Hello, Friends!
Happy February! We are very excited to announce that starting on February 10, the Southbury Public Library is opening a temporary location within the Heritage Hotel Golf, Spa & Conference Center, located at 522 Heritage Road, Southbury, CT!
This temporary location will provide the in-person library services you're familiar with as we continue to recover from extreme damage caused by the flooding on August 18 and 19, 2024. At this temporary location you will be able to place holds on, check out and return library books, DVDs, Museum Passes and other materials. There will also be curbside service by appointment and limited browsing available of new and select books for adults, teens and children. In addition to wireless internet, limited areas for reading and/or studying are also available. Library materials may also be returned to the book drop at our Poverty Road location.
Opening Monday, February 10, 2025, regular library hours at this temporary location within Heritage Hotel are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00am to 5:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday 11:00am to 7:00pm, Saturdays 11:00am to 4:00pm and Sundays 1:00pm to 5:00pm.
The Southbury Public Library, the “Heart of the Community,” will reopen at our Poverty Road location as soon as possible. For the most up-to-date information, please follow our website and social media accounts or the Town of Southbury’s website and social media accounts (Town Facebook & Town Instagram). If you need assistance with anything related to your library card account, please call 203-262-0626 or email asksbylib@biblio.org.
Check out some of our favorite online resources that you can access for free from home (or anywhere with an internet connection) with your Southbury Public Library card! Download ebooks, audiobooks, movies, television shows and more!
While the building at our Poverty Road location is closed, please join us for virtual and off-site events:
Grades K-5: join us for our Power of Words Bracelet and Keychain Craft to make bracelets and keychains featuring positive words. While we craft, we'll discuss how important words can be and how choosing specific words over others can help us shift our mindsets and energy. Learn more and sign up here.
Grades 6-12: Bunnies, ferrets, and snakes, oh my! Join us for our Cute Animals Hangout on Thursday, February 13 from 6-7pm to meet, interact with, and pet (as appropriate) a wide variety of cute animals both furry and scaly! Space is limited, so please make sure you sign up on our website if you would like to join us.
Adults: Join us Tuesday, February 11, online via Zoom for Unsung Heroes of The Civil Rights Era! This program, led by Dr. Bill Thierfelder, explores the lives of some of the unsung heroes who helped re-shape the American Civil Rights Movement. Even though they stayed out of the limelight or simply predated the 1960s, the contributions of these individuals were just as important in fueling the movement as were the legendary historical figures we learned about in school. To register, click here.
To find out more about all of our exciting events in February, see below!
Best wishes,
The Staff of the Southbury Public Library
Table of Contents
- Flood Recovery Updates
- How to Get a Library Card
- Museum Passes
- Our Favorite Online Resources
- Adult Events
- Adult Book Clubs
- Children and Teen Events
- Children and Teen Reading Challenges
- Children's Events
- Teen Events
- The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
- Artist of the Month: Mike Berlinski
Flood Recovery Updates
The extreme damage caused to the Southbury Public Library’s basement by the flooding on August 18 and 19, 2024, has made the building unsafe to reopen.
Now that the library basement cleanup is completed, the Town is focusing on plans for replacing the library infrastructure and securing an engineer to create a plan to move forward. The upper floors of the building continue to be monitored for humidity; temporary industrial cooling and heating are regulating temperatures.
As we recover, the Southbury Public Library will be providing library services to the public at a temporary location within the Heritage Hotel Golf, Spa & Conference Center, located at 522 Heritage Road, Southbury, CT.
How to Get a Library Card
Southbury residents: Apply online to get your library card! To get a library card, we need proof of Southbury residency. Proof can be anything with your name and address on it, such as a bill, piece of mail, or lease agreement. For children who don’t have proof of residency, we need proof of residency from one of their parents or legal guardians. If you don’t live in Southbury, you can borrow materials with a valid library card from your hometown library. Once you get a card from your home library, you can register it with us. To apply for a library card online for Southbury Residents, click here.
While the library remains closed due to flood damage, you can pick up your card in-person and verify your address at our temporary location within the Heritage Hotel Golf, Spa & Conference Center, located at 522 Heritage Road, Southbury, CT. For more information about applying for a library card online, click here.
Museum Passes
Museum Passes are back in circulation! A list of available museum passes can be found here. Our passes can be checked out and returned at our temporary location within the Heritage Hotel Golf, Spa & Conference Center, located at 522 Heritage Road, Southbury, CT. The passes can be checked out for 7 days.
Our Favorite Online Resources
Kanopy, Consumer Reports Online, & Libby
Check out some of our favorite online resources that you can access for free from home (or anywhere with an internet connection) with your Southbury Public Library card! We have more details on our website here about Kanopy, Consumer Reports Online, and Libby. Kanopy offers streaming of movies and television shows, including many popular BBC shows, The Great Courses, and Sesame Street. You can access all that Consumer Reports Online has to offer through the link on our website and using your Southbury library card number. Last but not least, is Libby: our app for ebooks, audiobooks, and many popular magazines. For all of these online resources, you need the number on the back of your library card that starts with "24019" and enter it in with no spaces. While Kanopy and Consumer Reports online are for Southbury library card holders only, many area libraries have access to Libby, which is our favorite for ebooks, audiobooks, and many popular magazines.
Adult Events
Information and Registration: Reference Department at 203-262-0626
All programs require registration unless otherwise noted. The majority of programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget. All virtual adult programs require registration, registrants will receive an email with the Zoom links the morning of the program.
Rhythm and Hues: The Harlem Renaissance and Its Legacy
Friday, February 7, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
The Harlem Renaissance, a cultural explosion in the 1920s, saw African American artists challenge stereotypes and celebrate their heritage. Discover the visionaries who gave voice to the African American experience and forever changed the landscape of American culture in this lecture presented by Jane Oneail. To register, click here.
Unsung Heroes of The Civil Rights Era
Tuesday, February 11, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
This program, led by Dr. Bill Thierfelder, explores the lives of some of the unsung heroes who helped re-shape the American Civil Rights Movement. Even though they stayed out of the limelight or simply predated the 1960s, the contributions of these individuals were just as important in fueling the movement as were the legendary historical figures we learned about in school. To register, click here.
The Quiet Man
Friday, February 21, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
John Kenrick returns to tell us how director John Ford beat the odds to film this timeless big screen valentine to the people and culture of Ireland. Join us as we explore the history of the classic film: "The Quiet Man." To register, click here.
A History of Huskies Hoops: Legacy of Greatness
Saturday, February 22, 1-2:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required
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. To register, click here.
Adult Coloring Club
Monday, February 24, 2-3:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
Welcome to the Adult Coloring Club! Join us for a relaxing hour of therapeutic coloring. Materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own supplies as well. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Celtic Music by The Jolly Beggars
Saturday, March 1, 1-3pm, Offsite at United Church of Christ, 283 Main Street North, Southbury, CT 06488, Registration Required
The Jolly Beggars, a five-piece ensemble who play everything from guitars and drums to spoons and whistles, are back again! Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with an afternoon of traditional Celtic music! To register, click here.
Adult Book Clubs
The Southbury Public Library offers three book clubs for adults: Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club, Nonfiction Book Club and Mystery Book Club. Registration is requested, not required. Join us for a discussion about this month’s books! Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates!
Mystery Book Club
Monday, February 10, 3-4pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Fox Creek: A Novel, by William Kent Krueger. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Nonfiction Book Club
Wednesday, February 12, 10-11am, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House, by Jared Cohen. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club
Tuesday, February 25, 6:30-7:30pm, Offsite at Parks and Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Swift River: A Novel, by Essie Chambers. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here.
Children and Teen Events
Information and Registration: Children/Teen Department at 203-262-0626
See below for information about our upcoming Children's and Teen Programming! All of our Children's and Teen Programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget.
Children and Teen Reading Challenges:
February Monthly Mini Reading Challenge (All Ages)
February 1-28, Online on Beanstack
Join us on Beanstack for our next Mini Monthly Reading Challenge, themed For the Love of Reading! Read for five hours (about 1-3 books for elementary, middle, and high school readers) and get a SurPRIZE. Find out more and sign up on our Beanstack page!
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten (Birth to Entering Kindergarten)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read a book (any book!) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track on Beanstack. Repeats count! If you read 1 book a day for 3 years, that’s 1,095 books! 10 books a week for 2 years is 1,040 books, and 3 books a day in one year is 1,095 books. Every book you read you get one sticker, and if you finish you can get a certificate, small prize, and your picture on our wall of fame if you’d like! Visit Beanstack to get started online.
100 Books Before Graduation (Grades 9-12)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read 100 books before High School Graduation! 100 books may seem like a lot (and it is), but it works out to about 1 book every 2 weeks. When you sign up, get a special tracking bookmark to fill out as you read. Make it to half way and get a $5 Gift Card to Dunkin' or The Bakery. Read 100 books and get a special throw blanket! Every 10 books you read, pick out something from the prize box (pins, stickers, animal sticky notes, and more!). Visit Beanstack to find out more and get started!
Children's Storytimes:
Drop-In Storytime (All Ages)
Monday, February 3, 10, 24, 10:30-11am, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, No Registration Required
Join Jen for an all-ages storytime! We'll share books, rhymes, and songs, and a small craft will be available to take home. Find out more on our website here.
Toddler Time Storytime (Ages 2 & 3)
Wednesday, February 5, 12, 19, 10:30-11am, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Toddler Time is a 6-week program for children ages 2 & 3 years and their parents/caregivers. Listen to stories and complete a small craft or sensory play activity. Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Children:
ARTuesday (Ages 3-12)
Tuesday, February 4, 4:30-5:30pm, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Do you love art? Join us for a playful, messy, and expressive art experience where there is no right or wrong. Come play and experiment with a variety of art mediums and themes. Find out more and register on our website here.
Tiny Food Explorers (Ages 2-5)
Wednesday, February 5, 11am-12pm, Kitchen/Arts & Crafts Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Tiny Food Explorers for some fun with food! Come and explore new flavors and textures while playing games all about food and MyPlate! You’ll make a hands-on healthy snack that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy. Find out more and register on our website here.
Tunes & Tales (Recommended for Ages 5 & Under)
Thursday, February 6, 13, 20, 27, 10:30-11am, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, No Registration Required
Join Jen for a morning filled with music and stories! Children will sing, dance, and experiment with simple musical instruments. Find out more on our website here.
Power of Words: Bracelet and Keychain Craft with S.M.A.R.T. (Grades K-5)
Saturday, February 8, 10:30am-12pm, Mat Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us to bring some self-care & awareness to your child's vocabulary by making positive word bracelets & keychains with a fun and interactive discussion focused on intentional language and using positive words towards self and others. Find out more and register on our website here.
LEGO Club (Grades K-5)
Thursday, February 13, 4:30-5:30pm, Kitchen/Arts & Crafts Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Michelle and Jen for an afternoon of LEGO fun! We’ll provide the LEGO bricks, and you bring the creativity! You can free build, or work off of instructions. Find out more and register on our website here.
Quiet Book Club (Grades 2-5)
Thursday, February 20, 4:30-5:30pm, Parlor, United Church of Christ, 283 Main Street North, Registration Required - Space Limited
Quiet Book Club is a great time to read, hang out with fellow book enthusiasts, and share book recommendations! You bring a book (or several) that you are currently reading, make yourself comfortable, and... READ! For the first and last 10 minutes of the club, you will have a chance to chat and share what you are reading, then for the remaining 40 minutes you can read uninterrupted in a quiet space! The room has comfortable chairs and sofas, but feel free to bring a pillow or cozy blanket. Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, February 21, 6:30-8pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Southbury Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Teens:
Teen Crochet & Knitting Club (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, February 11, 6:30-7:30pm, Kitchen/Arts & Crafts Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for our crochet and knitting club, open to both new and experienced crafters alike. If you’re already working on a project, bring it with you. If you’re new to knitting and crocheting, get started with us! We will have basic knitting and crocheting supplies available. Find out more and register on our website here.
Cute Animals Hangout (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, February 13, 6-7pm, Multi-Purpose Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Come hang out with a variety of cute animals, both furry and scaly! Meet, interact with, feed snacks to, and pet a variety of animal friends including bunnies, ferrets, sugar gliders, snakes, a bearded dragon, and more! Find out more and register on our website here.
Food Explorers: Apple Crumble (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, February 18, 4-5pm, Kitchen/Arts & Crafts Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Food Explorers for another delicious dessert program! We'll be making apple crumbles, complete with your own crumble topping, sauteed apples, and whipped cream. This recipe is nut free but will contain dairy and gluten. Find out more and register on our website here.
Mini Cross Stitch Pendants (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, February 20, 6-7:30pm, Kitchen/Arts & Crafts Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us to make mini cross stitch pendants! Work off one of our easy patterns, or make your own design. Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, February 21, 6:30-8pm, Multipurpose Room, Parks & Recreation, 561 Main Street South, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, February 25, 6-7pm, Library Location at the Heritage Hotel, 522 Heritage Road, Application Required
Want to make a difference in the Teen Department? Consider joining the Teen Advisory Board! We meet once a month to discuss ideas for the Teen Department and work on special projects. A membership application is required, but we are seeking new members! You can find out more and apply on our website here.
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library are a non-profit, voluntary, incorporated organization that sponsors almost all of our fun virtual and in-person programs found on the calendar page of our website. For information about how to become a member of the Friends, click here. If you would like to donate to the Friends, please use the PayPal donate button on our website. You do not need to have a PayPal account, just a credit or debit card. To do a regular donation, select "Donation" under the "Use this Donation For" drop down menu.
Donations
Friends’ Donation Center, located in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30am, and Wednesdays from 5-7pm
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library are accepting donations for future book sales to raise funds for library programs and services to benefit the community. The Friends’ Donation Center is located at their new space, generously donated by Gatto Development Corporation, in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store. The Center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.
Items accepted include gently-used hardcover, softcover, and paperback books in all genres, both fiction and nonfiction, for adults, teens, and children. The Friends also accept DVDs, music CDs, vinyl records, audiobooks on CD, jigsaw puzzles, and games. Donation receipts for tax purposes are available.
The floods of August 18-19, 2024, completely destroyed the entire Friends’ inventory of material collected in the past year from generous donors. The Friends are extremely grateful to all those in the community, the surrounding towns, and even out of state, who have so generously donated books and other materials. The success of past sales allows us to continue to fund almost all programs offered by the library.
For more information about the Friends of the Southbury Public Library, click here.
Artist of the Month: Mike Berlinski
The Southbury Public Library will have a virtual gallery and will host artist Mike Berlinski online in February 2025.
Mike has been drawing and painting since childhood, primarily using oil paints in the Plein-air tradition. Mike has an intense passion for painting the natural world. Trees have long been a fascination for him. Some of the areas of focus for Mike are the Farmington Valley area of Central Connecticut as well as regular and productive painting trips to Cape Cod and Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
Mike considers himself a true and traditional painter who loves the natural world and its possibilities for expression.
Mike has exhibited widely and in different venues throughout Connecticut and beyond, including art galleries, art associations and libraries. Mike also gives art demonstrations and teaches painting classes. In addition to a loyal following, he also paints commissions for those who have a special scene they really love.
For more information, click here. To view this virtual exhibit, click here.