From the Director:
Dear Library Friends and Followers,

2023 is sure starting off with a bang! Thank you so much to all those of you who have expressed your support for the Library's future--at Public Speak time at City Council meetings, in person, and by letter. We are honored to have your trust and your muscle, and we're looking forward to exciting and necessary changes. As we figure out our next steps, watch this newsletter and our social media for updates and calls to action. The Library is an essential resource for the City of Easthampton, and we mean to be the best essential resource we can be!

In an effort to raise awareness and ensure transparency, we will be making some additions to our website. In the section titled Library Governance, you will now find not only a listing of our Board and Corporators, but specific committee assignments, Association by-laws, and--beginning with our March meeting, minutes of meetings. If you have questions about anything related to us, ask! We're your Public Library, after all, and making sure that we can continue to serve the public and the City will be a project that needs all hands informed and on deck.

February is a bittersweet but exciting month in our Youth Department--our wonderful Youth Services Coordinator Moira Cranshaw is leaving us on Feb 3! We will miss her terribly but we are excited to introduce you all to our new Youth Services Coordinator, the amazing Emily Prabhaker, who starts later in the month. Emily studied children's literature at Simmons College and has since shared her love of books and youth through positions in early literacy, museum education, and school librarianship. Her first library job was at the Reading Castle Library in her bedroom when she was 9 years old. It is a dream come true for her to join the Emily Williston community.

We'll be hosting several fun events in the Youth Department over the February school break, including a Stuffie Sleepover and a visit from a Stuffie Vet.

In adult programs, some particularly exciting offerings include a virtual film talk with Craig Dudnick, about the film 'Alice's Ordinary People' (February 7, 6:30pm) and a virtual program on Climate Justice - Addressing the Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change (March 1, 6:30pm). Join us in person to play with our new Craft Cart (always available on the main floor by the computers, or to create Creepy Doll Planters (February 23, 5:30pm).

Please remember that masking remains a requirement for all indoor programs--it's how we keep them safe and accessible! For our full lineup of February activities, keep reading, and check out our Calendar. We'll see you soon at the Library!

Happy reading,
Katya