Parent/Child (Ages 7-9) Book Group (Main)
Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-9 and a parent or caregiver.
This month's book is The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. Four very different students are stuck sitting together at the “D” table, but form an unlikely alliance when one of them creates a machine that can do their homework for them at the press of a button. Soon, though, tensions form and even when they try to put it behind them the machine takes on a life of its own.
Copies of this month's book are available at the Children's Desk.
Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family.
For questions about parent/child book group, please email Rachel: rbeaton@cambridgema.gov
Reel Reads Book Club (O'Connell)
Is it true the book is always better? Join our new book club at the O'Connell Branch to delve into this question! Each month we will read a book selection with a movie adaptation, and discuss the relationship between the two and the merits and/or drawbacks of each.
The Reel Reads book club will meet the first Tuesday evening of each month at the O'Connell Branch Library on 48 Sixth St.
For our inaugural meeting in May, we will be discussing Forrest Gump by Winston Groom, and the 1994 film of the same name.
How to get the print book and physical movie: Copies of the book and DVD are set aside at the O'Connell Branch. Click here for O'Connell Branch Hours
This book group meets in person at the O'Connell Branch. No registration is needed. Drop-ins welcome.
For more information contact the branch at 617-349-4019.
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.
Family Board Game Night (Valente)
Join us for an evening of board games at the Valente Branch. Challenge neighbors, family, friends and strangers to prove your gaming might.
The library will provide all materials. Bring your family, friends, or your favorite game! This program is recommended for children ages 4+ and their parents.
Reading with a Duck from Land's Sake Farm (O'Neill)
Learn about the ducks that live at Land’s Sake Farm. We will have a story time and activity, then children can touch and interact with a live duck. This program will happen outside. In case of rain or bad weather it will be inside the O'Neill Branch.
This program is for children of all ages with a caregiver. Registration is required. When registering, please list how many children are attending. Adults do not need to be included in the numbers for registration
Lunch at the Library for Teens (O'Connell)
Take a break from your studies and join us for lunch! Free pizza will be provided while supplies last and you will have the chance to share your ideas for future events at O’Connell! This is a drop-in event designed for patrons ages 12-18. No registration required.
[CANCELED] Sustaining Community: A Climate Change Book Group (Main)
The climate is changing, and we're all here on the planet together. Join us for a monthly community gathering and discussion of a variety of books about climate change. We will share thoughts, resources, and occasionally host special guests in a welcoming small-group environment.
For our February meeting, we will discuss The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Attendees are invited to choose between reading the original text, the illustrated edition, the graphic adaptation, or watching the film version of this book!
This work is available in many different formats. Copies of the print book, the illustrated edition, the graphic adaptation, and the DVD are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. E-book and e-audiobook copies are available to borrow on the Libby app and immediately on the Hoopla app.
Registration is required. Please contact alengel@cambridgema.gov with questions.
Retrofit Program Development Process - Full Report
To achieve the goals of its Net Zero Action Plan and to encourage buildings subject to BEUDO to take steps to significantly reduce their energy use, the City conducted research, qualitative analysis, and stakeholder engagement to inform the development of a voluntary, comprehensive retrofit program.