Roslindale Branch is Open!
Branch Hours
The Roslindale Branch is open Mondays - Wednesdays 10 AM - 6 PM; Thursdays 12 PM - 8 PM; Fridays 9 AM - 5 PM; and Saturdays 9 AM - 2 PM.
BPL Library Protocols
All branch libraries not currently under reconstruction are now open for in-person services. All branches follow the latest city and state public health guidance. While there will be no capacity limits or social distancing required, patrons using the library buildings will still need to wear masks since the library serves vulnerable populations. For more information, see https://www.bpl.org/news/health-and-safety-guidelines/.
BPL COVID-19 Resources
Looking for reliable information about COVID vaccines? The City of Boston has put together a resource guide to help answer your questions. As a reminder, the distribution of at-home COVID-19 tests at BPL locations has now ended.
Free Tax Preparation
The Kirstein Business Library at Central Library has teamed up with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to offer free tax preparation drop-off services on Wednesdays April 6 and 13. Sign up here.
Yarn & Book Sale
Thursday, May 19, 5 - 8 PM
Friday, May 20, 10 AM - 4 PM
Saturday, May 21, 10 AM - 1 PM
We plan to do a combined yarn and book sale in May! If you have a stash of yarn, crafting items, or books that you don't need anymore, please donate them to the Roslindale Branch now. There is a bin near the library entrance to drop off your donations. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds from the sale will go towards programming and other initiatives at the Roslindale Branch!
March + April Roslindale Book Ambassador
Jennifer Haigh’s new critically acclaimed novel, Mercy Street, is set at an embattled women’s health clinic during Boston’s Snowpocalypse, the unforgettable winter of 2015. Her earlier books include the novels Heat and Light, Faith, The Condition, Baker Towers and Mrs. Kimble, and the short-story collection News From Heaven (all available on our Local Author shelf). Her work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and has been published in 18 languages. As the Roslindale Book Ambassador for March and April 2022, Ms. Haigh has shared some of her most cherished books with us on her virtual bookshelf. This program is a joint effort of Rozzie Bound and Friends of the Roslindale Branch Library.
Adult Book Discussion Club: Mercy Street
Thursday, April 7, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
Join us to discuss Roslindale author Jennifer Haigh's new novel, Mercy Street, which centers on 43-year-old Claudia, who has counseled patients for ten years at downtown Boston's Mercy Street clinic. As anti-abortion protests outside the clinic intensify, Claudia manages her anxiety with frequent visits to her affable pot dealer, where she encounters a random assortment of customers, including Anthony, a lost soul who spends most of his life online, chatting with an anti-abortion crusader who has set his sights on Mercy Street and is ready to risk it all for his beliefs. Register by emailing [email protected] or by calling 617-323-2343.
Attention Local Authors!
Do you have a book coming out in 2022? Please keep us updated so that we can share the news with Rozzie residents in our newsletter and ask our partner at Rozzie Bound to link to the book online. Rozzie Bound generously shares a portion of sales with Friends. Email us at [email protected] the book title, author, format, ISBN, and a brief description.
Join Rozzie Bound's Banned Book Club!
Rozzie Bound is starting up a banned book club to bring more awareness to book bannings in schools and libraries around the country. They created a special bookshelf with critically acclaimed literary masterpieces that, ironically, seek to expose systems of oppression, censorship, and thought control. If you would like to join or learn more about our Banned Book Club, please complete this brief Google Form.
Please help keep our Community Library Network supplied!
The Friends have a team of volunteers who restock the business-based and home-based libraries. What a help they have been for our community during these COVID times too! BUT we need more book donations to keep the libraries stocked. Please drop off gently used, recent, fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books at 631 South St. or email [email protected] for a pickup.
Calling all newly installed little library owners!
The Friends maintains a map of available little libraries in Roslindale and if you recently installed your own, you may not be on it. If you would like to be listed, please email your address to [email protected]
BIPOC Author Preorders
As part of the ongoing conversation about improving equity in the publishing industry, we have worked with Rozzie Bound to create a virtual shelf featuring upcoming books by authors of color that you can preorder now. By preordering, you help drive sales and possible placement on bestseller lists and help publishers pay attention to and better support and uplift authors of color and their readership. The shelf currently lists a number of books from different genres coming out between now and October 2022 and is updated regularly.
Draw Like a Pro: Comic art with Artist in Residence LJ Baptiste
Thursday, April 14, 4:30 PM
For teens 13-18
This multi-session course will give teens in grades 6 through 12 the opportunity to take their knowledge and skills within this incredible medium to the next level. Explore the depths of comic creation as LJ deconstructs the processes and influence behind famed greats in the world of comics and manga, and apply your learning to new work in storytelling and creative artistry! In addition, a solid selection of quality art supplies valued at over $100 per registrant is included. In our April session, young artists will explore character expressions and the nuances that come with them. Attendees will learn to depict motion through illustration (motion blur, action lines, etc) and highlighting composition in comics via word balloons and character placement for proper digestion of material. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/RoslindaleTeenArts.
Makey Makey Invention Workshop with Eric Rosenbaum
Wednesday, April 20, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Best for ages 8 and up - Did you know you can make a piano out of bananas, or a Tetris controller out of play-doh? Makey Makey is an invention kit that lets you turn anything into a computer key. You can use it to create your own musical instruments and game controllers out of everyday materials like cardboard, aluminum foil, hats, stuffed animals, food, furniture, younger siblings, or whatever else you can imagine! The workshop will be led by Makey Makey co-inventor and Roslindale resident Eric Rosenbaum.
Mary Fields: the First Female African American Star Route Mail Carrier in the United States with Muqeedah Salaam (lecture)
Thursday, April 21, 6:30-7:30 PM
Lecturer and historian Muqeedah Salaam explores the fascinating, unconventional life of Mary Fields, who was the first female African American Star Route Carrier for the United States Post Office. Born into slavery, Mary made her way from Tennessee to Montana where she traveled treacherous terrain with her rifle and stagecoach, delivering mail rain or shine, and earning her the name “Stagecoach Mary.”
Noir You Should See Film Series with Emerson Professor Barry Marshall
April 22 & 29
Barry Marshall, Senior Affiliated Faculty member in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Emerson College, will introduce and lead a post-viewing discussion of two lesser-known film noir gems.
April 22 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm - The File on Thelma Jordon (1950) 1 hr 40 min
Assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall falls for the mysterious Thelma Jordon when she seeks help solving robberies of her aunt's estate. Directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, and Paul Kelly.
April 29 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm - The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) 1 hr 20 min
Bachelor Harry Quincey, head designer in a small-town cloth factory, lives with his selfish sisters, glamorous hypochondriac Lettie and querulous widow Hester. His developing relationship with new colleague Deborah Brown promises happiness until thwarted by passive - then increasingly active - opposition from one sister. Will Harry resort to desperate measures? Directed by Robert Siodmak and starring George Sanders, Ella Raines, and Geraldine Fitzgerald.
This Read-Aloud (is NOT JUST A Read-Aloud): A Reading & Signing of Jet the Cat (Is NOT a Cat) featuring author Phaea Crede!
Saturday, April 23, 10:30-11:30 AM
Best for ages 3-5 - Come celebrate spring with an hour of reading and games with picture book author Phaea Crede, who will be reading her debut book, Jet the Cat (Is NOT a Cat), published by Barefoot Books in May 2021. Her next graphic novel-style picture book, Super Pizza & Kid Kale will hit shelves from Viking Books in the fall of 2022.
Online Rozzie Reads Poetry and Open Mic
Thursday, April 21, 7 PM
Featured readers: Jennifer Barber and Charles Coe
RSVP: [email protected]
Knit/Crochet Circle
Tuesdays, 11 AM - 1 PM
Bring your projects and enjoy the company of other crafters. Crafters of all levels are welcome.
Online Spanish Conversation Group
Saturdays, 11 AM - 12 PM
A casual conversation for Spanish speakers of all levels. Email [email protected] to get on the group's email list.
Baby/Toddler Storytime
Tuesdays 10:15 to 10:45 AM
Best for ages 0-2 - Join Miss Celeste for a short book, bouncing songs, baby sign language, and lots of movement activities to promote early literacy.
Preschool Storytime
Wednesdays 10:30 - 11 AM
*There will not be Preschool Storytime on April 20*
Best for ages 3-5 - Miss Celeste will read two to three stories, sing songs, and do activities that promote early literacy and school readiness skills. Note: if your family includes multiple children, please pick one storytime to attend each week. Pick the one that works best for you and your family.
Explore and Play
Fridays at 9:30 - 10:30 AM
Best for ages 0-2 - Come meet new friends and explore different stations full of sensory toys including shakers, bells, and other noisemakers; blocks and magnatiles; play dough; tunnels and playmats, and more! This is an informal playgroup, so feel free to drop in late or leave early to suit your family’s needs.
LEGO Club
Tuesdays, 4:30 to 5:30 PM
The Roslindale Library is excited to bring the LEGO club back to the branch. Join Miss Celeste after school to see what you can build with the library’s collection of LEGO.
Art Explorers
Thursdays, 4:30 to 5:30 PM
*There will be no Art Explorers on April 21*
Come learn about the life and work of famous (and not so famous) artists with Miss Celeste! After reading and listening to a short biography and looking at the artist’s work, kids will have an opportunity to make their own art inspired by the artist of the week. We will explore painting, collage, clay, and more!
Join Virtual Homework Assistance
Monday - Thursday, 3:30 - 5:30 PM
Zoom line: https://boston-public-library.zoom.us/my/bplhap
Please check back for updates. Additional languages will be announced.
Arabic: Monday & Tuesday
Spanish: Tuesday & Thursday
Vietnamese: Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday
Online Race and Inclusion Book Discussion:
Breathe
Saturdays, May 7, 14 & 21
9:15 - 11 AM (Morning) or 2 - 3:45 PM (Afternoon)
This special Mother's Day discussion will focus on Imani Perry's Breathe: A Letter To My Sons. Emotionally raw and deeply reflective, Imani Perry issues an unflinching challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity. She admits fear and frustration for her African American sons in a society that is increasingly racist and at times seems irredeemable. However, as a mother, feminist, writer, and intellectual, Perry offers an unfettered expression of love—finding beauty and possibility in life—and she exhorts her children and their peers to find the courage to chart their own paths and find steady footing and inspiration in Black tradition.
The discussion will happen on Zoom and will be led by local educator Josh Frank. You can get the book from bpl.org or an online bookstore like Rozzie Bound, which has the book listed on the Friends "Black Histories and Futures" adult virtual bookshelf. The Friends will receive 50% of the proceeds from each book sold. You can find the virtual shelf here: https://bookshop.org/shop/rozziebound.
We will have two sessions with 20 participants each on the three dates. Times: Morning session at 9:15-11 AM and an afternoon session at 2-3:45 PM.
To register, please email Roslindale Branch librarian Jennifer Hawes at [email protected]. Please write "Yellow House Discussion" in the subject line when you RSVP.
- You only need to register once for all three dates, even if you think you might miss a date.
- Please choose the morning or afternoon time, and you will be registered for that same time for each date.
- Jennifer will register the first 40 people, 20 each for the morning and afternoon groups. You will get an email if you are registered. If you do not get an email from Jennifer, please assume that you are not registered.
BPL Online Resource Highlight: PressReader
Color full-page and article reproductions of thousands of U.S. and international newspapers and magazines from the last three months.
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