Library Babies: Library Babies is 20-minute program tailored for our tiniest visitors, ages birth to walking. Join us for an engaging experience where we read stories, sing songs, recite familiar nursery rhymes, and interact with the little ones through bounces and finger plays. Parents and caregivers are not just spectators – they play a crucial role in creating a community of support and friendship. This drop-in program provides a wonderful opportunity to meet fellow parents, forge lifelong friendships, and witness the joy of early literacy together. Meets at 9:30 AM.No registration required.
Tuesday, January 28
Arts & Crafts: Drop in and unleash your creativity with seasonal art in this engaging program designed for Grades K-5! Visit the Children’s Room from 5:30-7:00 pm to explore your artistic talents and make something special. No registration required.
Wednesday, January 29
Toddler Time: Toddler Time is a 30-minute program for children who are walking-3 years old. We will share stories, sing songs, and enjoy a variety of movement activities from 9:30-10 AM! No registration required.
DIY Cloud Dough: Drop in to this creative program to make your own cloud dough from 1-3 PM! For ages 5 and up. No registration required.
Thursday, January 30
Preschool Storytime: Preschool Storytime is a 45-minute program for children ages 3-5. Join Ms. Sarah to share stories, songs, felt board fun, and movement activities from 9:30-10 AM!Registration is required.
Friday, January 31
Friday Fun: Drop in for a fun Friday craft project or activity between 3-4:30 PM! For children in grades K-5.
Our author visit with local illustrator Maddie Frost last Saturday was an absolute blast! Special thanks to Maddie Frost for making our event magical, and thank you to everyone who came to check it out!
Wow, it is cold outside! Due to the freezing temperatures outside and the fact that the heat in our program and Community rooms is under maintenance, we are cancelling morning storytime programs this week, January 20-25, 2025. Hopefully our repaired heating system will be up and running soon! We apologize for the inconvenience.
ServPro will be on site on Monday September 25 through Friday September 29 to begin removing flooring, wall, and millwork damaged by water during the flood August 18. We will need to close areas of the building for this work to be completed. The Children’s Room will close to pack, store and relocate items on Thursday September 21, and remain closed for the duration of the work, with a reopening date to be determined.
Affected areas include the Children’s Room, Children’s Program Room, Children’s Room Storage Closet, Children’s Workroom, Community Room, A/V Storage Closet, and Kitchen.
There is likely to be significant noise and disruption due to this demolition work, all week, between 10am and 4pm. Visitors should manage expectations accordingly. Please obey all staff directives and signage during this reconstruction period.
The Community Room continues to be unavailable and we are not taking any new bookings until the reconstruction project is completed.
A selection of Children’s Materials will be available in the Friends Corner (Thank you to our Friends for temporarily giving up this space!) until the Community Room work is completed. Puzzles, toys, crafts and activities will not be available. All Children’s Programming is suspended through October. Unfortunately, this means the Library will need to be a an errand, not a destination, and visitors should manage expectations accordingly.
We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope to complete this restoration work quickly! Thank you for your patience and patronage.
UPDATE: The Community Room has been reopened for the scheduled Friends Book Sale Setup. Teen Room’s Maker Space iMac computers and Gaming Room televisions were restored when electrical use was approved. The Children’s Room is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday September 5.
The Library sustained significant flooding on Friday morning August 18 as a result of intense rainstorms, with water sheeting off the wetlands side of the building and flowing into the Community Room, A/V closet, Kitchen, Children’s Room, Children’s Program Room, and Sprinkler Room.
We do not yet have an update from the Town’s fire department or building official when these spaces will be habitable – Town and Library staff responded heroically, and ServPro was on site over the weekend to install industrial dryers.
Currently, the rugs and walls are dry, electrical has been restored, and an insurance claim has been filed.
The Children’s Room, and Children’s Program Room will be CLOSED to the public until further notice. The Friends Book Sale will proceed as scheduled, and we are currently accepting donations.
A collection of Children’s Materials will be available for browsing in the Historic Reading Room on the Common (upper) Level, accessible by elevator and from the Common Entrance.
We will share more information as soon as we have new information, and will make every effort to reschedule meetings and programs in other spaces.
We thank you for your flexibility and understanding of these circumstances beyond our control.
Please join us in celebrating Senior Library Associate Marilyn Wilcox, who will be retiring on June 30 after nearly 19 years of service in the Children’s Room at the Grafton Public Library. We will be honoring her with a reception on Friday June 30 from 10am-12noon at the Grafton Public Library, 35 Grafton Common, and the community is invited to attend.
Miss Marilyn staffed the children’s room service desk, navigated two library moves and several library renovations with grace and patience. She did a LOT of meticulous shelving and shelf-reading, helped with programs and displays, provided storytime, and served as volunteer coordinator. Miss Marilyn has provided a warm, welcoming presence to families, fostered compassion and kindness towards co-workers, and delivered excellence in connecting the right person with the right book at the right time. She was awarded a level II Paralibrarian Certificate from the MA Library Association in May 2022.
We wish her well and she will be greatly missed! We will both celebrate our joy in the next chapter of her life, and drown our sorrows in her leaving, with cake! Please RSVP via the event on our Facebook Page or directly to Beth Schreiber at 508-839-4649 x1836 or by email at schreiberb@graftonlibrary.org.
Due to decreasing COVID-19 case counts in Grafton, we are able to reduce our Children’s Room “Masks Required” mandate to “Masks Recommended.” Masks can be provided if needed.
Computers, manipulatives, and in-person programming for school-age children is now available, as well.
The remainder of the Library remains Mask Optional.
