October 2021 Update

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Grafton Public Library will open the Lobby at the accessible entrance off Upton Street for materials return and pickup of reserved materials beginning Monday October 4, 2021. Patrons will be notified by email that their materials are ready and will have one week from notification date to pick materials up during regular operating hours: Mon-Thu, 10am-9pm; Fri & Sat, 10am-6pm.

Get a preview of how to return items through the Automated Materials Handler (AMH) at https://bit.ly/gpl-amh before you visit! Note the AMH works the same way from outside the building or inside the lobby. Please, no rubber bands or loose papers or non-library materials – they will jam the machine. If an item won't fit, return it during operating hours.

The Library anticipates opening fully to the public for browsing by Wednesday October 13, 2021, pending signed Certificate of Occupancy. This means lobby access ONLY, Oct 4-12--no public access, no tours, no restrooms, and no access to the rest of the building. We will be CLOSED for Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday October 11.

Per Town of Grafton, a mask that covers your nose and mouth is required to enter all Municipal Buildings, including the Library, regardless of vaccination status, for ages 2 and up. We can make a reasonable accommodation of curbside or home delivery for visitors unable to comply.

We may not have access to the following until later this autumn:

Meeting rooms, as they are filled with materials still awaiting shelving;
Public access computers, printing, or faxing;
Patio furniture and other items still in the procurement process;
Final landscaping, as it was scheduled for completion at a later date this fall;
Entrance to South Street and Grafton Common, due to ongoing landscaping work.

Due to many delays with fabrication, shipping and staffing beyond our control, our new library, like several others under construction, is still waiting for shelving and furniture, adjustments to the HVAC and lighting systems, turnover of the security system, ADA compliance for sinks and some counters, and other items not vital to re-opening. We appreciate your patience and good humor. Once the punch list is completed, we will schedule a ribbon cutting and dedication and celebrate!

Due to COVID-19, Children's programming will remain outdoors in October and shift to a larger room to allow for social distancing. We will keep our collection of on-site toys, puzzles, games, and coloring sheets in time-out to discourage congregating by unvaccinated youth.

With the exception of scheduled Small Stones Festival of the Arts events, and Town Board and Committee meetings and hearings, we are not scheduling meeting room use or in-person-programming in October, and scheduled events will be cancelled if for some reason we do not receive the Certificate of Occupancy. Please review our Event Calendar for up-to-date information.

We anticipate booking after-hours use of Community Room A/B in November, pending installation of some kind of security gate for the stairwell, a key to lock the elevator and keycard system for entry. Please see our Meeting Room Use and Facilities Rental Policy before requesting a space, beginning November 1, 2021.

This project is partially funded by a state grant administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

We look forward to seeing you in person this month -- we've missed you!

Beth Gallaway,

Library Director

EXPANSION UPDATE

Every day we get a step closer to reopening! This week we got a self-check online and unpacked more boxes. Check out construction photos in albums on our Facebook Page:

Construction

Upcoming Library Planning & Building

Committee Meetings

Library Planning and Building Committee

Monday, October 4 2021 6 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada);

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81759881407?pwd=MlhlM1lYckh2c3hxOFJZbVEveU51Zz09

Meeting ID: 817 5988 1407

Passcode: 430234

Dial: (646) 558-8656

MYSTERY

A New York Times bestseller!

“Witty, endearing and greatly entertaining.”

—Wall Street Journal

The Thursday Murder Club

by Richard Osman

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club.

When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case.

As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?

Request a book, an e-audiobook or an e-book.

Click here for a list of 40 humorous titles you can get with your library card.

Click here for a list of humorous titles you can download through Overdrive (e-books and audiobooks).

HIGH DEMAND HOLDS

Top 10 Books Requested in CW MARS

The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Apples Never Fall: A Novel by Liane Moriarty
Peril by Bob Woodward
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
Billy Summers by Stephen King
Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr

Top 10 Movies Requested in CW MARS

DID YOU KNOW?

Museum Passes

We offer e-ticket or e-vouchers at the following museums: Boston Children's Museum, Discovery Museum, Mass Audubon, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium and Roger Williams Park Zoo.

Reserve a museum pass online now!

To reserve a pass for Massachusetts Parks or Tower Hill Botanic Gardens, visit the Grafton Recreation Department online.

To reserve tickets for the American Heritage Museum, Davis Farmland, Ecotarium, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, MA State Park Pass, Mass MoCA, New England Aquarium, Old Sturbridge Village, Springfield Museums, Worcester Art Museum and others, visit the Blackstone Valley Libraries network.

CW MARS

Grafton Public Library is part of CW MARS (Central Western Massachusetts Area Resource Sharing), a diverse multi-type library consortium made up of over 100 member libraries primarily located in Central and Western Massachusetts.

CW MARS formed to promote resource sharing via technology, funded by members (80%) and state grants to networks (20%) through the MBLC (Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners).

CW MARS is the largest of nine library consortia in Massachusetts. Our network is made up of academic, public, and special libraries of all sizes, from tiny towns with populations under 500 to large urban libraries with many branches. CW MARS hosts and supports the hardware and software needed to power our shared online library catalog and library staff software. They provide technical support to member libraries.

Core services include:

ILS - Evergreen (acquisitions, billing, cataloging, circulation, reports, etc.)
Support, training, upgrades
Consortial eContent & databases
Telecommunications and support
Optional services: Print management, PC reservation, Mobile Print, PC Desktop Support, etc.

Your Grafton Library Card is honored at 155 member libraries! Visit https://www.cwmars.org/memberlibraries for a list.

BEANSTACK

Beanstack is a great way to track your reading and participate in fun reading challenges. As of September 1 there are new challenges available. To learn more or register, please visit graftonlibrary.org/beanstack.

FEATURED DATABASE

Tutor.com

With Tutor.com, students of all ages can get help with school work, write a paper, practice skills, prepare for a test and get help finding a job. The service is available to Grafton Public Library cardholders daily from 2pm to 9pm.

Try it now at www.tutor.com/grafton.

View instructions by our very own Sandhya S!

FEATURED MUSEUM

Mass Audubon

Mass Audubon protects more than 40,000 acres of land throughout Massachusetts, saving birds and other wildlife, and making nature accessible to all. As Massachusetts’ largest nature conservation nonprofit, we welcome more than a half million visitors a year to our wildlife sanctuaries and 20 nature centers. From inspiring hilltop views to breathtaking coastal landscapes, serene woods, and working farms, we believe in protecting our state’s natural treasures for wildlife and for all people—a vision shared in 1896 by our founders, two extraordinary Boston women.

Reserve a museum pass online.