.

Level Up At The Library Summer Reading Program June 16-August 9 There are 2 ways to play! Count books or count minutes. Every time you finish a book or 20 minutes of reading, color a square on the game board. Earn a sticker when you have completed 5 squares When you earn 5

stickers on your game board you win a book and a prize! Ages 2-12

Meet a Mermaid Friday, June 27 @ 2:00 Mermaid Lavinia will be reading ocean stories and sharing special treasures. Suggested ages 3-6 and families.

Dare to Dragon Up -Teen Summer Reading Program: Earn Reading    Dragon Cards to collect and play for Grades 6-12. 

Make a Dragon Egg on Wednesday, June 25 at 2:00 in the Teen Nook. See Sheila for Community Service hours. 

Adult Programs

Knit Lits meets every Tuesday, from 3-4:30 in the Williams Reading Room. All fiber artists are welcome.

Cook the Book (program is currently full) meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month in the community room at 5:30. On June 10th the group is cooking out of three different Amish cookbooks. If you would like to be added to the waiting list for this program please ask at the main desk. No program in July or August.

Sam’s Book Club meets on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:30 in the community room. We will be discussing Flight Patterns by Karen White on June 4th.

Want to play Cribbage? We have a newly formed group that is ready to play! Every Tuesday from 1-3 in the Williams Reading Room. You can watch, play or learn the game of cribbage. If you have a board feel free to bring it along!

The Murder of Dorothy Milliken: Cold Case in Maine author talk with Sharon Kitchens Wednesday, June 18th, @ 5:30 in the community room. On November 5, 1976, 27-year-old Dorothy Milliken left her rural home in Sabattus, Maine to an all-night laundromat. The following morning her body was found slumped against a wall. Nearly 5 decades later Sharon Kitchens examines the cold case, interviewing over 40 people including Dorothy’s family, friends, former neighbors, law enforcement and forensic specialists. Who was Dorothy? Why was the killer never found? 

Staff Picks

The Paris Library Janet Skeslien Charles *Dawn

The Library of Lost Dollhouses Elise Hooper *Dawn

Claire, Darling Callie Kazumi *Dawn

Kill Your Darlings Peter Swanson *Dawn

Fever Beach Carl Hiaasen *Dawn

Parents Weekend Alex Finley *Dawn

Hidden Nature Nora Roberts *Sam

Insignificant Others Sarah Jio *Sam

Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous Mae Marvel *Kaity

Roll for Love M.K. England *Kaity

Fractured Fables Alix E. Harrow *Kaity

The 2000’s Made Me Gay Grace Perry *Kaity

An English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay *Lesley

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell *Lesley

 Some of our New Fiction Title

Famous Last Words Gillian McAllister

The Strange Case of Jane O. Karen Thompson Walker

The Other March Sisters Linda Epstein

Back after This Linda Holmes

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 Lisa Unger

Battle Mountain C.J. Box

Bonded in Death J.D. Robb

Death of a Smuggler M.C. Beaton

A Girl Within a Girl Within a Girl Nanda Reddy

Keep Me Dara Cate

A Forty Year Kiss Nickolas Butler

A Harvest of Hearts Andrea Eames

High Tea and Misdemeanors Laura Childs

Promise Me Sunshine Cara Bastone

The Girl from Greenwich Street Lauren Willig

The Last Days of Kira Mullan Nicci French

Far from Home Danielle Steel

One Good Thing Georgia Hunter

Kills Well with Others Deanna Raybourn

Unromance Erin Conner

Ying Yang Love Song Lauren Kung Jessen

Life Hacks for a Little Alien Alice Franklin

Queens of Crime Marie Benedict

Claire, Darling Callie Kazumi

Non-Fiction

Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection John Green

The Money School: 12 Simple Lessons Nicole  Lapin

Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel Loretta J Ross

Melania Melania Trump

Scout Camp: Sex, Death, and Secret Societies  inside the Boy Scouts of America James Renner

Trespassers at the Golden Gate: A True Account of Love, Murder, and Madness in Gilded- Age San Francisco Gary Krist

Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service Michael Lewis

Mark Your Calendars…

7/1 Sparks Ark

7/2 Book Group

7/4 Closed for Independence Day

7/17 Teddy Bear Picnic

7/22 Blue-Bot Challenge

7/23 Kevin Gardner-Stone Walls of New England

7/24 Dragon Card Showdown

7/25 Music After Hours