50 Hopedale Street, Hopedale MA 01747

Contact: Elaine Kraimer, Acting Library Director/Children’s Librarian, 508-634-2209

Labor Day

The Bancroft Memorial Library will be closed on Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day.

Auto-Renewals

Did you know that you no longer have to call the library to renew a book? All of the items that you check out that CAN be renewed will renew automatically! You no longer have to worry about the due date! A Courtesy Notice will be sent to you by email to notify you 2 days before your item is due. If there are still renewals remaining on your item, the item will renew automatically on the due date. On the morning that the items are due, you will receive an email notice stating that the items have been renewed. Don’t worry, let CW MARS take care of it for you!

Will auto-renewal work if I don’t have an email address on record? Yes, it will! You just won’t receive notification that the auto-renewal has occurred. Does auto-renewal work even if the title or item has holds waiting? Yes, even if there are holds. You have 1 renewal on most items even if the item has holds waiting.

There are a few things that will prevent auto-renewal from occurring.

• Patron library card has expired. Library cards need to be renewed every 2 years.

• Patron has exceeded fine limit

• Patron has exceeded the number of Lost items

• Even if an auto-renewal attempt fails, an email notice will be sent displaying the loan, that it was not renewed, and the reason why it was not renewed.

Of course you can still call the staff here at the library and we will be happy to help!

CW MARS App

Do you always forget your library card? Try the CW MARS app on your smartphone! The app displays your digital library card to use at checkout. But the app can do so much more! Search the catalog and place holds, manage your existing holds, view items checked out, view fines, and update lists. Check out our video about the app on the Bancroft Memorial Library’s YouTube page.

Ongoing Monthly Library Events

Helen Symonds Book Group

After a year of Zoom Book Discussions, we will return to the library in September! Please contact the library at (508)634-2209 and sign up if you plan to attend our September meeting.

The Hopedale Book Discussion Group usually meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at 1:00pm in the Bancroft Memorial Library  meeting room. Everyone is welcome to join the group. If interested in joining the group, please leave your contact information at the Circulation Desk.

Our September meeting will be held the 2nd Wednesday of the month on Sept. 8 at 1:00 pm due to the Labor Day Holiday. We will meet in the Bancroft Memorial Library meeting room. Our book for discussion will be The Guest List by Lucy Foley. This is one guest list no one would want to be on. Lives unravel amid the revelry on an eerie and remote island as friends and family gather for a glam wedding taking place between an ambitious magazine publisher and a reality television star. They all have secrets, and it only takes a few days of drinking games, isolation, and resentments to bring every murky feeling to the surface. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why? –Adapted from C/W MARS catalog

The book for discussion in October will be The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. “Explore the secretive world of Bletchley Park in this immersive saga. Debutant Osla Kendall meets fellow Bletchley Park recruit Mab Churt on the train in 1940. While working at Bletchley, they share a room at the home of Beth Finch. After discovering Beth’s talent for solving crosswords, Osla helps Beth get a job interview at Bletchley Park. Beth shines in her work on breaking codes, but when she discovers someone at Bletchley is likely a traitor, no one believes her. Soon, she winds up the suspected traitor and is committed at Clockwell Sanitarium after having a mental breakdown. In 1947, almost four years later, Beth contacts Osla and Mab, who help Beth escape from Clockwell. Together, the women work to crack a code that will help them find the traitor. Quinn’s page-turning narrative is enhanced by her richly drawn characters, who unite under the common purpose of Britain’s war effort, and by the fascinating code-breaking techniques, which come alive via Quinn’s extensive historical detail.” --Adapted from PW Reviews

Wednesday Knitting & Crocheting Group

Join Knovel Knitters for an evening of knitting and crocheting every Wednesday night from 6:00pm until 7:45pm.

Friends of the Hopedale Library

The Friends of the Hopedale Library are pleased to welcome Ted Reinstein to present his new book

Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball’s Color Barrier on Wednesday, September 29th at 6:30 pm. 

Jackie Robinson is among history’s most famous Americans. When he took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking Major League Baseball’s longtime ban on Black players, it was one of the 20th century’s most significant events. What’s less well-known is the small army of men, women, and institutions that fought for justice and equality many years before Robinson’s debut in Brooklyn. This story includes former stars of the Negro Leagues, the founder of the Negro Leagues, the Black press, and its covert distributors - The Pullman Porters. They helped expose the ugly, racist underside of the national pastime. These unsung heroes battled the color barrier for sixty years before Brooklyn, paving the way for Jackie Robinson.

Ted Reinstein has been a reporter for “Chronicle,” WCVB-TV/Boston’s award-winning nightly news magazine since 1997. In addition, he is a regular contributor to the station’s political roundtable show and writes a weekly opinion column. He lives just west of Boston with his wife and two daughters. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hopedale Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. There is no charge for this program. It will take place in the downstairs program room. To reserve your spot please call 508-634-2209 or stop by the library during operating hours.

The Friends of the Hopedale Library helps to support the Library by providing funds for equipment, materials and programs not covered by the regular operating budget. They offer adult events September- June and pay for the children’s summer reading and other programs. More information can be found at https://www.hopedale-ma.gov/bancroft-memorial-library/pages/friends-library.

News from the Marjorie Hattersley Children’s Room

Grandparent and Child Brunch

Celebrate Grandparents’ Day at the Bancroft Memorial Library on Saturday, September 11. Bring your grandparent and enjoy breakfast and storybooks. Then make a craft together to remember the day! Please call Mrs. Kraimer at (508)634-2209 to register.

Autumn Story Hour with Mrs. Kraimer

The leaves are falling and it is time for autumn story hours!

Book Fun, for children ages 4+, will be held on Tuesday afternoons from 3:00 to 3:45 pm, starting on September 14. This program will feature stories and crafts.

Tell Me A Story, for children ages 2-4, will be held on Thursday mornings from 11:00 to 11:45 am, starting on September 23. This program will feature music, fingerplays, and puppets.

Registration is required. Please call Mrs. Kraimer at (508)634-2209 to register.

 Doodle Your Journal

Doodle Your Journal with Mary Alice Gruppi on Monday, September 27 at 6:30pm. For ages 16 to adult, have fun letting your creativity flow! A plain composition book, scrapbook paper, old maps, and other add-ons will be provided. Bring your favorite add-on like a special picture or some quotes. Practice some new lettering and doodles for your pages. Call Mrs. Kraimer at (508)634-2209 to register.

For updates throughout the month, Friend us on Facebook, sign up at https://www.hopedale-ma.gov/subscribe to receive library news via email, and be sure to add the Mobile App to your phone for up-to-date reminders. The library webpage is - https://www.hopedale-ma.gov/bancroft-memorial-library