Contemporary Book Group (Main)
In anticipation of Valeria Luiselli's visit to Cambridge Public Library on September 24 (learn more here), we will gather to discuss Luiselli's new novel Beginning Middle End at this month's meeting.
This month's book: Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli
Reading Interests: The group concentrates on fiction and narrative nonfiction. Some past selections include: An Oral History of Atlantis by Ed Park, The Lilac People by Milo Todd, and Searches by Vauhini Vara.
How to get the print book: Copies of the print book are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library Q&A Desk at 449 Broadway during service hours and a staff member can help you check out a copy.
How to get the e-book or digital audiobook: This month’s book is available as an e-book and digital audiobook through OverDrive or the Libby app.
How to register: **Due to the demand for this month's book, we are requiring registration this month only. Register below.
For more information, contact Brita (bzitin@cambridgema.gov).
CPR Class for Parents and Caregivers (Valente)
This CPR class will cover life-saving skills for infants, children and adults. We will use multi-media and hands-on practice to be sure students acquire skills and confidence to assist in a life-saving medical situation. This class will also cover training and the use of AED (Automated External Defibrillator) for all ages, along with life-saving skills in choking situations. Students will receive their certificate upon completion of class. Please note that the City is not responsible for the content or training equipment.
Space is limited (25 adults), registration is required.
Note for CONFIRMED registrants: Your spot is held until the program start time. Once the program begins, we will fill in open spots from a day-of waiting list until the program reaches capacity. Please plan to arrive at the library approximately 15 minutes before the start time to ensure adequate time to check in before the program begins. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Funding for this program has been generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Step Into the World of Gospel Music with the Millenium Gospel Choir (Main)
As part of our Black History Month celebration, the Peace Commission invites you to Step Into the World of Gospel Music through a special concert featuring the Millennium Gospel Choir, presented in partnership with the Cambridge Public Library.
Gospel music is a foundational part of Black American history and culture. Emerging from the lived experiences of Black communities, gospel has long been a source of expression, resilience, storytelling, and collective joy. It has shaped American music far beyond church walls, influencing soul, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and the popular music we know today.
This concert is offered as a cultural and historical experience, highlighting gospel's role in the Black freedom struggle, community building, and artistic innovation. Through powerful vocals and rich musical traditions, the performance invites reflection on how music has carried hope, resistance, and connection across generations.
Whether you are familiar with gospel or experiencing it for the first time, all are welcome to join us in honoring this enduring art form and its place in Black history.
AI Training for Job Seekers (Main)
The Cambridge Public Library, in partnership with the African Bridge Network (ABN), is offering an AI Literacy Training designed to empower job seekers with the knowledge and skills to leverage AI tools responsibly and effectively for career advancement.
Participants will learn how to:
harness Generative AI technologies to enhance job search strategies
optimize resumes
prepare for interviews
overcome common barriers in the job market
To learn more about this program, please go to: africanbn.org/ai-training/
This training is a four-part workshop series. Participants who complete all sessions will be eligible to receive a free refurbished laptop and wi-fi hotspot.
Sessions will be held in-person at the Main Library on Saturdays on the following dates: May 16, May 23, May 30 and June 6, 2026. Each session will be held from 1pm to 4pm.
There are limited spots and registrations will be accepted on a rolling basis until capacity is reached or the deadline passes. Please register by May 6, 2026.
If you have any questions or need help filling out the application form, you can contact us at 857-235-9382 or CPLDigitalEquity@cambridgema.gov
AI Training for Job Seekers - Four Workshop Series (Main)
The Cambridge Public Library and the African Bridge Network (ABN) are offering an AI training for people looking for jobs. This training will teach you how to use AI tools safely and effectively to help with your career.
Through the workshops, participants will learn strategies to:
Find better ways to look for jobs
Update and customize resumes for different positions
Practice and prepare for job interviews
Get help dealing with common challenges in today’s job market
This training is a four-part workshop series. Participants who complete all sessions may be eligible to receive a free refurbished laptop and wi-fi hotspot.
Sessions will be held in-person at the Main Library (449 Broadway) on the following Saturdays: March 14, March 21, March 28 and April 4. Each session will be held from 1pm to 4pm.
Space is limited. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and accepted until spots are filled or the deadline passes. Apply by March 1, 2026.
If you have any questions or need help with the application, call 857-235-9382 or CPLDigitalEquity@cambridgema.gov.
To learn more about this program, please go to: africanbn.org/ai-training/
Washington Remembered, Washington Forgotten: Washington and Slavery (Main/Virtual)
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of local non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series.
Explore how Americans have remembered and forgotten Washington’s involvement with slavery over the past 250 years. Three historians who work at the intersection of scholarship and public history will shed new light on our founding contradictions:
Kelli Racine Barnes, ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow and historian of 18th- and 19th-century U.S. history
John Garrison Marks, author of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (forthcoming April 7, 2026) and Vice President of Research and Engagement at the American Association for State and Local History
Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House & Slave Quarters and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Tufts University Center for the Humanities
This event will conclude with a book signing by John Garrison Marks. Copies of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory will be available to purchase.
Grow Native Massachusetts Evening with Experts: Kim Eierman Presents The Pollinator Victory Garden (Main)
When choosing native plants, you have to ask the right questions to get the best results. Kim Eierman will help you sort out the mysteries and complexities of native plant selection including: Am I buying a genetic clone, and does it matter? What are local ecotypes and where can I buy them? Are native cultivars ok? Are dwarf nativars ecologically-useful? What’s the tradeoff with double flowers? Which native plants require pollination partners (i.e. are dioecious) and how do I source them? What are the pros and cons of planting native seeds vs. live plants? Get the answers you need to make your native landscape both beautiful and eco-beneficial. This is event is cosponsored by the Cambridge Public Library.
Kim Eierman is the Founder of EcoBeneficial LLC and author of The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. She is an ecological landscape designer and environmental horticulturist specializing in native plants. Based in New York, Kim teaches at the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanic Garden and is a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center. Visit Grow Native.
Clase de RCP para Padres y Cuidadores/CPR Class for Parents and Caregivers (Main)
Esta clase será en español.
Esta clase de RCP cubrirá habilidades para salvar la vida de bebés, niños y adultos. Utilizaremos tecnología y práctica para que los estudiantes adquieran habilidades y confianza para ayudar a salvar la vida en una situación médica. Esta clase también cubrirá entrenamiento y el uso de DEA (Desfibrilador Externo Automatizado) para todas las edades, junto con habilidades para salvar la vida de una persona en situación de asfixia. Los estudiantes recibirán su certificado al completar la clase. Tenga en cuenta que la Ciudad no es responsable del contenido o equipo de entrenamiento.
Cupos limitados (20 adultos), se requiere inscripción.
Nota para participantes CONFIRMADOS: Su lugar está reservado hasta la hora de inicio del programa. Una vez que comience el programa, llenaremos los lugares disponibles de una lista de espera del día hasta que el programa alcance su capacidad máxima. Planee llegar a la biblioteca aproximadamente 15 minutos antes de la hora de inicio para contar con el tiempo necesario para registrarse antes de que comience el programa. Apreciamos su paciencia y comprensión.
La financiación para este programa ha sido generosamente proporcionada por la Fundación de Cambridge Public Library (Biblioteca Pública de Cambridge).
Clase de RCP para Padres y Cuidadores/CPR Class for Parents and Caregivers (Central Square)
Esta clase será en español.
Esta clase de RCP cubrirá habilidades para salvar la vida de bebés, niños y adultos. Utilizaremos tecnología y práctica para que los estudiantes adquieran habilidades y confianza para ayudar a salvar la vida en una situación médica. Esta clase también cubrirá entrenamiento y el uso de DEA (Desfibrilador Externo Automatizado) para todas las edades, junto con habilidades para salvar la vida de una persona en situación de asfixia. Los estudiantes recibirán su certificado al completar la clase. Tenga en cuenta que la Ciudad no es responsable del contenido o equipo de entrenamiento.
Cupos limitados (20 adultos), se requiere inscripción.
Nota para participantes CONFIRMADOS: Su lugar está reservado hasta la hora de inicio del programa. Una vez que comience el programa, llenaremos los lugares disponibles de una lista de espera del día hasta que el programa alcance su capacidad máxima. Planee llegar a la biblioteca aproximadamente 15 minutos antes de la hora de inicio para contar con el tiempo necesario para registrarse antes de que comience el programa. Apreciamos su paciencia y comprensión.
La financiación para este programa ha sido generosamente proporcionada por la Fundación de Cambridge Public Library (Biblioteca Pública de Cambridge).
4 Mellen Street Affordable Housing Application Information Session
The application period for Homeowners Rehab Inc. (HRI)’s 29-unit affordable development at 4 Mellen Street in Cambridge is now open. Click here to fill out the application online. Physical applications are available at the following locations:
810 Memorial Drive, #200, Cambridge, MA 02139
City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139
City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139
Multi-Service Center, 362 Green St, Cambridge, MA 02139
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139
Completed applications can be returned to HRI as follows:
Online: https://waitlistcheck.com/MA3398
By Email: FourMellen@Wingatecompanies.com
By Mail: 810 Memorial Drive, #200, Cambridge, MA 02139
Applications are available from June 1, 2026 to July 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. with a lottery to be held August 13th, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. via Teams. Applicants are not required to attend the lottery.
To learn more about the application and lottery process, please attend one of the upcoming information sessions:
Online via Teams: Tuesday, July 7, 2026 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. Teams Meeting link: https://shorturl.at/BxHwS
For more information about this project, please visit https://linktr.ee/FourMellen.
For information about eligibility or the application process, please contact HRI at (617) 693-0981or email FourMellen@wingatecompanies.com.