Celebrate National Library Week! | | |
National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role of libraries and library professionals in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.
Join HPL in celebrating now through April 12. Here are a few fun ways to celebrate!
- Bring a friend or family member to visit HPL.
- Visit any HPL location and fill out a heart with what you love about libraries to be displayed on our Wall of Library Love.
- Encourage someone to get a library card—a simple act that opens up a world of opportunity.
- Check out all the HPL has to offer. Browse the shelves, attend a program, explore our Library of Things, and more!
- Upgrade your library card to HPL's newest card for FREE at any HPL location, this week only!
| | | Libraries are for everyone! | | Free for All: The Public Library | | |
Join HPL President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn and former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin for a post-film discussion on libraries' crucial role in the community.
The Essex Library will host an advance screening of the Indie Lens Pop-Up, Free for All: The Public Library, which tells the story of the revolutionaries who brought a simple idea to life. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Ann Thompson, Essex Library Association Executive Director, featuring Bridget E. Quinn, HPL President & CEO; Luke Bronin, former Mayor of Hartford; and Keith Michael Fiels, former Executive Director of the American Library Association.
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Friday, April 12 | 10:00 a.m.
Essex Library Association
33 West Ave, Essex, CT
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What You Are Looking For Is In the Library
Michiko Aoyama
A Time Best Book of the Year | 2023 Washington Post Best Feel Good Book
". . . a comforting read filled with serendipity and simple wisdom, this is a celebration of community, connection, and the transformative power of libraries."
—Booklist Online
". . . each character is wrought with care, as are their blossoming realizations about how their futures can develop despite their worries. A delightful, gentle unfolding of stories that offer hope and joy to those who find themselves in a pivotal moment in life."
—Kirkus Reviews
Find it HERE in our catalog
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The Library of Lost and Found
Patrick Phaedra
“Sweet and resonant."
—People, "Best New Book" Pick
“. . . a heartwarming and tender tale of growth and redemption. Martha is a charming character whose journey of becoming is welcomed by all around her. Curl up by the fire with a cup of tea and a biscuit and be entranced by this delightful story."
—Library Journal
Find it HERE in our catalog
| | Save the Date: Walk Against Hunger | | |
Join us as we Walk Against Hunger!
More than 465,000 people in Connecticut face food insecurity, meaning they lack access to enough nutritious food to thrive. In Hartford alone, 22% of residents, among the highest in the state, struggle to access healthy food.
That’s why Team HPL is participating in the Connecticut Foodshare Walk Against Hunger on Saturday, April 26, at Dunkin' Park in Hartford—and we want YOU to join the team!
This is more than just a walk—it’s a chance to make an impact. Every dollar we raise will go directly to HPL’s Community Food Program, ensuring children, families, and individuals in the Hartford Community have access to the nourishment they need.
Walk for free and join the HPL team!
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Saturday, April 26
8:00 a.m. check-in, 10:00 a.m. start time
Dunkin' Park
1214 Main Street
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(From the left) Armond Greene, Jeroldine S. Withycombe, and Lucy Cooper Summers
Hartford Times Photograph by Grover W. Grogan, March 27, 1965. Courtesy of HPL's Hartford History Center.
| | Lucy Cooper Summers (1920-1995) was a poet, community organizer, and housing advocate. She raised money for building projects, planted urban gardens, and helped organize Head Start in Hartford. She came to Hartford in 1949 with her husband. Lucy Cooper Summers helped start Amistad House for young mothers and children, raised almost $1 million to remodel houses on Capen Street, and began the group Organized Northeasterners (which became ONE-CHANE) to do good work for the community. In 1982, she persuaded Roots author Alex Haley to speak at the dedication of an 18-unit condominium on Capen Street, naming the building after him. In 1969, she published 99 Patches, a book of poetry. The book was revised and reprinted in 1995. | | Baby Grand Jazz: Dave Potter & Retro Group | | |
Dave Potter, a native of North Carolina, began playing the drums in high school and started performing at the age of 16. He graduated from Florida State University, and shortly after, he was chosen from a national pool of applicants to be a member of the Louis Armstrong Quintet at the University of New Orleans. He returned to Florida State University, earning his Master’s degree after further collaboration with his mentor, Marcus Roberts. In 2010, Potter was featured in the novel The New Face of Jazz, which is about the younger generation of jazz musicians making an impact in the current scene.
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.
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Sunday, April 13 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:00 p.m.)
Center for Contemporary Culture
Downtown Library
500 Main Street
| | | Missed the first session? | | |
Join us at the second session, Starting a Small Business.
This small business workshop is presented by Bank of America, a committed partner in fostering economic growth and entrepreneurship.
Discover valuable tools, financial strategies, and resources to take your business to the next level. The workshop will be facilitated in both English and Spanish.
Registration required
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Wednesday, April 9 | 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Camp Field Library
30 Camp Field Ave.
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Special Notice:
All Hartford Public Library (HPL) locations will be closed on Friday, April 18, and Sunday, April 20, in observance of Good Friday and Easter.
There will be no Baby Grand Jazz concert on Sunday, April 20. The series will continue on Sunday, April 27
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A Place Like No Other
HPL offers engaging, educational, and fun programming for all ages.
Check out our full programming calendar HERE
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"She decided that she wasn't going to focus on always trying to please others. She felt determined to take the time to get to know, and love, herself. And she hoped that the warm glow of appreciation she always looked for might actually come from within."
―Patrick Phaedra, The Library of Lost and Found
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