Story Stash is here!

From left to right – HPL Public Services Coordinator Samantha Bailey, HPL Customer Experience Officer Leticia Cotto, HPL President & CEO Bridget E. Quinn, Mia Lozada (winner of the name contest), HPL Director of Public Services Marie Jarry, and HPL Board Member David Barrett

We're making it even more convenient for you to get the best books, movies, music and more!

Story Stash is a remote locker system available at our Downtown Library allowing you to pick up items on hold at your convenience 24/7/365! It's located next to the book drop on Arch street and it's perfect. (Just don't ask for a side of fries with your book.)

P.S. We love the name Mia!

Learn More

HPL Weekly Book Recommendations:

Check out what we're reading

Soak up some thrilling novels before the summer is over.

American Dirt

Jeanine Cummins

#1 New York Times bestseller

Oprah Book Club pick

A mom and her son are forced to flee their country and head to the USA, beginning a balancing act between fear and love. This is one for your reading list or book club.

“A heart-pounding, page-turning, can’t-put-it-down, stay-up-till-3 a.m., adrenaline-pumping story..” —Los Angeles Times

“I devoured the novel in a dry-eyed adrenaline rush.... A profoundly moving reading experience.” —The Washington Post

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

Robert Dugoni

Amazon Best Book of the Month: Literature & Fiction Category

A gripping novel and inspirational tale of a boy who overcomes the tremendous obstacles occasioned by the color of his eyes.

"...a heartwarming novel that celebrates overcoming the unfairnesses of life.” —Seattle Book Review

“This is the bestselling Dugoni’s masterpiece, the book by which his work, and that of others, will be measured for years to come.” —Providence Journal

Celebrating Nelson Bello

Nelson Bello is a Hartford legend and an incredible musician in a family of incredible musicians. We are so pleased to have Nelson and his music be a part of The Beat, our music streaming service.

Learn more about Nelson HERE and check out his music HERE.

The Beat is a 24 hour streaming service with Hartford-based music. The collection is curated by the Hartford Public Library and a group of community curators from the Hartford music community. It is available to our HPL cardholders for free!

You can learn more about The Beat HERE

Hartford Reads in Color

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Winner of the Pen / Hemingway Award For Debut Fiction

Sunday, August 27, 11:00 am- 1:00 pm

Zoom meet up - Register HERE

“Magical. . . . Hypnotic. . . . Yaa Gyasi [is] a stirringly gifted writer.” —The New York Times Book Review

Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem.

Hartford Reads in Color is a monthly virtual book club committed to delving into the narratives and rich diverse voices of communities of color.

Yaa Gyasi will be in Hartford for an author talk, Q&A, and book signing on September 23rd at the 5th annual Hartford Book Festival. HPL is excited to focus our NEA Big Read programing this fall around Homegoing. To lean more about the Big Read and Yaa Gyasi click HERE.

As an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience.

Explore the possibilities with YOUmedia

Learn a new trade from a visiting artist or get project support from one of our amazing mentors.

We’re here to help young people explore what they love and turn that motivation into real life gains in the way of college and career readiness.

Learn More about all YOUmedia has to offer HERE

Spend the last days of summer exploring - for free!

Roaring Brook Nature Museum

Head outside!

Now until September 4, Connecticut children age 18 and under, plus one Connecticut resident adult can visit participating museums free of charge through the Connecticut Summer at the Museum program.

More info and list of museums HERE

We ❤️ you to the moon and back Hartford

Oh what a summer!

A big shout out to the 3,615 (!) Hartford readers who spent the summer with us stargazing, dreaming, imagining, building, dancing, playing and visiting the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration exhibits. WOW!

Fly by the Park Street Library @ the Lyric to see what students from Hartford Public Schools would do if they went to the moon. Keep reading and reaching for the stars #Hartford!

“She was a book lover who enjoyed reading aloud to her baby. She liked the idea that, even before he understood them, he might begin with the most beautiful words, that he’d build language from a foundation of literature and poetry.”

― Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt

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