Unless otherwise noted, the following programs are made possible by the Friends of the Library.
Director’s Corner: A Library Card Hits All the Right Notes: Celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month this September
This September, the J.V. Fletcher Library invites you to celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month and discover how a library card can hit all the right notes, no matter what your tastes are.
With a library card, you can do more than check out books. From free classes and job resources, streaming media, and cultural events, today’s libraries connect communities to information, inspiration, and each other.
An initiative of the American Library Association, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September since 1987 to mark the beginning of the school year, combat illiteracy, and encourage communities everywhere to explore all the offerings that having a library card unlocks. Today, thousands of public libraries and schools nationwide participate in the month-long celebration each fall.
This year’s theme, “A Library Card Hits All the Right Notes,” is a reminder that libraries offer something for everyone—no matter your age, background, or goals. Whether you’re checking out a classic story or trying something new, finding harmony at the library’s programs, finding your focus at a study table or vibing out in a cozy nook, or composing your future with new skills, there’s a seat in the front row at the library for you, and your library card is the ticket.
Getting a library card is free, easy, and empowering. For students, it’s a key to academic success. For adults, it’s a gateway to lifelong learning. For everyone, it’s a smart way to stay connected to your community.
This September, B sharp and sign up for a library card. Stop by the Main Desk or visit us online to sign up for your card today.
Holiday Closing: In observance of Labor Day, the Library will be closed Saturday, September 5 through Monday, September 7. The Library will re-open on Tuesday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m.
Summer Reading Titles – Westford Academy: Attention Westford Academy students, if you haven’t had a chance to complete your summer reading, we’ve got you covered! In addition to print copies available at the Library, all summer reading titles have been added in e-book and digital audio formats to Overdrive/Libby. Download a copy today! If you need help setting up your account, contact the Information Services desk at 978-399-2304.
Adult Programs
Adult Nonfiction Book Club: Tuesday, September 1st, 6:30 p.m., 515 Groton Rd.
We will discuss Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow. Copies are available at Main Desk. The e-book and audiobook are available to download from Libby and Overdrive. Drop-ins are welcome! Email Bari Pender at bpender@westfordma.gov for more information!
Virtual Job Search Help for 50 & OVER –Self Assessment and Mindset: Wednesday, September 2, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (please note time change) The Massachusetts Library Collaborative’s 50+ Job Seekers Group meets on biweekly the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., via Zoom. If you are unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your “Encore Career”, this networking group program is perfect for you! Take advantage of these free, weekly skill-building and networking group meetings. A new topic will be covered at each meeting. Register here.
Adult Book Club: Thursday, September 10th, 6:30 p.m., 515 Groton Rd.
Join us to discuss Night Magic by Leigh Ann Henion. Copies are available at the Main Desk. The e-book and audiobook are available to download from Libby/Overdrive. Join a lively group of readers to discuss fiction and nonfiction titles (we alternate each month)! Email Kristina Leedberg at kleedberg@westfordma.gov for more information.
Virtual – Author Heather Wolf Discusses – Fall Bird Migration: Seas, Skies, and Land: Monday, September 21st , 7:00 p.m. Join Heather Wolf, author of Find More Birds and Birding at the Bridge, as she discusses what we can look for with Fall migration happening right now! Heather will share beautiful pictures, but we’re also keeping plenty of time for Q&A. We hope you can join us for a great discussion! Register here. This program is hosted by and presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.
Staff Recommends: The Amateur by Chris Bohjahlian
“1978: It is the first Thursday in August and temperatures are flirting with ninety when Mira Winston, eighteen years old, drives a golf ball from her tee toward the practice net near the clubhouse and caddy shack. The golf ball, weighing 1.6 ounces, tears through the net, traveling 150 miles per hour, and slams, with sickening force, into the temple of a high school junior named Kenny Foster, rupturing an artery and unleashing a torrent of blood. Kenny brings his hand to the side of his head, then topples onto his side. He’s dead before the ambulance even arrives. In the wake of this terrible accident-and everyone, at first, agrees it was an accident-Mira looks for comfort in all the wrong places: In her lover, Theo Catton, a married man three decades her senior. In her mother, a well-kept woman with secrets of her own. In the dead caddy’s little sisters, girls bewildered by grief. But when the investigators look more closely at the torn net, when a detective recalls Mira’s history of recklessness, and when Kenny’s father spies Mira with her married lover, the affluent and mannered community turns on this once-promising young woman. A gripping story that takes the reader from the sun-soaked greens of a tony Westchester country club to the fluorescent-lit stand of a county courtroom, The Amateur asks: What happens when one small moment-a swing, a ball, a piece of string-changes the course of an entire life?.”
Youth Services Programs
Middle Grade Book Club: Registration opens Tuesday, September 1 at 10:00 a.m. Join us for a lively discussion, snacks, and a fun activity! This session, we’ll be discussing Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono, The Last Resort by Erin Entrada Kelly, and Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. Registration is required and is for all three sessions. Meetings will be held on 9/28, 10/26, and 11/30 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at 515 Groton Rd.
Stickerpalooza: Thursday, September 10, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Roudenbush – 3rd floor Join us for an afternoon of open-ended sticker fun! Each participant will receive a mini-sticker booklet to decorate and collect stickers. Choose from our extensive sticker stash, but feel free to bring along your own stickers to share and swap with others! For ages 5+. Questions? Please email us at youthservices@westfordma.gov
Youth Services Library Card Sign-Up Week: Monday, September 14 -18.
September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! A library card offers a front-row seat to everything the library offers, from books and technology to lifelong learning and imagination.
Stop by the Children’s Room during this week to register your child for their very own J. V. Fletcher Library card. We will have goodies, a fun photo backdrop, and props to celebrate this special moment!
Please note: the library staff will request positive identification showing the parent’s name and current legal address; this may include a government-issued photo ID, utility bill, or a tax bill. Questions about the registration process? Email us at youthservices@westfordma.gov.
Books and Bunnies: Tuesday, September 15, 10:30 a.m., Good Pickin’ Farm We welcome you to join us at Good Pickin’ Farm while we cuddle the sweetest bunnies and listen to an interactive storytime led by Farmer Jen! This storytime is geared for children ages 2-5. Registration for this event opens on Tuesday, August 18 at 10:00 a.m.
If you have questions or need assistance, please call us at 978-399-2300 or send us an email at westfordlibrary@westfordma.gov
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