Welcome to the Portland Library! Come on in!
Come in and browse for items or use a computer or the copier. Curbside Delivery is also available; reserve items online and let us know when you want to pick up the items.
Wifi print from your mobile device or from home now available!
The bookdrop is open 24/7, is emptied frequently. The library is now fine free.
Children's Department
Late Fall/Early Winter Storytimes
Our next storytime session will begin on November 14. Registration is required and begins on Monday, October 30. Registration can be done by calling the library at 860-342-6770 or registering through our library calendar at www.portlandlibraryct.org.
Preschool Storytime
Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.
November 14, 21, 28, December 5, 12, 19
Join us in our Wagner Room for stories, songs, and rhymes that encourage literacy and social skills and help get your preschooler prepared for kindergarten. We will offer a craft related to the weekly theme at the end of the program that can be done at the library or brought home.
Storytime for Toddlers and Tots:
Mother Goose on the Loose
Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m. or 11:15 a.m.
November 15, 22, 29, December 6, 13, 20
Mother Goose on the Loose, a fun-filled interactive session for our youngest patrons, uses rhymes, a story, songs, puppets, scarves, and more to stimulate the learning process of babies and toddlers. Two sessions will be offered each Wednesday to keep group sizes small and interactions personalized.
T-Rex Tea Party
November 7 at 11am
Stomp on down to the library for the most ferocious tea party ever! We’ll have some light refreshments while enjoying dinosaur songs, stories and more. Wear your fanciest or fiercest attire.
Open to kids in preK-grade 2.
Registration is required.
Family Craft Night: Fall Paper Strip Decor
Monday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Choose from a variety of fall designs and then add paper to create your own masterpiece. This activity has steps that are appropriate for all ages, but a
parent or guardian must be with children to help with supervision.
Registration is required.
Drop-In Lego Building
Monday, November 20 from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
You supply the imagination, and we supply the LEGOs in this drop-in program for kids of all ages. No registration is required for this program.
Animal Detectives
presented by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center
Tuesday, November 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Become an animal detective and learn how to read clues animals leave behind. Tracks, scat, feathers and fur are just a few of the signs we'll discover as we figure out what our animal neighbors have been up to. You will also have a chance to recreate an
animal track to bring home. This program is best for kids between the ages of 4-10.
Registration is required and space is limited.
Crafty Thursdays
Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.
November 30, December 7 & 14
Kids in grades K-5 are invited to join us for some no-rules creative crafting in the Wagner Room. There will be plenty of fun supplies and the only limit on what you can create is your own imagination! This is a drop-in program and no registration is required.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy
Saturday, December 2 at 12pm
Following the success of the Portland Solidarity Committee’s book discussion of
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man earlier this fall, we will be hosting a discussion specifically for readers age 8-18. Thanks to support from CT Humanities, a limited number of print copies of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy are available for readers to keep; print and audio copies are also available to check out at the
library and through Hoopla. We are privileged to have moderator Rich Hollant
returning to host this discussion.
Registration is requested, but not required.
Upcoming Teen Programs
Paint Your Pet
Tuesday, November 7
from 4-6 p.m.
Local artist Nancy Roman will walk us through creating watercolor portraits of our favorite four-legged friends. Bring a 5x7 photo of your pet to the program. Limited to ages 13+.
Registration is required and space is limited.
The Library is open
the following hours:
Monday -- Thursday 10:00-8:00
Friday 10:00-5:00
Saturday 10:00-3:00
Curbside Pickup Services available!
The Library is closed Friday November 10th in honor of Veterans Day!
The Library closes at 5pm on Wednesday November 22nd! The Library is closed Thursday November 23rd and Friday November 24th for Thanksgiving!
The Library will be OPEN Saturday November 25th 10:00am-3:00pm!
Art at the Library:
Art Reception for “Lessons Learned In-Person: An Exhibition of Artistic Growth in Watercolor” featuring a selection of works by local artists,curated by Bivenne Staiger.
Reception sponsored by the Friends of the Portland Library on Saturday
November 4th at 1pm.
(Exhibit runs Oct 30 through Nov 30)
Knifty Knitters meet Saturdays 10 a.m. -12:30
The Knitters (and Crocheters) of Portland are open to new, adult members of all experience levels! Beginning fiber artists welcome! Drop in at this weekly knitting circle where people share ideas, get helpful knitting tips and enjoy chatting with others who enjoy this creative hobby.
Later this November the library’s display cases will feature a selection of amazing works that the members of this group have generously donated for the Friends of the Portland Library to auction off,. Check in with staff for details on how to bid!
Movie: Wednesdays @ 1:00 p.m.
November 8th: Air
Monday October 30th at 6:30pm
Huskie Hoops: U Conn Basketball legacy
Get ready for another exciting season!
A History of Huskies Hoops: Legacy of Greatness
Get ready for another fantastic basketball season! Celebrate the history and greatness of the UConn basketball teams with this fun, lively and enlightening presentation hosted by award-winning sportswriter and author Marty Gitlin. Take a journey from the beginning of the men's and women's programs to the present with video highlights of their greatest teams, players and events from the turn of the twentieth century to today. Marty will talk about and show the moments these incredible teams turned dreams into national championships, as well as those whose seasons ended in disappointment. Registration Requested!
Wednesday November 8th @6:45pm
Coffee Pairings: Brewing Tips & Flavor Hints
To grind or not to grind? Barista Brian will explore all the intricacies of coffee.
Tasting fun paired with foods to enhance flavors. Registration Requested!
Tuesday November 14th 6pm Zoom
Quinnetukut: Our Homeland,
Our History Zoom Presentation
Much of what we learn about Connecticut’s past comes from a colonized perspective that has
almost completely left out the voices of Indigenous people who have called this land home for over 12,000 years. The ways in which knowledge about the past is preserved and passed down in different cultures affects the way that history is perceived. In this presentation, led by Education Director
Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, participants will get a more complete and accurate view of the history of Connecticut that takes the perspectives of Native people into account.
Registration Required!
Tuesday November 28th 6pm Zoom
Etuaptmumk: Two-Eyed Seeing in Our Daily Lives Zoom Presentation
Etuaptmumk is a Mi’kmaw saying that translates to “Two-Eyed Seeing.” This concept refers to learning how to see the strengths of Indigenous knowledge from one eye and the strengths of Western knowledge from the other.
Two-Eyed Seeing can lead to powerful transcultural and collaborative work to leave the world a better place for future generations. Join IAIS Education Director and
Traditional Storyteller Darlene Kascak, Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, and IAIS Educator and ecologist Susan Scherf to discuss how people can include this “Two-Eyed Seeing” concept in their daily lives.
Registration Required!
Join remote meeting access through Zoom
the Meeting ID is 8603426777 and
the Passcode is Portland
Book Clubs
November Book Club Picks!
1st Thursday Night Book Club
Thursday November 2nd 6:30pm
The Secrets She Kept
By Lara Prescott
T.A.B. Talk about Books
Tuesday November 7th 1pm
Horse
by Geraldine Brooks
Mystery Lovers Book Club
Tuesday November 14th 1pm
Two Nights in Lisbon
by Chris Pavone
Copies are available at the library!
On Display:
Cozy Mysteries
Native American Heritage Fiction & NonFiction
Soups & Comfort Foods
Staff Picks
For all your wonderful support for our library!
Book: Bruce Stevens
Marra Giuliano in memory of
Linda Paradis Sheila Murphy
Deb Susca poetry & memoir
Gail Grzegorowicz books
Library Meetings
in the Van Beynum Room
Friends of the Portland Library
Monday November 6th at 7:00 p.m.
Library Board of Directors
Thursday November 16th at 7:00 p.m.
Library Director
Jennifer Billingsley
jbillingsley@portlandct.org
website: www.portlandlibraryct.org
Click Here to view the Portland Library News - November 2023
