New Arrivals!

Show your Library pride wherever you are. Visit our online HPL Store to see our newest items: bumper stickers, car magnets, an embroidered HPL keychain, and embroidered dad hats. Whether you’re traveling, out and about, or visiting the Library, find a new way to celebrate your favorite Library.

Shop the collection and grab your HPL gear today!

Upcoming Highlights

Wednesday, August 19

Hartford's Literary Integrated Trailblazers will explore why literary art matters, why it deserves to be nurtured, celebrated, and preserved, and how storytelling creates pathways for literary legacy, truth-telling, creativity, connection, and community. Highlighting authors Terrance Mack and Alphonso McGriff III. Register HERE.

Downtown Library, Garmany Hall, Main Floor | 500 Main Street | 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, August 22

A free workshop with Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America that will help you prepare to buy a new home. 

Park Street Library @ the Lyric | 603 Park Street | 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 26

Join us for a fun Afrobeats dance class with Masem! All skill levels welcome. Wear comfortable clothing and bring water. Register HERE.

Downtown Library, Atrium, Ground Floor | 500 Main Street | 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 29

Celebrating queer diasporic artists, transgressing borders, and binaries, featuring Las Mariquitas, New York's queer and trans salsa band. There will be a ceremony, market, and themed workshops. Masks required indoors and will be provided.

Downtown Library | 500 Main Street | 12:00 - 4:00 p.m.

For more fun and engaging programs and events, click the buttons below!

ArtWalk Artist Talk

Join us for an evening with current ArtWalk artist Traé Brooks before his show closes on Saturday, August 29.

Blending sculpture, painting, and found materials, including worn clothing and personal artifacts, Brooks’ multidisciplinary exhibition explores how individuals carry history through memory, ritual, and material.

In this space, remembering becomes a source of connection, and shared grief opens pathways for collective reflection and care.

Friday, August 21 | 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

ArtWalk, Third Floor

500 Main Street

Book Recommendations

George Falls Through Time

Ryan Collett

"A humorous, genre-defying, meandering analysis of present-day life as seen through a medieval lens."

—Kirkus Reviews

Find it HERE in our catalog.

The Dream Thieves

Maggie Stiefvater

"Newcomers will undoubtedly be driven to the originals for more context. A must-purchase series continuation."

—Booklist Online

Find it HERE in our catalog.

“If you never saw the stars, candles were enough."

—Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves

Summer Learning Recap

Thank you to everyone who joined our annual Summer Reading Challenge. Check out our stats for 2026:

• Registrants: 1,874  
• Entries: 5,197
• Books finished and logged by enthusiastic readers: 1,750
• Minutes spent immersed in stories, adventures, and new experiences: 174,750
• Learning points: 358,790
• Badges earned for completing various reading milestones and challenges: 2,743
• Prizes handed out to celebrate milestones: 1,716

Tech Certification

Jump-start your career in IT with a FREE CompTIA A+ training certificate. You must meet the following criteria to apply:

• Age 18-24 
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent GED, NEDP, or CDP.
• Not enrolled in college/university.
• Have a strong interest in IT. 

Testimonial: "I wish the very best for everyone who made this program possible. Thank you for investing your time and effort in helping students like me succeed. I know this program will continue to change lives, and I see a bright future for everyone who has the opportunity to participate in it."

Classes are held on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at West Middle School, 44 Niles Street.

Intro to Mixing

This workshop is for participants who have completed the Intro to Studio Technology Workshop or have commensurate recording studio experience. EQ, Compression, Dynamics Processing, Reverb, Delays, Saturation, and more! Attendees must have experience with DAW's. The course will be conducted in Pro Tools.

Registration is encouraged.

Wednesday, August 26 | 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Garmany Hall, Main Floor

500 Main Street

Back-to-School Donations

Our friends at The Mark Twain House are hosting a Back-to-School Bash, and we will be accepting donations at the Downtown Library, 500 Main Street, until today, Wednesday, August 19.

Supplies needed:

• Notebooks
• #2 Pencils and colored pencils (sharpeners)
• Erasers
• Scissors
• Glue/ glue sticks
• Crayons and markers
• Folders
• Water bottles
• Tissues and Ziplock bags
• Post-it notes
• Clorox wipes
• Headphones

Resources & Services

Voter Registration: 

Your vote matters — Register to vote at any HPL location. For more information, please visit the front desk or click HERE.

Fight Hunger: 

Facing food insecurity? Here's help:

• Text "211Food" to 898211
• Enter your zip code when prompted
• Identify an open food pantry near you
• For more information, click HERE.

Your support makes a difference.