Reopening More Doors

Join us as we reopen our Children's and YOUmedia spaces

Tuesday, January 21, at our Downtown Library!

Children's Department:

We can't wait to welcome you back to our Children's Department, opening on January 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Explore our room, get creative with winter crafts from 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., and don't miss out on balloon sculpting from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Plus, we have goodie bags available while supplies last, so be sure to grab one. We can't wait to see you.

YOUmedia:

Hang out, mess around, and geek out! Join us for an open house in our second-floor YOUmedia on January 21 from 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.

This innovative space is explicitly designed for creativity and empowerment, targeting teens aged 13 to 19. It features hands-on stations for activities such as virtual reality, eSports, 3D printing, laser cutting, music production, digital design, and much more. Get a sneak peek of the exciting programs and workshops available, and discover how YOUmedia is helping young creators unlock their full potential!

UConn Library:

The UConn Hartford campus library and classes will return to the ground floor of HPL on January 21.

Tuesday, January 21

Downtown Library

500 Main Street

Page Turners!

Behold the Dreamer

Imbolo Mbue

New York Times bestseller, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award, and an ALA Notable Book

"A debut novel by a young woman from Cameroon that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse . . . Mbue is a bright and captivating storyteller."

—The Washington Post

"[A] beautiful, empathetic novel."

—The Boston Globe

Find it HERE in our catalog

Brother, I'm Dying

Edwidge Danticat

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle, Award for Autobiography, National Book Award finalist, New York Times Notable Book

"Poignant and never sentimental, this elegant memoir recalls how a family adapted and reorganized itself over and over, enduring and succeeding to remain kindred in spite of living apart."

—Publishers Weekly

". . . The country's troubled history is always smoldering in the background, and there's an explosion of tears waiting behind almost every sentence."

—Kirkus Reviews

Find it HERE in our catalog

This Sunday at Baby Grand Jazz:

Charlie Apicella & Alexis Marcelo

Charlie Apicella and Alexis Marcelo pay tribute to their mentor, Yusef Lateef, at this Sunday's performance, The Inner Teachings of Yusef Lateef. Selections include Apicella’s originals, spontaneous group improvisation, and never-before-performed compositions by Lateef.

Sunday, January 19 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:00 p.m.)

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture

500 Main Street

Baby Grand Jazz performances are free to the public. Can’t join us in person? Shows will be live-streamed on HPL’s YouTube and Facebook.

Thanks to our 2025 presenting sponsor, The Kaman Foundation, for its continuing support and longtime partners, The Hartford Jazz Society and WWUH 91.3 FM. 

Philantrophy Spotlight

From the left are HPL’s Ropkins Library Manger Shannon Strickland, Hartford community members Umar Jalloh, Milton Shannon, Marla Kennedy, Sonyetta Strinkland, Samantha Reyonlds, and HPL’s The American Place Project Coordinator for Financial Literacy Estella Morales Segarra. 

Exciting news! Thanks to a generous grant from Liberty Bank Foundation, HPL is offering the Hartford community digital and financial literacy education programming. The program kicked off this fall with a six-part program at HPL’s Ropkins Library. Participants who completed all sessions received a certificate and a laptop to continue learning.

Two more offerings of the series will take place in 2025. Stay tuned for more details!

The Value of the Ticket

How do artists leave lasting impressions, deepen our sense of empathy, and spark movements for social and structural change in Hartford and beyond?

Join five of Hartford’s arts and culture organizations for an insightful community conversation featuring the above presenters. Attendees can participate in a reception catered by Berkin's on Main, a post-panel discussion, and enjoy a Hartford Symphony Orchestra String Quartet performance. Registration is required.

Wednesday, January 15 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Center for Contemporary Culture

500 Main Street

A collaboration between HPL, HartBeat Ensemble, Hartford Stage, Hartford Symphony Orchestra & TheaterWorks Hartford.

A Place Like No Other

HPL offers engaging, educational, and fun programming for all ages.

Check out our full programming calendar HERE

Check out our Family Programming calendar!

Check out our Adult Programming calendar!

Check out our Youth & Teen Programming calendar!

“Don’t worry about things that might never happen. . .”



―Imbolo Mbue, Behold the Dreamer



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