A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
Saturday, September 30, 2:30PM - 4:30PM IN PERSON, All Ages

¡Todos Son Bienvenidos!

Come and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and bring the whole family!  Join us for free food, dancing, crafts and fun! Co-sponsored by Mujeres Entre Cultura (Women Between Cultures) and Esperanza Latina  ¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! No registration is required.

Mushroom Identification for Beginners
Thursday, September 14, 6:00PM - 7:00PM IN PERSON

Join The 3 Foragers as they share some of the secrets of the fungal world and teach you how to safely identify wild mushrooms using various available tools and techniques. You'll learn how to use your senses to examine mushrooms for their sights, smells, and tastes, and consider the relationships between fungi and the natural world around us.

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Herbal Medicine: Fire Cider workshop
Saturday, September 16, 10:00AM - 11:30AM IN PERSON

Fire Cider is a classic folk remedy that herbalists and “kitchen witches” have been making for generations. It boosts the immune system, wards off colds and flu, and is an overall tonic for the body. Fire Cider is a wonderful remedy to make on your own, but even more fun to make with friends! We welcome back Nora Toomey, Clinical Herbalist of True Bloom, for a morning of community medicine making! Each participant will leave with a pint jar full of Fire Cider! Registration is required as space is limited.

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How to Steal a Masterpiece
Tuesday, September 19, 6:30PM - 7:30PM ONLINE

Enter the underworld of stolen art as we examine the little known stories of some of history’s greatest art heists.  This lecture will review some of the most significant art theft in the last century and a half, while also questioning and discussing how the legitimate art market has managed to pique the interest of so many criminals.  Mallory Mortillaro is an art historian and educator.  Registration is required. This event is co-sponsored by the Groton Public Library!

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One Book One Region 2023 Finale at Connecticut College
Wednesday, September 20, 7:00PM - 8:30PM IN PERSON

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha will be interviewed onstage by Julia Flagg, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at Connecticut College.  This event will be held at the Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College. Visit  www.onebookoneregion.org  for complete details. Join us on Friday, September 15 at 1 p.m. for a discussion of this year's title, What the Eyes Don't See. Our facilitator is Laurie Wolfley, English Faculty UConn, Avery Point.

In the Vault: What's in the Town Clerk's Office? a Genealogy Workshop
Thursday, September 28, 6:00PM - 7:00PM ONLINE

Connecticut’s town clerks hold more than just vital records and deeds. This program discusses some of the more unusual sources found “in the vault” – and how they can help build your family tree. We welcome back Bryna O'Sullivan of Charter Oak Genealogy based in Middletown, CT.

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Guest Author Greg Gilmartin
Monday, September 25, 6:30PM - 7:30PM IN PERSON

We welcome back Greg Gilmartin to discuss his newest title Castle Fires (2023).  A daughter inherits her father’s castle and his empire. A father she never met. Greg Gilmartin is writing full-time after a long career in broadcasting and marketing. Except for the time he’s running sailboat races for the Mudheads and Off Soundings.

Visit our Virtual Author Talks website for complete details and to register for upcoming talks or to view recordings of previous events.

Craft Night
Thursday, September 7, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Time to get crafty! During this session we will be making an adorable stuffed felt fox and an autumn acorn or leaf. Recommended for ages 11 and up, registration is required.

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Teen Drop In Craft
Thursday, September 21, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Stop by the Teen Section of the library to make a Hobbit Hole card in honor of Hobbit day! Drop in anytime between 5:30 and 7:00 p.m. No registration required.

Did you participate in our Find Your Voice Summer Reading Program?

If so, we need your help completing this short survey! Our library and the CT State Library use these results to improve your summer reading experience at the library.

Use this link to answer the survey today. Thanks!

Toddler Apple Tree and Core Craft
Friday, September 15, 11:00 AM - 12:00PM

Join us for a fun-filled crafting session where little hands transform paper plates into adorable apple and core masterpieces. Mrs. Sharma will start the session with a short story! For ages 3 to 5 years old, No registration is required.

Sign and Sing
Saturday, September 9, 10:30AM - 11:00AM

Join Ms. Janine for our first session of Sign and Sing! This fun storytime will include basic signs that both children and their caregivers will benefit from knowing. For ages birth to 5, no registration required. Thank you to CT Humanities for providing funding for this program.

Toddler Art
Wednesday, September 20, 11:00 AM  -  11:45 AM

Time to get creative (and maybe a little messy)! This hands on art session is for young ones to explore through process art with the help of their adult. Mrs. Marshall will start the session with a short story! For ages 3 to 5 years old, registration is required. This program will take place downstairs in the Meeting Room.

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Board Game Bonanza
Monday, September 25, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Drop in to the meeting room anytime between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to play one of our many board games. We have all of the classics as well as some exciting new ones! It's the perfect activity for a day off of school with family and friends. All ages, no registration required.

DIY Instruments
Thursday, September 28, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Ready to create, play, and dance? Join us for this DIY instrument program in which kids will learn how to make percussion instruments from recycled materials! Registration required. Recommended for children ages 6-12 years. All materials will be provided.

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Family Storytime will resume in October

DROP IN ACTIVITIES

Drop in Craft: Handprint Tree Craft
Monday, September 11
4:00 -  6:30 PM IN PERSON

As we transition into the colorful world of autumn, join us in the Children's Room between 4:00 and 6:30 pm to make a vibrant 3D Handprint Tree Craft. Ages 6 to 12.

Drop in Creation Station
Tuesday, September 12
4:00 -  6:00 PM IN PERSON

Stop by the Children's Room anytime between 4:00 and 6:00 pm for a fun craft and to get your creativity flowing! For this session we will be creating a piece to celebrate the beginning of the school year. Recommended for ages 5 and up. No registration required.

STEM Adventure: Paper Helicopter
Monday, September 25
4:00  -  6:30 PM IN PERSON

Calling all future aviators! Join us in the Children's Room on anytime between 4:00 and 6:30 pm to create Paper Helicopters that spin, twirl, and take flight with a touch of your creativity and your engineering minds. Ages 6 to 12.

Lego Club
Tuesday, September 26
4:00 -  6:00 PM IN PERSON

Drop in anytime between 4:00 and 6:00 pm to build with some LEGO sets! No registration required, recommended for ages 5 and up.

GRAB & GO CRAFTS

Pencil Craft
Sept 2 to Sept 15

Scarecrow
Sept 16 to Oct 6

Stop by the Children's Room to pick up supplies to make a Grab & Go Craft at home! Check our Facebook page (@waterfordpubliclibrary) for a step-by-step video tutorial on how to make your craft.

Available while supplies last!

Thanks to all who participated in our July survey where we asked: What is your favorite baseball team? The final votes were:
New York Yankees - 217
Boston Red Sox - 131
New York Mets - 44
other notable mentions – Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and the Norwich Sea Unicorns!

For 2023, the library will feature an activity-packed monthly calendar to support early literacy skills based on the Every Child Ready to Read practices of reading, writing, singing, talking, playing -- and now counting!  This resource contains twelve months of learning activities, book lists, nursery rhymes, and more. On one side is a calendar with a fun skills-building activity for each day and the other contains supplementary content like nursery rhymes, early literacy tips, song lyrics, or suggested reading material.  Available in both English and Spanish on our website and in print at the library! Click here to access this resource in English or Spanish. Content is provided by the Public Library Association.

Explore Our Digital Resources!

Kanopy’s Science Fiction & Fantasy collection is coming to a galaxy near you! Waterford Public Library is proud to feature this curated collection from Kanopy that is sure to take your imagination to new heights. Stream up to 5 free films each month with your library card. Download the app to get started today!

Have you tried Libby yet? Join OverDrive experts for a one-hour Getting Started with Libby webinar. Learn the basics, find out what makes Libby different, ask questions and access additional learning resources after the webinar ends. Great for new users and those making the switch from OverDrive. Register for one of these free monthly sessions!

Track your reading

Does that new book seem…familiar to you? Sometimes you can remember the plot of a book so clearly but forget the title. Or worse, you can forget where you are in a series! We can help. From within your online library account, click “Preferences” and then check “Record my checkout history” and “Show my checkout history.” From that point forward, you’ll be able to see which titles and authors you’ve already read from within the “Checkout history” section of your account. Need more of a memory boost? Click on the titles to get book summaries and more.

Museum Passes

Library museum passes circulate for 2 days, visit our website for more information and to confirm pass availability. Use this link to visit the Slater Memorial Museum website.

The library now has two portable metal detectors that are available for a two-week loan period. Borrow one to find that lost ring in your yard or to treasure hunt at the beach! Ask at the circulation desk for details.

This is the first item in our new Citizen Science Collection that is funded by  a grant from the New England Chapter of the Association of Rural & Small Libraries.

Multiple copies of these titles are available for check out in the library. For more information on the book, click on the covers below.

Mystery
Wednesday, September 6
6:30 PM IN PERSON

The Arctic Fury by Greer Macallister

Speculative Fiction
Monday, September 11
7:00 PM ONLINE

Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez  

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Friday Afternoon
Friday, September 15
1:00 PM IN PERSON

What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha (2018), the 2023 One Book One Region selection. It is the inspiring story of how Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, alongside a team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders, discovered that the children of Flint, Michigan, were being exposed to lead in their tap water—and then battled her own government and a brutal backlash to expose that truth to the world

Multiple copies of this title are available for check out  in the library.  

Our facilitator for this discussion is Laurie Wolfley, English Faculty, UConn, Avery Point.

Please fill out the following registration link to join the RISE book club to discuss The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio: https://www.nationalbook.org/people/karla-cornejo-villavicencio/

Copies of the book are available for check-out at the library. Meetings will be scheduled every two weeks and start date will 9/7/2023. Meetings will take place at the Waterford Community Center in the Senior Lounge and will also be available on zoom. Thank you!

SEPTEMBER ART WALL
Cristina Ruales Family

The Cristina Ruales Family has an exhibit featuring illustrations by Kai Ruales (age 12), watercolors by Sierra Ruales (age 12) and their mother Cristina Ruales, an established designer. This show is a launchpad to propel the idea of family artists working together.