50 Hopedale Street,

Hopedale MA 01747

Contact: Keely Bethel-Penny,

Library Director 

508-634-2209

The Library will be closed on Fri., June 19, in observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

Reminder: Our Friday Summer Hours (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) begin on July 10 and will run through the end of August.

Helen Symonds Book Group – Wed., June 3, at 1 p.m.

The group will be discussing The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis.

Community Conversations – Wed., June 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Community Conversations will meet in the Program Room to talk about “The Problem with Gerrymandering.”

10th Annual Hopedale Fairy Walk – Sat., June 13, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Join us as the Hopedale Parklands transform into an enchanted forest filled with fairies, gnomes, and magical folk! Be sure to find the magical Fairy House created by the Library, and don’t miss the Friends of the Hopedale Library table: they will have books, sun catchers and a special craft!

News from the Friends of the Hopedale Library:

Help support the Friends of the Hopedale Library!

Did you know that you can shop our Ongoing Book Sale anytime the Library is open? We offer a selection of adult and children’s titles and even puzzles! You can find the sale area downstairs just outside the Program. Room. All monies raised go back to the Bancroft Memorial Library to pay for children's and adult programs, museum passes, and other expenses not covered by the Library budget.

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 6:30 p.m. New members and ideas are always welcome.

News from the Marjorie Hattersley Children's Room:

Summer Reading 2026 – “Plant a Seed, Read!”

Summer Reading is here, and we’re thrilled to invite you to eight weeks of excitement, creativity, and adventure at Bancroft Memorial Library! This year’s theme is “Plant a Seed, Read!” Registration opens Monday, June 1 and programs run from Mon., June 22, through Friday, Aug. 14. Each week brings something new with themed activities and events.  Grand Prize Raffles will be held for kids, teens, and adults - everyone has a chance to win!

Celebrate International Yo-Yo Day! - Sat., June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Celebrate the birthday of Donald F. Duncan, Sr. with us!  Drop in the Children's Room today and get a free yo-yo!

Builder Saturdays! - Sat., June 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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!

Summer Reading Kick-Off Event - Monday, June 22 from 2 to 3 p.m.

Visit with baby chicks, bunnies, piglets and more at our Petting Zoo with Animal Craze!   Registration is required for this event. For more details and to register, visit our Event Calendar at www.bancroftmemoriallibrary.org.

Tummy Time Summer Reading Style  – Tuesdays, 6/23 & 6/30 at 10 a.m., ages 0-18 months

Drop in for some safe and comfortable movement and socialization for infants from birth through 18 months.

Nature Scavenger Hunt – Wed., June 2, from 2 to 6 p.m. 

Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt in the Library's backyard searching for nature items that we can use in craft activities throughout the summer. We will give you a brown paper bag with a list of items to be on the lookout for. Find your "treasures," return your bag to Miss Laura and you'll get a prize! Drop in for all ages.

Open Play – Thursday, June 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for kids in Grades 2 - 6

School age kids can drop in for Open Play in the Program. Room. Different play opportunities will change weekly, such as arts and crafts, a crochet lesson, board games, Wii gaming, assorted puzzles, life size games, learn a card game and more!

Sat. Movie Matinee – Sat., June 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Drop in at the Library to beat the heat or just to enjoy a fun, family friendly movie! (G or PG titles only). You can bring a snack, a blanket, a stuffy and even come in your PJs! Stop by or call the Library to find out what the movie is (hint: it’s about barnyard ballplayers!)

DragonCon – Monday, June 29, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Reading Dragons is our most popular reading program and we want everyone to know about it! Join us as we make a dragon mask, create your own dragon art designs, play games with your dragon cards and play Spin-to-Win some dragon candy. Every attendee gets a mystery dragon card! Drop in and bring your cards!

Weekly and Rolling Programs:

Tummy Time  – Tuesdays, 6/2, 6/9 & 6/16 at 10 a.m., 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, 6/4, 6/11 & 6/18 at 10 a.m., ages 18 months– 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!

Genre Book Club – All ages

Join the Genre Book Club and create your own bookmark with a cable ring. Read any book you choose on your own schedule; after each finished book, stop by the Children’s Room to collect a genre badge. The club has no scheduled meetings, is open to all and can be joined at any time.

Reading Dragons: A Card Game Reading Club – All ages

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.

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 and a log for books 1–100. 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.

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