December 2021 Franklin Library News & Events

Library Hours

The Franklin Public Library will be closing at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 23rd. The Library will be open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 24th, and closed on Saturday, December 25th for Christmas Day. The Library will be closing at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 30th, and closed on Friday, December 31st and Saturday, January 1st. The Library’s regular hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:30-5:00 p.m.

Book Sale

Franklin Library Book Sale
Friday, December 10, 1:00-5:00 p.m.  Saturday, December 11, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon.
All books are just one dollar!
Bag Sale - $5 A Bag—Saturday, December 11, from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Come fill a brown bag with all the books you can!

Featured Database

Homework Assistance Program

The Franklin Public Library is now offering its free Homework Assistance program for grades 1-8. The program takes place Monday through Thursday, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Students will be assisted by either retired teachers or high school students. Application forms for both participants and volunteers are available at the Circulation Desk and on our website.

Programs for Children and Teens

Weekly Events for Families!

Move Along! Mondays @ 10:30AM

This thirty minute program features music, movement, stories, and other interactive activities to encourage social skills and promote early literacy!

Idea Club! Mondays @4:00PM

Join us for a weekly storytime celebration of all the ways we are different and wonderful! We'll read, sing, play and learn about our diverse world and talk about how we can make it kinder and more inclusive!

Dungeons and Dragons Club for Kids! Mondays, 4:00-6:00PM (7+)

Kids are invited to join us for a weekly Dungeons and Dragons Club! The library will supply dice, rule books, and blank character sheets! (Dungeon Masters must be ages 10 and up) Email mgousie@minlib.net to sign up!

Animation Nation Anime Club! Mondays, 6:00-7:30PM (7+)

Your weekly dose of anime goodness at The Franklin Public Library! Come watch the latest releases and popular anime shows, ideal for ages 7+!

Cool Cruisers! Tuesdays @ 9:30AM

Babies who have graduated from tummy time and are scooting all over the place are welcome to this playgroup just for them! We recognize that fun age of exploring is very different from their first few months, so join us for a special playgroup just for this exciting time!

Get Ready for Kindergarten! Tuesdays @10:30AM (3–5)

This 45 minute program featuring stories, songs, activities, and crafts will help prepare your children for preschool and kindergarten.  Parents and caregivers can attend with their child if they wish.  No registration required!

Homeschool Hangout! Tuesdays from 12:00-2:00PM

Join other local homeschool families in a space dedicated to you! Each Tuesday between 12-2PM, the Friends of the Franklin Library Room will be available for homeschool families to hang out, get work done, and connect!

Toe-Tapping Tuesdays! Tuesdays @ 4:00PM

Let’s play some music and get those little toes moving! We will have fun learning to move to the music while building coordination and confidence.

Girls Who Code! Tuesdays, Grade 3-5 @ 4:00PM

This club is a great introduction to coding languages and concepts while building the community and group work skills needed to excel! Whether you want to try something new, build on skills, make friends, or help someone else grow... Welcome to our club!

Terrific Toddlers! Wednesdays @10:30AM  (18 mos–3yrs)

Enjoy thirty minutes of interactive stories, songs, and activities for families and children from birth to age 3. No registration required!

Science Junction! 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month @4:00PM

(Also 1st Thursdays of the Month for Homeschool families @2:30PM)

FHS Seniors Mani and Vedika are so excited to share their love for science and foster that love in elementary-level kids! Join them once a month for fun science experiments, activities, and more! From dinosaurs to chemical reactions the possibilities are endless!

Tummy Time! Thursdays @ 9:30AM

Babies and caregivers: join us each Thursday morning for Tummy Time! Nurture your baby’s development with gentle music, movement, and sensory play at the library! Please bring a small blanket or towel for your baby’s comfort!

Story and Craft, Thursdays @10:30AM (3+)

Join us for 30 minutes of themed stories, songs, and movement followed by 30 minutes of craft and sensory play. For children ages 3 and up that can attend on their own. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to watch from the adjoining room.

Bookworm Bounce! Thursdays @ 4:00PM

Join us for an afternoon story time full of music, movement, stories, and other interactive activities to encourage social skills and promote early literacy!

Doggie Tales! 1st Thursday of the Month @4:30 PM (1st grade +)

Improve your reading skills and make a new friend by reading aloud to a trained therapy dog! Bring your favorite book or pick out one of ours to read. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. SPOTS ARE LIMITED. Register on our website to reserve your spot.

Happy Feet! Alternating Fridays @10:30AM (3-5)

Let’s play some music and get those little toes moving! Join us for an introductory class into creative movement using very basic ballet moves. We will have fun learning to move to the music while building coordination and confidence. Laughter and giggles are definitely expected!

Moving Machines! Alternating Fridays @10:30AM (0-5)

This thirty minute program features music, movement, stories, and other interactive activities with a mechanical theme! Parents and caregivers are welcome and encouraged to participate. No registration required!

Special Events for Kids & Families

Miss Bree’s Bookopoly! November 1 – December 31

Join the fun for a super awesome interactive game to finish out the year! Roll the dice, move your piece on our giant board, and have fun with a variety of reading and creative challenges, and chances to win prizes galore!

Kids Take & Make: Desk Organizer!

Starting Saturday, December 4th, stop by and pick up your very own desk organizer Kits include supplies and instructions for making your very own desk organizer! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED! Desk Organizer Kits will be distributed on a first come first serve basis!

Kids Paint Party! Saturday December 4th, 1:00PM

Join local instructor Denise Palmieri for this step-by-step paint party specifically for kids! All materials will be provided and you'll get to take home your very own wintry masterpiece! Space is limited!! Register on our website to reserve your spot. For Ages 5-11!

Pancakes and Pajamas! Saturday December 11th, 10:30AM

Keep your jammies on and join us for a cozy pancake breakfast, hot cocoa, and a special holiday surprise! What better way to celebrate the warmth of the season than in the coziest way we can think of!

Make with Miss Mitzi, Saturday December 11th @1:00PM

Calling ALL Makers! Miss Mitzi is on a mission to make a new crazy craft project every month! All ages welcome! Email mgousie@minlib.net or register on the calendar to sign up!

Homeschool Hangout: Library Edition! 3rd Thursday of the Month (December 16), 2:30pm

Homeschool families: Join us on the third Thursday of each month for special library-centric programs! Learn all about the library, from the building to the resources and more, through fun and creative activities!

Baby-Wearing Dance Party! Friday December 17th @9:00AM

Strap your little one in and join us for music and movement together! Bond with your baby in a fun, active way for this half-hour program!

Meet the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who! Saturday December 18th @10:30AM

Welcome to Whoville! Join these beloved Seuss characters for a special meet and greet!

Holiday Movie Marathon & Last Minute Wrapping Station! Friday December 24th, 9:00AM-1:30PM

Join us for cozy "claymation" movies and cocoa while you get those last few gifts wrapped! Wrapping supplies and cocoa will be provided!

Merry Move Along! Monday December 27th @10:30AM

Join us for a special festive edition of our Monday storytime! This thirty minute program features music, movement, stories, and other interactive activities to encourage social skills and promote early literacy! Parents and caregivers are welcome and encouraged to participate. No registration required!

Snowflake Sing Along! Tuesday December 28th @10:30AM

Come enjoy a winter fairy tale party! Dress up in your favorite fancy clothes and meet some special Snow Sisters you may be familiar with!

Box City! Wednesday December 29th 1:00-3:00PM

We're turning the Meeting Room into a city made out of boxes! Donate your empty boxes from the holidays between now and December 29! Then join us as we decorate the boxes with all sorts of materials and make a whole box town to play with! Creativity is encouraged!

Noon Year’s Eve Party! Thursday December 30th @11:00AM

Let’s send 2021 off in style! Join us for an end of the year bash as we ring in 2022 early! We’ll have snacks, games, and a super new year’s celebration!

Weekly / monthly Events for Teens

Animation Nation Anime Club! Mondays, 6:00-7:30PM (7+)

Your weekly dose of anime goodness at The Franklin Public Library! Come watch the latest releases and popular anime shows, ideal for ages 7+!

Teen Book Bites! Weekly on Wednesdays, 5:30-PM

Teens! Bring along a snack and join us in the teen room each Wednesday for a casual chat about what we're all reading!

Teen Advisory Board, 2nd Wednesday of the Month @ 6:30PM

Join us each month for Teen Advisory Board! The Teen Advisory Board is a GREAT opportunity to get involved here at the library! You'll help plan events and programs, create displays and decorate the teen space, and help drive decisions around the kinds of materials we bring to the YA collection, from books and beyond, all while eating snacks and getting volunteer hours! It's a win-win-win!

VolunTeens! 2nd & 4th Thursday of the Month, 6:00-7:00PM (6th-12th Grade)

An elite volunteering program for dedicated library volunteers, this program is designed to facilitate unique volunteer opportunities for committed teens to work on special library projects. You will learn all about event planning and execution, hone your creative and crafty skills, and build your resume!

For more information please contact Bree at bcomeau@minlib.net.

BOOKTOK YA Book Club! 3rd Wednesday of the Month, 6:30-7:30PM (8th-12 Grade)

Join us each month for snacks and refreshments as we discuss a different YA book each month, recommended by TikTok book lovers! Since we will be discussing YA titles, this group is recommended for students in Grades 8 and up, however anyone age 12 and up is welcome at their own (and their parents) discretion.

Resistance: a WWII Book Club for Teens, 3rd Thursday of the Month, 6:30PM

Whether it's your first time reading these titles, or they're old favorites, join us each month as we discuss a different WWII-based book. Snacks and refreshments will be provided!

Gamer's Haven! Once a Month! December 3rd, 4:00-5:00 PM

Monthly meeting of the local Gaming collective to make friends, talk games, and most importantly PLAY games.

Story Tellers Guild! Once a Month! December 17th, 4:00-5:00 PM (7+)

A club for writers! Each month we meet to grow as story tellers through prompts, discussion, and sharing our creativity! Ideal for grades 3+

Special Events for Teens

Miss Bree’s Bookopoly! November 1 – December 31

Join the fun for a super awesome interactive game to finish out the year! Roll the dice, move your piece on our giant board, and have fun with a variety of reading and creative challenges, and chances to win prizes galore!

Teen Take & Makes: Aesthetic Collages!

Starting Saturday, December 4th stop by the library to pick up your very own aesthetic collage kit! Kits include supplies and instructions for making your very own aesthetic collage, on both a desk organizer and a bookmark! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED! Aesthetic Collage Kits will be distributed on a first come first serve basis!

Teen Gingerbread Decorating Party! Saturday, December 11th @3:00PM

Teens! Join us for an afternoon of gingerbread house decorating! We will provide all the supplies you need to make an epic gingerbread estate! Just bring your creativity!

Make with Miss Mitzi, Saturday December 11th @1:00PM

Calling ALL Makers! Miss Mitzi is on a mission to make a new crazy craft project every month! All ages welcome! Email mgousie@minlib.net or register on the calendar to sign up!

Home Alone at the Library: an Interactive Viewing! Wednesday December 22 @6:00PM

Teens! Join us for an interactive viewing of a holiday classic, complete with snacks and fun challenges!

Teen Scavenger Hunt! Monday December 27th, @1:00PM

Assemble your team and take on the ultimate scavenger hunt in the library! How well do you think you know the Franklin Public Library? Bring your family, or grab your friends and see how many items on our epic list you can locate before time runs out! Email ckeating@minlib.net with any questions!

Teen Paint Party! Wednesday December 29th  @5:00PM

Teens! Join local instructor Denise Palmieri for this step-by-step paint party for teens! All materials will be provided and you'll get to take home your very own Polar Bear painting! Ages 12+

Pop-Up Cocoa and Coloring! Friday Dec 31ST, 9:30AM-1:30PM

Grab a new book for the New Year! And while you're at it, take a new bookmark... or six! Take them straight home or hang out and color them with Mrs. Mitzi!

Events for Adults

Christmas Trivia Night, Monday, December 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Take a break from your holiday bustle and hustle yourself over to the Franklin Public Library Monday, December 6th at 6:00 p.m. for a Christmas Trivia program. This program is free and open to the public.

The program will begin with a brief series of hopefully humorous Christmas cartoons and pictures. There will follow a group of oral and written quizzes with full audience participation. All quizzes will pertain to Christmas subjects including vocabulary, television, movies, music, literature, history, traditions, and more.

Pens and answer sheets will be provided, but attendees are asked to supply their own holiday spirit and sense of humor.

The highlight of the evening will be the final fifty question ultimate Christmas test – the Krissy Krismas Kriz. Be prepared for a fast-moving, informal, unusual and enjoyable night of Christmas fun.

The Man Who Invented the Christmas Card, Tuesday, December 7, 6:30 p.m.

The undisputed father of the Christmas card as we know it– complete with a well-bearded paternal face – was Louis Prang, an immigrant to Boston who fled a revolution-torn Germany.

In Boston, he became a leader in advanced color lithography techniques that allowed him to produce high quality artistic prints, advertising cards, and millions of Christmas Cards starting in the 1870s. He also employed many leading artists, including Tomaso Juglaris, who would go on to create the famous murals of the Franklin Public Library. This distinction gives Prang's products a special interest for collectors.

Alan Earls, local historian, presenter, and co-author of Boston Made: From Robotics To Revolution, Innovations that Changed the World, is offering his PowerPoint presentation and discussion of Prang and the formative years of the Christmas Card, as a special seasonal treat.

We Did It For You! Women's Journey Through History, Tuesday, December 14, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom

There was a time when women couldn’t have jobs and had no voting rights. Women were property passed from father to husband. High-school student Melanie must learn how things changed.

We Did It For You! Women's Journey Through History is the story of how women got their rights in America, told by the women who were there. It is an entertaining and quick tour through the journey, starting with the struggle women had in the 17th century Puritan Revolution through to our 21st century empowered women politicians.

This presentation is a brand new filmed version of We Did It For You! It has many surprises in it for those who have seen the staged version. Stay around afterwards for a Q&A with the filmmakers.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Franklin Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. To view the program, please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QMpz3rizSxmaOOCcZu0ftg . For more information, please visit https://www.wediditforyou.org/ .

December Take and Make for Adults

Make a little something for yourself or add to a gift basket for the holidays. The Franklin Public Library has a luxury soup Take and Make for our adult community this December. Available at the Circulation Desk starting December 1st, these Take and Make projects are first come first serve without reservations. There is a limit of one craft per adult.

Franklin Public Library Book Club, Tuesday, December 28, 7:00 p.m.

The book for discussion is The Martian, by Andy Weir.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old 'human error' are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him? -- from publisher's web site.

For more information, please contact Assistant Library Director Kim Shipala at kshipala@minlib.net . Book Club meetings are now taking place both in-person at the Library and on Zoom. To participate through Zoom, please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kduuppj0oGd1riTUPnGfsy7Qph0W... .

Knitting Group, Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Love to knit or crochet? Join our group of local fiber artists who will be meeting in the Friends of the Franklin Library Community Room on Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.