News – Mason Square – Springfield City Library

T-Birds, Springfield City Library Expand Boomer’s Reading Club for 2024-25 Season

Boomer’s Reading Club will return for the 2024-25 season with more dates and new library branches serving as hosts.

Read at the Springfield Thunderbirds website

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Springfield Thunderbirds, in collaboration with the Springfield City Library, are proud to announce that Boomer’s Reading Club will return for the 2024-25 season with more dates and new library branches serving as hosts for the meeting dates.

Established last season, Boomer’s Reading Club will prominently feature T-Birds forward Drew Callin, team mascot Boomer, and various additional T-Birds staff and players throughout the season. Boomer’s Reading Club aims to create a love of reading for young Springfield school students of all ages.

In addition to the interactive sessions with Callin, the Springfield Thunderbirds Foundation will continue its pledge to the program by donating gifts and supplies to each of the seven Springfield City Library branches participating in the initiative.

“We are proud to continue our support of Drew and the Springfield City Library toward this incredibly meaningful community partnership,” said Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa. “We deeply value this relationship and hope that, in addition to encouraging a lifelong love of reading among our youngest fans, Boomer’s Reading Club can create core memories in Springfield children’s lives for years to come.”

The complete list of dates is as follows – all Boomer’s Reading Club sessions will run from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m., and all of these sessions are open to the public:

Wednesday, Nov. 13 @ Springfield Central Library (220 State Street, in 1st floor Children’s Room)
Tuesday, Nov. 26 @ Indian Orchard Branch (44 Oak Street)
Tuesday, Jan. 7 @ Sixteen Acres Branch (1187 Parker Street)
Thursday, Jan. 9 @ East Springfield Branch (21 Osborne Terrace)
Thursday, Jan. 16 @ East Forest Park Branch (136 Surrey Road) –NEW DATE
Tuesday, Jan. 28 @ Brightwood Branch (359 Plainfield Street)
Wednesday, Feb. 26 @ Mason Square Branch (765 State Street)

“We’re so excited to partner with the Springfield Thunderbirds for a third season of Boomer’s Reading Club. We’re expanding to even more libraries this year, adding Brightwood and Indian Orchard branches for seven total visits. Families will have fun seeing their hockey heroes read with them and inspire their children and grandkids to get a library card, visit the library, and pick up some great books,” said Jean Canosa Albano, Assistant Director at Springfield City Library. “Going to a T-Birds game is fun for the whole family, and so is going to the Springfield City Library! The Club combines reading, library activities, and a chance to discover why getting into reading when you are young is so important and fun.”

Families looking for more information about Boomer’s Reading Club can contact the team at (413) 739-4625 or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

Do you know what you can do with a Springfield City Library Card?

Mayor Sarno joins Springfield Library staff in supporting the library’s initiative to sign up 10,000 members for library cards.

Read at the City’s website

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined Springfield Library Community Relations Coordinator Jamillah Medina Nova in supporting the library’s initiative to sign up 10,000 members for library cards. The library card will get you access to all of the resources and services that our city’s libraries have to offer, allows you to place a hold, use the electronic resources on the eLibrary, and so much more.

You can get a library card by visiting your local library branch in person to get full access to all of our physical and digital resources. If you would like instant access to our online resources, you can apply for a CW MARS eCard online! The eCard can be upgraded to a full library card later, if desired.

We’d like to remind residents that the library offers much more than just books! Chromebooks, hotspots, print-fax-scan, meeting rooms, video games, e-reading, and more!

The initiative teamed with Brother Johnnie Muhammad to provide free Shabazz wings to children who applied for a library card this past weekend, which was a huge success.

Mayor Sarno states, “I want to thank Jamillah Medina Nova and the entire library staff for working so hard every day to provide all of these incredible FREE resources to our community. Shout to our friend Brother Johnnie Muhammad for his support this past weekend too. Neighborhood library branches are an essential component of our community. They not only provide much-needed library services and reading materials for residents and kids, but they also serve as a gathering and meeting space for our community’s different programs and initiatives. Springfield Libraries serve as a community center for educational and cultural programming, as well as a social gathering place for our students and the surrounding community. It serves as a hub for free information and technology, social and civic participation, personal enrichment, and lifelong learning.”

The Springfield City Library offers nearly 5000 educational and recreational activities annually.

To learn more, visit www.springfieldlibrary.org; to acquire a Library Card, visit https://www.springfieldlibrary.org/…/get-a-library-card/

Mayor Domenic Sarno and Community Relations Coordinator Jamillah Medina Nova pose with an oversized Springfield library card.

Springfield offering community financial literacy opportunity

Books and Brew at White Lion meets quarterly and is a partnership between the library and Liberty Bank.

Read the full article at WWLP.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Books and Brews is the newest book club in town led by Liberty Bank and it’s guiding the community to financial wellness.East Forest Park celebrates National Night Out

The book club meets quarterly at the White Lion Brewing Company in Downtown Springfield. In partnership with Springfield City Library, members can access each month’s read by simply checking it out.

Tuesday’s quarterly meeting, providing insight and knowledge related to work, wealth, and leadership.

Books and Brews will meet next on December 10th from 5 pm to 6:30 pm at the White Lion Brewing Company in Downtown Springfield. To find out what book they’ll be reading next, visit here.

Western Mass. state legislators discuss their priorities with Springfield library community (WAMC)

State lawmakers and local librarians gathered in Springfield, Massachusetts on Friday to discuss funding, digital equity and more.

February 26, 2024
View full article at WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By James Paleologopoulos

Advocates for public libraries across western Massachusetts met with lawmakers as the two groups sat down for a special “Library Legislative Breakfast” at Springfield’s Brightwood Branch Library.

There, legislators representing parts of Hampden County and the surrounding area listened to the needs of the region’s libraries – while also presenting their own work on Beacon Hill.

Organizations such as the library sharing network, Central and Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing or “CW MARS,” and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners made their case for increased funding.

For fiscal year 2025, the MBLC’s legislative agenda requests a total of $51.4 million for multiple line items – a year-over-year increase of $4 million.

That includes direct, local aid for public libraries, as well as funding that assists groups such as CW MARS in their own operations, connecting their member libraries with others to allow patrons to reserve and take out books across western and central Massachusetts.

Executive Director Jeanette Lundgren says library users will be able to access the system in a new way in early March.

“We’re rolling out a new online catalogue – this will be a new front-end to the catalogue that will help promote discoverability of both our online and physical content, and provide more opportunities for our libraries to interact and connect with their patrons,” Lundgren said.

According to Lundgren, the over 150 public library systems taking part in CW MARS have access to nine million items in its shared catalogue, including 2.4 million “e-items” such as ebooks and audiobooks, which were at the center of a much-discussed piece of legislation Friday.

Throughout the lineup of guest speakers, both lawmakers and librarians referred to House Bill 3239 — An Act empowering library access to electronic books and audiobooks.

MBLC Commissioner Vicky Biancolo says when it comes to negotiating with publishers, libraries are unable to purchase digital books and audiobooks the same way as consumers, and are instead forced to pay figures that can be at least triple the cost.

In one instance, Biancolo described how an audiobook with a consumer price tag of $15 would end up costing a library $130 for a two-year license.

It’s a costly endeavor for libraries across the commonwealth, especially when the digital editions are in high demand and library waitlists only appear to be getting longer.

“Networks have doubled what they spend on ebooks and audio books and wait times, can be 60-90 days up to six months I’ve heard for some titles,” Biancolo said. “We just can’t keep pace with demand – it just is continuing – this is – never ending.”

The commissioner encouraged the lawmakers in attendance to support the bill, which was filed by Democratic Representative Ruth Baler of Newton. The legislation calls on the state’s consumer protection laws to force publishers to use fairer practices when negotiating with libraries.

Another piece of legislation highlighted included a bill to better protect librarians from an onslaught of book challenges, championed by State Senator Jake Oliveira of Ludlow and State Representative Aaron Saunders of Belchertown.

Libraries across Massachusetts are seeing a steady uptick in book challenges, in addition to thousands of complaints, which Oliveira says often target communities of color and those who identify as LGBTQ+.

“We need to push back against that – that’s why we need your help – to get these bills over the finish line,” the senator said as the group of book lenders before him broke out in applause.

Among other functions, the bill would require libraries to adopt the American Library Association’s “Library Bill of Rights” to be eligible for state funding.

The Bill of Rights holds that “materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” It would also establish a “Book Access Fund” for localities challenging book bans.

A similar piece of legislation geared toward public school libraries was filed by Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro and Rep. John Moran of Boston.

Also highlighted at the meeting was funding for the “Massachusetts Center for the Book,” which offers family literacy programming in gateway cities.

Speaking with WAMC, Springfield State Senator Adam Gomez emphasized the importance of events such as Friday’s, adding it’s vital to listen to librarians, who are deeply embedded in their communities.

“Keep our ears open, make sure that we are listening to the advocates that are actually doing the work when it comes to our communities, especially these free spaces, our branches and libraries which are community centers and also, I would say, a place where imagination is created,” Gomez said.

More information on the MBLC’s legislative agenda can be found here.

Springfield Thunderbirds bring “Boomer’s Reading Club” back to Springfield City Library (WWLP)

Join Springfield Thunderbirds hockey players as they share some favorite books with you.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield Thunderbirds are thrilled to announce the return of their community partnership with the Springfield City Library and the T-Birds Foundation through “Boomer’s Reading Club.”

On five afternoons in February, Thunderbirds forward Drew Callin, alongside a teammate, mascot Boomer, and T-Birds staff, will engage in interactive reading sessions and activities with local youth at various branches of the Springfield City Library.

“Going to a T-Birds game is fun for the whole family, and so is going to the Springfield City Library! We are so excited to renew our partnership with the Springfield Thunderbirds with Boomer’s Reading Club, which combines reading, library activities, and a chance to meet some of your favorite hockey players,” expressed Jean Canosa Albano, Assistant Director at Springfield City Library. “For the second straight year, we’ll share some great books and discover why getting into reading when you are young is so important and fun.”

The tentative dates and locations for Boomer’s Reading Club are as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 8: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – Springfield Central Library Children’s Room (220 State Street)
Monday, Feb. 12: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – East Forest Park Branch (136 Surrey Road)
Thursday, Feb. 15: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – Mason Square Branch (765 State Street)
Wednesday, Feb. 21: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – East Springfield Branch (21 Osborne Terrace)
Tuesday, Feb. 27: 3:45-4:45 p.m. – Sixteen Acres Branch (1187 Parker Street)

Apart from Callin’s involvement, the T-Birds Foundation will contribute to Boomer’s Reading Club with book donations and various supplies for each branch.

Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa expressed, “We are proud to continue our support of the Springfield City Library and thank Drew Callin for his commitment to our youth in the area. The T-Birds Foundation will be directly involved once again to ensure that the Springfield City Library and its numerous branches have every resource necessary to enhance the experience for all children who visit. We hope that the different branches see another tremendous turnout and, more importantly, we join in their wishes that reading becomes a lifelong passion for these young children.”

Boomer’s Reading Club represents the latest reimagination of Thunderbirds’ community programming. In 2023, the Thunderbirds made over 300 appearances in the Greater Springfield community, including trips to more than 40 participating schools in the Thunderbirds’ Stick to Reading program, promoting the love of books in local school districts, including Springfield Public Schools.

View the full article on WWLP

Read the T-birds press Release

Springfield library to host Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley event (The Reminder)

Stories of Black men and women living in Springfield and the surrounding areas in the 1700s and 1800s will be shared during an upcoming event with Cliff McCarthy, an archivist from the Springfield Museums’ Library and Archives.

PLEASE NOTE: This program has been rescheduled for February 17, 2024 at 11:00 AM. Please register on our event calendar.

January 31, 2024. Full story on The Reminder.

SPRINGFIELD — Stories of Black men and women living in Springfield and the surrounding areas in the 1700s and 1800s will be shared during an upcoming event with Cliff McCarthy, an archivist from the Springfield Museums’ Library and Archives.

The Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley will take place on Feb. 3 in the Mason Square Library Branch community room from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Because Springfield Central Library is located on the quad with the museums, there is a close relationship between the two.

Springfield City Library Training and Programming Librarian Elizabeth McKinstry said, “Cliff McCarthy, who works in the library archives over at the history museum has been participating [and] working on research on this for a long time but also participated in this community history project called documenting the early history of Black lives in the Connecticut River Valley.”

McCarthy told Reminder Publishing that he plans to share stories of African American men and women who achieved their freedom in extraordinary ways. “All of them lived locally, but each of these stories reflects an important aspect of our nation’s history regarding Black Americans. I will also be highlighting a recent project that is enabling researchers to learn more about them and others, by diving deep into local archives to find the evidence of their lives,” he said.

This is the first time this event will take place at Springfield, although other area libraries have hosted it in the past.

“It’s all about remembering these people and their stories. When you say their names and tell their stories, we assure their lives will never be forgotten, again,” McCarthy said.

When researching this topic, McCarthy discovered information that interested him. “Jupiter Richards was a patriot who fought in the American Revolution before coming to Springfield and finding work in the Springfield Armory. He was convicted of stealing a small amount of grain and was given a fine by the court, which he couldn’t pay. What happened to him next, will probably break your heart. These stories are extraordinary, often unknown, and give us perspective on the lives of Black people then and now,” he said.

He went on to say that the story that first got him interested in these narratives is the rescue of Angeline Palmer — a story he will not likely tell on Feb. 3. “Angeline was a free-born Black child “bound out” to work in the home of a white Belchertown couple. When the couple moved to [the] state of Georgia, they planned to take Angeline with them and sell her into slavery. The scheme was discovered by some young men in Amherst, who went to Belchertown and snatched her from her home and sent her into hiding. The young men were convicted and did time in the Northampton jail, but never disclosed her whereabouts,” McCarthy said.

In addition to this event, McKinstry said Maggie Keane, a reference librarian at the Central Library, has been doing an “extremely popular” series of local history events. At the East Forest Park Branch Library, Keane shared the history of a Springfield female bootlegger during the time of prohibition.

McKinstry noted that there will be an event in March about the history of women’s basketball and in April, there is an event like the Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley, which shares genealogy ancestry about connecting to your roots.

“The library is for everybody,” McKinstry said. “We reflect that in our history programs and we’re very excited to be doing more presentations on local history and genealogy because people love that and we encourage them to come to the library.”

At the Springfield Central Library in particular, McKinstry said they offer help for people looking for information on local history and have “a good collection” and librarians that specialize in helping people in requests looking for that information.

During February — Black History Month — there will be an author event that takes place every Thursday from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Brightwood Branch. The series — designed for children and their parents — will include stories and poetry.

In terms of adult programming, the Freedom Stories of the Pioneer Valley is the largest event.

To learn more, visit springfieldlibrary.org/library.

Springfield residents meet candidates ahead of municipal election (WWLP)

Election season is here for the city of Springfield, and Wednesday night residents had the chance to get to know the candidates a little better.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Election season is here for the city of Springfield, and Wednesday night residents had the chance to get to know the candidates a little better.

The Springfield City Library hosted the meet-and-greet for candidates in Springfield’s municipal election. This as early voting is currently underway for the preliminary election for mayor, city council at-large, and Ward 6.

Voters there telling us its important to make future city leaders accessible to residents. “They can come here and talk to the incumbent and somebody running against the incumbent, and say “how are you going to address this situation in my neighborhood?” And they can decide for themselves who will represent them better,” says Assistant Director for Public Services at Springfield City Library, Jean Canosa Albano.

The preliminary election for Springfield is Tuesday, September 12th.

Click through to watch the video!

Meet & Greet Candidates for Mayor and City Council

The Springfield City Library is partnering with the City’s Election Commission to offer residents an opportunity to meet candidates for local elections.

SPRINGFIELD, MA – AUGUST 2023 – The Springfield City Library is partnering with the City’s Election Commission to offer residents an opportunity to meet candidates for local elections. Participants can bring their concerns, ask questions, and hear directly from candidates at the free event planned for the Mason Square Branch Library, located at 765 State Street in Springfield, on Wednesday, August 30th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The library will be closed for regular business but the doors on State Street and Monroe Street will be open for attendees to access the branch’s community room.

While at the event, people can also check their voter status, find out where their polling place is and register to vote. The program is timed to allow people to get registered before the deadline for the September 12th preliminary election; municipal elections are scheduled for November 7th.

“Typically, most of the attention is paid to November elections. But some races have drawn so many candidates that there is a preliminary election for those seats. The outcome in September for those races will determine which candidates will make it onto the ballot in November, making this event a critical one for voters to speak one-on-one with the candidates and choose among them. As former President Barack Obama recently noted in an open letter to library workers across the nation, libraries ‘provide spaces where people can come together, share ideas, participate in community programs, and access essential civic and educational resources. Together, library workers help people become informed and active citizens, capable of making this country what they want it to be.’ This is the goal of the Meet the Candidates event,” said Assistant Director for Public Services Jean Canosa Albano, leader of the Springfield City Library’s Civic and Community Engagement Team.

Partnering with Springfield City Clerk and Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola means that this event can be one-stop shopping for residents: learn about all the races and the candidates, and make sure you are registered to vote at the same time. Oyola added: “We will run a mock election at the event so voters can practice filling out a mock ballot and feeding it into the voting machine. We want everyone to feel comfortable when they go to the polls on September 12th.”

If you are working on a campaign and haven’t responded yet or missed the invitation, please contact Jean Canosa Albano at 413-263-6828, ext. 291.

Founded in 1857, the Springfield City Library provides nearly 5000 educational and recreational programs per year. To learn more, visit www.springfieldlibrary.org.

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For more information on this event, visit our Facebook page!

Mayor Sarno Celebrates National Library Week at Mason Square Library Branch

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined with Springfield City Library Director Molly Fogarty, Assistant Director for Public Services Jean M. Canosa Albano, and the dedicated staff of the Mason Square Library Branch to celebrate National Library Week on Wednesday, April 26th.

April 26, 2023:

Mayor Sarno states, “My administration is proud to celebrate and recognize National Library Week at our local Mason Square neighborhood library branch to highlight the essential and important role our neighborhood libraries play in our community. They serve as a place to learn, where the community can gather, and hold numerous events and programs to support and enhance the quality of life in our community. I want to encourage every resident to stop by and visit and support your local neighborhood library and thank a library worker for everything they do.”

Make sure to visit your library this week, or even check out a new library you’ve never been to. Find all Springfield library locations and hours here: https://www.springfieldlibrary.org/…/locations-and-hours/

We can all show gratitude to a Springfield City Library worker who “shines” by nominating a stellar library worker for the American Library Association‘s Galaxy of Stars by completing a brief nomination form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SubmitAStarforNLWD

Mayor Sarno states, “Our libraries and library employees are truly a wonderful and valuable resource for our community. From the leadership with Director Molly Fogarty and Deputy Director Jean Canosa Albano to each and every member of our library staff, we are extremely proud and grateful for our library system across the city and the important role they play in our community. This week especially, let us all take a moment to recognize how important our libraries and library employees are to our Springfield. They have so much to offer – remember, it’s all yours, just ask!”

Mayor Sarno Recognizes our Springfield City Libraries During National Library Week

April 24th marks National Library Workers Day. Thank you to all our dedicated Springfield Library workers for your tremendous service.

April 25, 2023:

Happy Library Workers Day!

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City of Springfield are proud to join with Library Director Molly Fogarty, Deputy Director Jean Canosa Albano and our Springfield City Library team to celebrate National Library Week this year from April 23 – 29, 2023. Make sure to visit your library this week, or even check out a new library you’ve never been to. Find all Springfield library locations and hours here: Locations and Hours – Springfield City Library (springfieldlibrary.org)

There is a lot to celebrate when it comes to our libraries which are a hub for free access to information and technology, social and civic engagement, and support of personal enrichment, well-being, and lifelong learning. Today, April 24^th, marks National Library Workers Day. Thank you to all our dedicated Springfield Library workers for your tremendous service. We can all show gratitude to a Springfield City Library worker who “shines” by nominating a stellar library worker for the American Library Association’s Galaxy of Stars by completing a brief nomination form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SubmitAStarforNLWD