Category: Mason Square

Home City Families: Playgroups

Parents and their children are invited to join us for stories, songs, and activities! | Children

Home City Families Playgroup

East Forest Park Branch
Fridays | 1:30-2:30 PM | Ages 1-5

Sixteen Acres Branch
Tuesdays | 1:30-2:30 PM | Ages 1-5 

Parents and their children are invited to join us for stories, songs, and activities!

This playgroup is a great opportunity to meet other parents and give your child the opportunity to socialize with other children their age.

No registration required – just come in!

Home City Families: Family Storytime

Indian Orchard Branch
Mondays | 10:30-11:30 AM | Ages 1-6

Join us for stories, songs, movement, fingerplays, a craft and playtime! No registration required. Adult must accompany children. For ages 12 mos. – 6 years, siblings welcome. For more information, please call (413) 263-6846.

Home City Families: Gross Motor Playgroup

Mason Square Branch
Wednesdays | 10:30-11:30 AM | Ages 1-5

Calling all parents with young children! We invite you along with your child for a fun filled hour of gross motor fun to develop physical abilities.

This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and give your child the opportunity to socialize with other children their age.

No registration required – just come in!

 

Romance Book Club – Online

Get your Happily Ever After fix from the Romance Book Club! | Online | Adults

Our Romance Book Club meets online! Registration is optional to get reminders and book choices, click for  link.

ONLINE via Zoom
Saturdays once a month | 10:00-11:00 AM | Adults

Upcoming dates:
April 8
May 6
June 3

CLICK FOR ZOOM LINK for meeting each month.

Join us for the Romance Book Club! We read as many romance genres as we can, sharing our thoughts and expanding our romance reading experience. As long as it has a Happily Ever After, it’s fair game.

Typically each month we choose the book for the following month.

April Book Choice
We will be reading Mafia Casanova by M Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken.

Mafia Casanova Book Cover

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Can you get anymore cliché? I’d heard that damn phrase my entire life. Most of the time, it was when a woman was mid-orgasm—or, when I was about to take someone’s life. You see, we all have our demons. Apparently, my name was mine. Though it didn’t help me get my answers any faster.

I nodded when I was supposed to. I smirked when I needed to. I complimented when the timing was right. Then… I’d send them to hell after giving them nothing but heaven. I should’ve felt guilt. I didn’t. Because I was good at what I did.

Making people believe what I wanted them to was an art I perfected. In a world where nothing mattered but staying at the top, I made sure no one slipped through my fingers.

Except for her. She was gorgeous. One might say she was the female version of me.

I lost her once. I wouldn’t lose twice. Now was the time… To let the games begin.

A family trying to build home in a new land. A man who has never felt at home anywhere. And a choice to be made between the two.

See previous group book choices below the group guidelines – scroll down.

Our Romance collection librarian will tell you all about exciting additions to the collection, and we’ll get your input on what you’d like to see more of and what we should read.

Register if you’d like to be added to our email list, but no registration is required – just join us at the Zoom link, above. For adults 18+.

Please email Elizabeth McKinstry at emckinstry@springfieldlibrary.org or Anna Mickelsen at amickelsen@springfieldlibrary.org if you have any questions, or call either one of us at 413-263-6828 x213.

Group Guidelines

The book group will meet monthly via zoom to discuss books in the romance genre. Our definition of romance includes both HEA (Happily Ever After) and HFN (Happy For Now) endings. We will discuss what we read on our own, talk about forthcoming titles, and also pick books to read as a group, either voting on titles prepared by group leaders or taking turns selecting titles.

This book group will strive to be a safe and inclusive space. Racist and homophobic remarks will not be tolerated, and the group may set other content lines to be drawn in discussion or in reading material (e.g., mentions of self-harm, gore, sexual assault) in order to make the experience as fun for all participants as possible. As this is a romance book group, it should be assumed that books read and discussed will often include sex, sometimes explicit in nature.

Book group leaders will:

  • Read the entire book
  • Gather information to help enhance the discussion
  • Be prepared to offer counter opinions – even if they differ from our own
  • Be prepared to begin new lines of discussion when necessary
  • Not let one person monopolize the discussion
  • Be willing and prepared to take control of the group, firmly but respectfully

Book group participants will:

  • Make their best effort to complete the book
  • Come ready to both share and listen
  • Be ready to back up opinions with the “why”
  • Have a great time — if you stop enjoying it, let the leader know
Previous books read:

Seed Library at Mason Square

Free seed library with organic non-GMO seeds for the Springfield community. Request some today from our Mason Square Branch!

The Mason Square Branch Seed Library features a great variety of FREE 100% organic, non-GMO seeds for vegetables, greens, herbs, and flowers, made possible through a grant from Vermont-based seed company, High Mowing Organic Seeds. With multiple varieties, there’s something for everyone!

Because there is a limited supply of seeds, we ask that patrons request no more than 5 seed envelopes per library visit. Please call the Mason Square Branch Library to reserve your FREE seeds for pickup!

We also have a variety of gardening books, covering urban gardening, vegetable gardens, container gardens, flower gardens, and more – ask library staff to help you find the perfect book!

2022 Seeds Available
Mardi Gras Blend Bean
Mardi Gras Blend Bean

Beans & Peas:
Gold Rush Bush Bean
Mardi Gras Blend Bean
Maxibel Haricot Vert Bush Bean
Midori Giant Soybean
Provider Bush Bean
Quincy Pinto Bean
Rattlesnake Pole Bean
Roma II Bush Bean

Broccoli & Cauliflower:
Belstar Broccoli

Red Cored Cantenay Carrot
Red Cored Chantenay Carrot

Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Radishes, & Turnips:
Bull’s Blood Beet
Early Wonder Tall Top Beet
Guardsmark Chioggia Beet
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Dolciva Carrot
Napoli Carrot
Red Cored Chantenay Carrot
Yaya Carrot
Yellowstone Carrot
Halblange Parsnips
Watermelon Radish
Purple Top White Globe Turnip

Artichokes, Celery, Cucumbers, & Okra:
Tavor Artichoke
Green Finger Cucumber
Clemson Spineless 80 Okra

Evening Colors Sunflower
Evening Colors Sunflower

Flowers:
Pacific Beauty Calendula
Sensation Blend Cosmos
Galilee Blend Larkspur
Dark Orange Marigold
Evening Colors Sunflower
Goldy Double Sunflower
Yellow Zinnia

Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm

Herbs:
Catnip
Lemon Balm
Rutgers Obsession DMR Basil
Caribe Cilantro
Common Sage
Summer Savory

Tokyo Bekana
Tokyo Bekana

Lettuces & Leafy Greens:
Mizuna Asian greens
Tokyo Bekana
Shanghai Green Bok Choy
Farao Cabbage
Fordhook Giant Chard
Orange Chard
Ruby Red Chard
Lacinato Dinosaur Kale
Red Russian Kale
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
Green Towers Romaine Lettuce
Gourmet Blend Lettuce
High Mowing DMR blend lettuce
Lolla Rossa Lettuce
Optima Butterhead Lettuce
Yankee Hardy Blend Lettuce
High Mowing Blend Mesclun
Hotshot Spicy Blend Mustard Greens
Wasabina Mustard Greens
Red Planet Salad Blend
Renegade Spinach

Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper
Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper

Peppers:
California Wonder Sweet Pepper (sweet)
Hungarian Hot Wax Pepper (hot)
Shishito Pepper (mild)

Pumpkins, Squashes, & Eggplant:
Howden Pumpkin
Burgess Buttercup Squash
Brulee Butternut Squash
Honeynut Butternut Squash
Waltham Butternut Squash
Black Beauty Eggplant

Peacevine Cherry Tomato
Peacevine Cherry Tomato

Tomatoes:
Peacevine Cherry Tomato
Roma VF Paste Tomato
Starlight Grape Tomato

Knot Just Knitters

Grab some needles and yarn, then come join us! Newcomers always welcome. | Adults

Whether you knit, crochet, cross-stitch, or crewel, these groups are the place for you. New members are welcome, and current members are willing to teach their skills.

Some yarn and needles are provided, but donations of such items will always be welcome. Many of the finished items are donated to charitable causes.

Coffee and tea provided compliments of the Friends of the Library.

Central Library, Wellman Hall
Tuesdays, 2-3 pm

East Springfield Branch
Fridays, 10-11:30 am

East Forest Park Branch
Tuesdays, 1:30-3 pm

Mason Square Branch
Fridays, 1-2:30 pm

Sixteen Acres Branch
Wednesdays, 1-2:30 pm