Update to Library Hours

Closed on Monday, February 20 for Presidents' Day

Meet Matt Novosad, our new

Assistant Librarian I!

Matt grew up in Franklin, Connecticut, where he currently lives and has spent the past few years working at the Janet Carlson Calvert Library. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Maritime Studies and Master’s Degree in History, both at UConn, spending his undergraduate years at the Avery Point campus. In his free time, he writes about local and First World War history. He has a love for sailing, cats, Star Wars, reenacting, and First World War history. His background in public history and libraries has given him a deep appreciation for the role that libraries serve in providing access to education and is looking forward to serving the Ledyard community.

February is Black History Month

Be inspired this month to celebrate diversity! Find selections around Black history and more on hoopla by searching the Diverse Voices digital catalog.

Take Your Child to the Library Day (TYCLD) is an international initiative that encourages families to take their children to their local library. Launched in Connecticut in 2011, TYCLD raises community awareness about the importance of the library in a child's life and promotes library services and programs for children and families. Celebrate with us on Saturday, February 4! Details below.

Tax Forms are available!



Ledyard Library now has the Federal 1040 and 1040-SR tax forms available to pick up for free. Also available is the accompanying instruction booklet for these forms.

If you require a different Federal form or a State form, our staff can assist you with printing for the standard printing fee of 10 cents per page.

New Mailing Address

Thank you to the Ledyard Public Works team for installing our new mailbox at the Bill Library!

Our new mailing address is:

Ledyard Library

718 Colonel Ledyard Highway

Ledyard, CT 06339

Take Your Child To the Library Day!

Ed Popielarczyk, Magician

Saturday, February 4

1:30 p.m.

Bill Library

All ages welcome

Don’t miss out on this fabulous family show! Ed Pop is a professional magician, balloon sculptor, and flea circus ring master. He’s been entertaining children and families for over 35 years, and we’re so excited to have him here for Take Your Child to the Library Day 2023! There will be a lot of audience participation and many laughs. Register to save your seat!

Giggles and Wiggles Storytime

Wednesdays, February 1, 8, 15

10:30 a.m.

Bill Library

Ages Infant – 3

Great stories, fun finger plays, and lots of dancing. Registration is not required. However, space is limited to the first 20 families.

Preschool Storytime

Thursdays, February 2, 9, 16

10:30 a.m.

Gales Ferry Community Center

Ages 3 – 5

A fun and energetic storytime! Learning stations will be offered at the end of each storytime to actively engage, entertain, and build the skills of the children who participate. Registration is not required. However, space is limited to the first 15 families.

STEM Explorers of the Deep: Big Gulp Guppy

Wednesday, February 22

4:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Ages 5-12

Big Gulp Guppy: learn how fish breathe underwater and make your own big gulp guppy

We have once again partnered with New London County 4-H to provide STEM kits to children ages 5 – 12. Some of the activities will be done as a group at the Bill Library, but others will be take-home kits for you to work on at your leisure. If you can’t make it to the in-person program, you can always register to do the activity at home. Each activity has its own how-to video and other resources. Register for each week individually.

Scavenger Hunts

Bill and Gales Ferry Library

All ages

We are excited to offer scavenger hunts at the library. Check off each item as you find it. When you have found everything on the list, take your bookmark to the library staff for a sweet treat!

Ledyard Public Library is pleased to announce we are currently housing the Welcoming Library in our Children's Departments at Bill and Gales Ferry Library! It is a positive pop-up conversation about immigration, and the acclaimed collection of picture books features New Arrival and New American families reflecting these themes. Readers and listeners of ALL AGES will have a chance to "meet" these families on the page while exploring the commonalities shared by all cultures. Further exploration is available using the I'm Your Neighbor discussion questions, which makes this collection great for classroom use or reading one-on-one. These items are now available to check out and will be showcased through mid-April.

LitLoot! Winter Box

Registration Opens: February 1

Pick Up: March 1

Grades 7 – 12

Sign up to receive a box with specially selected books, craft, stickers, treats, and more!

Scribl Art Workshop: Creative Calisthenics

Monday, February 13

5:30 p.m.

Bill Library

Teens and Adults

Creative Calisthenics: getting out of your comfort zone through an exciting and unexpected exercise with paint.

PeaceLove began when cousins Matt Kaplan and Jeff Sparr wanted to change the way they saw people approaching mental health. They wanted to create a space that encouraged creativity, self-expression, and storytelling. With the goal of making expressive arts programming as accessible as possible in a changing world, PeaceLove created Scribl. This is an in-person experience that uses simple, creative activities to help participants let go, reflect, and connect. This program is for teens and adults, but children as young as 10 can participate if they have an adult present and participating in the workshop. Wearing a mask is required. 

Disney Villain Trivia

Saturday, February 18

2:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Grades 2 - 12

Do you and your friends know everything about the Disney Villains? Test your skills and you may be the winner of a gift card. Sign up in teams or individually to participate.

Learn to Use Mango

Monday, February 6

4:00 p.m.

Bill Library and Zoom

Learn how to use Mango, a language learning program offered to our patrons. We will be joined by Sydney Felmet, who will walk patrons through the use of this robust and exciting language learning platform. Other language resources available at the library to aid in using Mango will also be highlighted for patrons. This is a hybrid event. Zoom information is available through our Library Events link.

Patrons who attend will be placed into a drawing for a free Mango-themed water bottle!

Ledyard Cookbook Club

Tuesday, February 7

12:30 p.m.

Gales Ferry Community Center

We will come together and share recipes from America’s Test Kitchen, The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook. This book has so much to offer! Books are usually handed out at the previous month’s meeting or can be picked up at the Gales Ferry Library.

Give Yourself a Valentine

Tuesday, February 14

1:00 p.m.

Gales Ferry Community Center

Paint a heart with us and share in tea and a Valentine treat. 

American Presidents Book Discussion

Tuesday, February 14

7:00 p.m.

Bill Library or Zoom

Our monthly discussions include a historical perspective on American presidents as we learn about their trials and achievements in the presidential office. For February, we will discuss Martin Van Buren. Books are available at the Bill and Gales Ferry Library.

The Addiction Inoculation:

Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence

Wednesday, February 15

7:00 p.m.

Zoom

Jessica Lahey, NY Times Bestselling author, offers an evidence-based exploration of what it means when experts proclaim, “Substance abuse is preventable.” She begins with an overview of why humans use and abuse substances, an explanation of why the adolescent brain is uniquely wired for novelty, and the risk of substance use while being uniquely vulnerable to those substances in very specific ways. She will identify the major risk factors for substance abuse and explain what adults can do to overcome the weight of a given child’s risk factors. Lahey offers an overview of the research as well as concrete, practical takeaways adults can use to change their thinking and behavior and begin preventing childhood substance use and abuse at home.

Parents will leave Lahey’s talk feeling informed, challenged, empowered, and entertained.

This event is co-presented by a consortium of eight local Youth Service and Prevention Coalitions including Ledyard Prevention Coalition.

Senior Center Book Club

Wednesday, February 22

10:30 a.m.

Ledyard Senior Center

12 Van Tassel Drive, Gales Ferry

Join us as we discuss the book Still Life by Sarah Winman. Still Life is a "sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms." (goodreads) Books are usually handed out at the previous month’s meeting or can be picked up at the Gales Ferry Library. 

Genealogy Club

Wednesday, February 22

1:30 p.m.

Bill Library

Are you interested in delving into your family history but don’t know where to begin? Join the Ledyard Library’s Genealogy Club! Each month, we will have a reading selection that utilizes and discusses pertinent methodologies for genealogists, for example, “microhistory”.

The first meeting will familiarize patrons with library-provided genealogical resources such as Ancestry.com and other useful online genealogical tools. Feel free to bring any research you have already conducted or questions you have to share with the group.

Adult Board Game and Book Club

Saturday, February 25

2:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Come to the Bill Library on the fourth Saturday of every month to try out different board games and talk about a related book.

February's Game: STAR WARS ARMADA. Ships will be provided by the Library.

We encourage patrons to check out a Star Wars book to read and discuss with the club. However, this is not required. Beginners are welcome!

Newspaper Update

Thank you to all who participated in our newspaper survey. We have taken your feedback into consideration and have found a way to continue to offer the following newspapers:

Thank you to our 25 volunteers who cleaned, sorted, counted, and packaged locally-grown seeds as well as sorted and counted pre-packaged seeds last month. We also had volunteers preparing and labeling our beautifully custom-designed Ledyard Seed Library packets. All of this preparation brings us even closer to our opening date, planned for mid-February. In the meantime, we have several seed catalogs available to peruse for new ideas and inspiration! Stop by Bill Library and take a look. Thanks to all those who came out to help. For more information, email Laura at lnorcia@ledyardlibrary.org

Open most Mondays: 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. (except national holidays)

Other days by appointment. Please email research@ledyardhistory.org to make an appointment.  

We are so excited to finally have a new flatbed scanner to replace our 10-year-old model that wasn’t working well. The Bell Room is very grateful to our anonymous donor for funding the purchase. Digitization will considerably speed up, and we can now scan items up to 11" x 17”.

If you are familiar with WordPress and have a little time, we need a teen or adult volunteer who can help us get our webpage back up. Any help would be appreciated!   

Contact Andrea Buka at research@ledyardhistory.org or 860-464-9912 (Bill Library) for more information.