Press February 6, 2023
MBTS Public Library Building Updates
Reference room renovations are underway. The library will be closed Monday, February 6 – Friday, February 10 for renovations to our Reference Room. Curbside Pickup will be available during our normal hours on Monday 2/6, Tuesday 2/7 and Friday 2/10 but we will be closed completely on Wednesday 2/8 and Thursday 2/9. We are so excited to see everyone again and host two programs; a children’s stories and crafts event with Early Childhood Partners and a Cookbook Book Club this Saturday, February 11. You can register for them from home at https://www.manchesterpl.org/events/ or give us a call at 978-526-7711.
Children’s News & Events
* Please register for all programs on our website: https://www.manchesterpl.org/events/
*Seaside Saturday in the Children’s Room
Saturday, February 11th at 10AM
Join our friends from Early Childhood Partners for themed stories, crafts and activities. Please register on their website or call: www.EarlyChildhoodPartners.com / 978-468-5489.
Valentine Card Kits available for pick-up the week of February 6-10. A crafting station will be available when we reopen on Saturday, February 11.
We provide 2 cards, envelopes and stamps; you provide the creativity and love.
Call to reserve your kit, pick-up it up curbside, then share a handmade card with your valentine!
Coming SOON to the Children’s Room During February Break … Register NOW!!
*Curious Creatures
Thursday, February 23 @ 1PM
You won’t want to miss this informative, interactive sharing of mammals, insects, reptiles and more!!
*Family Movie Afternoon
Friday, February 24 @ 1PM
Join us in the Children’s Room for an action-packed afternoon with this 2018 animated, super-hero story, that has much-anticipated sequel coming in June 2023. For more information and to save your seat, please visit our website events page. Recommended for ages 8+.
F.E.E.D. Families Exploring Equity & Diversity Stories and Activities
Mondays February 27-April 10 @ 3:30PM (7-week series)
Families and children ages 3.5 – 5 are invited to share stories and activities with educator and diversity trainer, Lindsay Banks and Manchester Public Library Children’s Librarian, Carol Bender.
Teen Loft Announcements & Events
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events
*Friendship Bracelet Making with June
Thursday Feb 16, 23, Mar 2 and 9 at 3:30—4:30pm
For Ages 8-14
Create friendship bracelets with youth expert June B.! June has been making bracelets for years, and sharing the craft with family and friends is one of her favorite activities! After teaching her 8-year-old brother how to make bracelets last summer, then attending a fall craft night at the Manchester-by-the-Sea library, she thought it would be fun to offer this class to the youth community. The library will supply the materials and snacks so bring yourself and some friends. Registration is required. Sessions build upon each other but you can register for whatever technique(s) interests you. Visit manchesterpl.org/events to see what design is being taught each week. Only 10 spots available each session so don’t wait to register.
News & Events for Adults
*To register for the programs below and more: manchesterpl.org/events
* Cookbook Throwdown
Saturday, February 11 at 11:30 AM—12:30 PM
On the 2nd Saturday of every month we will share recipes from a cookbook from off our library shelves. February’s pick is “One-pan wonders : fuss-free meals for your sheet pan, Dutch oven, skillet, roasting pan, casserole, and slow cooker” by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen. Love a meal with minimal cleanup!
Sign up for a recipe in the library or online below and bring your dish to be sampled on Saturday, February 11th along with any utensils needed.
Hearthside Book Group
Tuesday, February 14 at 4—5PM
Join us in person at the library or on Zoom to discuss the novel,“The Sweetness of Water” by Nathan Harris. Contact Lori Dumont at ldumont@manchesterpl.org or at 978-526-7711 for further information. Copies of this book are available at the circulation desk, curbside pickup or by home delivery.
*Abolition’s Foot Soldiers: Female Anti-Slavery Societies in Antebellum MA (Virtual)
Wednesday, February 15 at 7-8PM
For at least the past three decades, scholars have argued that slavery’s abolition would not have happened without interracial collaboration between politically-minded women. From 1830-1865, an interracial and transnational group of women insisted that the struggles for women’s liberation and abolition were linked. In this talk, Dr. Jaimie Crumley will show that the efforts of the anti-slavery women in Massachusetts demonstrate the distinctively feminist contours of antebellum abolitionism. Further, she will assert that learning from the successes and failures of antebellum female anti-slavery societies can inform contemporary feminist organizing.
Diversity Book Group : “I am Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness”
Tuesday, February 21 at 5:30—6:30PM
Diversity Matters has been meeting monthly at the library since the 2020. We look at classic and contemporary books that examine racism in both historical and personal context. Copies of the books are available at the front desk for reading the month prior to a meeting. February we will read and discuss “I am Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown.