Puzzle Swap (Main)
Donate your gently used jigsaw puzzles and browse a collection of fun new puzzles to take home! Puzzles of all sizes for all ages are welcome.
No more than 5 puzzles per person/group if you are dropping off in advance. ONLY 1 puzzle if you are donating at the swap.
Donation policy:
Make sure your puzzle has all the pieces
Rubber band or tape the box so it won't fall open
Drop off puzzles at the Main Library Q&A desk Monday April 14 - Wednesday April 16
Summer Reading: Tiny Gardens Everywhere (Main)
Uncover the radical roots of urban gardening with Kate Brown, author of Tiny Gardens Everywhere (2026).
The history of gardening in European and North American cities in the 20th century is a story about ordinary people working with each other—and with plants and microbes—to cultivate life in the unlikeliest of places. Using the deluge of nutrients that flow into cities, working class gardeners regenerated wasteland, built the first garden city communities, and engaged in the most productive agriculture in recorded human history. Following the plants and microbes, urban gardeners also built mutual aid societies that advocated for equity, social welfare, and rights—rights not to liberty and the pursuit of happiness (who can eat that?) but to food, fuel, and shelter; to well-being for all.
Kate Brown is the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science at MIT. Her prize-winning books include Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future (2019), Plutopia: Nuclear Families in Atomic Cities and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters (2013), and A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland (2004).
Presented in partnership with City of Cambridge Community Garden Program.
(CANCELED) Teen Hangout (Valente)
Today's Teen Hangout has been canceled.
Hangout with other teens in the Valente Branch Community Room after school: socialize, unwind, play a game, make some art - your choice! No registration required, drop-in between 3:30-5pm.
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
Short Story Reading Group (Central Square)
Every month we will read and discuss a short story as a group. Copies of the story will be provided, and no preparation is need. Please drop in! If you have any questions or story recommendations, please email tmitchell@cambridgema.gov.
The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.
Cambridge Climate Committee Vacancy
The Climate Committee is a volunteer group of community members who work together to provide feedback and ideas to the City on topics related to climate change.
CPL Nature Club: Nature Story Time at Alewife Brook Reservation (O'Neill)
Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. We will meet at the seating area on the bike path near the Alewife Brook Pathway and DCR Wetland Boardwalk: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CC32nJqG1Xk3b5zDA. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive.
No registration is required.
In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.
CPL Nature Club: Nature Story Time at Alewife Brook Reservation (O'Neill)
Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. We will meet at the seating area on the bike path near the Alewife Brook Pathway and DCR Wetland Boardwalk: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CC32nJqG1Xk3b5zDA. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive.
No registration is required.
In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.
Reduce and Reuse
“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is in order of importance. It is better to reduce than reuse; better to reuse than recycle.
Reducing and reusing prevent the environmental impact of making new items. All disposal has financial costs to the city. Recycling and composting cost the City less than trash. Still, preventing waste in the first place is best for Cambridge and the environment. It is one of the key recommendations in the Cambridge Zero Waste Master Plan.
Common Victualler Application Process
This Document explains in detail the process to apply for a Common Victualler License. Every food service establishment with the capabilities for cooking, preparing, and serving food and which provides seating for the immediate consumption therein, is required to have a Common Victualler License.
CANCELED Songs and Stories (Collins)
This weekly event has been canceled for July 21. Please join us next Tuesday.
Join us for songs, stories and rhymes. Recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers.
No registration is required. Please call 617-349-4021 for more information.