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You’re invited to our September Brewery Book Club, where Lamplighter and the Cambridge Public Library team up to highlight contemporary works from marginalized voices while having a beer. We meet at Lamplighter Brewing Co., 284 Broadway, in the back taproom. This month we’ll read The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. The e-book and digital audiobook can be borrowed through the Libby app. We’ll gather in the Lamplighter back taproom to discuss the book, what we learned from it, what we found ourselves touched by, and all other thoughts. Registration link coming soon.

An afternoon of arts and crafts with artist, Alexandra Adamo! Recommended for children 5+ and their caregivers. Registration required. Funding for Vacation Week Programming: Live at the Library has been generously provided by the Cambridge Public Library Foundation.

Small businesses are an important part of Cambridge’s diverse and thriving economy. To support and promote current small business owners and aspiring local entrepreneurs, the Community Development Department’s economic development division offers a variety of programs, workshops, grants, and resources.

Join us on Thursday July 16th at 6:30pm to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of the launch of the CARE (Community Assistance Response and Engagement)Team! We will be screening Beyond The Call, a powerful documentary highlighting how the City of Cambridge created and implemented the CARE Team, a community-centered alternative response program designed to support people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises. This documentary will offer an inside look at the challenges, breakthroughs, and real-life impact of building a public safety model rooted in care instead of criminalization. There will be food, swag, and an opportunity to connect directly with those doing the work!

The library is home to a permanent exhibition by Ellen Driscoll, photographs by Diane Asséo Griliches, and murals by Caleb Neelon and Silvia López Chavez.

Join Earthwise Aware for a thought-provoking workshop examining how land use and climate change influence the design, function, and future of urban green spaces. Starting at the library’s front lawn, we will explore how conventional designs can undermine biodiversity and tree health. What makes a space truly nature-friendly? Can a lawn, sidewalk, or plaza be transformed into habitat? We will compare low-functioning green spaces with examples of micro-forests, native plantings, and meadows. Along the way, we will observe seasonal changes in plants and wildlife through the lens of phenology, the study of nature’s calendar. We will also introduce simple participatory science tools that help monitor habitat quality, foster community engagement, and inform better decisions. Even a modest native plant patch can be a pocket of resilience. Come learn how to spot, support, and reimagine urban nature that works with the ecosystem, not just mimics it. The program will start with a workshop in the Rossi Room, then move outside to Joan Lorentz Park. Registration required.

In honor of Women’s History Month, this collage workshop invites participants to explore collage as a practice rooted in storytelling, care, and reclamation. Together, we will look at how women and femmes have historically used cutting, layering, assemblage, and repair as forms of documentation and self expression, often working outside traditional art spaces and definitions of what is understood to be "fine art.” Participants will create collages using photographs, found papers, textiles, and personal ephemera, reflecting on lineage, memory, and the quiet labor of the women that shapes our lives. No prior collage experience is necessary. This workshop is designed as a welcoming, reflective space where participants are encouraged to work intuitively, honor their own histories, and engage with material in a tactile, intentional way. All are welcome. Registration is required.

Join us for STEAM activities for all ages! Help us paint our patio with paint made from sidewalk chalk. In the case of rain, this program will be held inside and an alternate painting activity will be offered.

The City of Cambridge plans to install quick-build separated bike lanes on Main Street between Massachusetts Avenue and Portland Street in 2023 and will launch the project with a virtual community meeting and in-person open house in March.

The Central Square Branch will be closed on Friday, June 28. The branch will reopen on Saturday, June 29 for normal hours.