Anyone who’s ever shopped online has seen the chat button – just a click away from answers or help in real time.

HPL is borrowing an idea from our friends in retail and will offer a new chat service to provide an extra layer of service to our customers.

The service, called LibChat, is available throughout HPL’s website. Customers can type their questions into a text box and, during certain hours, receive an answer from a librarian in real time. 

Another New Way To Reach Out To HPL!
If you have a question, you can now text us! Text 860-530-4376 and a librarian will respond immediately. If our chat is offline, the text will be answered as soon as possible. It's yet one more way to get help accessing books, our online collections and all that Hartford Public Library has to offer!
We thought it was a fitting time this Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, to call attention to the work of Latina poets, whose contributions have long been overshadowed by the better known Latino giant of the poetry world, Pablo Neruda.

Here’s a list of Latina poets assembled by Graciela Rivera, branch manager of the Park Street Library and curator of HPL’s Spanish-language collection. It represents a small sampling of works both in our collection and beyond. We hope it provides a starting point to explore less familiar Latin American voices that are as rich and varied as the individual poets and the time and place in which they lived.
The American Place Recognizes Citizenship Day
September 17th was Citizenship Day, also known as Constitution Day, when we commemorate the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution and all that it brings to our republic. 

It is also an occasion to honor The American Place donors and volunteer Citizenship Coaches and express how grateful we are that they have chosen to support our newcomer immigrants on their path to Citizenship with a spirit of genuine enthusiasm, interest and compassion.  

This year alone, in spite of the pandemic and the multiple challenges it has presented, over 50 TAP clients became citizens and are primed to vote in the upcoming election. At TAP, we greatly admire our clients’ resilience and tenacity in the face of both struggles and triumphs to become part of the fabric of our nation. 

Why not test your own knowledge of U.S. Civics by answering the same questions asked of those applying for citizenship?  


Learn more about The American Place at http://tap.hplct.org
Hartford Changemakers Park Street Mural Reveal Sept. 17
Our second mural recognizing the contributions of Black and Puerto Rican community members to Hartford’s rich history will be unveiled at our final virtual celebration taking place Thursday, September 17, 5:30pm.

Viewers can watch it live streamed on Hartford Public Library’s Facebook page. The program will not only feature an unveiling of the mural but also a showcase of dance, poetry, music, and presentations of photography and storytelling by Hartford teens, adults, and elders.

Encounters: Women's Suffrage
Join us for a discussion on the impact of the woman’s vote on contemporary politics, and it’s relevancy throughout the 20th century. There will be small group discussions based on short readings provided in advance and an opportunity to view and discuss the online Hartford History Center exhibition October 1920.

Thursday, September 24, 6:30-8:30pm

On Zoom - Register here:
Download Book of the Little Axe from Sept. 14 -28 to participate in the digital book club. The Libraries Transform Book Pick bring readers together in the community and across the country with the same ebook.

Lauren Francis-Sharma's Book of the Little Axe is an incredible journey, spanning decades and oceans from Trinidad to the American West during the tumultuous days of warring colonial powers and westward expansion.

“…A compelling saga of family bonds, ambitions, and desires, all subject to the vagaries of powerful historical forces.” -Booklist (starred)

review
The 2020 Election is coming and everyone who is eligible should register to vote!

HPL offers a complete guide with all the information you need to register and to know your voter rights.
September Adult and Youth Program Calendars
“The library is a whispering post. You don't need to take a book off a shelf to know there is a voice inside that is waiting to speak to you, and behind that was someone who truly believed that if he or she spoke, someone would listen.”
― Susan Orlean, The Library Book