Short Story Reading Group (Central Square)
Drop by the Central Square Branch's Lewis Room to read and discus a short story together. Copies of the story will be provided, along with snacks. No preparation or 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.
Medicinal Plant Walk (Central Square)
Join herbalist Mo Katz-Christy for a meander through the neighborhood to meet city plants and explore their medicinal uses! We will explore weeds and cultivated plants, trees and shrubs, and have lots of space for questions and conversation. Bring a notebook if you like, and meet us at the Central Square Branch Library. Note this program begins at the library but will then walk throughout the neighborhood -- arriving late may mean you miss the group at the library and will not be able to catch up.
Get Help Lowering Your Energy Bills
The City of Cambridge offers free, one-on-one help to residents looking to lower their energy bills. Through the Cambridge Energy Helpline (617-430-6230), callers get connected to a trained adviser who can explain cost-saving programs, from fuel assistance and discount utility rates to solar credits and no-cost energy assessments. Support is available to renters, homeowners, and landlords alike—regardless of building type.
CPL Nature Club: Danehy Park Winter Plant Walk (O'Neill)
Join herbalist Mo Katz-Christy for a meander through Danehy park to meet wintertime city plants and explore their medicinal uses! We will explore weeds and cultivated plants, trees and shrubs, and have lots of space for questions and conversation. Bring a notebook if you like, and meet us at the parking lot on Sherman Street (if you're late you should be able to find us -- we won't move too far too fast!). Registration is required. This event has been rescheduled from 2/27/25
Safety Guidance for Halloween and COVID-19
The City of Cambridge urges residents planning to celebrate Halloween to follow the guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to engage in only lower or moderate risk activities to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Halloween activities are subject to the current state gathering size limits as well as applicable any sector-specific workplace safety standards. Halloween activities are subject to the current state gathering size limits.
Summer Reading: Tiny Gardens Everywhere (Main)
Uncover the radical roots of urban gardening with Kate Brown, author of Tiny Gardens Everywhere (2026).
The history of gardening in European and North American cities in the 20th century is a story about ordinary people working with each other—and with plants and microbes—to cultivate life in the unlikeliest of places. Using the deluge of nutrients that flow into cities, working class gardeners regenerated wasteland, built the first garden city communities, and engaged in the most productive agriculture in recorded human history. Following the plants and microbes, urban gardeners also built mutual aid societies that advocated for equity, social welfare, and rights—rights not to liberty and the pursuit of happiness (who can eat that?) but to food, fuel, and shelter; to well-being for all.
Kate Brown is the Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science at MIT. Her prize-winning books include Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future (2019), Plutopia: Nuclear Families in Atomic Cities and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters (2013), and A Biography of No Place: From Ethnic Borderland to Soviet Heartland (2004).
Presented in partnership with City of Cambridge Community Garden Program.
Championing Sustainability & Improving Our Community
Continued implementation of the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) guides development of Cambridge’s tree assets and enables the City to expand the urban forest canopy and be more resilient to climate change. In FY22, Public Works reached the UFMP ecommendation of planting 1,000 trees annually. To increase long-term survival of newly planted trees, Public Works has improved pre-planting soil preparation and post-planting aftercare. In fall 2021, over 10 tons of soil from composted yard waste was
used to plant 475 trees. Miyawaki Microforest.
Live at the Library: Percussion workshop with Júlio Santos (O'Neill)
Children will explore a mixture of instruments and rhythms for creative and fun musical experiments through this World Music/Percussion workshop!
Registration is required. This program is recommended for children ages 4 and up.
Funding for Vacation Week Programming: Live at the Library has been generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Live at the Library: Percussion workshop with Júlio Santos (O'Neill)
Children will explore a mixture of instruments and rhythms for creative and fun musical experiments through this World Music/Percussion workshop!
Registration is required. This program is recommended for children ages 4 and up.
Funding for Vacation Week Programming: Live at the Library has been generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.
Pollinator Stories: How Native Gardens Build Community (O'Neill)
Join S-Cube Diplomacy and the O’Neill Branch Library for a multigenerational STEAM program exploring how plants, pollinators, soil, and people work together in a healthy native garden. Families, youth, adult learners, and community members will learn how pollinator gardens support biodiversity, climate awareness, and neighborhood connection through storytelling, observation, and hands-on reflection.