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Director's Update, April 25, 2021


4/25/20212 years ago

caution sign The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 2 years ago.

Main Library Exterior

Patrons,

It is an exciting week for the Cambridge Public Library as we celebrate our 5th annual Margret and H. A. Rey Curious George Lecture on Thursday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m., featuring the acclaimed author/illustrator couple Tom Angleberger andCece Bell! They create memorable books for children, including Bell’s Newbery Honor-winning autobiography El Deafoand Angleberger’s popular Origami Yoda series. Tom and Cece will share their books, stories, and art and answer questions from the audience. We look forward to once again bringing the community together virtually to celebrate outstanding and engaging books for young readers. Registration is required, so please sign up today!

Live captioning of this event will be available through CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Registration is required.

The annual lecture is developed in partnership with the Cambridge Public Library, the Curious George Fund, and the Cambridge Public Library Foundation to celebrate outstanding books for young readers.

CPL CRAFTS: Portraiture Paint Night with Ayana Mack

Join us on Monday, April 26, at 6 p.m., for a special paint night that celebrates the portraiture of Black women with the local artist Ayana Mack. Ayana creates bright and texture-rich work to enrich communities. Free take-home kits with art materials for this workshop are available on a first come, first serve, basis and are available for Contactless Holds Pickup service at the Main Library. Contact thehive@cambridgema.gov to reserve your kit. Thank you to our colleagues in CPL's makerspace, The Hive, for creating these kits! Registration is required.

Virtual ESOL Classes

Virtual English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes occur 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.

Spring Fling! Clear Away Clutter & Make Room for Peace

Spring into action and make space for what matters most with Helane Blinn of Ducks in a Row Professional Organizing. On Tuesday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m., she will share tips and resources for clearing away clutter to allow order and peace to enter your home, office, and life. Registration is required.

Tinkercad 101: Customized Phone Stand

On Tuesday, April 27, at 7 p.m., learn the fundamentals of Tinkercad to design and edit objects for 3D printing. Participants may share a completed design file to be printed in The Hive and arrange to collect their projects through our Contactless Holds Pickup service. Basic computer skills are necessary for this course. Registration is required.

Virtual Baby Lapsit

Pre-walking children and their caregivers are invited to enjoy time together with other parents, caregivers, and babies to learn, play, and develop language and motor skills in this six-week series, Wednesdays at 10 a.m. until May 26. Registering will sign you up for all sessions in the series. Registration is required.

Library at Home: Stream Movies & Music

Join us virtually for a Zoom demonstration of Naxos, Hoopla, and Kanopy on Wednesday, April 28, at 3 p.m. We'll show you how to stream movies and music for free, using your library card. Registration is required.

Tween/Teen Virtual Hangout Yoga Sessions with Jaylee Momplaisir

Tweens and teens, join us on Wednesday, April 28, at 4 p.m., to balance your mind and body with this all-level gentle yoga practice consisting of a slow Vinyasa flow, long-held supported poses, and calming breath work. The class will take 45 minutes, and blocks or books, blankets, and pillows are recommended. Registration is required.

Wellness for Seniors: Low Impact Fitness

This is a virtual class on Thursday, April 29, at 11 a.m. It is designed for people at all levels to strengthen muscles, the heart, and the brain--all while moving to great music! Take everything at your own pace. You will feel the benefits in mind and body! 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. Plan to sing along and move around! 

STEAM Story Times include hands-on activities to explore science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. The Story Times this week are:

Registration is required for each event.

The Forgotten Irish of Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery

Join us virtually on Thursday, April 29, at noon, for a presentation by the cemetery historian Bill McEvoy, Jr., on the Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery in Watertown (next to Mount Auburn Cemetery on Cottage Street). Discover the lives of some of the 23,000 individuals buried there, the vast majority of whom were Irish, fleeing the Great Famine of the 1840s. Learn about what it was like to be an immigrant in 19th-century Boston cemetery -- where they lived, how they died, and why they were buried in Watertown in a Catholic cemetery. Registration is required.

Stay Connected

Best wishes,

Maria McCauley, Ph.D.
Director of Libraries