Dear Patrons,
To avoid the busy polls on Election Day, November 3, let me remind voters registered in Cambridge that you can participate in early voting in person at any one of the early voting sites until October 30 or you may deliver your completed, sealed, and signed ballot to one of the drop boxes in Cambridge until November 3 at 8 p.m. You can learn all about voting options (including two library locations) for the 2020 elections on the City’s website.
Not a Cambridge resident? Please check with your city or town to learn your voting options. Be sure to exercise your right to vote!
Your Next Great Read
The Cambridge Public Library's expert librarians are happy to help you find Your Next Great Read. Fill out a short form about your favorite books and genres, and we'll email you personal recommendations for books we think you'll enjoy.
Say I'm Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets and Love
On Tuesday, October 27, at 6:30 p.m., the Cambridge author E. Dolores Johnson will be talking with the poet Regie Gibson. Ms. Johnson shares her family’s story as told in Say I’m Dead: A Family Memoir of Race, Secrets and Love, which won the 2020 Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Ms. Johnson is the daughter of a Black father and White mother who married 25 years before the famous Supreme Court Loving decision that overturned the laws against mixed marriage. Registration is required.
Mindfulness Arts & Crafts
Join us virtually for guided Mindfulness Crafting with Linda Tang on Monday, November 2, at 6 p.m. Linda will help you create your own “relaxation teller” and walk you through the process of creating an origami coping tool. You can personalize this tool with your own coping skills, relaxation techniques, and creativity to relieve stress. Please gather your activity materials before the event. Registration is required.
Reading Garden at O'Connell
Construction to create a reading garden at the O’Connell Branch Library will begin soon. During construction the front entrance to the library on Sixth Street will be inaccessible. Library returns will be accepted at the rear entrance on Thorndike Street.
Kids’ Books to Go at O’Connell
Stop by the O’Connell Branch Library (48 Sixth St.) on Friday, October 30, from 2-5 p.m. to borrow a bag of 3-5 selected books for your kids and teens! The books will be curated by Cambridge Public Library Youth Services librarians. Bins will also be available for library returns. Note: this event will take place at the rear entrance.
Join Us for Story Times
The next Virtual STEAM Story Time will be on Wednesday, October 28, at 11 a.m. Children and their grownups can join us for 20-25 minutes of stories and hands-on activities to explore STEAM. Please gather your activity materials before the event. Registration is required.
Jump into your jammies **or costumes** and join us for Virtual Pajama Story Time on Wednesday, October 28, at 6:45 p.m.! Enjoy 20-25 minutes of songs, stories, and rhymes to wind down the day. Caregivers are asked to participate with their children. Registration is required.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. A coalition of the Cambridge Police Department and local domestic violence advocacy and service organizations, including Transition House, usually hold a vigil on the steps of City Hall. This year, there will be no in-person vigil due to COVID. A display honoring those who lost their lives to domestic violence in Massachusetts, along with awareness and support information, is currently in the Franklin Street windows of the Central Square Branch Library. The display will remain up through the end of October.
This Should Not Be Exhibit
Coming soon, Cambridge Public Library STEAM Academy students will present This Should Not Be, an augmented reality exhibit that examines systemic racism in America, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic. This immersive experience will be temporarily housed in Joan Lorentz Park, in front of the Main Library. Walking through the park, participants will encounter seven display cubes on sign posts. They must download and open the free Hoverlay app on their Smartphones. When they are in range of one of the display cubes, a digital image will appear in the phone app, enhancing the physical space of the park with virtual images and video content. The exhibit is a collaboration with Innovators for Purpose (iFp).
Funding for the STEAM Academy is provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Trust, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, the Margret and H.A Rey Curious George Fund, Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund, and Verizon.
Stay Connected
Best wishes,
Dr. Maria McCauley
Director of Libraries
The information on this page may be outdated as it was published 3 years ago.
