November Greetings,
Thank you for your continued support and patience during this difficult time as we recover from extreme damage caused by the flooding on August 18th & 19th. The town is working hard to reopen the Southbury Public Library as soon as possible.
With the basement fully cleaned and all traces of flood damage removed, we are focusing on plans for reinstalling the building’s electrical, HVAC, technology, and other systems. Following the town’s procurement and bidding procedures, we are in the process of securing an engineer to create a plan to move forward. The upper floors of the building continue to be well monitored for humidity; temperature is being regulated by temporary industrial cooling and heating.
Due to damage to the Southbury Public Library in the recent flood event, the Voting District #2 polling place has been RELOCATED. The TEMPORARY polling place for District 2 in the upcoming General Election on November 5, 2024 will be located at Calvary Southbury, 354 Kettletown Road, Southbury.
Library staff are working hard to bring you a variety of programs and services. Museum passes are available for checkout and patrons can now apply for a new library card online. Please check our website for details, times and locations. With the book drop closed, we are still asking patrons to return any library materials to any other library in the state.
Grades K-5: dive into fall with us on Wednesday, November 13 from 4:30-5:30pm for our Autumn Craftapalooza! We'll have pressed leaf bookmarks, mosaic pumpkins, and decorative tied pillows.
Grades 6-12: get creative with us on Monday, November 4 from 4-5pm for a No-Sew Pop Tart Pillow craft! This throw pillow is as sweet as it is easy to make.
Adults: These are tense times. Join us Thursday, November 7, for Stress Relief through Music and Rhythm: A Participatory Experience as percussionist Craig Harris provides the key to releasing endorphins and eliminating pent-up frustration using songs, stories, and guided music-making. Let it all out! To register for this offsite, in-person program at Parks and Recreation, click here.
To find out more about all our exciting events in November, see below!
For the most up-to-date information, please follow our website and social media accounts or the Town of Southbury’s website and social media accounts (Town Facebook & Town Instagram). If you need assistance with anything related to your library card account, please call 203-262-0626 or email asksbylib@biblio.org.
Best wishes,
The Staff of the Southbury Public Library
Table of Contents
- How to Get a Library Card
- Adult Reading Challenge
- Adult Events
- Adult Book Clubs
- Our Favorite Online Resources
- Children and Teen Events
- Museum Passes
- Children and Teen Reading Challenges
- Children's Events
- Teen Events
- The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
How to Get a Library Card
Southbury residents: apply online to get your library card, and pick it up in person during select library events! To get a library card, we need proof of Southbury residency. Proof can be anything with your name and address on it, such as a bill, piece of mail, or lease agreement. For children who don’t have proof of residency, we need proof of residency from one of their parents or legal guardians. If you don’t live in Southbury, you can borrow materials when we are open again with a valid library from your hometown library. Once you get a card from your home library, you can register it with us. To apply for a library card online for Southbury Residents, click here.
While the library remains closed due to flood damage, you can pick up your card in person and verify your address during our library storytime programming on Mondays from 10:30-11:30am (at Southbury Parks & Recreation), and the first three Thursdays from 10:30-11:30am (at Southbury Parks & Recreation). For more information about applying for a library card online, click here.
Adult Reading ChallengeAdult Reading Challenge (Ages 18 & Up)
Online on Beanstack
The reading challenge for November 2024 is to read the favorite book of a friend or relative! A drawing will occur at the end of the month to decide the winner of a $25.00 gift card to Stop & Shop Supermarket!
To be eligible for this month's prize, after reading, complete a digital form to tell us about the book you chose for this challenge. Visit Beanstack to get started online. Completed forms must be received by Saturday, November 30, 2024.
Submit a form for each of the 12 monthly challenges throughout 2024 and you will be eligible for the Reading Challenge's grand prize at the end of the year, a $200 Visa Gift Card! Previous months' challenges can be completed after they have occurred to obtain eligibility for the grand prize at the end of the year.
We invite everyone (Adults: Age 18 & Up), regardless of town of residency, to participate in Southbury Public Library's inaugural Adult Reading Challenge event!
Adult EventsInformation and Registration: Reference Department at 203-262-0626
All programs require registration unless otherwise noted. The majority of programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget. All virtual adult programs require registration, registrants will receive an email with the Zoom links the morning of the program.
Stress Relief through Music and Rhythm: A Participatory Experience
Thursday, November 7, 2-3:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required
These are tense times. Percussionist Craig Harris provides the key to releasing endorphins and eliminating pent-up frustration using songs, stories, and guided music-making. Let it all out! To register, click here.
“Make ‘Em Laugh”: A History of Movie Comedy from Charlie Chaplin to Mel Brooks
Friday, November 8, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
Since the beginning of motion pictures, making audiences laugh has been one of film industry’s chief box office attractions. Join us as we look at the major highlights of screen comedy over the last 125 years, with more than 40 examples from Hollywood’s funniest films. To register, click here.
Southbury and World War I
Tuesday, November 12, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
On Veterans Day we commemorate the 1918 armistice of the Great War in Europe. The US involvement in that conflict, an entry both late and short-lived, has been overshadowed by larger and more lengthy wars. Nearly a hundred locals, male and female, were drawn into making their patriotic contributions. Town Historian John Dwyer will profile a half a dozen of our neighbors who gave service and also present a historical background of what is now known as the First World War. To register, click here.
Adult Graphic Novel Club
Wednesday, November 20, 4-5pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
Join us for the Adult Graphic Novel Club! This is an adult focused group to discuss graphic novels and manga. Come with your ideas, experiences, opinions, and an open mind as we explore this amazing world of visual realism and fantasy! This month we'll be discussing V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. Join us for a discussion about this month’s book. To register, click here.
Adult Coloring Club
Monday, November 25, 2-3:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
Welcome to the Adult Coloring Club! Join us for a relaxing hour of therapeutic coloring. Materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own supplies as well. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Adult Book Clubs
The Southbury Public Library offers three book clubs for adults: Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club, Nonfiction Book Club and Mystery Book Club. Registration is required. Join us for a discussion about this month’s books!
Nonfiction Book Club
Wednesday, November 13, 10-11am, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings―asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass―offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.
Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Mystery Book Club
Monday, November 18, 3-4pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Home by Nightfall: A Charles Lenox Mystery, by Charles Finch.
It's London in 1876, and the whole city is abuzz with the enigmatic disappearance of a famous foreign pianist. Lenox has an eye on the matter - as a partner in a now thriving detective agency, he's a natural choice to investigate. Just when he's tempted to turn his focus to it entirely, however, his grieving brother asks him to come down to Sussex. Something strange is afoot in Markethouse: small thefts, books, blankets, animals, and more alarmingly a break-in at the house of a local insurance agent. As he and his brother investigate this accumulation of mysteries, Lenox realizes that something very strange and serious indeed may be happening, more than just local mischief.
Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club
Tuesday, November 26, 6:30-7:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing The Lonely Hearts Book Club: A Novel, by Lucy Gilmore.
Sloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely…but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. When Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. Anxious, Sloane tracks the old man down only to discover him all but bedridden...and desperately struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. Wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club. Slowly, the lonely misfits of their sleepy town begin to find each other, and in their book club, find the joy of unlikely friendship.
Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Our Favorite Online Resources
Kanopy, Consumer Reports Online, & Libby
Check out some of our favorite online resources that you can access for free from home (or anywhere with an internet connection) with your Southbury Public Library card! We have more details on our website here about Kanopy, Consumer Reports Online, and Libby. Kanopy offers streaming of movies and television shows, including many popular BBC shows, The Great Courses, and Sesame Street. You can access all that Consumer Reports Online has to offer through the link on our website and using your Southbury library card number. Last but not least, is Libby: our app for ebooks, audiobooks, and many popular magazines. For all of these online resources, you need the number on the back of your library card that starts with "24019" and enter it in with no spaces. While Kanopy and Consumer Reports online are for Southbury library card holders only, many area libraries have access to Libby, which is our favorite for ebooks, audiobooks, and many popular magazines.
Children and Teen Events
Information and Registration: Children/Teen Department at 203-262-0626
See below for information about our upcoming Children's and Teen Programming! All of our Children's and Teen Programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget.
Museum Passes:
Museum Passes are back in circulation! A list of available museum passes can be found here. Our passes can be checked out and returned during our library storytime programming on Mondays from 10:30-11:30am (at Southbury Parks & Recreation), and non-Thanksgiving Thursdays from 10:30-11:30am (at Southbury Parks & Recreation). The passes can be checked out for 7 days.
Children and Teen Reading Challenges:
November Monthly Mini Reading Challenge (All Ages)
November 1-30, Online on Beanstack
Join us on Beanstack for our next Mini Monthly Reading Challenge, themed Read Grateful! Read for five hours (about 1-3 books for elementary, middle, and high school readers) and get a SurPRIZE. Find out more and sign up on our Beanstack page!
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (Birth to Entering Kindergarten)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read a book (any book!) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track on Beanstack. Repeats count! If you read 1 Book a Day for 3 years, that’s 1,095 books! 10 books a week for 2 years is 1,040 books, and 3 books a day in one year is 1,095 books. Every book you read you get one sticker, and if you finish you can get a certificate, small prize, and your picture on our wall of fame if you’d like! Visit Beanstack to get started online.
100 Books Before Graduation (Grades 9-12)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read 100 books before High School Graduation! 100 books may seem like a lot (and it is), but it works out to about 1 book every 2 weeks. When you sign up, get a special tracking bookmark to fill out as you read. Make it to half way and get a $5 Gift Card to Dunkin' or The Bakery. Read 100 books and get a special throw blanket! Every 10 books you read, pick out something from the prize box (pins, stickers, animal sticky notes, and more!). Visit Beanstack to find out more and get started!
Children's Storytimes:
Drop-In Storytime (All Ages)
Monday, November 4, 18, 25, 10:30-11am, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, No Registration Required
Join Jen for an all-ages storytime! We'll share books, rhymes, and songs, and a small craft will be available to take home. Find out more on our website here.
Babies & Books Storytime (6-24 Months)
Tuesday, November 5, 12, 19, 26, 10:30-11am, Nursery Room, United Church of Christ, 283 Main Street North, Registration Required - Space Limited
Babies & Books is a 6-week lapsit program for children 6 to 24 months and their parents/caregivers. Listen to short stories and songs, and enjoy a small craft or sensory play. Find out more and register on our website here.
Toddler Time Storytime (Ages 2 & 3)
Wednesday, November 6, 13, 20, 27, 10:30-11am, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Toddler Time is a 6-week program for children ages 2 & 3 years and their parents/caregivers. Listen to stories and complete a small craft or sensory play activity. Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Children:
Tiny Food Explorers (Ages 2-5)
Wednesday, November 6, 11am-12pm, Kitchen, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Tiny Food Explorers for some fun with food! Come and explore new flavors and textures while playing games all about food and MyPlate! You’ll make a hands-on healthy snack that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy. Find out more and register on our website here.
Tunes & Tales (Recommended for Ages 5 & Under)
Thursday, November 7, 14, 21, 10:30-11am, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, No Registration Required
Join Jen for a morning filled with music and stories! Children will sing, dance, and experiment with simple musical instruments. Find out more on our website here.
Autumn Craftapalooza (Grades K–5)
Wednesday, November 13, 4:30-5:30pm, Kitchen, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Jen for an afternoon of autumn-themed crafts, including pressed leaf bookmarks, mosaic pumpkins, and decorative tied pillows! Find out more and register on our website here.
Food Explorers: Biscoff Banana Trifles (Ages 6-12)
Tuesday, November 19, 4:30-5:30pm, Kitchen, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Food Explorers for a flavorful fall dessert program! You’ll be making Biscoff Banana Trifles! If you’ve never tried Biscoff, then now is the time to try this aromatic and warmly spiced ingredient which pairs perfectly with banana in this layered dessert. Recipe is nut free but will contain dairy, eggs and gluten. Find out more and register on our website here.
LEGO Club (Grades K-5)
Thursday, November 21, 4:30-5:30pm, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Michelle and Jen for an afternoon of LEGO fun! We’ll provide the LEGO bricks, and you bring the creativity! You can free build, or work off of instructions. Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, November 22, 6:30-8pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required
Join us for another Family Trivia Night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Max Found Two Sticks: Waterbury Symphony Creating Musical Readers (All Ages)
Monday, November 25, 6-7pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join members of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra as they bring the book, Max Found Two Sticks, by Brian Pinkney, to life through music! This program will be online via Zoom. Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Teens:
No-Sew Pop Tart Pillows (Grades 6-12)
Monday, November 4, 4-5pm, Mat Room at Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us to make Pop Tart pillows, no sewing required! All supplies provided. Find out more and register on our website here.
Teen Study Space (Grades 6-12)
Wednesday, November 13, 4:30-7:30pm, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
Looking for a place to study as a group or solo? Join us for our pop-up teen study space open to Grades 6-12 only. We'll have tables and chairs set up, along with wi-fi and snacks. Registration is not required, but please sign up so we know how many people to expect! Find out more and register on our website here.
Teen Crochet & Knitting Club (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, November 14, 6:30-7:30pm, Kitchen of Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for our crochet and knitting club, open to both new and experienced crafters alike. If you’re already working on a project, bring it with you. If you’re new to knitting and crocheting, get started with us! We will have basic knitting and crocheting supplies available. Find out more and register on our website here.
Food Explorers: Chocolate Cherry Parfaits (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, November 19, 6-7pm, Kitchen at Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Food Explorers for another delicious dessert program! You’ll be making Black Forest Parfaits, full of homemade chocolate cake pops, cherry yogurt and cherry pie filling. This recipe is nut free but will contain dairy, eggs and gluten. Find out more and register on our website here.
Cute Animals Hangout (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, November 21, 6-7pm, Mat Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Come hang out with a variety of cute animals, both furry and scaly! Meet, interact with, feed snacks to, and pet a variety of animal friends including bunnies, ferrets, sugar gliders, snakes, a bearded dragon, and more! Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, November 22, 6:30-8pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required
Join us for another Family Trivia Night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, November 26, 6-7pm, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Application Required
Want to make a difference in the Teen Department? Consider joining the Teen Advisory Board! We meet once a month to discuss ideas for the Teen Department and work on special projects. A membership application is required, but we are seeking new members! Find out more and apply on our website here.
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library are a non-profit, voluntary, incorporated organization that sponsors almost all of our fun virtual and in-person programs found on the calendar page of our website. For information about how to become a member of the Friends, click here. If you would like to donate to the Friends, please use the PayPal donate button on our website. You do not need to have a PayPal account, just a credit or debit card. To do a regular donation, select "Donation" under the "Use this Donation For" drop down menu.
A letter from the Friends:
The temporary Donations Center is now open! The Friends welcome donations of gently-used fiction and fiction for all ages in hardcover and softcover (trade paperbacks). We are unable to accept mass market paperbacks because of space limitations. We also accept DVDs, music CDs, vinyl records, audiobooks on CD, and jigsaw puzzles.
The Donations Center is located in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store. Hours are Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m., and Wednesdays from 5-7 p.m. Donation receipts for tax purposes are available.
The Donations Center will be closed Tuesday, November 26, through Thursday, November 28, for Thanksgiving. Please don’t leave donations outside when we’re closed!
If you have a large number of items to donate, call Book Sale Chairman John Michaels at 203-525-0199 to arrange for a pickup.
The Friends are grateful to Gatto Development for donating the space for us to collect and store your donations.
Because The Friends’ past sales and membership drives have been so successful, we are able to continue funding programs and services even while the Southbury Library is closed to the public. If you’d like more information about the Friends, please visit our website.
Donations
Friends’ Donation Center, located in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30am, and Wednesdays from 5-7pm
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library are accepting donations for future book sales at their new space generously donated by Gatto Development Corporation. The Friends’ Donation Center is located in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store, and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Donation Center will be closed Tuesday, November 26, through Thursday, November 28, for Thanksgiving.
The floods of August 18-19, 2024, completely destroyed the entire Friends’ inventory of material collected in the past year from generous donors. Friends volunteers will accept, sort, and store all donated material at the temporary location. Items accepted include gently-used hardcover, softcover, and paperback books in all genres, both fiction and nonfiction, for adults, teens, and children. The Friends also accept DVDs, music CDs, vinyl records, audiobooks on CD, jigsaw puzzles, and games. Donation receipts for tax purposes are available.
For more information about the Friends of the Southbury Public Library, please contact Book Sale Chairman John Michaels at 203-525-0199, or Jeff O’Sullivan, President, at 203-578-5988, or click here.