Our Library is an Open Book

Libraries change and evolve to meet the needs of their community and adapt to new technologies. At Phillips Free Library though, one thing is constant - we exist to create an equitable world. Our mission is to empower and inspire all people to grow and connect with one another to create a better world for all. Here are some ways to connect with your community at the library this month.

May Highlight

Summer Reading Book Club Registration

We look forward to offering summer book clubs again this year funded by a grant from the Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Tompkins County Foundation. We have 5 groups that will meet once in July and once in August. There are programs for children and youth age 4 through rising seniors. Registration starts Monday, May 12 and ends Friday, May 23 online and in person on paper. Participants will receive a book to read prior to the meeting. At the meeting we will discuss the book and enjoy some activities related to the book including cooking. The book club members get to keep the books we read. Registration opens May 12 here is the online link

If you have questions contact Sarah: office@phillipfreelibrary.org

At the Library in May!

Pop-Up Meditation

May is Mental Health Awareness month and we will kick it off with a week of 15-minute meditations. Join us Monday - Friday, May 5-9 from 12:00 pm - 12:15 pm for a short meditation in the community meeting room.

High School LEGO Club

After a request for a high school age LEGO program, we held our first LEGO night during spring break. The plan is for this group to meet monthly. Show up if you're available and feel free to bring a high school age friend. The next meeting is on Saturday, May 17 at 10 am. Most sessions will take 60-75 mintues.

A Meet & Greet with Local Authors and Illustrator

Back in November we had our first Meet and Greet with local authors with a promise for additional meet and greets to come. The spring edition is on Saturday, May 17th from 10:30 am - 12:00 pm. We look forward to welcoming: Jacob Souva, Kim Hubbard, Kimberly

Lyman-Wright, Kurt Warner, Martin Sweeney, and Matthew J Watros. Some of the authors will have books for sale and they will all be available to talk about how they started and what is next. Join us for this drop in event!

Soothe Your Brain and Body: hands on techniques for stress and worry

We are excited to have Karen Dudgeon bring this workshop to Phillips Free Library during Mental Health Awareness month. Join us on Thursday, May 28 from 6:30-8:00pm for this workshop: Soothe Your Brain and Body: Hands on Techniques for Stress and Worry. Registration preferred: office@phillipsfreelibrary.org

How Brain Science Can Help You Manage Your Mental Health

Mental health has been getting a lot of attention these days, and stress is a part of everyday life. What do we need to know about how our brains work, and how can we use that knowledge to manage stress? What simple everyday things can you do to help your stress and build mental health?

This experiential program teaches you hands-on techniques to manage stress and worry. Learn how your brain processes stress and how that knowledge can inform how you manage stress.

Sensory Story Time

Gardens

The theme of the May Sensory Story Time is Gardens! We will meet on Thursday, May 22 from 6:00-6:45 pm. Sensory Story Time is for all children. No registration required.

New Books

Adult Fiction

Kate Landry Has a Plan

by Rebekah Millet

place hold here

Forty-year-old Kate Landry's carefully planned life has become as messy as the powdered sugar on her famous beignets. Juggling the responsibilities of running her café, raising her teenage niece, and the emotional baggage from her breakup, Kate finds her world once again turned upside down when her first-ever crush, Micah Guidry, returns to town as the hunky local librarian.

As Kate struggles to implement her plans to expand her café amid the New Orleans Mardi Gras madness and the meddling of her conniving ex-fiancé, Micah becomes the unwitting hero of her misadventures, stirring up feelings she thought she'd long buried. How can falling in love in the Big Easy be this hard?

Picture Book

A Book of Maps for You

by Lourdes Heuer

place hold here

In A Book of Maps for You, a young cartographer leaves a one-of-a-kind gift behind for the kid moving into his old house. He’s drawn and annotated maps of all the neighborhood places of interest—no playground, reading nook, or chicken coop left uncharted.

During a big move, a child can feel a lot of pressure to be excited for the future, to open their heart to the place they’re headed. But the roads they’ve been down hundreds of times, the familiar faces, and the house where they know every noisy pipe and leaky faucet all deserve care, too.

A Book of Maps for You honors the homes we leave behind and the ones we haven’t met yet, reminding us that they may just be two sides of the same coin.

The Book Shelf is a monthly e-newsletter sharing the books that have arrived and are expected to arrive for the month. You can subscribe by clicking the button in the top right corner of the newsletter. See what books have arrived for April, click the Book Shelf button below.

April Book Shelf

Tech-Talk

Tech-Talk is a premier collection of articles, videos, and webinars developed each week

by top training experts for busy professionals, educators, and learners.

It helps people stay up-to-date in using technology and becoming better communicators in the workplace and at home.

check here each month for new tips

Tech-Talk Basic Tip: Using Color Schemes in Your Presentations

Tech-Talk Tip: Bluesky Basics Part I Part II

Webinar of the Month: Find What You Need Quickly With an Organized File Structure

Coming in June

Summer Reading Program

The theme for the 2025 Summer Reading Program at Phillips Free Library is Color our World. We will have our annual reading challenge. Keep track of how many pages you read, report them online or on paper and repeat. There will be prizes and other fun activities throughout the summer. Registration for the Summer Reading Program begins on Monday, June 2nd online and in person on paper. The Summer Reading Kickoff is on Saturday, June 7th. Keep watching for more details.

A Glimpse from April

In April we had 16 3rd-5th grade students participate in our Chain Reaction Challenge. The goal was to make a "machine" that, through a series of reactions, performed a task. For many of them that was rolling a ball through a course that resulted in an action at the end. Watch this video to see what they created!

Did You Know...

Did you know... New York State residents are eligible to get a New York City Public Library card?! With this card you have an additional catalog of e-books and

e-audiobooks. Here is the link to get started on your own NYPL digital library card. After you get your digital card you can add the NYPL to your libby app and have another library to borrow from.

Monthly Poll

Who was the local Homer artist who painted president Abraham Lincoln?

Results from our poll last month

In honor of Earth Day we wondered where you would prefer to clean up trash. Most people would rather stay out of the water and work in a park instead of a river.

Calendar of Events

May 2025

Monday, May 5

Nifty Knitters 1p

Tuesday, May 6

Yoga 31 of 4 10:30a please register

Wednesday, May 7

Knee High Story Time 9a Dinosaurs

K-2 Library Zoo 3:35-4:20p Book Club

Tioughnioga River Writers 6:30p on Zoom

Thursday, May 8

Computer Cafe 1p moving pictures from phone to computer

Monday, May 12

Summer Reading Book Club Registration Begins Register Here

Nifty Knitters 1p

Family Book Club 6p

Tuesday, May 13

Yoga #2 of 4

3rd & 4th gr Book Club 6p

Wednesday, May 14

Knee High Story Time 9a Fly Like Birds

K-2 Library Zoo 3:35-4:20p LEGO Club

Saturday, May 17

High School LEGO Club 10a

Local Author & Illustrator Meet and Greet 10:30a - 12:00p

Monday, May 19

Nifty Knitters 1p

Board of Trustees Meeting 7p

Tuesday, May 20

Yoga #3 of 4

Wednesday, May 21

Knee High Story Time 9a Airplanes

K-2 Library Zoo 3:35-4:20p Story Time - bicycles

Tioughnioga River Writers 6:30p on Zoom

Thursday, May 22

Sensory Story Time 6p Gardens

Friday, May 23

Last Day for Summer Book Club Registration

Saturday, May 24 - Monday, May 26

Library Closed

Tuesday, May 27

Yoga #4 of 4

LEGO Club 3rd-5th grade 4-5p

Points of View Book Club 6:30p The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

by James McBride

Wednesday, May 28

Knee High Story Time 9a Opposites

K-2 Library Zoo 3:35-4:20p Science Club

Thursday, May 29

Soothe Your Brain and Body: Hands on Techniques for Stress and Worry

6:30-8pm with Karen Dudgeon

Reach Out to Us

Visit our Website

Phillips Free Library

37 South Main St

Homer NY 13077

607 749 4616