Join NPL’s newly formed Classics Book Group! This group meets in-person 3-4 PM the third Thursday of every month in the Director’s Room. Please call 978-465-4428 x2 if you have any questions or would like to have a librarian put the book on hold for you. Registration is highly requests as space is limited. Click HERE to register.
For the month of November, we will be discussing Natsume Soseki’s “Kokoro.”
“Soseki is the representative modern Japanese novelist, a figure of truly national stature.”—Haruki Murakami
“The father of modern Japanese literature’s best-loved novel…Soseki’s “Kokoro”—meaning “heart” [or “The Heart of Things”]—is the story of a subtle and poignant friendship between two unnamed characters, a young man and an enigmatic elder whom he calls “Sensei.” Haunted by tragic secrets that have cast a long shadow over his life, Sensei slowly opens up to his young disciple, confessing indiscretions from his own student days that have left him reeling with guilt, and revealing, in the seemingly unbridgeable chasm between his moral anguish and his student’s struggle to understand it, the profound cultural shift from one generation to the next that characterized Japan in the early twentieth century.”
Join the Newburyport Public Library for some creative fun with Maker Mondays. (See our calendar here for dates! Maker Mondays typically occur once a month.)
We are using this Maker Monday to officially launch our Seed Library on Monday, March 17! Come by the Library between 6 – 7:30 PM to check out the seeds available in our Seed Library and bring your own to share. Stop in at our Seed Starting Station where you can get planting right away or get creative at our Craft Station and make your own plant markers for your garden.
Due to limited supplies, crafters will be limited to no more than five plant markers. This program will not have a limit on the number of seed starts per attendee, but please be respectful of the time limit set for the program so staff will be able to clean up on time.
Join our newly created group for a casual and fun conversation to find your next great read! The library will offer book suggestions and teach you how to use some of our favorite recommendation tools. We would love to hear about your favorite books too! No need to prepare a review in advance of this informal discussion.
We hope to see you there!
No registration required. This is an adult in-person program that will meet Tuesday, February 18 at 5:30 PM.
We read a variety of mystery, thriller and true crime books; fiction and non-fiction! New readers are always welcome. We also do not discourage those who were unable to finish the current title from attending – we welcome you to join the discussion anyways!”
“Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes—especially after what happened last time.
Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn’t be higher—but then, Evie has always liked a challenge…”
Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Illume Books! Use the online form (linked above) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO), but you can only submit one book per category.
You can enter your submissions at any point during the Winter Reading challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Illume Books and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Participants can win only once.
If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.
The Winter Reading program runs from January 13th through March 15th.
Join the Newburyport Public Library Art Hive! The NPL Art Hive is held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month in the Program Room.
What is an Art Hive? Art Hives are community art spaces where participants bring in their own arts and crafts projects to meet, exchange ideas, and socialize with fellow artists in an inclusive and respectful environment. They are often held at an art studio, a local venue, or a public library.
All skill levels are welcome. Please bring in your own supplies and projects to work on. The Library will also provide coloring pages, color pencils, and origami. Suggested art hive projects include knitting and crocheting, collaging, small-scale watercolors and/or drawings.
The Summer Reading program runs June 8th through August 10th.
Events
The Newburyport Public Library is offering tons of fun events for summer! Check out our events calendar for details, and join us on Saturday, June 8, 2024 for our kickoff event with a petting zoo on the front lawn!
KIDS (Ages 0-12)
Download the Beanstack app or visit: newburyportpl.beanstack.org to create an account. If you used Beanstack last year, you should still have an account. If you want to log reading for multiple kids at the same time, we recommend using the app instead of a web browser.
Mark off each day you spend time reading (or listening, or being read to) this summer.
Every time you log ten days (consecutive or non-consecutive!), you get to pick a prize from the Library’s prize bucket.
As you log days, you’ll also earn virtual raffle tickets. Use these raffle tickets to enter for a grand prize bag! We’ll pull winners at the end of the summer.
Grand prizes this year include Walkie Talkies, Glow in the Dark Magnatiles, and more!
Log the minutes you read to earn badges and tickets.
What can you read? Anything! Just track the time you spend reading (or listening). Tracking your reading time or achieving activity badges earns you tickets, which you can then use to win prizes. And yes, you can use your summer reading book for school to earn tickets.
We will have two drawings this summer. Some of the prizes will change between the two drawings, but you’ll be able to enter for the grand prizes all summer long. Grand prizes will be drawn on the last day.
This year’s prizes include gift cards to Jen Ju Boba, Lexie’s, a Bluetooth projector, themed mystery bags, books, and more!
ADULTS
Come play BINGO with us and track your reading progress for a chance to win a $30 gift card to Jabberwocky!
Use the online form (linked below) to view the BINGO card and submit what you’ve read. Each submission will enter you into the raffle (even if you don’t hit BINGO). You can only submit one book per category.
Attending any program hosted by the Newburyport Public Library will also enter you into the raffle! Submit your attendance via the online form.
You can enter your submissions at any point during the Summer Reading challenge. Three lucky winners will each win a $30 gift certificate to Jabberwocky and all winners will be drawn after the conclusion of the program. Please note, participants can only win once.
If you have any questions or would like a physical copy of the BINGO card, please speak with a reference librarian on the second floor.
View the BINGO card and submit your reading progress HERE!
Prizes are funded by the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library.
Join our new in-person Spanish conversation group for adults!
All levels are welcome! However, it may be best suited for beginner and intermediate level speakers. Please note, this is not a class, but it is a great way to practice your Spanish conversational skills and connect with others who have an interest in the language. The group is led by a Spanish-speaking librarian and will meet every other Thursday at 5:30 PM for 45 minutes. Starts April 11th!
Registration is highly requested as space is limited to 6 attendees in the Library’s Director’s Room. Visit the Events calendar for dates.
Please contact the reference desk if you have any questions!
The Newburyport Public Library is proud to partner with Newburyport Youth Services to talk about all things parenting!
Join us for two moderated discussions of “Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting,” by Andrew Bomback. We hope to engage in multigenerational discussions about parenting, how it has changed, and what today and tomorrow look like.
Utilize current literature as a way of exploring parenting ideas and experiences through engaging community conversations! We can learn so much from books, but we learn so much more from each other, and hope this community read will spark some great discussions.
Parents and caregivers will have two opportunities to chat with other members of our community in May. Our first discussion will take place on Monday, May 8th from 6-7:30 PM. The second discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 10th from 6-7:30 PM. Both discussions will take place in our Program Room and no registration will be required.
The library is so pleased to offer two new movie experiences for our patrons in April.
On Monday April 3rd & April 24th, from 2:30-4:30, we will be hosting the Sensory Friendly Movie Matinee.
The room will be lighter, the volume will be lower, and audience members will be welcome to move around, talk, and sing or do anything they feel they need to do in order to be comfortable, unless the safety of the audience is in question.
On Monday April 10th, from 2:30-4:30, we will be hosting the Stroller Movie Matinee.
Stroller Matinees are a baby-friendly, judgment-free space for adults to enjoy films with babies who may otherwise be unwelcome in traditional movie theaters. The room will be lighter, the volume will be lower, and audience members are welcome to move around, talk to their babies, and bring their strollers or car seats inside.
Information about these unique movie viewing experiences, the movies we will be showing, and runtimes, visit our event calendar by clicking here.
