Teen Design Your Own Graphic Novel Session 1/3 (Valente)
Learn how to visually capture your own memoir or fictional creation in a short graphic novel through story planning, character development, and techniques for capturing emotions, motion, and time. Materials provided and no prior art or author experience needed! Registration is required, and registering for this session includes the following two Tuesdays 1/20, and 1/27. This program is for ages 10-18.
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 Tabletop Game Design Session 2/2 (Valente)
Create your very own one-page tabletop role playing game. In this two-session class, you will learn how to design your own game from scratch. We will cover themes, mechanics, and get started on making your idea a reality. No prior experience needed, all materials provided. Ages 10-14, registration required! (Registering for the first session includes the second session.)
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 Graphic Novel Design Session 1/3 (Valente)
Visually capture your own story in a short graphic novel format from story planning to character development and illustration. All materials are provided and no prior art experience is needed! Registration is required, and registering for the first session 8/4 includes the following sessions on Tuesdays, 4/11 and 4/18. This program is for ages 10-18.
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.
Submit a Public Records Request
Under Massachusetts law, every person has a right to access public government records. Not all records are public, and you may need to pay a fee to get them.
Puzzle Swap (Main)
Donate your gently used jigsaw puzzles and browse a collection of fun new puzzles to take home! Puzzles of all sizes for all ages are welcome.
No more than 5 puzzles per person/group if you are dropping off in advance. ONLY 1 puzzle if you are donating at the swap.
Donation policy:
Make sure your puzzle has all the pieces
Rubber band or tape the box so it won't fall open
Drop off puzzles at the Main Library Q&A desk Monday April 14 - Wednesday April 16
(CANCELED) Teen Hangout (Valente)
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.
Short Story Reading Group (Central Square)
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.
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.
CPL Nature Club: Nature Story Time at Alewife Brook Reservation (O'Neill)
Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. 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. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive.
No registration is required.
In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.
CPL Nature Club: Nature Story Time at Alewife Brook Reservation (O'Neill)
Children and families can join us for an outdoor story time and short walk at Alewife Brook Reservation. 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. There is no parking available on-site. Parking is available at Alewife MBTA station or limited on-street parking on Cambridgepark Drive.
No registration is required.
In case of bad weather, this event will be cancelled and the listing will be updated on the website. Please call 617-349-4023 with any questions, including day-of weather cancellations.