We're Beyond Grateful

Many thanks to everyone who came out and made our Beyond Words event a big success as we celebrated the creative expression that happens each and every day at Hartford Public Library. Your support for the library is invaluable.

Check out more photos from the night HERE.

📷: HPL board member Ana Alfaro (left) and the YouMedia team at Beyond Words on Thursday, December 8th, at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.

A long December...

Wintering

Katherine May

New York Times Bestseller

Sharing her personal journey, May reminds us of the power of rest, self-love and self- care.

"Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself." — Elizabeth Gilbert

"Honest and accurate — capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes.” — Wall Street Journal

Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges

Some of the most imaginative and original short stories you will read. One to dig into on a long winter's evening. P.S. We recommend starting with "The Library of Babel."

"A marvelous new collection of stories by one of the most remarkable writers of our century.” — The New York Times

“The major work of probably the most influential Latin American writer of the century.” — The Washington Post

Holiday craft classes

Create crafts and memories together

Gingerbread Engineers

Wednesday, December 14, 4 pm

Downtown Library, Children's Department, Youth Program Room

500 Main St.

Build and decorate your own gingerbread house.

Gifts in a Jar

Thursday, December 15, 2-4pm

Dwight Branch

7 New Park Ave.

Decorate a jar and lid and fill them with dry ingredients.

3D Paper Snowflakes

Tuesday, December 20, 4-5pm

Camp Field Branch

30 Campfield Ave.

Make some cool 3D snowflakes.

With your HPL card you have access to thousands of online craft classes through Creativebug. Check it out today!

Save the date: Holiday programming coming your way

Holiday Concert

Wednesday, December 14th

11 am-noon

Downtown Library

500 Main St.

Come feel the magic of the holiday season with the Sam Pasco Band.

Kwanzaa Festival

Thursday, December 29th

1-5 pm

Downtown Library

Music. Art. Food. A unique celebration of family, community and culture.

Picturing the Pandemic

Exhibit Closing December 15th

Picturing the Pandemic is the first public exhibition of photos and journal entries collected by the team at the Pandemic Journaling Project detailing the experience of ordinary people during COVID-19.

Check out the exhibit before it leaves Hartford and heads to Providence, Germany and Mexico!

Downtown Library

500 Main St.

Learn more HERE.

Computer basics training

Computer first steps • Internet basics • Using email • Creating a resume • Google • Microsoft Office and more!

Do you or someone in your life want to brush up on basic computer skills? Hartford Public Library is offering this important training at all of its branches. Registration is recommended but walk-ins are welcome.

This week's class:

Wednesday, Dec. 14

11 a.m.

Dwight Library

7 New Park Ave.



Please call 860-695-7460 to register.

Baby Grand Jazz returns January 8th!

Stay tuned for details...

Can you spot the differences?

Stop by the Barbour Library and find five differences between the two snowmen, write them down and get a wintery treat as a prize!

Barbour Library, Front Lobby

261 Barbour St.

Congratulations, Julie!

Malta House of Care honored Julie Redding, career development specialist at The American Place, with one of its inaugural Community Partner Awards. This was in appreciation of Julie's hard work in helping many Malta House patients who are immigrants access services and information that they might otherwise not receive.

📷: Hartford Public Library President and CEO Bridget E. Quinn (second from left) and Adult Learning Transition Specialist Nancy Caddigan (third from left) accept the award on Julie Redding's behalf at the Magic of Malta event.

Taking care of you

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic

Thursday, December 15th

2-5:30pm

Albany Library

1250 Albany Ave

Ages 12 and up

Flu shot vouchers

Thanks to Bank of America and CVS Health we will be providing vouchers at all of our libraries for free flu shots at any CVS Pharmacy. Can't make it to the library? Just email us and we will send you a digital voucher.

Take time to stop by our ArtWalk — you'll be glad you did

Ebb & Flow

Barbara Hocker

ArtWalk Gallery, 3rd Floor, Downtown Library

500 Main St.

On display through January 22nd

Learn more about this exhibition and Barbara HERE.

Register for Barbara's Zen yoga & qi gong workshop HERE.

We're closing early this Friday to celebrate

Its our holiday staff party Friday! All library locations will close at 3:30 p.m. this Friday, December 16th.

We will be back on Saturday!

“Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.”― Katherine May, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times