Special Announcements

The library has started a spice program! Every month, pick up a packet of a new spice with fun recipes to try. Harissa will be the spice for May.

First come, first served while supplies last. 

The library has started a podcast, Beyond Books! The hosts, Mike and Dana (SPL's Assistant Director and Technology Specialist, respectively), provide behind-the-scenes looks at the events, news, and people at the library.

The current episode includes a chat with our Children's Librarians, Sonja Drotar and Roxanne Starkin, about all things Youth Services and a fun game of Two Truths and a Lie! Listen on our website (bottom right of the page), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Anchor. FM.

Now open to all CW MARS patrons!

One of the library’s great online resources is the Headspace meditation app, which includes exercises for meditation, focus, sleep, and movement that can help support your mental health. CW MARS patrons are eligible to request access to Headspace through the Shrewsbury Public Library on a first come, first served basis, typically between the 14th and 28th of the month for the month that follows (i.e., you should sign up between May 14th and May 28th to request a June license). Find out more on our website.

Library Programs

50+ Job Seekers Networking Group 

First and third Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. (May 3 & 17)

Second and fourth Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. (May 10 & 24)

Virtual

If you are over 50, unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your "Encore Career", this networking group program is perfect for you. Remember, 85% of jobs are found through networking! 

Join us in a professional forum for networking with peers in a safe and comfortable environment conducive to developing new relationships and developing skills and strategies to help in your career transition. Meetings include a presentation and hands-on workshop on topics relevant to career transition, guest speakers, access to hiring managers, small group breakout rooms to network, and 1-on-1 coaching guidance. Participating on a regular basis will give job seekers the many tools and strategies needed for a successful job search.  

The group meets on Zoom from 9:30–11:30 a.m. on first and third Wednesday mornings, with repeat sessions on the same topics now offered in the evenings from 6:00–8:00 p.m. on second and fourth Wednesday evenings. Please register for only one session on each topic, as the morning and evening sessions will be identical.

This month's topics will be on interviewing:

Interview Preparation & Strategy (May 3rd, 9:30–11:30 a.m. & May 10th, 6:00–8:00 p.m.)

Interview Practice: Wednesday (May 17th, 9:30–11:30 a.m. & May 24th, 6:00–8:00 p.m.)

This program takes place virtually on Zoom; please register to attend separately for each session: 

Register here for morning sessions

Register here for evening sessions

View the full list of topics and dates on our Facebook event page.

This group is sponsored by more than 60 Massachusetts public libraries.

Spanish Conversation Club

Tuesdays, May 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

6:00–7:00 p.m.

At the library

Are you looking for a casual space where you can practice your Spanish and learn more about the multiple cultures of those who speak that language?

Join our Spanish Conversation Club (most) Tuesdays at the Shrewsbury Public Library at 6:00 p.m. (in the Learning Lab on the second floor). No registration required. Visit our events calendar to confirm dates. 

SPL Movie Discussion Club

Tuesday, May 2nd

7:00–8:00 p.m.

Virtual

Join the Shrewsbury Public Library Movie Discussion Club every first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. on Google Meet! Intended for film fans 18 and older.

Watch the “Movie of the Month” on your own time, then meet with us virtually to discuss. The May 2nd film is The Neon Demon (2016; rated R). Shrewsbury residents may view the movie here on hoopla (create an account with your library card to access hoopla); non-residents of Shrewsbury should access hoopla through their home library, i.e., the library in the town in which they reside, or by signing up for a Boston Public Library e-card. Attendees are also free to find an alternative way to watch.

Register here to receive an email the day before the discussion date with the Google Meet link. Contact Dana Volke with any questions: 508-841-8609 x4049; [email protected] 

Deeper into Meditation

Thursday, May 4th

7:00–8:00 p.m.

Virtual

Join long-time meditator Eileen Carlotto for this deep and engaging meditation workshop. Eileen will guide participants through the journey of meditation, demonstrating the most natural and effective techniques. She will give suggestions for deepening and stabilizing our meditation practices. This will help to achieve a lasting state of peace and happiness found though no other experience. There will be an opportunity to practice this technique during the session. For new or advanced meditators.

This program will take place virtually on Zoom; please register to attend.

Abraham Lincoln in Massachusetts

Saturday, May 6th

2:00–3:00 p.m.

At the library

Join the Shrewsbury Public Library with presenter Justice Dennis J. Curran (ret.) for this historical talk. When thinking about Abraham Lincoln’s origins, one naturally turns to Illinois, Indiana, and even Kentucky, where he and his immediate forebears lived—but hardly Massachusetts. Attendees will hear the surprisingly strong and compelling connections Lincoln had to the state of Massachusetts, including an 1848 trip where he so impressed powerful party leaders with his speech that he was invited to dinner at Governor Levi Lincoln’s home the next evening. That auspicious dinner spurred Lincoln’s emotional and political growth, leading to his election as 16th President of the United States.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.

This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.

Get Started with Libby

Thursday, May 11th

5:30–6:30 p.m.

At the library

Want access to ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more, anytime and anywhere? You can with Libby! Bring your device and join the Shrewsbury Public Library for a class in our Learning Lab to get set up and familiar with the Libby app!

Upcoming dates include:

Thursday, May 11th at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, June 15th at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, June 4th at 2:30 p.m.

Registration is required; please visit our events calendar to sign up for your preferred date.

Supporting your LGBTQ+ child

Thursday, May 11th

7:00–8:00 p.m.

At the library

Join the Shrewsbury Public Library for a parenting workshop led by Lydia Proulx (they/them), Director of Youth Programs at Youth MOVE National. As a parent or caregiver, you want to support your child as they grow up and figure themselves out. When it comes to a young person’s sexuality and gender, it’s hard to know what to do and what to say to show you care. Maybe your child has already come out as LGBTQ+, or maybe you want to be better prepared in case they do in the future. Either way, this is a great place to start!

We’ll talk about basic terms and meanings for LGBTQ+ youth, as well as answer your questions. Resources and information will be available to take home.

This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.

Movie Matinee: Top Gun: Maverick

Saturday, May 13th

2:00–4:00 p.m.

At the library

Join the Shrewsbury Public Library for our Movie Matinee! A different film will be screened monthly in person at the library on a Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

On May 13th, we'll enjoy a screening of Top Gun: Maverick (2022, rated PG-13): "After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick's late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw (aka “Goose”)."

No registration required.

Questions? Please contact Dana Volke at 508-841-8609, x4049 or [email protected] 

Basics of Hydroponics

Thursday, May 18th

7:00–8:00 p.m.

At the library

Grow all kinds of plants without soil from the comfort of home. Use water and nutrients to supply your family with veggies and herbs all year long.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.

This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.

Writing Workshop

Saturdays, May 20th, June 17th, July 15th, and August 19th

2:00–4:00 p.m.

At the library

The Shrewsbury Public Library extends a warm invitation to all writers for writing workshops! Come join fellow writers on third Saturdays this summer in a space dedicated to the craft of the written word, a space that encourages improvement.

During a writing workshop, writers share their work in the hopes of receiving positive, constructive feedback and suggestions. Workshops such as this are vital to a writer's growth, as getting different perspectives can help a writer see things they might have missed about their own work. It's also a great environment for fun, light-hearted conversations!

The workshops are hosted by InfinityEd and facilitated by published writer Ashton Hooley.

This program will take place in person at the library; please register separately for each session on the library’s events calendar.

Shrewsbury Genealogy Club

Tuesday, May 23rd

7:15–9:15 p.m.

Virtual

Anyone interested in genealogy (or family history) can now join the Shrewsbury Genealogy Club from the comfort of their home! The club meets on Zoom at 7:15 p.m. and has moved meetings to the fourth Tuesday of every month (through June).

To register, email the Genealogy Club’s clubmaster, former SPL Assistant Director George Brown, at [email protected] 

Hank Phillippi Ryan: An Inside Look at Fiction, Journalism, and the Mysteries of Both

Wednesday, May 24th

7:00–8:00 p.m.

At the library

Join the Shrewsbury Public Library Foundation for this talk by best-selling mystery author Hank Phillippi Ryan. Hank has managed to mix the worlds of fact and fiction in an amazing career from radio reporter to Rolling Stone Magazine to undercover investigations at Boston’s WHDH-TV. Now an author of 14 novels, Hank’s books have been named Best Thrillers of the Year by Library Journal, New York Post, BOOK BUB, PopSugar, Real Simple Magazine and others. And she has won major awards – five Agathas, five Anthonys, two Macavitys, the Daphne, and Mary Higgins Clark Award. Hank’s current book is The House Guest.

This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend. Books will be available for purchase for $20 via cash, check, or PayPal.

Reading Glasses

Thursday, May 25th

7:00–8:30 p.m.

Virtual

The May meeting of Reading Glasses, SPL’s book group for adults in their 20s and 30s, will be on Thursday, May 25th on Google Meet. 

We’ll be discussing Thistlefoot by GennaRose Netherscott: “In the tradition of modern fairy tales like Neil Gaiman’s "American Gods" and Naomi Novik’s "Spinning Silver" comes an immersive fantasy saga, a debut novel about estranged siblings who are reunited after receiving a mysterious inheritance...The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs” (penguinrandomhouse.com).

New attendees, please email [email protected]  to be added to the notification list. All attendees will receive a Google Meet invite closer to the meeting date.

Shrewsbury Readers

Thursday, June 1st

6:30–8:00 p.m.

At the library

Shrewsbury Readers is a group about good books and good discussions. Titles are selected from a variety of genre and copies of the book will be available at the first floor Circulation desk for group members to check out. Information on the June book will be posted on our events calendar soon.

New members are welcome; please contact Priya Rathnam at 508-841-8537 or [email protected]