Click here to see all upcoming programs and register. Registrations help us plan our space and materials appropriately for all of our programs.

The library is closed on Monday 10/13 for Indigenous People’s Day.

• Tuesday 10/14 @ 1-3pm: Drop-in Tech Help: Drop by for basic computer navigation, basic smartphone and tablet use, general internet instruction, and how to use electronic library resources (like Libby). This is now a weekly program.

• Tuesday 10/14 @ 6pm: Welcome to the Graveyard!: “Welcome to the Graveyard!” is a 90 minute illustrated (PowerPoint) in-person ‘virtual tour’ chronicling cemetery art, history and symbolism. From colonial New England burial grounds of the 16 & 1700s, through the nation-wide rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations, the program examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years. The presentation is robust with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from cemeteries visited by Gravestone Girls over many years, including information from Berlin's own cemeteries.

  Sponsored by a grant from the Berlin Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

• Wednesday 10/15 @ 10:30am: Young Scientists: “Young Scientists” is facilitated by STEM Beginnings, a company in Shrewsbury with a mission to create fun-filled and exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) classes for children, and hosted by local libraries. Children, ages 3-6, with a parent/caregiver, learn STEM concepts through hands-on activities, a story and simple experiments. Registration is required.

  “Young Scientists” is sponsored by the YMCA Family & Community Partnership (YFCP), a Massachusetts Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant program funded by the Department of Early Education & Care and awarded to the YMCA of Central Massachusetts.

• Wednesday 10/15 @ 12pm: Lunch and Learn Homeschool Group: Homeschoolers and their families can get together to play and talk. Facilitated by our youth services librarian, Hadley Roberts, who was a homeschool parent for many years.

• Thursday 10/16 @ 5:30pm: Cardboard & Lego City: Do you love to construct? This program combines two favorite building materials into one exciting program with a different themed challenge each time. Children ages 5-10 can use either Lego or cardboard, safe tools, and tape to build an innovative creation in this once a month montage of fun.

• Sunday 10/19 @ 1:30pm: Austen in the Afternoon: Join the Friends of the Berlin Public Library for a fundraiser at 19 Carter for a delightful afternoon celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday! Enjoy tea and homemade treats while being serenaded by accomplished pianist Donna Chaff as she plays pieces from the Austen Family Music Collection before a brief talk on Austen’s life, legacy, and radical wit. Following this, there will be a screening of the 2007 adaptation of Austen's gothic work Northanger Abbey. After the film, stay for Donna Chaff's engaging discussion exploring Northanger Abbey's themes and impact. Guests are welcome to come in period or gothic attire (or simply as you are!) for this charming literary gathering with activities, prizes, and goody bags! Limited seating available. $15 registration for refreshments required. Please register at 19Carter.org.

• Monday 10/20 @ 10am: Storytime: Tasty: Join Ms. Hadley in the Children's Room on Monday mornings. We’ll read some stories, make some crafts, sing, groove, and play to start our week.

• Tuesday 10/21 @ 4-6pm: Flamin-Crow Party: Stop by the library for refreshments and to see the incredible Flamin-crows decorated by your friends and neighbors!

• Thursday 10/23 @ 5:30pm: Pajama Storytime: Fire Safety: Knowing about fire safety can save your life! Come dressed in your pajamas, if you wish. We'll get to meet Berlin's famous fire dog, Fiametta, and learn about fire safety from some very special guests. We'll read some stories, have a snack, do some crafts, and learn valuable information about what to do in a fire.

• Monday 10/27 @ 10am: Trick or Treat Trail: In place of Storytime, we will get dressed in our Halloween costumes and parade through town. After getting goodies at the library, we will walk from the library to the Town Office Building where we will show off our costumes and trick or treat. Sergeant Goody will join us to help us safely make our way from building to building.

• Monday 10/27 @ 5pm: Teen Advisory Board Halloween Party: Middle and High School ghosts and ghouls are welcome to join us for the second annual Teen Advisory Board Halloween Party. There will be games, crafts, pumpkins, face paint, snacks and more. Join us to party and learn more about TAB!

• Thursday 10/30 @ 6:30pm: Thursday Evening Book Club: Rental House by Weike Wang. Keru and Nate are college sweethearts who marry despite their family differences: Keru’s strict, Chinese, immigrant parents demand perfection (“To use a dishwasher is to admit defeat,” says her father), while Nate’s rural, white, working-class family distrusts his intellectual ambitions and his “foreign” wife. Some years into their marriage, the couple invites their families on vacation. At a Cape Cod beach house, and later at a luxury Catskills bungalow, Keru, Nate, and their giant sheepdog navigate visits from in-laws and unexpected guests, all while wondering if they have what it takes to answer the big questions: How do you cope when your spouse and your family of origin clash? How many people (and dogs) make a family? And when the pack starts to disintegrate, what can you do to shepherd everyone back together? With her “wry, wise, and simply spectacular” style (People) and “hilarious deadpan that recalls Gish Jen and Nora Ephron” (O, The Oprah Magazine), Weike Wang offers a portrait of family that is equally witty, incisive, and tender.

Our rearranged Children’s Room is now open! Many of the books that you previously found upstairs - the chapter books, graphic novels, and nonfiction books - are now downstairs in the Children’s Room. We can’t wait for you to come check out this new space!