Database of the Month – HeritageQuest

With more than 4.4 billion records, HeritageQuest delivers an essential collection of genealogical and historical sources—with coverage dating back to the 1700s—that can help you find ancestors and discover a place’s past. Get started here.

Adventure Pass of the Month - Plimoth Patuxet

Plimoth Patuxet Museums offers a living history that tells the story of the English colonists who became known as “Pilgrims” and the Native Americans with whom they interacted. A big draw is the re-creation of the original settlement, populated with interpreters in period dress with whom one may interact that are based on actual historical figures. Native People from various nations in historically accurate dress provide information about the Wampanoag—the first tribe the Pilgrims encountered—at a home site based on how the group would have lived in the 17th century. Place your hold requests for this pass by visiting our Adventure Pass page. Our Adventure Passes are generously funded by The Friends of Hopkinton Public Library.

"Thing" of the Month - Christmas & Floral Stamps
Have you been wanting to make some homemade cards for the holidays this year? We offer Floral and Christmas rubber stamp kits in our Library of Things collection! Whether inked or embossed (you provide the inks and/or powders, and whatever card stock you prefer), your creations are sure to be some of the nicest your family and friends will receive! You can place your hold requests for the stamps from our Library of Things page. The Library of Things is generously funded by The Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

For Multiple Ages

One Book/One Hopkinton Book Discussion
Tuesday, November 6   9:00 - 10:00 am (Town Hall)
Wednesday, November 8  6:00 - 7:00 pm (Library)
Join us for a library staff-facilitated book discussions of our One Book/One Hopkinton book choice, "Digging to America". Books are available at the library, compliments of the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

One Book/One Hopkinton- Genealogy with Eric Migdal:Adoption & the Search for Biological Family
Tuesday, November 7   6:30 - 7:30 pm
Join us online for an evening of genealogy with Eric Migdal of It’s All Relative Genealogy. Eric will teach us how to search for relatives when you or the focus of your genealogy search is adopted.

Frayed Knot Fiber Arts Circle
Wednesday, November 8 & 29  6:30 - 7:30 pm
Join us for the Frayed Knot Fiber Arts Circle! Bring your current project or pattern. This group is open to teens and adult of all skill levels. All fiber arts crafts (knitting, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, needle felting, etc. ) are more than welcome to join us! 

Narcan Training and Community Harm Reduction with the Hopkinton Health Department
Tuesday, November 14  5:30 - 6:30 pm
Narcan Training and Community Harm Reduction with the Hopkinton Health Department
Narcan is the brand name of the generic Naloxone and is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids. This free Narcan training will provide participants with a brief training on how to recognize an opioid overdose, when and how to use Narcan, and a free kit to take home.

Adult Programs - Additional programs may be offered after publication.

English Language Learning - Conversation Circles
Wednesday & Thursdays 6:30 pm and Fridays 10:00 am
English Language Learners Conversation Circles are for people at all levels, whether just getting started or refining skills and vocabulary. Please register at https://forms.gle/VmdRxxUQZRosGGwW9 to be placed with a group. This program is offered by Friends of the Hopkinton Public Library.

VIRTUAL: Hollywood, Home, Heart, and Healing: A Conversation with Actor John Stamos
Wednesday, November 1  8:00 - 9:00 pm on Zoom
Join us for an intimate conversation with Full House star, John Stamos, as he leads us through his incredibly moving and vulnerable memoir, If You Would Have Told Me. Register through our website calendar.

Our Time Memory Cafe at the Senior Center
Thursday, November 2   1:00 - 2:15 pm
Sponsored by Hopkinton Senior Services and the Hopkinton Public Library, Our Time Memory Cafe’ invites those with forgetfulness, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia and their care partner, family and friends to attend. Our Time Memory Cafe’ takes place on the first Thursday of each month from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. For more information, please contact the Senior Center 508-497-9730 and ask for Outreach (Kim or Julia).

One Book/One Hopkinton - Korean Lanterns with Korean Spirit & Culture Promotion Project
Saturday, November 4   3:00 - 4:00 pm
Join us and the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project to make beautiful Korean lanterns! We will learn about traditional Korean culture while creating our lanterns. Registration is required!

Blood Drive
Wednesday, November 8   2:00 - 7:00 pm
Register on the Red Cross website at https://rcblood.org/3AmuYsP 

VIRTUAL: Get Good with Money and Reach Your Financial Goals with Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
Thursday, November 9   2:00 - 3:00 pm on Zoom
Tiffany Aliche was a successful preschool teacher with a healthy nest egg when a recession and advice from a shady advisor put her out of a job and into a huge financial hole. As she began to chart the path to her own financial rescue, the outline of her ten-step formula for attaining both financial security and peace of mind began to take shape. These principles have now helped more than one million women worldwide save and pay off millions in debt, and begin planning for a richer life. 

VIRTUAL : 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group via Zoom
Wednesday, November  1 & 15  9:30 - 11:30 am
Wednesday, November  8 & 29 6:00 - 8:00 pm
If you are unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your "Encore Career", this networking group program is perfect for you! Remember, 85% of jobs are found through networking! Please visit our website for class and joining information.

Friends of Whitehall Present: Wildland Fire in Massachusetts wtih Alex Belote
Tuesday, November 14   5:30 - 7:30 pm
Alex Belote has worked in wildland fire since 2004. He spent three years on a type one/hotshot crew in Alaska, worked for the Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, and is currently employed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry and Fire Control. He has participated in wildland fire in many areas of the United States, as well as the Bahamas and Canada. Currently, Alex's job is the Fire Program Coordinator and is focused on public education, administering federal grants for rural fire departments, assisting with training and prescribed fire. Topics will include: Fire towers, fire history, prescribed fire, fire mitigation, public education, and national strategies for living with fire. 

VIRTUAL: Women's Financial Roundtable
Wednesday, November 15   1:00 - 2:00 pm on Zoom
Confused about financial markets? Wondering what Bitcoin is all about? Staring blankly at your retirement statements? Join Julia Strayer and Liz Maccarone for Women and Money Roundtable: How to Make Sense of Today's Financial Markets. Each session focuses on a different topic.

VIRTUAL: Why She Writes - An Afternoon Chat with Joy Harjo, Renowned Performer & Writer
Thursday, November 16  4:00 - 5:00 pm on Zoom
United States Poet Laureate and winner of the 2022 Academy of American Poets Leadership Award, Joy Harjo, joins us for a chat about her most recent memoir, Catching the Light and to discuss her rewarding lifetime as a writer and poet. 

VIRTUAL:  A Taste of Korea with KSCPP (OB/OH) 
Saturday, November 18   3:00 - 4:00 pm on Zoom
Please join us for an online cooking lesson with the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project on how to prepare Japchae (Potato starch noodles with various vegetables), with step-by- step instructions via Zoom meeting. In addition to the cooking lesson, KSCPP will explain the health benefits of traditional Korean meals and watch a short documentary film on Bangjja, traditional Korean bronze ware. Learn how to cook traditional Korean Japchae from the comfort of your own kitchen!

VIRTUAL: An Evening with Bestselling Authors Tess Gerritsen & Paul Doiron
Monday, November 20  7:00 - 8:00 pm on Zoom
Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen will discuss her brand new book, The Spy Coast, in conversation with bestselling author Paul Doiron. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.

VIRTUAL: Power of Women in Science Fiction: Naomi Alderman on Writing Dystopian Worlds
Thursday, November 30   3:00 - 4:00 pm on Zoom
Bestselling and award-winning author, Naomi Alderman will join us to talk about her new book, The Future. This new novel delivers a dazzling tour de force where a handful of friends plot a daring heist to save the world from the tech giants whose greed threatens life as we know it.

Teen Programs

Wednesday, November 1, 8, 15 & 29  6:00 - 8:00 pm
Dungeons and Dragons Group (Suggested Ages 10+)
Join Nate, Hopkinton's resident Dungeon Master for HPL's weekly Dungeons and Dragons Group.   Players will test their skills and wills through challenging and fun campaigns and character development. Upper elementary students, teens, tweens, and new adults are welcome to join us for a night of role playing fun. Registration highly encouraged.

Pokémon Club - After school free play (ages 8+)
Wednesday, November 1, 8, 15 & 29   4:00 - 5:00 pm
Do you play Pokémon?  Looking for someone to play with, trade cards, and chat about all that is Pokémon? You've found you place!  Join us at the HPL for after school Pokémon club.  This club is a peer directed event that will be held in the main library area outside of the YA room, adjacent to the magazine area starting at 4:00 pm.  Bring your Pokémon cards if you have some.  If you do not have cards, we will have a small amount for in-library use.  This is a drop-in style club.  No registration necessary. 

SAT Study, Practice and Strategy Session
Friday, November 17    3:15 - 4:15 pm
Looking for help preparing for the SAT? Join us for peer-led, drop-in study sessions in the Teen Room to help you achieve your best score. There is no need to register, but please feel free to do so if you would like to receive a calendar reminder. This event is open to all teens (no, you don't have to live in Hopkinton!) who would like help preparing for the SAT or improving your score. This is a peer led event sponsored by the HPL Young Adult Department. 

Frayed Knot Fiber Arts Circle
Wednesday, November 8 & 29 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Join us for the Frayed Knot Fiber Arts Circle! Bring your current project or pattern. This group is open to teens and adult of all skill levels. All fiber arts crafts (knitting, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stitch, needle felting, etc.) are more than welcome to join us! This group will meet on the second and last Wednesdays of each month  from 6:30 - 7:30 PM.  Do you have questions or need knitting materials? Email Jak at [email protected].

Children's Programs

Monthly Music & Movement
Wednesday, November 15  10:30 - 11:15 am
Join us for a children's concert (recommended aged 0-5) with performer Julie Stepanek. These monthly concerts are generously sponsored by the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

Read to a Therapy Dog
Wednesday, November 1, 8, & 29   7:00 - 7:45 pm
Drop by to practice reading aloud to one of our therapy dogs, Gracie and Hula!

Lego & Duplo Club (ages 5+)
Thursday, November 2, 9, 16 & 30  4:00 - 4:45 pm
Build a creation out of legos which will be displayed in the children's department. No registration is required for this program.

Tabletop Games & Activities
Friday, November 3 & 17   1:00 - 4:00 pm

Chess club (recommended for ages 6-12)
Monday, November 6, 13, 20 & 27  4:00 - 5:00 pm
Stop by to play chess and to get tips and tricks!

Baby-Toddler Storytime (ages 0-3) 
Tuesday, November  7, 21 & 28     10:00 - 10:45 am **Sensory Friendly**
                                                          10:45 - 11:30 am
Wednesday, November 1, 8, & 29  10:00 - 10:45 am
Saturday, November 18 10:00 - 10:45 am

Preschool Storytime  (ages 3-6)   
Wednesday, November  1, 8, & 29 11:00 - 11:45 am
Saturday, November  18  11:00 - 11:45 am

Parent-Child Playgroup (ages 0-5)
Thursday, November 2, 9, 16 & 30  10:00 - 11:00 am
Join us for Parent-Child Playgroup, cohosted with the Hopkinton YMCA (Project ABC). This event will include free play as well as a circle time with stories, songs, and rhymes! Registration is required starting 1 week prior to the event.

Literacy Bingo
Tuesday, November 7  2:00 - 2:45 pm
Drop in for a few rounds of bingo to practice sight word recognition- there will be prizes! See the printable lists/flashcards in the link on our calendar to practice ahead of time: Level 1 Sight Words and Flashcards

Diversity Book Club
We have a new passive "book club" for all ages. Patrons can check out a book related to a theme and then engage in an at-home discussion activity. This month's theme is ???. Patrons can stop by the library's lobby anytime during the month to check out a themed title for adults, young adults and children.

Chat 'n' Chew Book Club
Wednesday, November 15  12:30 - 2:00 pm
Missing your Book Club? Consider joining the Chat'n'Chew book group. Instead of assigning a book for all participants to read, each person reviews something they read this month. Bring a lunch or snack for yourself. All reviews of the books will then be posted to Facebook to share with the Hopkinton reading community. This meeting will be in person or by Google Meet. Register to receive information for joining.

Here is a recently enjoyed book....Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
This is one of the most unusual books you might read this year. Elizabeth Zott, after being forced out of college early, took an underpaying job as a research chemist at Hastings Research Institute in 1952. Elizabeth loved being a chemist during a time when women were expected to be housewives. It is at this job that she meets and falls in love with the brilliant and famous chemist, Calvin Evans. The two fall in love but after an accident a few years later Elizabeth finds herself alone, the single mother of Madeline and reluctantly accepts a job offer to host a beloved cooking show, Supper at Six, aimed at housewives. Elizabeth’s approach to cooking using chemical processes, teaches, encourages, and inspires her audience to not only create delicious, complex, and nutritious culinary dishes, but to value and believe in their self-worth, both in and out of the kitchen. Lessons in Chemistry will steal your heart. A remarkable and pleasurable read.

The library will be closed Friday, November 10 & Saturday, November 11 for Veterans Day and Thursday, November 23 through Sunday, November 26 for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Possible early closure on Wednesday, November 22.

The Friends of Hopkinton Public Library will meet on Wednesday, November 1 at 6:30 pm.

The Hopkinton Public Library Foundation will meet Monday, November 6 at 7:00 pm.

The Board of Library Trustees meetings will meet on Monday, November 20 at 7:00 pm.  These meetings are open to the public. The agenda will be posted on the Town calendar.

Learn more about the Friends of the Hopkinton Library. Show your support by becoming a member.  Becoming a member is a great way to show your support for your local library, even if you don’t have time to get involved. You can join or renew your membership here.

The Hopkinton Public Library Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission of supporting Hopkinton Public Library by funding resources, technology, educational and special projects, and long term improvements. Their fundraising efforts seek to bridge the gap between the community’s aspirations for its Library and the usual or customary funding available from municipal budgets. Working in partnership with the Library, as well as the supporting organizations of the Trustees and Friends of the Library, the Foundation encourages continued and increased support of the Hopkinton Public Library as a valuable community resource. Meet the team and find out ways to support the library here.

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