Search

Today's Teen Hangout has been canceled. Hangout with other teens in the Valente Branch Community Room after school: socialize, unwind, play a game, make some art - your choice! No registration required, drop-in between 3:30-5pm. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Join clinical herbalist Mo Katz-Christy for a walk around the Alewife Reservation to learn about the medicine, botany and magic of medicinal herbs. We will discuss medicinal plants in Cambridge and their specific indications and properties. Bring a notebook as we delight in the bounty of our neighborhood! Registration is required. We will meet at the seating area on the bike path near the Alewife Brook Pathway and DCR Wetland Boardwalk: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CC32nJqG1Xk3b5zDA. It is a 6 minute walk from Alewife MBTA station, accessible by bus or by the Red Line. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station, the Alewife Reservation lot on Acorn Drive or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive.

Join the Cambridge Public Library in welcoming Philip Taubman, former Washington Bureau Chief of The New York Times and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Taubman for a discussion of their latest book, McNamara at War, a captivating and authoritative psychological portrait of Robert S. McNamara. Informed by newly discovered diaries, letters, and interviews with those closest to him, the authors uncover an emotionally tortured man—a man who mastered everything in life, until the Vietnam War mastered him. The discussion will be moderated by Fredrik Logevall, the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School and the author of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century.

Drop by the Central Square Branch's Lewis Room to read and discuss “No Flesh Over Our Bones" by Mariana Enriquez. Copies of the story will be provided, along with snacks. No preparation is needed. Registration helpful but not required. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Every month we will read and discuss a short story as a group. Copies of the story will be provided, and no preparation is need. Please drop in! If you have any questions or story recommendations, please email tmitchell@cambridgema.gov. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Youth ages 10+ are welcome to join us for a single session of cooperative storytelling and role-play table-top game Dungeons & Dragons. Youth who have never played are encouraged to Try it!, youth with DnD experience are welcome. No registration required. The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711.

Experience the vibrant rhythms of Haitian Folklore in a class led by JAE company dancer Velouse Joseph. Class is accessible to all levels and welcomes kids of all ages and their caregivers. Class includes a guided warm-up followed by traditional Haitian dances. You'll move to the sounds of prerecorded Haitian rhythms as you connect to culture, community, and the joy of movement. No registration required. 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 Donnelly Field (behind the Valente Library) for a joyful celebration with musician and educator Otha Day! A Drum Circle is a highly interactive group of people who play drums and percussion instruments together to create in-the-moment music. Through the experience of rhythm and sound we experience what it means to beat as one heart: we become a vibrant community. This drum circle will include playful and accessible rhythm activities, games, traditional ensemble pieces, songs and most importantly, improvisation. No experience necessary; all ages can participate. No registration is required. In the event of rain, this program will move indoors to the Community Room of the Valente Branch. Funding for Vacation Week Programming: Live at the Library has been generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.

Internationally renowned photographer Barry Schneier captures Boston's unique and impacting folk music scene in his new book The Song is Still Being Written, released in September 2024. The book is a collection of photos and narratives capturing stories of singer-songwriters, past, present, and future who have made the Boston/Cambridge area their home for artistic development and specifically from those who have graced one of the most heralded performance spaces in folk history, Harvard Square's Passim (originally Club 47). The program includes a performance by Kemp Harris, one of the artists profiled in the book. Schneier will be in conversation with James Sullivan, arts and culture correspondent for the Boston Globe. Barry Schneier is an internationally recognized photographer who has been immersed in the music scene since the mid-1970s. His work has been exhibited in multiple shows and is in the permanent collection of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music, the Folk Americana-Roots Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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.