50 Hopedale Street, Hopedale MA 01747

Contact: Keely Bethel-Penny, Library Director 

(508) 634-2209

[email protected]

www.bancroftmemoriallibrary.org

Library News

The Library will be closed on Monday, January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

Helen Symonds Book Group – Wednesday, January 7th at 1:00pm

The group will be discussing The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.

Community Conversations – Wednesday, January 7th at 6:30pm

Community Conversations will meet in the Program Room to talk about “Foreign Aid and U.S. Involvement in the World.”  This meeting can be attended via Zoom; please email [email protected] to request the link.

Get help with Jenna – Tuesday, January 13th from 10:30am-12:30pm

Need help with applications or accessing support services? Jenna, a Community Health Worker with the Blackstone Valley Partnership for Public Health, is here to help! She works closely with the Hopedale Board of Health and has a Master’s degree from Nichols College, along with extensive experience in healthcare and human services.  Whether you need assistance with applications for MassHealth, WIC, Fuel Assistance, or Medicare – or you're looking for support with past-due bills or navigating life's challenges – Jenna can provide guidance.  Schedule a FREE 30-minute appointment with Jenna through the Library’s Calendar of Events on the website, or call the Library at (508) 634-2209.

Maker Monday – Monday, January 26th at 6:00pm

This month the adult crafting workshop is Book Folding!  Registration is required using your library card.  Please register online on the Library website under Calendar of Events or call the Library at (508) 634-2209.

News from the Friends of the Hopedale Library:

The next Friends of the Hopedale Library Meeting is Wednesday, January 21st at 6:30pm in the downstairs Program Room.

Duped! The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Art Theft – Wednesday, January 14th at 6:30pm

The Friends of the Hopedale Library are pleased to host Bob Ainsworth, author of Duped!, a fictional account of the robbery, as he reviews the actual details of the theft, the suspects, and the motives behind the world’s most valued art theft. He will also tell of his own brush with the infamous crime.  A retired CPA, Bob worked in corporate accounting as a CFO and Controller and taught accounting. He uncovered two fraud cases during his career. The idea for the Harry Bartlett stories sprang from his accounting students' positive reactions to fraud anecdotes. He started to write his first story while commuting and then continued after retiring. Please register online on the Library website under Calendar of Events or call the Library at (508) 634-2209.

Book Donation Days:  Saturday, 1/10 from 10-12pm & Wednesday, 1/28 from 5:30-7:30pm

The Friends of the Hopedale Library would love your like-new books for our Ongoing Book Sale.  Children’s books of any age are welcome. Due to space constraints, we ask that adult hardcovers and paperbacks be ten years old or newer. Unfortunately, we cannot accept old books, textbooks or cookbooks. We depend on books in gift-giving quality to raise money to support our programming.

About the Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Hopedale Library, founded in 1983, is an active volunteer, non-profit organization with a town-wide membership and a representative executive board. We work with the Library staff and the Trustees to support the Library in providing funds for equipment, materials, and programs not covered by the Library's regular operating budget. The Friends of the Hopedale Library meets the second Wednesday of the month, September through June at 6:30pm. New members and ideas are always welcome.

News from the Marjorie Hattersley Children's Room:

Tummy Time Play – Tuesdays 1/6, 1/13, 1/20 & 1/27 at 10:00am, ages 0-18 months

Join us for some infant fun in a safe environment! Along with a story there will be fun, developmentally appropriate toys that encourage gross motor development.  Drop in!

Toddler Tunes  – Thursdays 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 & 1/29 at 10:00am, ages 18 mos– 3 years

This program is perfect for energetic toddlers!  Along with a story, we will work on gross motor skills and play with balls, a parachute, instruments, bean bags, scarves and more. Drop in!

All About Me Time Capsule  – Saturday, January 3rd  from 11:00am-1:00pm

Drop in to create an All About Me Time Capsule. Write down personal information, decorate a capsule, place the paper inside, and seal the capsule. Store the capsule in a special place at home and do not open until 2027; then take a look to see what changed! No registration required.

Builder Saturday – Saturday, January 10th from 10:00am-1:00pm

If you love Legos, we’ve got thousands to play with!  Use our Legos to create a masterpiece that we can put on display for all to see. Drop in and all ages welcome!

Movie Matinee – Saturday, January 17th from 11:00am-1:00pm

Join us for a movie at the Library!  Bring some snacks, a cozy blanket, get comfy and enjoy a family friendly flick!

Volunteer Saturdays for High School Students – Saturday, January 24th 11:00am-1:00pm

Each month there will be an opportunity for high school students to earn 2 hours of volunteer time from 11am - 1pm. Registration is required.  Please register online on the Library website under Calendar of Events or call the Library at (508) 634-2209.

Sunny the Reading Dog and Mrs. Poisson – Monday, January 26th 3:30-4:30pm

Visit with Sunny the Reading dog and Mrs. Poisson from BBC, the human he has claimed! Drop in for a story and read a story to Sunny too. All ages are welcome!

*NEW!* Genre Book Club

Join the Genre Book Club and create your own bookmark with a cable ring. Read any book you choose on your own schedule—there are no meetings. After each finished book, stop by the Children’s Room to collect a genre badge. Genres include Adventure, Biography, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Sci-Fi, and Sports. The club is open to all, runs on a rolling basis and can be joined at any time.

*NEW!* Reading Dragons - A Card Game Reading Club

Reading Dragons allows readers to earn collectible dragon cards through logged reading time. Every 30 minutes recorded on a Time Tracker earns one card, and completing two hours earns all four stages of a dragon. The card game can be played with friends as additional dragons are earned. Readers are invited to add book recommendations as “Book Scales” to the dragon display in the Program Room. The program runs on a rolling basis and can be joined at any time.

*NEW!* F.A.I.R. - Family Adventures in Reading

F.A.I.R. is a program on select Monday evenings for families to spend time together and explore a book together. Each meeting, 6 families will have the opportunity to meet and share a story, a snack and a craft. When the meeting is over the family will get to keep their copy of the book read to add to their home library. Maximum of 6 families per meeting and registration is required. Please check the Library’s online Calendar of Events to see which Mondays this program will be offered and to register.

*NEW* Family Support Night

Parents are invited to join us on select Monday evenings as we explore resources the Library offers to support families. Each calendar listing will identify what topic/resource will be discussed that meeting and will cover such things as: electronic learning resources, library supported streaming services and accessing multiple consortiums to find electronic books and audios. This is a drop-in program with no registration required and is open to anyone interested. Please check the Library’s online Calendar of Events to see which Mondays this program will be offered.

Celebrate your birthday! – Ages 1-12

Beginning in January, drop by the Children’s Room during your birthday week and choose a prize from the prize box at Ms. Laura’s desk!

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Bancroft Memorial Library offers the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program for young families and early readers. At registration, you will be provided a starting kit with a library book bag, cable for achievement tags, program information, suggested book list, log for books 1–100, and four books to start a home library. Every 100 books read earns a tag for the cable, and reaching 1,000 books earns a lawn sign celebrating the achievement. This program runs on a rolling basis and can be joined anytime.

B.A.S.H. (Bancroft After School Hangout)

B.A.S.H. is a drop-in program for children in grades 4–6. It runs weekly from 2:30pm to 4:00pm Monday through Thursday. Students can walk to the Library from the elementary school and play video and board games, use library laptops or get creative with arts and crafts.  This program offers a fun and safe way for kids to socialize after school in a positive environment. Children must be able to contact a parent, guardian, or caregiver in case of emergency and are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior while in the Library.

For updates throughout the month, Friend us on Facebook and sign up at www.wowbrary.org to discover the Library’s newest books, movies and music. Our webpage is www.bancroftmememoriallibrary.org