Director's Update, June 8, 2025

Dear Patrons,

Summer Reading Bingo begins on June 21, and registration is open now! Register online, then stop by your local branch library to pick up your bingo board and a registration gift (while supplies last). For more information, staff recommendations, and special events, visit camb.ma/summerreading. Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.

Join us at Joan Lorentz Park on Sunday, June 1, from 1-4 p.m., for Loving Day. Loving Day is a celebration of the United States Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia (1967) legalizing interracial marriages in all states. Enjoy refreshments, music, games, and activities for all ages. This event is brought to you by the Citizens' Committee on Civic Unity, the Cambridge Peace Commission, and the Cambridge Public Library.

Join us to celebrate the reopening of the Collins Branch on Thursday, June 12, from 4-7 p.m.! Come reconnect with Collins staff and neighbors and meet the new Branch Manager. Enjoy refreshments, crafts, and games in your neighborhood. Weather permitting, the party will take place in the back yard.

Park Sounds is back! On Saturday, June 14, 12:30-2 p.m., celebrate Juneteenth with the Dave Macklin Band as they pay tribute to the musical contributions of Black artists. Park Sounds 2025 brings free outdoor musical performances featuring local artists to the front lawn of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch. These events are for all-ages. Bring a chair, food, and loved ones to celebrate the summer! Funding is provided by the CPL Foundation. 

All Library locations will be closed on Friday, June 13 for Staff Development Day. Library locations will reopen on Saturday, June 14 during regular business hours.

Best,

Maria McCauley, Ph.D.

Director of Libraries

                                                                                     +++

Weekly Activities for Kids               

This week, these programs will be offered at our Boudreau, Central Square, Main, O’Connell, O’Neill, and Valente locations.  

• Sing Alongs 

• Story Times

Book Groups             

Learn more about our Book Groups.          

The Hive Workshops                          

Check out this week’s classes in The Hive.        

ESOL Classes           

Find an ESOL Class.              

Tech Help                    

• One-on-One Tech Help

Drop-in Hours with the Social Worker (Central Square)

Monday, June 9
2-5 p.m.

Get support from our Library social worker!

Decorate the Library for Pride! (O'Neill)
Monday, June 9
3:30-5 p.m.

Middle Schoolers and teens can visit the Library and help us decorate for Pride Month! We will have craft supplies and decorations to help us celebrate. No registration is required. Snacks will be provided.

Tween STEAM (Main Library)
Monday, June 9
5:30-6 p.m.

Interested in technology and art? Join Tween STEAM to learn how to use circuits to make light up cards, build LEGO cities, or use brush bots to paint abstract art. Every month, there’s something new to make! Program begins at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are available at the children's desk. Please call 617-349-4038 for more information.  

Sit 'n' Knit (Main)
Tuesday, June 10
2:30-3:30 p.m.           

Bring your project and enjoy the company of other fiber crafters.Drop in with this informal group to work on your craft, get inspired, pick-up skills, and socialize. Knit, embroider, crochet, spin, and mend. Refreshments will be provided.     

Drop-In Tech Help at the Library (Central Square)
Tuesday, June 10
3:30-5:30 p.m.

Looking for some basic computer or mobile device guidance? Want help using an online resource? Need someone to read your resume and support navigating online job applications? Join us for our drop-in help hours between 4 and 6p.m. No registration required. If you have any questions, please contact library@cambridgema.gov.

Librarian Office Hours (Main)
Tuesday, June 10
5:30-7:30 p.m.

Visit with our librarians in this informal session – no appointment needed! We can connect you to the reliable information you need and the popular entertainment you want. Come with your questions or let us guide you to some hidden gems.  Did you know can use your library card to... 

• compare refrigerator models? 

• learn to play the ukulele? 

• prepare for the GRE, HiSET, or TOEFL exam? 

• study Mandarin? 

• read People magazine on your phone? 

Board Game Night for Adults (Valente)
Tuesday, June 10
6-7:30 p.m.

Join us for an evening of board games. We have: Wingspan, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Azul, Splendor, Scrabble, chess, checkers, Boggle, Bananagrams, and more! Feel free to bring a board game to play with others. We will provide pizza and beverages. Registration is recommended.

Starting a Business Workshop Series: Inventory and Operations Management (Central Square)
Tuesday, June 10
6-7 p.m.

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner looking to start a business in the City of Cambridge. This workshop is a comprehensive, four-week program tailored specifically for early-stage entrepreneurs and established business owners seeking to enhance their business operations. The curriculum addresses key aspects of business operations. This series of workshops will establish a solid foundation in essential principles of entrepreneurship and business ownership.

• Effective inventory management techniques
• Streamlining business operations for growth
• Introduction to supply chain management and logistics 

Please register here.

Susan Choi presents: Flashlight (Main)
Tuesday, June 10
6-7:30 p.m.

Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Susan Choi—author of the National Book Award-winning novel Trust Exercise—for a discussion of her new book Flashlight, a novel tracing a father’s disappearance across time, nations, and memory. She will be joined in conversation by Gish Jen—acclaimed author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon and The Resisters. Registration is required.

Knitting Group (Boudreau)
Tuesday, June 10
6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Bring your project, yarn and needles toenjoy an hour in the company of other crafters. 

Drop In Tech Help at the Library (Valente)
Wednesday, June 11
10-11 a.m.

Looking for some basic computer or mobile device guidance? Want help using an online resource?  Drop in tech help at Valente can assist you with signing up for low-cost home internet, setting up your computer or mobile device, making an email account, navigating websites or databases, and other basic technology assistance.  If you would like assistance with a device, please bring the device, all cords, and any account information.  Library staff cannot be held responsible for damage to patron-owned equipment. If you have questions, please send them to: kmcquown@cambridgema.gov.

Fiber Crafts Group - Drop-In (O'Connell) 
Wednesday, June 11
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 

Bring your project and enjoy the company of other fiber crafters Drop-in with this informal group to work on your craft, get inspired, pick up skills andsocialize.Knit, embroider, crochet, spin, mend, cross stitch and more.All crafts are welcome! 

Wednesdays of Wonder - W.O.W.! (O'Neill) 
Wednesday, June 11
2:30-4 p.m. 

Come to the Library for games and a different activity each week!Kids of all ages can hang out and do crafts or STEAM activities. No registration required. This week we will be sculpting with wax sticks!

Wednesdays of Wonder - WOW - Open Gameplay with One Up Games (Valente)
Wednesday, June 11
2:30-4 p.m. 

One Up Games is bringing video games and Virtual Reality to the Valente Community Room! Virtual Reality (VR) Headset - Nintendo Switch - XBox Series S - PlayStation 4 - Oculus Quest 2 - and more. Board games and puzzles are also available for play. NO registration required - FREE - Ages: 8+ Snacks provided! 

Summer Art Nights: Printmaking (Main)
Wednesday, June 11
5-7 p.m.

Art on a nice Summer night? Nothing sounds better than that! Come to the Library and enjoy an art filled evening learning the techniques of printmaking. In partnership with artist Brooke Lambert, a professional printmaker and painter, she will take you through this guided art class. The library will provide all materials. Registration is required. 

Free Drop-in Tutoring for Teens (Main)
Wednesday, June 11
5-6 p.m.

Need help with a class? Have a question before an exam? Tutors are available to help you! Cambridge School Volunteers and the Library are pleased to offer tutoring services in the Teen Room. No registration is required. Stop by the Teen Room or call 617-349-4027 to learn more.

Wiggle Party (O'Connell)
Wednesday, June 11
5:30-6 p.m.

Join us for a dance party to get your wiggles out! Play a freeze dance game, shake some shakers, and learn the steps to the Electric Slide! For more information, please call the library at (617) 349-4019. 

CPL Nature Club: Herb of the Month: St. John's Wort (Valente)
Wednesday, June 11
6-7:30 p.m.

Join herbalist Mo Katz-Christy to get deeply acquainted with St. John's Wort! We’ll spend time getting to know this medicinal plant through drawing, taste, science, and stories of herbalists’ experience. Bring your journal and leave with an in-depth account of botany, history, clinical use, and safety. Registration is required.

Remembering Hard Histories: Slavery in New England (Main)
Wednesday, June 11
6:30-8 p.m.

Please join Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, MA, for a presentation about the history of slavery in the North, the origins of the Royall House and Slave Quarters and the importance of remembering hard histories. 

As one of the only remaining freestanding quarters where enslaved people lived and worked in the North, the Royall House and Slave Quarters bears witness to the lives of its residents, to the intertwined stories of wealth and bondage in pre-Revolutionary Massachusetts, and to the resistance and political and legal activism of enslaved and free Black people in the eighteenth century. The Cambridge Public Library is proud to offer passes to the museum during its tour season (June to October). 

Puzzle Party (Main)
Thursday, June 12
2:30-3:30 p.m. 

Join our librarians for tea, cookies and a jigsaw puzzle. An hour of fun and conversation on a Monday afternoon at the Cambridge Main Library.

CPL Nature Club: The Nature of Cambridge (Central Square)
Thursday, June 12
4-5 p.m.

Mass Audubon will lead an exploration around the library in search of plants and animals, while using scientific tools like binoculars and magnifying lenses to get a closer look. We'll record what we find in our nature journals and play nature games. All materials will be provided. No registration required. This program is recommended for children 4-8 and their caregivers. Hosted by Mass Audubon and the Cambridge Public Library.

Fiber Arts Circle (Central Square)
Thursday, June 12
4-5 p.m. 

Bring your project and join other fiber crafters in your community! Crochet, sew, embroider, knit, cross stitch, spin, mend, and more at this informal drop-in fiber arts circle. All crafts are welcome! 

Molly Jong-Fast presents: How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir (Main)
Thursday, June 12
6-7:30 p.m.

Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Molly Jong-Fast—contributing writer at Vanity Fair, political analyst at MSNBC News, and host of the podcast “Fast Politics”—for a discussion of her new book How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir. She will be joined in conversation by Laura Zigman—author of six novels, including the bestsellers Small World, Separation Anxiety, and Animal Husbandry. Registration is required.

Evening Yoga at the CPL (Main)
Thursday, June 12
6-7 p.m.

Shayla Tate of M.U.D.D. Flower Yoga leads us through a 60-minute outdoor evening flow. Registration is preferred but not required. The Library will not provide any materials - please bring your own mat and whatever items are in your practice. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place in the Community Room. Registration is required.

Juneteenth Drum Circle With Ammaya Dance & Drum (Main)
Saturday, June 14
11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Join us for an hour of drumming with Ammaya Dance and Drum to celebrate Juneteenth! This event is recommended for children ages 5 and up and their caregivers. In the event of inclement weather, the drum circle will move to the Curious George Room.

CPL PARK SOUNDS 2025: Juneteenth Celebration with the Dave Macklin Band (Main)
Saturday, June 14
12:30-2 p.m.

The Library celebrates Juneteenth with the Dave Macklin Band as they pay tribute to the musical contributions of Black artists. 

PARK SOUNDS 2025 brings free outdoor musical performances featuring local artists to the front lawn of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch. These events are for all-ages. Bring a chair, food, and loved ones to celebrate the summer! Funding is provided by the CPL Foundation. 

Reading with a Duck from Land's Sake Farm (O'Neill)
Saturday, June 14
1:30-2:15 p.m.

Learn about the ducks that live at Land’s Sake Farm. We will have a story time and activity, then children can touch and interact with a live duck. This program will happen outside. In case of rain or bad weather it will be inside the O'Neill Branch.

This program is for children of all ages with a caregiver. Registration is required. When registering, please list how many children are attending. Adults do not need to be included in the numbers for registration

    +++    

Stay Connected                      

Please subscribe to our e-mail list, follow us on X, Instagram, or Facebook, and visit our website.         

  +++

About the Cambridge Public Library:
At the Cambridge Public Library, we welcome all, inspire minds, and empower community. We support a Cambridge where everyone has equitable opportunities to learn, people live their best lives and democracy thrives.The Library’s programming provides an opportunity for civic dialogue, conversation, and learning, which includes exploring a wide range of views.Visit our websiteto learn more. Subscribe to our email list to stay up to date on our eventshere.