Newburyport Literary Festival

Posted on by Flor

Join the Newburyport Literary Festival as it celebrates its 19th year! Events will be hosted in various locations around Newburyport. To view the schedule of events, please click here.

The Newburyport Public Library will host the following events on Saturday, April 27th:

9:30 AM: Celebrations of the Season: A Conversation with Nina MacLaughlin

Nina MacLaughlin’s Winter Solstice: An Essay “takes your breath away with lyrical leaps across time and space.” MacLaughlin (Wake Siren: Ovid Resung; Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter and the companion to Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice) looks at the season through every lens, from hot chocolate to waiting until just the right moment to light a candle so a passing stranger might see it go on. In conversation with Josh Bodwell.

Presenter: Nina MacLaughlin
Moderator: Josh Bodwell

11:00 AM: Colonialism, Racism, and the Cosmos: A Conversation with Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

Novuyo Rosa Tshuma’s award-winning novel Digging Stars blends drama and satire in the story of a young graduate student who is poised to attain her dream of researching the cosmos but is plagued by anxiety attacks she calls “The Terrors” and forced to grapple with questions about the life and death of her late astronomer father. Tshuma will be in conversation with author Yvette Lisa Ndlovu (Drinking from Graveyard Wells).

Presenter: Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Moderator: Yvette Lisa Ndlovu

1:00 PM: Enlightened Transsexual Comix with Sam Szabo and Nikole Beckwith

In Enlightened Transsexual Comix, artist and Newburyport native Sam Szabo has created a world where a “raw, uncut heroine roams the wasteland in defense of trans rights and trans wrongs.” This subversive collection of work is “a psychedelic stew of social satire and gonzo gender theory.” In conversation with director, screenwriter, and playwright Nikole Beckwith.

Presenter: Sam Szabo
Moderator: Nikole Beckwith

3:00 PM: Perfect Murders and Twisted Trails

Join two contemporary mystery writers at the top of their game as they discuss their newest novels with local crime writer Connie Hambley. In Blood Sisters, Vanessa Lillie introduces us to a Cherokee archeologist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs who is summoned to rural Oklahoma to investigate the disappearance of two women—one of whom is her sister. In The Kind Worth Saving, Peter Swanson brings us a private eye who starts to follow a possibly adulterous husband, but little does he know that the twisted trail will lead back to the woman who hired him. How do the authors’ visions of the perfect murder inform each mystery they write?

Presenters: Vanessa Lillie and Peter Swanson
Moderator: Connie Hambley

To request any titles featured in the Newburyport Literary Festival, please call 978-465-4428.

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Strategic Plan

Posted on by Admin

The Library is currently working on our next strategic plan. Please click here for updates. As more information is released, we look forward to sharing the results with our community.

Posted in Alerts

National Library Week 2024: Apr 7-13

Posted on by Flor

(Adapted from the American Library Association (ALA) website)

The theme for National Library Week 2024 is Ready, Set, Library! National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Newbery and Pura Belpré-award winning author Meg Medina is the 2024 Honorary Chair.

Ways to Celebrate

1. Visit your library.

National Library Week is the perfect time to visit your library. Bring the kids or invite your friends. Meet the librarians. Check out books or other great items in your library’s collection or attend a program. Take time to learn all your library has to offer!

2. Tell ALA how YOU library for a chance to win

The American Library Association needs your help spreading some library love by sharing what you appreciate most about the services and resources your library provides.

Do you love getting lost in the stories of the library’s summer reading program, storytime, or book club? When you walk through the library’s doors, are you looking for a quiet nook to study? Do you attend programs to enrich your mind, meet local authors, or find support from your community? What’s your favorite thing to check out—books, movies, outdoor games?

ALA wants to know how YOU library!

Participating is easy:

  • Snap a pic or shoot a video showcasing your favorite thing about your library.
  • Post to Instagram, X, Threads, or on the I Love Libraries Facebook page with the hashtag #HowILibrary.
  • And don’t forget to tag your library to let them know how much they are appreciated!

If you don’t have a photo to share, check out the Library Elements graphics at ilovelibraries.org.

What’s in it for you?
In addition to the gratification of supporting libraries, there’s also a chance to win great prizes from ALA. The promotion starts Sunday, April 7, at noon CT and ends Friday, April 12, at noon CT.

Join the #HowILibrary movement, and let’s make this the best National Library Week ever! Official Rules (PDF)

3. Follow your library, ALA, and I Love Libraries on social media.

Be sure to follow your library on social media so you don’t miss out on all they have to offer.

Help spread the word about #NationalLibraryWeek and the #HowILibrary promotion by sharing these graphics on social media:
Twitter/Facebook | Instagram

ALA accounts: Twitter: @ALALibrary | Facebook: @AmericanLibraryAssociation | Instagram: @americanlibraryassociation

I Love Libraries: Twitter: @IloveLibraries | Facebook @ILoveLibraries

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Spanish Conversation Group

Posted on by Flor

Join our new in-person Spanish conversation group for adults! 

All levels are welcome! However, it may be best suited for beginner and intermediate level speakers. Please note, this is not a class, but it is a great way to practice your Spanish conversational skills and connect with others who have an interest in the language. The group is led by a Spanish-speaking librarian and will meet every other Thursday at 5:30 PM for 45 minutes. Starts April 11th!

Registration is highly requested as space is limited to 6 attendees in the Library’s Director’s Room. Visit the Events calendar for dates.

Please contact the reference desk if you have any questions!

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Library Board of Directors

Posted on by Admin

The Newburyport Public Library is governed by a twelve member Board of Directors. The Mayor is the Chairman ex–officio, the President of the City Council is an ex-officio member, there are three trustees of the Building Fund who are self–perpetuating members of the Board, seven board members are appointed for seven year terms, and the Head Librarian is Secretary to the Board.

Click here to visit the city page with more information, which includes audio / visuals of our most recent board meeting.

Posted in Alerts

The Research Never Has to Stop

Posted on by Dana Echelberger

Whether we’re ready or not, winter is finally here.

Find yourself in a research bind? Can’t get to the library because of special holiday closures or, do we dare say it, snow?!

Just because the library is closed doesn’t mean you have to take a break from research. Patrons anywhere in the world can access old Daily News newspapers from 1773-1963 online through our Online Resources page. It’s keyword searchable and can be filtered by day, month and/or year. Best part? You don’t even need to have a library card to access this incredible resource!

Get started by clicking here.

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Stay Connected

Posted on by Dana Echelberger

Want to know what programs are happening at the library for an upcoming week? Not sure about anticipated holiday closures? Are you curious about our growing Library of Things collection? Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Our e-newsletter is emailed once every week and offers a quick snapshot of programs for all ages, book groups, and highlights of our incredible variety of resources. It is one of the quickest and easiest ways to stay current with events happening at the library, including holiday closures.

To stay up-do-date with everything happening at the library, sign up for our e-newsletter here.

Tip: Signed up for the e-newsletter and cannot find it in your inbox? Check your spam/junk folder. E-newsletters arrive in inboxes on Sundays.

Posted in Resources, Services

Learning a new language is easy and fun!

Posted on by Dana Echelberger

We may have been closed recently in honor of Indigenous People’s Day, but our online resources are open 24/7!

Curious about learning a new language? Look no further than Mango Languages.

Mango Languages is your go-to resource for learning and practicing a variety of different languages free from the comforts of your home. With your Newburyport Public Library card, you have access to Mango Languages from the moment you set up a free account with your device.

Now is the time to start working on your Italian phrases for your upcoming trip to Italy in the summer! Buon viaggio!

Posted in Closures & Holidays, Resources, ServicesTagged , , ,

City Preliminary Election Voting Location

Posted on by Dana Echelberger

The library will be a polling place for residents of Ward 2 on Tuesday, September 19th. Residents can cast their vote from 7am to 8pm in the Program Room. Staff will be here to direct residents to the Program Room during the early morning hours the library is closed.

We are excited to offer residents of Ward 2 a place to vote this year and ask that our regular library patrons excuse the increased foot traffic coming in and out of the building throughout the day.

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All about eCards

Posted on by Dana Echelberger

MVLC is proud to announce that the new MVLC eCard now available to patrons. This card allows the card holder access to online resources provided by MVLC, the state of Massachusetts, and their home library.

Who is eligible?

Any Massachusetts resident who does not already have a library card from an MVLC library is eligible for an MVLC eCard.

How to apply.

Fill out this form.

The system will provide you either a full or provisional library card until it can verify your address. Regardless of the status, you will have access to the online resources.

After a successful submission of the form, patrons will receive an email at the address they provided, giving them their new barcode and PIN and more information about what privileges the card offers them.

Any exclusions?

If you already have a physical library card, you will not be able to get an eCard. You can continue to use your physical library card to access these online resources.

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