Boylston Public Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.

The competitive award comes with a $20,000 grant that will help the library become conducive to the needs of the neurodivergent, with an emphasis on children with autism.

If you are interested in getting involved or taking part in the conversation, please contact Director Erica Hout at publiclibraryraboylston-ma.gov, or 508-869-2371.

Note the following change in library hours this week
due to professional development:

Thursday, June 22
open from 5-8pm only

Friday, June 23
closed all day

Upcoming events:
 
Writer’s Group - Hybrid
Tuesday, Jun. 20, 6:30-7:30pm

This is a group for aspiring writers, led by Susan Roney O'Brien, MFA. All are welcome, no matter your writing level! Join this group as they improve their writing together. You can either join us in person at the library or virtually.

Make Strawberry Shortcake - Registration is full
Wednesday, Jun. 21, 2-3pm

It's strawberry time and summer is here, so let's make shortcake together! We'll prepare the strawberries, whip the cream, and enjoy a yummy summer treat! Ages 6+; registration required.
 
Busy Bees
Wednesday, Jun. 28, 1-2:30pm

Bee at the library as we learn about bees and do some fun activities! First we'll watch a short animated video about beehives. Then we'll construct a bee hotel using natural and recycled materials, roll up a beeswax candle, and mix up some honey slime to play with at home. Ages 4+; registration required.
 
Our They/Them: Gender Identities with Dr. Carmen Alvaro Jarrín - Hybrid Event
Wednesday, Jun. 28, 6:30-7:30pm

One in six American adults in Gen Z identifies as LGBT, according to a 2021 Gallup poll. Of those, 25% identify as nonbinary and another 20% are questioning their gender identity. In this discussion for both teens and adults, Prof. Carmen Alvaro Jarrín will discuss nonbinary identities, allowing people to think beyond the gender binary and allowing them to experiment more freely with gender presentation and pronouns. With a decolonial approach to gender, we'll examine how nonbinary identities have always existed, and how colonialism imposed a strict gender binary around the world. Perhaps the gender binary is an unnecessary limit on our species, and a broader understanding will let the full spectrum of gender nonconformity flourish. Registration required; join us in the library or online.

Dr. Carmen Alvaro Jarrín received their Ph.D. from Duke University and they are Associate Professor of Anthropology at College of the Holy Cross. They are the author of The Biopolitics of Beauty: Cosmetic Citizenship and Affective Capital in Brazil (University of California Press). They are also co-editor of two collections of essays: Remaking the Human: Cosmetic Technologies of Body Repair, Reshaping and Replacement (Berghahn Books), and Precarious Democracy: Ethnographies of Hope, Despair and Resistance in Brazil (Rutgers University Press).

All Ages Story Time! - Registration is full
Thursday, Jun. 29, 11am-12pm

Our summer Story Time sessions are geared towards our youngest library friends, but there will be fun things for older kids to do as well. We'll read, sing, and provide crafts along the way! Registration required.
 
Concert on the Common: Matt York’s Songs & Stories of Johnny Cash
Saturday, Jul. 1, 4-5pm

Longtime New England musician/author Matt York will perform the songs of Johnny Cash and tell stories about Cash's career spanning from the 1950's to his passing in 2003. He'll discuss Cash's emergence as a groundbreaking artist in the 1950's, his marriage to June Carter and many of his other career highlights. York was recently nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist and his album Gently Used was just named one of Worcester Magazine's best albums of 2022. (In the case of inclement weather, this program will take place in the library.) This program is supported in part by a grant from the Boylston Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.