Director's Update, December 6, 2020
12/6/2020 • 3 years ago
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 3 years ago.
Dear Patrons,
If you haven’t done so recently, please take a moment to visit our Resource Guide to learn about all of the online services available through the Cambridge Public Library. The guide is updated frequently and includes links to our online collections, virtual programs, booklists, and more.
Give the Gift of Stories You Love
This holiday season, we are partnering with Porter Square Books to provide new books to children and teens living in transitional housing. Donate books by shopping in the store or online through our Donation Wish List. Porter Square Books is offering 20% off all books purchased for this program from now through January.
The Hive Opens Remotely
Things are buzzing in The Hive, the Library's brand-new creative space!
Please join us for virtual tours of the makerspace, recording studios, and extended reality lab:
Please join us for one of our new virtual workshops:
Tuesday, December 15, at 6 p.m.; Thursday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, December 29, at noon
Learn the fundamentals of Google Drawing to design and edit images for customized OR your own vinyl stickers. You'll also be introduced to our vinyl cutter machine. Participants may share a completed design file that will be made into a sticker in The Hive and arrange to collect it via contactless pickup.
Monday, December 21, at 6 p.m., and Tuesday, December 22, at 3:30 p.m.
Learn the fundamentals of Google Drawing to design and edit pieces for a laser-cut lantern. You'll also be introduced to our laser cutting machine. Participants may share a completed design file that will be made into a lantern in The Hive and arrange to collect it via Contactless Pickup. Registration is required for each event--see the Library’s online events calendar to register.
Winter StoryWalks®
Enjoy our rotating StoryWalks® this winter! The Library will be featuring four picture book StoryWalks® at three of our contactless pickup locations through December, January, February, and March.
The books will be displayed on the playground fence in Joan Lorentz Park by the Main Library, on the Peabody Elementary School fence by the O’Neill Branch Library, and along the windows around the Reading Garden at the Valente Branch Library. See if you can visit them all!
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
Tween/Teen Virtual Hangout
Tweens, teens, and their caregivers are invited to a virtual hangout on Monday, December 7, at 4:30 p.m. Come say hello to your librarians, get book recommendations and help with research, find out about the Library's virtual offerings, and bring your suggestions! Breakout rooms will be available for one-on-one assistance. Registration is required.
Lamp x the CPL Present: A Book Club Walks into a Bar
Join Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library on Monday, December 7, at 7 p.m. for our virtual book club, where we celebrate contemporary fiction from new voices. This month, we’ll read Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot.
Registration is required.
Virtual ESOL Classes
We continue to offer virtual English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Introductory ESOL takes place at 11 a.m., beginner ESOL at 1 p.m., and intermediate ESOL at 3 p.m. Registration is required for each class. Please see the Library’s online events calendar for more details.
American Sign Language Basics
Join SIGNING Basics for a virtual Beginners American Sign Language (ASL) class on Tuesday, December 8, at 6 p.m. You will learn a variety of signs and engage in activities and games to help reinforce and retain what you have learned. For beginners and intermediate learners, but individuals with advanced skills will have fun too! Registration is required.
Mental Health First Aid with Aweh Support, LLC
On Wednesday, December 9, at 6:30 p.m., Aweh Support will advise you how to support someone who is struggling with their mental health until appropriate professional help is received or the crisis resolves. Registration is required.
Join us for Story Time
We invite children and their grownups to join us from home for 20-25 minutes of engaging stories. Caregivers are asked to participate in the program with their children. Plan to join in, sing along, and move around! STEAM Story Times include hands-on activities to explore science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math; please gather your activity materials before the event.
We are happy to offer these Story Time programs this week:
Registration is required for each event. Please cancel your registration if you cannot attend.
Life Worth Cooking with Dawn Marie: Holiday Edition
Join fusion-meets-comfort cook Dawn Marie on Thursday, December 10, at 6 p.m. for a holiday cooking presentation that will awaken your senses. This class will feature two sweet and savor
y treats: Apple Pie Eggrolls and Raspberry, Brie, and Prosciutto Crostini. Registration is required.
Haitian Folkloric Dance with Jean Appolon Expressions
On Friday, December 11, at 4 p.m., children of all ages and their caregivers are invited to join this energetic movement class! Jean will lead a short full-body warmup and then teach movements that match a specific Haitian rhythm, like Yanvalou, Ibo, or Kongo. Dancers can wear any comfortable clothing and should make sure that they are in a space that is big enough to move around in without bumping into things (a 4- to 6-foot radius is good!). Registration is required.
CPL CRAFTS: Hope in Motion with Chanel Thervil
Our local artist and educator Chanel Thervil will host CPL CRAFTS: Hope in Motion on Monday, December 14, at 6:30 p.m. Ms. Thervil will speak about her community-inspired sculpture, EMERGENCE: What does hope look like?, and lead us through a sculpture workshop in which we create a “Hope Chest” based on our own ideas of hope and those we glean from our community, family, and friends. Please gather the required materials before the event if you plan to participate. Registration is required.
Stay Connected
Best wishes,
Dr. Maria McCauley
Director of Libraries