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 branches follow the latest city and state public health guidance. While there will be no capacity limits or social distancing required, library patrons are recommended 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
Are you looking for reliable information about COVID vaccines? The City of Boston has put together a resource guide to help answer your questions.
Summer Reading Bingo
Adult BPL library card holders can play Summer Reading Bingo by filling out some or all of the 24 challenges on a Summer Reading Bingo Card. Bingo cards can be picked up at the library or downloaded and printed. All participants will be entered into a drawing for a $20 gift card to the local independent bookstore of their choice. You can turn in your Bingo Card with at least one completed horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line (BINGO) to receive a BPL Summer Reading tote bag. You can pick up your tote bag from any open BPL location while supplies last. Turn in your Bingo Card with all 24 squares filled out (BLACKOUT) to enter a drawing for a $200 gift card to the local independent restaurant or grocery store of your choice! Play through August 31.
Youth Summer Reading
Oceans of Possibilities
July 5-August 19
For ages 0-17
Complete the Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading Challenge by reading nine books, attending nine programs, or a combination of both. Let us know that you’ve completed the challenge by 5 pm on Friday, August 19th, to be entered in the library’s prize drawings. You can notify us of completion in any of these ways:
- Drop off your completed Reading and Activity Log at any open library location. Library staff can help direct you to the drop-off box.
- Fill out the online form.
- Email a picture of your completed Summer Reading & Activity Log to [email protected]
For more information, go to https://www.bpl.org/youth-summer-reading/.
Read Your Way to Fenway
June 15 to August 5
Children ages 5-17 can enter to win tickets to a Red Sox Game! Read three books, write an essay about your favorite one, and turn it in at any Boston Public Library branch. For more information, go to https://www.bpl.org/read-your-way-to-fenway/.
Read Boston Storymobile
Fridays, 1:15 to 2:00 PM from July 15 to August 5
Best for ages 3-6
Visit the library for interactive stories for children told by professional storytellers! Best of all, every child who attends takes home a free book. No registration is required for individuals, but groups must call ahead to branches to register.
FORL at the Roslindale Farmer's Market
August 6 & September 17, 9AM - 1:30PM
Adams Park
Come visit us at our booth and buy books or just say hello!
Book Discussion Club: Yonder by Jabari Asim
Thursday, August 4 at 6:30-7:30 pm
Join our conversation group and share your insights with others. Email [email protected] to register. September’s book is Ladette Randolph’s 2022 novel Private Way. Jabari Asim is the July + August 2022 Book Ambassador. He is an author, poet, playwright, and associate professor of writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College. Asim has served as the editor-in-chief of Crisis magazine—the NAACP’s flagship journal of politics, culture, and ideas— and as an editor at The Washington Post, where he wrote a syndicated column on politics, popular culture, and social issues. His writing has appeared in Essence, The Baffler, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The New Republic, American Prospect, Yale Review, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts and the author of eight books for adults—including Yonder—and thirteen books for children. His debut book of poems, Stop and Frisk, was published in 2020. His latest books for young readers are Me And Muhammad Ali and A Child’s Introduction to Jazz. Books will be available for purchase at the Rozzie Bound popup or borrowed from the Roslindale Branch. Asim also gave us his list of favorite books.
The Roslindale Book Ambassador Program is a joint effort of the Friends of the Roslindale Branch Library and Rozzie Bound.
Attention Local Authors!
Do you have a book coming out in 2022 or 2023? 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. Please email us at [email protected] the book title, author, format, ISBN, and a brief description.
Summer Reads 2022 Bookshelves!
The Friends has virtual bookshelves with book recommendations for summer reading - adults, young adults/middle graders, and children.
Elementary-Level ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Classes Wednesdays in August, 12:45 – 2 PM
This class is for speakers of other languages who know some basic English and would like to learn more. Students will expand their vocabulary and grammar and practice conversation and writing. Register by emailing [email protected] or calling 617-859-2446. Please note that this is a class rather than a conversation group.
Family Concert with Mr. Aaron
Saturday, August 6, 11 AM
Mr. Aaron is a multi-instrumentalist performer and composer from New Hampshire who makes music and videos for kids ages 0-10 and their grown-ups. His music is upbeat and playful. Come sing and dance along!
Powell & Pressburger Film Series
Join Barry Marshall, Senior Affiliated Faculty member in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Emerson College, to view and discuss films written, directed, and produced by duo Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. No registration is required.
Gone to Earth (AKA The Wild Heart) 1950 Monday, August 8 at 1:30 – 3:30 PM
A Matter of Life and Death (AKA Stairway to Heaven) 1946 Monday, August 22 at 1:30 – 3:30 PM
Teen Anime/Manga Society
Mondays August 1, 8, 15, 29 at 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Watch Anime, talk about Anime and Manga, and try some Manga drawing. For ages 10-18. No registration is required.
Meet Your Neighborhood Age Strong Advocate
Tuesday, August 9, 2 – 4 PM
Age Strong's Mary Sullivan will assist older adults with applying for city services and government benefits and connect them to programs and resources. Mary will return monthly on the second Tuesday from 2:00-4:00 PM. This is a drop-in program; no registration is required.
Frederick Olmsted’s Legacy (Lecture)
Thursday, August 11 at 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Discover the legacy of visionary and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted at this lecture by a National Park Ranger from the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline. This program is in partnership with UMass Boston's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). No registration is required.
Davey the Clown Show
Saturday, August 27, 11 AM
The Roslindale library is thrilled to welcome Davey the Clown back into the building for a live, in-person show. Davey will bring his signature blend of juggling, unicycling, and general crowd-pleasing antics! Come for the laughs; stay for even more laughs.
Anime/Manga Society
Mondays August 1, 8, 15, 29 at 3:30 – 5:00 PM
Watch Anime, talk about Anime and Manga, and try some Manga drawing. For ages 10-18. No registration is required.
Chapter Chats: Family Book Club
Ages 5 and Up
Wednesdays, 4:30 PM
We will read the first chapter of a short book together each week and then do crafts and activities. Copies of the book will be available to check out.
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
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 magnates; 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.
One-on-One Tech Help
By appointment
Get assistance with basic computer skills or with your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Stop by in person or call 617-323-2343 to make an appointment.
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!
Online Race and Inclusion Discussion: Born a Crime
Saturdays, September 10, 17 & 24
9:15 - 11 AM (Morning) or 2 - 3:45 PM (Afternoon)
We will read Trevor Noah's Born a Crime. Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
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 "Born a Crime 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 are still waiting for an email from Jennifer, please assume that you still need to register.
Local Poetry Section
Our Local Poets section has been established! Located by the travel and local history sections, the collection is comprised of poetry volumes donated by the Rozzie Reads Poetry Committee of the Friends of Roslindale Branch Library. The items have been cataloged and are ready to be checked out.
BPL Online Resource Highlight: Knitting and Crochet
Learn about knitting and crochet techniques, yarn, and more in this BPL Research Guide.
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