Don't miss Fooling Banjos this Sunday at 4pm

Sunday May 19th at 4pm

Carolyn Parrott, Lissa Jones and Kathy Barnes will be here to perform songs and instrumentals in the "old time style" featuring banjos, mandolin, fiddle and guitar as well as traditional three-part harmony.
*presented with support from the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

Learn about invasive plant species on Thursday May 16th at 7pm

Douglas Cygan, Invasive Species Coordinator for the Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food will provide an in-depth look at upland invasive plant species of New Hampshire. Attendees will learn about the various issues, New Hampshire rules and regulations, characteristics, identifying features and control measures of some of the most aggressive non-native plants here in the Granite State. Thursday May 16th at 7pm in the Community Room.

Bio: Douglas Cygan has been the Invasive Species Coordinator for the NH Department of Agriculture for the past 10-years as well as being a nursery inspector and an Authorized Certification Official for the USDA. Prior to this he was a Wetlands Permitting Officer for the NH Department of Environmental Services (DES) for 2-years, and before that he was a Senior Environmental Manager for the NH Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Environment for 7-years. In 1992 he graduated from the University of Maine, Orono, with a B.S and an A.S in Plant Science with a minor in Conservation Biology and Wetland Science.

Afghanistan in Photos Slide Show and Discussion - Sunday May 12th at 4pm

Currently in our Gallery
The Enduring People and Lands of Afghanistan
by local photographer Bob LaPree
Read more about the exhibit here
In addition to the exhibit of photographs Bob LaPree made of the Afghan people the Hopkinton Library will host a slide show and discussion of the long term project he undertook for the New Hampshire Union Leader to chronicle the experience of Charlie Company, 172nd Mountain Infantry, New Hampshire Army National Guard as it deployed to Afghanistan, some of its time in the war zone and its return to New Hampshire. The project was intended to emphasize in a personal way the New Hampshire people who undertake the burden of serving their country. 
Join us Sunday afternoon May 12th at 4pm in the Community Room for this special program.
Brought to you with support from the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation. 

Read the latest newsletter!

Coming events, displays, new museum passes and more in the latest library newsletter!

Harp Concert Sunday April 28th at 4pm

Piper Runnion Bareford

Piper Runnion Bareford will perform a varied classical program in the Community Room this Sunday April 28th at 4pm. Runnion Bareford studied at the Royal College of Music in London and the Curtis Institute and has performed with the Baltimore Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and throughout New Hampshire. Join us for this special program!

New Gallery Exhibit: The Enduring People and Lands of Afghanistan

Our latest gallery exhibit features the amazing photography of local resident Bob LaPree.  Come check it out!

An influential village elder from the Bagram District

During October of 2010 I went on assignment for the New Hampshire Union Leader to cover the combat missions of our National Guard soldiers in Charlie Company of the 172^nd Mountain Infantry.  Part of the perspective I wanted to provide our readers was the interaction between our troops and the people who they are trying to protect. The Afghan culture is ancient and varied among its distinct regional and tribal characteristics. All societies change and evolve over time and circumstance.

  Much of Afghanistan  still follows the traditional ways. Traveling in the remote mountainous countryside that is unlike anything in America takes one back in time, sometimes seeming like the Middle Ages. The interaction between the modern and ancient is fascinating to observe. As a side project I decided to make portraits and candid photos of the many Afghanis I was able to meet. With much of the assignment involving covering the Guard conducting combat patrols and searches for weapons and insurgents the interaction with the local inhabitants was often tense. The courtesy of gesturing for permission to make a portrait most often produced a pleased expression and direct contact with photographer and ultimately the viewer. Throughout my 40 + years as a photojournalist I’ve felt these types of images provide the viewer with a strong empathy with the subject.

   This collection of images came out of a much larger exhibit that chronicled the 18 months of Charlie Company’s deployment to Afghanistan and its return home. Some of the captions refer to the storyline of the previous exhibit. It is a rare opportunity to share a distant and disappearing culture through the medium of photography and I am very pleased to share these images with you.

Bob LaPree April 2013

Library closed on Easter Sunday

The library will be closed this Sunday March 31st.  Enjoy the day!

Library closed Tuesday March 19th

The library will be closed today due to the SNOW!  Sorry for any inconvenience.

Mary Shelley: A Living History

Photo by Patricia Jarvis

We're pleased to invite you to the drawing room of author Mary Shelley as portrayed by Susan Marie Frontczak on Wednesday April 3rd at 7pm in the Community Room at the Library.
You are about to enter the mind and imagination of English writer Mary Shelley. Teen-age mother, behind-the-scenes supporter of social reform, romantic, and scholar, English writer Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) may be best known as the author of Frankenstein, but there is much more to be learned about her, both personally and psychologically. Witness the author's creative process in action. Find out how Mary’s own life paralleled that of the abandoned Creature of her novel.  

“I shall give an answer to the question so very frequently asked me -
How I, then a young girl of eighteen, came to think of,
and to dilate upon, so very hideous an idea as
Frankenstein?”

Program consists of a monologue in-character, followed first by a Q&A with “Mary Shelley” and finally a discussion with the scholar/presenter, Susan Marie Frontczak, during which we ponder how ethical questions raised in Frankenstein apply in today’s world of cloning, genetic engineering, and other life-changing technological advances. Free. For information call (603)746-3663. Presented by the Hopkinton Town Library with the support of the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation.

Children's book illustrator Beth Krommes here on Sunday 3/17 from 4-5pm!

Children's book illustrator Beth Krommes will give a talk for children and adults. She will discuss her work as a children's book illustrator, including the making of "The House in the Night" which won the Caldecott Medal in 2009. She will demonstrate her medium of scratchboard and give everyone a chance to try their hand at it. New and past titles will be available for purchase and autographing. All ages - no registration required.

Brought to you with the support of

the Friends of the Hopkinton Town Library as part of the Friends Winter Family Series.

Beth Krommes is an illustrator, wood engraver, and painter from Peterborough, NH. She is the winner of the 2009 Caldecott Medal, the most prestigious American children's book award for an illustrator, for "The House in the Night" by Susan Marie Swanson. She received a BFA in painting from Syracuse University, a MAT in art education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and spent a year at St. Martin's School of Art in London. She has held a variety of art-related jobs, including teaching art in a public school, managing the Handcraft Shop of the Sharon Arts Center, and art directing a computer magazine. Since 1989, she has been working as a full-time freelance illustrator. Her latest book is "Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature" by Joyce Sidman, a celebration of the beauty and usefulness of spirals. She is currently working on two books for young children--one about a rain storm and one about a snow storm.

Hopkinton READS! book discussions postponed until Thursday

The book discussions scheduled for Wednesday February 27th have been rescheduled to Thursday February 28th at 1pm and 7pm.  Hope the weather cooperates tomorrow!

Free Investment Guide from Morningstar

Investing for the Long Run a free guide with strategies and solutions to help you shape up your personal finances available here. Compliments of your library and Morningstar.

Mike Pride tonight at the library

Mike Pride, Author of

“Our War: Days and Events in the Fight for the Union”

Hopkinton Town Library

Tuesday

February 19th 7pm

The Civil War remains "Our War" as a nation and a people, but first it belonged to the generation that lived it.

In his new book, Mike Pride, former editor of the Concord Monitor,

uses letters, diaries, and contemporary newspaper accounts to shape fifty stories

of death, love, bravery, and survival.

One story leads to another, and the war unfolds as New Hampshire men and women

lived it from the heady days of 1861 to the bittersweet victory of 1865.

This Program is part of Hopkinton READS 2013! 

We are reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” 

Other programs include:

· Book Discussion Groups “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe. (Wednesday February 27^th 1pm and 7pm) with Kate LaClair, Chair of the Hopkinton High School English Department.

· Civil War Memorabilia from the Hopkinton Historical Society in the Library’s glass display cases. (month of February). Also on display books about the Civil War and other titles celebrating Black History Month.

These programs are made possible with the support of the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation and the NH Humanities Council.

Closed Saturday

The library will be closed all day on Saturday Feb.9th. 

Hopkinton READS! program for Friday 2/8 postponed

Movie and pizza postponed until Sunday Feb. 17 at 5pm due to the nasty weather coming in for Friday night, when it was originally scheduled.  So you still have a chance to see the Matthew Broderick/Denzel Washington movie GLORY and get FREE PIZZA too! Please register so we can know how much pizza to get. Call 746-3663 or email info@hopkintontownlibrary.org.

Hopkinton READS in February!

Some great programs coming up in conjunction with our February Hopkinton READS! book Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Come to one or all!
Fri. 2/8 at 6:30pm Movie and Pizza Night.Postponed due to weather until Sunday 2/17 at 5pm Glory with Denzel Washington (rated R). Please rsvp to the library so we know how much pizza to get!
Wed. 2/13 at 7pm Harriet Tubman Chautauqua Program with Gwendolyn Quezaire Presutti (pictured below).
 
Tues. 2/19 at 7pm Mike Pride, author of Our War: Days and Events in the Fight for the Union.
Wed. 2/27 at 1pm and 7pm Book Discussion led by special guest Kate LaClair.

All programs are free and open to the public!

Nutrition and the Holidays

Dr. Amanda Hegnauer will be here on Thursday Dec. 13th at 6:30 to provide tips on how to handle the holidays in a healthy (and happy!) way.  Dr. Hegnauer is a naturopathic doctor from Whole Health Concord. Free and open to the public!

Need some books for traveling?

Check out the latest ebook and audiobook releases on OverDrive and the latest audiobook releases from OneClickDigital. Did you know? OneClickDigital audiobooks are always available and are all iPod compatible! Contact the library if you need help setting up your account.

Following Atticus program on Thursday moved to Hopkinton Middle High School auditorium

Due to the buzz and anticipated attendance, Thursday's Tom Ryan and Atticus program will be held at the Hopkinton Middle High School Auditorium, where there is plenty of room and plenty of parking! Hope to see you all there at 7pm!  Here's a map in case you need it.

Don't miss these great Hopkinton READS! programs.  Tonight Kevin Flynn will lead a book discussion of Following Atticus at 7pm.  Tomorrow (Thursday Oct. 18th) Pat Piper and Nancy Sporborg will give their presentation "It's Not About the Hike" at 7pm. Next Thursday Oct. 25th Tom Ryan and Atticus will pay us a visit!  See more info at www.hopkintontownlibrary.org.