Special Announcements

Do you love your library? What can we do to be a better community hub and serve all our residents? Please complete a survey by December 20th to help us in planning future services.

Visit the library’s homepage (https://shrewsburypubliclibrary.org/) to access the online survey in English and pdf copies of the survey in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Completed paper surveys can be returned in person to the library; pre-printed copies are also available at the library. We thank you for your help!

The Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library Bookstore is now open! Instead of one annual book sale in October, the bookstore will be open year-round. The bookstore is open from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and is located on the lower level of the library (outside of the Children's department).

Pricing: Adult/Teen hardcovers are $2; adult/teen paperbacks, children's books, and media are $1; special items are as marked. Proceeds go to the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library, who provide vital support to the library, including funding for nearly all of our programs!

The Shrewsbury Public Library has partnered with Headspace! The Headspace app includes hundreds of meditations along with exercises for sleep, focus, and movement. Shrewsbury residents are eligible to request access to Headspace 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 December 14th and December 28th to request a January license). Find out more on our website.

Library Programs

50+ Job Seekers Networking Group 
First and third Wednesdays (December 7 & 21)
9:30–11:30 a.m.
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. Each meeting features a new topic. 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.  

Each biweekly meeting is facilitated by Deborah Hope, MBA, PCIC, an experienced executive career coach. Deborah is a former Fortune 500 executive, investment banker and entrepreneur and transitioned to executive coaching over 10 years ago. She has coached with Harvard Business School Executive Education programs, the Mass. Conference for Women, and is a Certified Leadership Agility Coach. She has facilitated 50+ Job Seekers Networking Groups for 5 years and is a Licensed Group Leader.  

This month's topics will be:

- December 7: Hiring Employer Event: Analog Devices, MIT, Oasis Systems (technology services), and YPTC (financial management for nonprofits)

- December 21: Networking 2.0: You Must Give/Get

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

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

Spanish Conversation Club
Tuesdays in November and December
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 every Tuesday in November and December at the Shrewsbury Public Library (6:00 p.m. in the Learning Lab on the second floor). No registration required. 

Shrewsbury Sisters - Two Distinctly Different Memoirs
Saturday, December 3rd
2:00–3:00 p.m.
At the library

Join local authors Christine Noyes and Paula Francis, two sisters who have lived very different lives, as they present a reading and discussion of their two memoirs, Close Enough to Perfect: A True Story of Love, Grief, Resilience & Spirit and 18 Pair of Shoes: A Memoir.

Christine (Johnson) Noyes and Paula (Johnson) Francis found their love of books through the Shrewsbury library bookmobile.  As adults, they moved on to create their own separate and unique life stories, now captured in spellbinding memoirs. One traveled along an introspective path while the other embarked on an outward journey. On route to vacation, a husband dies on a commercial airline. While crossing the desert, a mountain lion briefly joins a 10,000-mile walk-about. Stories of grief, adventure, and resilience fill their pages.

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

Goodbye OverDrive . . . Hello Libby!
Monday, December 5th
6:00–7:00 p.m.
At the library

Do you currently use OverDrive to access ebooks and audiobooks? Are you worried about making the switch to Libby? Bring your device and join us for a class in the Learning Lab to get help with the transition! 

This program is intended for current OverDrive users. December 5th is the final session, as the OverDrive app will be phased out by the end of 2022. Our "Get Started with Libby" classes will continue monthly in 2023.

Registration is required; please register to attend. 

Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Using Meditation
Wednesday, December 7th
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Virtual

Incorporating meditation into daily life can make a big difference when dealing with the confusion and stress of modernity. In this virtual session, join long time meditator, Eileen Carlotto, as she teaches a simple meditation technique to increase personal well-being. There will even be a short meditation sitting.

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

Get Started with Libby
Thursday, December 8th
6:00–7:00 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 us for a “Get Started with Libby” class in the library’s Learning Lab to get set up and familiar with the Libby app! The next session is scheduled for Thursday, December 8th at 6:00 p.m.

This program is intended for first-time Libby users. If you currently use OverDrive, check out our other program, "Goodbye OverDrive . . . Hello Libby!" (final session: December 5th).

Registration is required; please visit our events calendar and register for your preferred date (2023 dates to be announced soon!). 

Paul Newman: Star of Stage, Screen, and Salad Dressing
Tuesday, December 13th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library

Beloved Hollywood actor Paul Newman had an Academy Award, a happy marriage to Oscar-winning Joanne Woodward, Broadway success, and a set of blue eyes that could melt the most cynical moviegoer. As the star of such classics as The Hustler, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Sting, his status of screen icon is cemented in film history. But despite his success on the stage, screen, and race car tracks, he was most passionate about his philanthropic work with gravely and terminally ill children. Come hear about his life and career with film lecturer Frank Mandosa - there will be trailers, free handouts, and chances for  movie-themed door prizes!

Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.

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

Reading Glasses
Thursday, December 15th
7:00–8:30 p.m.
Virtual

The December meeting of Reading Glasses, our book group for adults in their 20s and 30s, will be Thursday, December 15th on Google Meet.

We’ll be discussing Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker, a "heartrending story of a midcentury American family with twelve children, six of them diagnosed with schizophrenia, that became science’s great hope in the quest to understand the disease."

New attendees, please email [email protected] to receive a Google Meet invite closer to the date.

Ukulele with Julie for Teens and Adults
Wednesday, December 28th
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
At the library

Want to try an instrument that’s fun and easy to play? Join Julie Stepanek as she shows the fundamentals of ukulele playing. You'll learn how to tune, strum, and read chords, and after a short lesson, you'll be able to play songs. 

No experience necessary. Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of hers. This program is geared toward an older audience and will be perfect for teens in grades 7 and up. There will be a session for kids in grades 3 to 6 at 4:00 p.m. the same day (registration for children's events opens on our events calendar two weeks before the program).

Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.

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

Shrewsbury Genealogy Club
Monday, December 26th
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 will meet on Zoom the fourth Monday of every month starting at 7:15 p.m. 

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

Tips & Tricks for Weight Management
Wednesday, January 4th
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Virtual

Many people focus on weight management and improving health in the new year, but HOW do we do that? What is the best approach that is sustainable with long-lasting results? Join Jill Patterson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and AFAA Certified Personal Trainer and Aerobics Instructor, for this workshop to learn science-based, practical tips and tricks for weight management. You will walk away with easy-to-do steps to achieve your ideal body!

Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.

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

Shrewsbury Readers
Thursday, January 5th
6:30–7:30 p.m.
At the library

Shrewsbury Readers, a group about good books and good discussions, will discuss Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado at their January 5th meeting. 

The book “explores what it means to grow up female, fat and Puerto Rican . . .  [it is the] story of a 16-year-old navigating love for others and herself over the course of two years” (umass.edu).

Copies of the book will be available at the first floor Circulation desk for group members to check out. New members are welcome; please contact Priya Rathnam at 508-841-8537 or [email protected]

Don't see a program here? Registration may already be full!
Keep an eye on our events calendar for upcoming programs of interest.