November 2026 Newsletter

Announcements

The Library will be CLOSED on Wednesday, November 11^th for Veterans Day, and also on Wednesday, November 25^th and Thursday, November 26^th for Thanksgiving. Have a safe holiday!

Annual Appeal

The season has begun for the Annual Appeal, our largest fundraiser of the year. Donations are tax deductable and make a lasting impact on our little library. If you'd like to donate online, you can click here to make a secure donation.

Once again, for those donations received by December 31^st, an anonymous donor has pledged a matching donation designated for our endowment. Look for your Appeal in your mailbox soon. If you didn’t receive one, we have envelopes at the main desk.

November Special Programs

Winter Seeding with the Southern Maine Garden Club: Saturday, November 14th from 1-3 in the community room Learn about winter seeding while making your own little winter greenhouse. All supplies will be provided. Please click here to register on our website or call the Library.

Holiday Pop-Up Shop is coming November 30^th-December 5^th! We are looking for crafters to dontate wonderful things for affordable holiday shopping.

From the Director

Dear Friends,

It's been quite a year at Springvale Public Library, and I'm delighted to share our newly completed Annual Impact Report! Available online and at the Library, it's a wonderful snapshot of what we've been up to. Can you believe we circulated over $1.58 million worth of items this past year?

From books and digital resources to our Library of Things, innovative programming, and community partnerships, we're continually finding new ways to connect with you and meet our community's evolving needs. Our programs bring people together to learn, laugh, and discover new interests.

Our Annual Appeal is also underway. As a nonprofit library, we rely on your generosity to keep wonderful books on our shelves, exciting programs on our calendar, the lights on, and our dedicated staff here to welcome you. Every gift, large or small, makes a difference.

I invite you to explore our Impact Report, celebrate what we've accomplished together, and consider supporting our Annual Appeal.

Lesley

Library Director

Children's Programs

Weekly Programs

Mondays

Baby Rhyme Time at 10am & 11 am. Babies under 3 and their grown-ups meet together with Miss Sheila for 20 minutes of rhymes, fingerplays, songs, movement, and board books.

Bumps & Babies 1st and 3rd Monday from 9:45-11:15 am. MaineHealth and community partners will be available to answer questions and provide support on different themes. For parents & caregivers: expecting, postpartum and their babies.

Lego Builders Club at 3:30 pm in the Children’s Room. We provide the Legos and the challenge. Your creations will be on display for the whole week!

Thursdays - NO STORY TIME ON 11/26

Sensory Story Time at 10 am for ages 3-6 and their caregivers. This story time incorporates a visual schedule and sensory activities to support neurodiversity.

Monthly Programs

Homeschool Meet-Up second Friday of each month at 10 am in the Children’s room. On November 13^th there will be a Day of the Dead Celebration and Sugar Skulls craft with Erin Bartlett.

Make it/Take it Craft Once a month from 2-5 pm in the children’s room. On November 18^th we will be making a Fancy Turkey craft!

Weekly Take/Create kits are available at the front desk for crafting at home.

Adult Programs

Weekly Programs

Knit Lits meets on Tuesdays from 3:00-4:30 pm in the Williams Reading Room with Dawn. All fiber artists are welcome.

Cribbage meets on Tuesdays from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Williams Reading Room. Everyone who wants to play is invited to join!

The Springvale Dulcimers meet every Tuesday from 5:45-6:45 pm and are open to new beginner players and singers. They play and sing hymns and traditional folksongs on Mountain Dulcimers in a simple style.

Monthly Programs

Cook the Book meets the 2^nd Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm in the community room. On November 10^th the group is celebrating Friendsgiving. (This program is currently full. Please call or visit the library to be added to the fall waitlist.)

Sam’s Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30 pm in the community room. On November 4thwe will be discussing Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green. We will be reading Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie for our December discussion.

The Writers Group meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 11am. No meeting on 11/26. Join us in the William’s Reading Room for an hour of creative writing. The group is welcoming new members. Bring along some of your writing to get feedback and find inspiration.

Spree of Trees Craft Night Join us on Wednesday, November 18^th 5:30pm for our Spree of Trees Craft Night! Get yourself ready for some fun and help us get our Spree of Trees Tree decorated! We have all the supplies, just bring yourself and some holiday cheer! This has become an annual tradition here at Springvale library and supports our friends at the Sanford Alumni Assosciation. Make a few extra decorations for your tree at home, and enjoy some time with Dawn and Lesley!

Spice of the Month

The November Spice of the Month is... Lavender! It’s good for more than just your closet! In the summer, you can make lemonade, and this month we’re making cookies to bring to Thanksgiving dinner! Check out this month’s recipe online or at the main desk. Or if you just want to experiment with it, grab some lavender from our Spice Library to see what you can do with this edible flower! Enjoy!

Save the Date

12/1 Sign up for cookies for our Holiday Tea
12/2 Book Group
12/8 Cook the Book
12/10 Holiday Tea
12/12 Free Holiday Tablet Distribution with Southern Maine Tech Initiative (registration required)
12/24-12/25 Closed for Christmas
12/31 Closed for New Years Eve

Some New Fiction Titles

The Last Human Bear by Greg Sarris
Good Company by Kate Christensen
The Library After Dark by Ande Pliego
The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
Night Objects by Eli Raphael
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See
Sweet Spot by Kemper Donovan
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
With Friends Like You by Amy Chozick
Country Road Murders by James Patterson
Furious Violet by Sarai Walker
Meet Me in Paris by Kristen Harmel
We Will See You Bleed by Ron Currie
Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender
Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch by David Rosenfelt
The Delivery by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz
Book Club Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
The Man by Laura Sims
The New People by Andrea Uptmor
Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena
The Devoted by Catherine Cho
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter
Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead
You’ll Love it Here by Natalie Sue
Under the Falls by Richard Russo

Some New Non-Fiction Titles

Printing From the Garden: Create Stunning, One of the Kind Prints with Flowers and Leaves by Alison Kelly
The Secrets of Eaton Square: Sex, Scandal, and Infamy on the Road to Buckingham Palace by Alexander Larman
Super Teams: the Science and Secrets of High Perfoming Teams by Ron Friedman
The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy by Matthew Campbell
USCG Cutter Eagle: The Legacy of the Coast Guard Flagship by Will Sofrin
Mother Tongue by Sara Novic
The Housewives Underground: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the JFK Assassination Our Most Enduring Mystery by Kaitlyn Tiffany
Cleanup on Aile Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View Behind the Supermarket Register by Ann Larson
In Deep Water: A True Story of Sharks, Surviaval, and Courage by Michael Tougias
A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer