Explore New Haven’s Public Arts Scene
New Haven has a vibrant history of Public Art, from the monuments and memorials built after the Civil War to artwork funded by the Depression-Era Public Works Art Projects, the CETA Program (1970s), the Percent for Art Program (1980s), and the ongoing Straight Up Art Program. New Haven’s story is still being told through public art, and once you start noticing it, you see art everywhere. Here’s a 30-minute Art Walk starting at City Hall and ending at the Ives Main Library, with a couple of … Continued
FREE Youth Eye Exams at NHFPL this August!
Does your child or teen squint or have trouble seeing? We’re partnering with Vision to Learn to get your student ready for school with a FREE eye exam and (if needed) a FREE pair of glasses! Vision To Learn is a nonprofit organization that provides free vision screenings, eye exams and glasses to children and teens, ages 5-18. Their mobile eye exam van is coming to an NHFPL location near you in August.
New Haven’s Amistad History
Image: Roger Sherman Baldwin painted by Rufus Wright Written by SCSU Intern, Isaac Rivera and Digital Inclusion Librarian, Alexandria Robison | July 2026 A Brief History In 1839, La Amistad was transporting 53 kidnapped Mende people, originally from Sierra Leone, to a plantation after being sold into slavery in Cuba. The ship was helmed by … Continued
Tell Us Your Story!
The New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) is initiating an oral history project that will allow individuals to be interviewed and document their experiences for the Library’s archives, with the potential for these stories to be made available online.
New Haven’s Historic Freddy Fixer Parade
Written by SCSU Intern Isaac Rivera | June 2026 This year the 61st annual Freddy Fixer Parade was held on June 7! Learn more about its beginnings and the people that brought it to life. History The original Freddy Fixer parade wasn’t a parade at all—it wasn’t even named Freddy Fixer yet. It was a Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhood cleanup that … Continued
Get Your Child READy for the Grade this Summer at NHFPL!
The New Haven Free Public Library is now registering students for READy for the Grade, our free summer literacy workshop designed to help young readers build confidence and improve reading skills before the new school year begins. READy for the Grade serves New Haven Public School students entering grades K–3 this fall who are currently … Continued
New Haven’s 1970 May Day Protest
Protesters in the streets. National Guard troops deployed against U.S. citizens. Sounds like scenes ripped from recent headlines, but these events date back to May Day, 1970, when New Haven became a flashpoint in a nationwide struggle. Let us peer back through the mists of history and vagaries of memory to a time that seems so different than our own yet is all too familiar in many respects. The sixties were a time … Continued
Learn more about Women from NHFPL’s History!
This March, the New Haven Free Public Library is recognizing just a few women who have made a significant impact on our organization.
Celebrate America’s 250th with NHFPL!
The New Haven Free Public Library is celebrating America’s 250th birthday and you’re invited to join us!
Literacy from Birth-Three: Join NHFPL for a Community Baby Shower!
New and expecting parents are invited to a special Community Baby Shower—an early literacy event hosted by the New Haven Free Public Library’s Young Minds & Family Learning (YMFL) team—on April 1 from 4-7 pm at Stetson Branch Library, 97 Dixwell Avenue.