Fully Yours!

Monday, June 1, we marked the full reopening of our long-awaited Downtown Library.

We are officially fully restored, fully reimagined, but most importantly, fully yours. 

We are celebrating all week long with programs and events. We can't wait to welcome you.

Check out the live footage HERE.

Tomorrow!

Experience tasty eats, interactive experiences, a signature mocktail & spirits by The Wini Bar, live music by Matt Parker, and a FREE beer tasting by Urban Lodge Brewing Co.

This is a ticketed event, and tickets are $30 at the door and online.

For information, contact Jessica Dolan, Assistant Director of Development at jdolan@hplct.org.

Thursday, June 4 | 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

Terrace & The Kitchen at Futures Inc.

500 Main Street

Upcoming Highlights

Thursday, June 4

A fun day of planting herbs and small vegetables at Park Street Library @ the Lyric awaits. Join us on the outdoor patio with our friends from the Garden Club of Hartford. This program is for all ages.

Park Street Library @ the Lyric | 603 Park Street | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, June 6

Celebrate Pride Month with a splash of color! Create a custom tie-dye shirt in honor of Pride Month. This program is for adults. Register HERE.

Albany Library | 1250 Albany Avenue | 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.

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

Book Recommendations

Before They Were Men

Jacob Tobia

"A reckoning, a manifesto, a wellspring of curiosity, and an invitation to consider better ways of imagining masculinity."

—Amanda Montell, New York Times bestselling author of "The Age of Magical Overthinking, Cultish, and Wordslut"

Find it HERE in our catalog

The Girls Who Grew Big

Leila Mottley

"Blistering, wise, empathetic. . . . Mottley writes with unabashed reverence for these young mothers. . . valuing them on the page in all the ways they are not valued in their lives."

—The New York Times



Find it HERE in our catalog

Also available as an eBook

"And you can make yourself look any way you want to, but if you think it’s gonna get the hurt inside you to disappear, you sure wrong."

—Leila Mottley, The Girls Who Grew Big

Poetry, Art & Jazz

Experience a dynamic fusion of poetry, visual art, and jazz with Haneef Nelson and Mind Evolution. This expressive performance blends rhythm, creativity, and storytelling.

Friday, June 5 | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Downtown Library

HPL Hall, Main Floor

500 Main Street

ArtWalk Opening Reception

Join us for the opening reception on Friday, June 5.

…And My Heart Beats For You presents new work by Connecticut-born artist Traé Brooks, whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, memory, spirituality, and the ways we carry personal and collective grief.

Through paintings, sculptural objects, writings, and video installations, Brooks reflects on how loss transforms us, reshaping the stories we hold, the bonds we form, and the ways we move through the world. What began as a tribute to his grandmother has grown into an expansive meditation on all the lives that leave an imprint - family, friends, brief encounters, and ancestors alike. In this exhibition, Brooks considers both intimate mourning and the larger currents of collective grief shaped by violence, injustice, and global upheaval. His works become vessels for remembrance, resilience, and the ongoing act of rebuilding the self.

...And My Heart Beats For You is funded by the Roberts Foundation of the Arts and Suzanne Hopgood in memory of Frank Lord. 

HPL's ArtWalk, on the third floor of the Downtown Library, will run from Monday, June 1, through Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Opening Reception - Free and open to the public

Friday, June 5 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Downtown Library

ArtWalk, Third Floor

500 Main Street

Image: You will always be my best friend (Corey)

Summer Starts Now

The Hartford Summer Reading Challenge is near, and we are celebrating with kickoff celebrations at every HPL location, starting on Saturday, June 6.

Each celebration will feature live music from Mega Education, story time hosted by Little Miss. Puerto Rico, refreshments, and a resource fair featuring local organizations.

Saturday, June 6: Downtown Library | 500 Main Street | 12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Monday, June 8: Camp Field Library | 30 Campfield Avenue | 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 10: Ropkins Library | 1750 Main Street | 2:45 - 3:30 p.m.

Friday, June 12: Albany Library | 1250 Albany Avenue | 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, June 16: Barbour Library | 261 Barbour Street | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, June 17: Dwight Library | 7 New Park Avenue | 2:45 - 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, June 25: Park Street Library @ the Lyric | 603 Park Street | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Summer reading registration will be available. To learn more about the Hartford Summer Reading Challenge and to register for the challenge, click HERE.

Thank you to our partners for making this possible.

Record Release Concert

A special evening celebrating the release of Tom Willits’ newest record, All of Us. Tom is a singer-songwriter, performer and producer. His music is rooted in storytelling and connection.

Registration is encouraged.



Thursday, June 11 | 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Downtown Library

HPL Hall, First Floor

500 Main Street

Downtown Library Opening Week Events

The celebration continues! Visit our news spaces and all the great programming we have all week.

For more information and a full lineup of events please click the button below!

Special Notice

YOUmedia at Hartford Public Library's Downtown Library will be closed on Friday, June 12, to celebrate Albany Library's summer kickoff event.

Resources & Services

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.

Free Medical Rides: 

HPL + Bus or Car Rides = FREE rides to medical appointments for Hartford residents 18+. Contact us or have your provider contact us to schedule transportation to your next verified medical appointment. This service is for those who do not have a transportation benefit through their insurance provider. Please call: (860) 840-1264 for more information.

Your support makes a difference.