Welcome Week is September 16-23, 2023
September is Library Card Sign-up month and Hispanic Heritage month!
We’re celebrating by welcoming the community into our branches to meet our new City Librarian and Director, Maria Bernhey, and participate in our many programs and initiatives.
Come to one or more of our Open Houses, sign up for a FREE library card, and see what we have to offer!
Events at NHFPL
Our new City Librarian and Director, Maria Bernhey, will be stopping by all of the branches!
Mitchell Branch Library
Saturday, September 16th, 2-4 pm | Details
Fair Haven Branch Library
Tuesday, September 19th, 10 am-6 pm | Details
Wilson Branch Library
Tuesday, September 19th, 5-7:30 pm | Details
Stetson Branch Library
Saturday, September 23rd, 10 am-5 pm | Details
Ives Main Library
Saturday, September 23rd, 10 am-5 pm | Details
Mitchell Branch Library
Saturday, September 16
Art Reception, 2-4 pm
Featuring the work of Linda Dempsey. Learn more here.
Westville Village Renaissance Alliance
Welcoming Lizzy Donius with information about WVRA!
Children Activities
Daisha Chatman from Reading Camp LLC will be leading the activities. Free snacks will be provided!
Fair Haven Branch Library
Tuesday, September 19
Bilingual Stay and Play/Quédate y Juega, 10:30-11 am
Stories and songs in English and Spanish, for children up to five-years-old with a caregiver. Historias y canciones en inglés y español, seguidas por un espacio de tiempo para jugar. Learn more here.
Common Ground Mobile Market, 3-5 pm
Friends from Common Ground return with fresh produce set-up on our front lawn. Pay with SNAP, farmer’s market checks, cash, or credit. Learn more here.
FHCHC Information Table, 3-5 pm
Eddy Codova-Coello from Fair Haven Community Health will be on hand with an info table about FHCHC’s addiction services program that they are promoting specifically to the Latinx community. Learn more here.
Dinosaur Time with Yale Peabody Museum, 3-5 pm
Love dinosaurs? Join us for free family friendly activities featuring artifacts and crafts from the Yale Peabody Museum! Learn more here.
Find Sam the Stegosaurus, 4-6 pm
Kids 12 and under: How good are you at finding a dinosaur? Be first to find, and complete a learning quest, to win a cool prize from Yale Peabody Museum. Learn more here.
Wilson Branch Library
Tuesday, September 19
Hill Community Resource Fair and Open House, 5-7:30 pm
Join the Wilson Library as we celebrate National Voter Registration Day and the Hill with holistic community organizations, food and fun crafts the whole family will enjoy!
Organizations in attendance will be the League of Women Voters, Yale Cancer Center, The New Haven Inner City Enrichment Center, The New Haven Peace Commission, Yale Pathology Labs, Cornell Scott Hill Health Center, The New Haven Livable City Initiative, Read to Grow, UI and SCG companies, American Job Center and Save the Sound! Learn more here.
Stetson Branch Library
Saturday, September 23
Stay and Play, 10-11:30 am
Join us for stories, songs, and play! Ages 0-4 with caregiver(s). Learn more here.
Community Meet & Greet, 12-1:30 pm
Meet our new Library Director, Maria Bernhey, along with the Stetson staff! Learn more here.
Shubert Theater Presents a Dia de Los Muertos Workshop, 2-3 pm
This workshop will include story time to learn about Dia de Los Muertos, arts and crafts, and a free book for every child attending. Learn more here.
Welcome Back Chase Taylor, 3:15-4:15 pm
Chase Taylor will read from his Letter Critter series and teach participants how to illustrate. Learn more here.
Ives Main Library
Saturday, September 23
Meditation With Elm Community Insight, 10:30 am-12 pm
Join for Saturday morning meditation led by Elm Community Insight in collaboration with the NHFPL. Learn more here.
CT Kid Governor Visits, 11 am-12 pm
Ellie Mendez discusses her platform and term in office. Learn more here.
Make Your Own Buttons, 11 am-4 pm
Buttons are a great way to express your creativity, promote your business, or make a statement. Join Ives Squared to design your own buttons and leave with a completed product! Learn more here.
Community Resource Fair, 11 am-4pm
Visit with local community agencies to address your needs. Learn more here.
Collage Workshop, 1-4 pm
Join Adult Services staff member and artist Kenzie Morrison for a collage workshop. Learn more here.
New Haven Go Club, 1-4 pm
Official chapter of the American Go Association providing demonstrations and introductions to the game of Go. Learn more here.
Kidz Kook, 2-3 pm
Hear a read-aloud and make a nutritious food art snack with Tennille Murphy from Kidz Kook. Learn more here.
Machuca (Chile 2004) Film Screening, 2-4 pm
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month! Discussion to follow screening. Learn more here.
Pardoning Workshop with Y.U.P.P
Saturday, September 16, 2:30-3:30 pm | WILSON
Are you formerly incarcerated and interested in applying for an absolute pardon in the state of Connecticut? The pardon program is a free service offered by Yale Undergraduate Prison Partnership. Learn more here.
Humanist Association of Connecticut Book Discussion: The Sewing Girl’s Tale… by John Wood Sweet
Saturday, September 16, 2:30-4:30 pm | WILSON
Join a monthly book club hosted by the Humanist Association of Connecticut and discuss great books. All are welcome! Learn more here.
Financial Literacy Workshop
Monday, September 18, 2-3 pm | MITCHELL
Tuesday, September 19, 2-3 pm | MITCHELL
Wednesday, September 20, 2-3 pm | MITCHELL
A five-session Financial Literacy Workshop led by Marilyn Inge. Learn more here.
Free Watercolor Class for Seniors
Monday, September 18, 6-8 pm | MITCHELL
Come out and enjoy a free watercolor class taught by Professional Art Instructors from Arts in CT. Learn more here.
Democracy in America: Matthew Jacobson on Sammy Davis, Jr.
Tuesday, September 19, 6-7 pm | IVES
Professor Matthew Jacobson of Yale University will speak about his new book, Dancing Down the Barricades: Sammy Davis Jr. and the Long Civil Rights Era, with Professor Robin D. G. Kelley of UCLA. Learn more here.
Making Comics & Zines: With the Yale Center for British Art
Wednesday, September 20, 3-5 pm | IVES
Are you a teenager (aged 13–19) with a story to tell? Explore comic and zine making with educator/artist James Vanderberg in the NHFPL Teen Center! Create diary comics and zines using fun and easy prompts. All materials provided; no previous experience nor skills necessary. Learn more here.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Book Club
Wednesday, September 20, 6-7 pm | IVES
Always wanted to join a book club but couldn’t commit or tired of assigned reads? This casual book group is for you! Join a book group with a twist, readers are invited to discuss books, old and new, and share recommendations. Each attendee can share up to 1-3 books with the group, just show up with the book(s) you want to share! After each meeting we’ll e-mail a list of the books that were discussed. This months suggested theme is Hispanic Heritage Month. Learn more here.
Free Friday Films: Wild Tales
Friday, September 22, 2-4 pm | IVES
Free films in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month/Películas gratis en celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana. This week’s movie is Wild Tales. Six short stories that explore the extremes of human behavior involving people in distress. (Rated: R) – Learn more here.
Dinosaur Time with Yale Peabody Museum
Saturday, September 23, 10 am-3 pm | FAIR HAVEN
Kids, do you love dinosaurs? Join us at the Fair Haven Library for free family friendly activities featuring artifacts and crafts from the Yale Peabody Museum! Learn more here.
Come see what our library has to offer!