Coolidge Corner Library

SUNDAY, January 22 from 2-4 PM

Celebrate Lunar New Year with the Public Library of Brookline, in person!

We’ve missed celebrating with you! Join us from 2-4 PM on Sunday, January 22, for:

Tradition Chinese Dance performances

A live Lion Dance performance from the Gund Kwok Asian Women’s Lion and Dragon Dance Troupe

Wish Tree Activity

New Year’s Envelopes

One-on-One Chinese Calligraphy Demonstrations

Delicious snacks

and more!

Please note: The Traditional Chinese Dance Performance will start promptly at 2 PM. Generously sponsored by the Brookline Library Foundation, The Friends of the Brookline Public Library, and the Brookline Asian American Family Network

This Is What It Sounds Like: The Music of Listening with Susan Rogers, PhD

TUESDAY, January 17 at 7 PM

Professor of cognitive neuroscience and former record producer (Prince, David Byrne, Barenaked Ladies) Susan Rogers presents a new model of music cognition that describes the “listener profile”—a constellation of individualized preferences mapped to an array of musical and aesthetic dimensions. Her book on music listening for W. W. Norton is titled This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You.

Read more and sign up for this virtual program here!

This program is sponsored by the Cary Library in Lexington.

Welcome Blanket Crafts

Did you get a Welcome Blanket Craft Kit at First Light last month? If you used the kit to crochet square or two, we invite you to bring your squares to any Brookline Library location by January 31. Then Welcome Blanket Brookline will turn them into blankets for immigrants and refugees. There's still time to craft along with us: check our our step-by-step video here!

Brookline Village Library

Light Up Winter: Paper Circuits Workshop

WEDNESDAY, January 18 at 6:30 PM

Make the dark days of winter a little brighter with paper crafts that light up! Kids ages 5-9 and their families can join us in the Tween Room between 6:30 and 7:30 PM to learn about paper circuits and then put their knowledge into action through creativity.

Crochet For Kids!

SATURDAY, January 21 at 3 PM

Jump into a new skill this year with Ms. Julie as she teaches basic crocheting! Learn how to chain and single crochet as we make a basic crochet square, or try finger weaving instead. This program is geared for kids 5-9 and we strongly encourage caregivers to stay with their child during the program. Space is limited, so pick up a (free) program ticket from the Children’s desk starting at 2:30 PM.

Want to use the Library’s supply of crochet hooks for your own project? Check them out using your library card as part of our circulating ideaSPACE collection! This event is generously sponsored by the Brookline Library Foundation.

Keep This, Toss That: How to Clear Clutter for 2023 with Jamie Novak

MONDAY, January 30 at 7 PM

Join us virtually over Zoom for a special new year event, brought to you by the Library in partnership with bestselling author and organizing humorist Jamie Novak! If you can’t open your drawers, if clutter topples out of closets, and paperwork covers your tabletops, then log on for decluttering tips with a humorous twist! Join Jamie Novak as she shares her approach for what to do with all the stuff – without getting overwhelmed.

Sign up for Keep This, Toss That here!

This event is generously sponsored by the Library Trustees.

The 86th Village: An Evening with Sena Desai Gopal

Coolidge Corner Library

THURSDAY, February 2 at 7 PM

Sena Desai Gopal is the author of the novel The 86th Village and a journalist specializing in science and medicine, food, and travel. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Modern Farmer, and The Times of India, among others. In this talk, she will address the growing problem, often referred to as “Managed Retreat,” of how to resettle people displaced by floods, fires, droughts, and more. Governments around the world are struggling to find the means to help victims of natural and manmade catastrophes, and falling short because they do not have the money or the know-how. The talk will be informed by the author’s experience growing up in Yadahalli, a village in Southern India that will one day drown in the backwaters of one of India’s biggest, most ambitious dams, The Upper Krishna Project.

On Display at the Library

Brookline Village Library

Chinese American Fine Arts Society Group Show - The Chinese American Fine Arts Society are pleased to display their eclectic artistic styles through a variety of media, including photography, Chinese paintings and calligraphy, and more. Pictured above: The Color of the Endless Years by Sam Chen. On display through March 8.

The Library Before Google - Special Collections presents a sample of ephemera from days gone by, for example the “elusive file,” used by reference staff to keep track of answers to questions, like what the latitude and longitude are for Brookline. On display through February 28.

In the Children's Room: Wesley’s Pokémon Collection and Olive’s Calico Critters - In our flat case, Wesley shares his Pokémon cards, books, and toys. Wesley is 7 years old and in 2nd grade at Runkle School. In our wall case, Olive shares her collection of Calico Critters, including a miniature Girl Scout Cookie booth that her friend Rebecca made! Olive is 8 years old and in 3rd grade at Lincoln School. On display through January 23.

Coolidge Corner Library

Heart to Heart: A Lively Discussion - The work in this exhibit from the Gateway Arts community forms a conversation about individuality and strength. Each artist represented shows their unique approach to composition, color, and dialogue. On display through February 27.