Thursday, September 26
Nonfiction Book Group
2 p.m.—3 p.m.
Event Center (105)
Join the monthly Nonfiction Book Group to read and discuss the latest and greatest in nonfiction! Adult Services Librarian Wesley Sueker facilitates with prompts and fun author facts to get the discussion rolling. Attend to discuss our latest pick, or just come by to listen and help pick next month’s book.
This month we’ll be discussing: The Manicurist’s Daughter by Susan Lieu
Registration is required and limited to 15 attendants.
Kid’s Craft Afternoon
3:30 p.m.—4:30 p.m.
Killam Children’s Room (101)
Children of any age and caregivers can visit the Children’s Room between 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. to make a craft to take home. Working freely with crafts enhances pre-literacy in children with practice in sequencing steps, hand-eye coordination, etc. No registration required.
This program is sponsored by both the Oliver P. Killam, Jr. Fund and craft supply donations from the public.
Saturday, September 28
Offsite: Sustainability Fair at Brown School
10 a.m.—2 p.m.
Marblehead High School
NOTICE: This event has been moved to the Brown School at 40 Baldwin Road.
Abbot Public Library will be at the Sustainability Fair! Learn about how libraries support sustainability efforts and check out our books and resources on sustainability.
Also at the Sustainability Fair: get an opportunity to test drive an electric vehicle, try out electric lawn equipment, explore the latest green technology, discover ways to reduce waste, visit student displays, participate in fun children’s crafts, view our poster contest winners, hear from knowledgeable speakers and much more!
Find out more at https://www.sustainablemarblehead.org/sustainability-fair.
Frances Perkins: Meet the Unsung Heroine Behind the New Deal: Part 1
2 p.m.—3 p.m.
Event Center (105)
Register to attend Part 1 online via Zoom
Register to attend Part 1 in person below
If you would also like to attend Part 2, please register
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Abbot Public Library will host a portrayal of the first woman to serve in the U.S. Cabinet: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s (FDR’s) Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins. Come dive into stories from this woman who defied the conventions of her middle-class Worcester upbringing to become a trailblazer for women in government, warrior for the working poor, and instigator of numerous worker-related programs and laws. These include Social Security, the 40-hour workweek and minimum wage. In Part 1 of this 2-part series, you will learn about the tragedies, trials, and triumphs that shaped Perkins’ early life and career. Registration is required to attend in person or via Zoom – please register at abbotlibrary.org/events.
Part 2 continues on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 6:30 p.m. with the story of the 12 years Perkins spent as FDR’s Secretary of Labor during the Depression, New Deal and World War ll. It is not necessary to have seen Part 1 in order to enjoy Part 2.
Janet Parnes of Historical Portrayals by Lady J, Millis will portray Frances Perkins. Parnes has been educating, entertaining, and inspiring audiences ages 7-adult with portrayals of underappreciated American women (and events) for more than 15 years. Portrayals whisk audiences back into life into the Colonial, Federalist, Victorian and World War eras. Parnes’ extensive research, attention to detail, and writing talent result in historically accurate performances that inform audiences and make them feel as if they are chatting with a friend.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of Abbot Public Library and the Marblehead League of Women Voters.
Monday, September 30
Minecraft Program: Civil Engineering
5 p.m.—6:30 p.m.
Thompson Makerspace (102)
Unleash your creativity as you plan and construct a bustling cityscape in Minecraft. Design airports, skyscrapers, restaurants, fire houses, and more!
The presenters will provide 10 tablets for the students to use for the program night, and the program is limited to 10 children in grades 4-6. Online registration is required – please register below.
This program is sponsored by the Oliver P. Killam, Jr., Fund.
Evening Chess Instruction with Flynn MacCallum
6 p.m.—7 p.m.
Killam Children’s Room (101)
Students in grades 2-6 are invited to weekly evening chess instruction by high school student Flynn at levels from beginner through advanced players on Mondays in the Children’s Room. The Children’s Room will provide chess boards and pieces.
Online registration is required – please register below.
This program is sponsored by the Oliver P. Killam, Jr. Fund.
Tuesday, October 1
Story Time Yoga with Lindsey Kravitz
10:30 a.m.—11 a.m.
Event Center (105)
Songs and games and plenty of yoga poses enliven the interactive yoga instruction. Caregivers are asked to please remember to bring along a small blanket or mat! This program is open to children ages 18 months – 4 years, and caregivers are required to be present. Online registration is required – please register below.
This program is sponsored by the Oliver P. Killam, Jr. Fund.
Open House for Teachers
3 p.m.—4 p.m.
Event Center (105), Killam Children’s Room (101), Killam Teen Center (104)
Join Abbot Public Library Director Kimberly Grad for an introduction and tour of Abbot Public Library. We will start in the Event Center and will then have the opportunity to tour the new Thompson Makerspace and the new podcasting studio as well as a short visit with our Children’s and Teen Librarians in the Killam Children’s Room and the Killam Teen Center.
Online registration is required – please register online.
Prior to moving into library management, Kimbery Grad spent several years as a frontline children’s librarian at Brooklyn Public Library, which included hosting numerous class visits at branch libraries in neighborhoods such as Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Heights, Windsor Terrace and Park Slope. Later in the Youth and Family Services Department, she became the library’s School Age Coordinator which included leading a popular systemwide Summer Reading program and creating literacy and STEM programs for children ages 6-12. She has been a member of the Association for Library Service to Children for 16 years, serving on numerous book award selection committees. Most recently, she was a member of the 2022 Newbery Award Selection Committee.
Wednesday, October 2
Story Time A-Go-Go
10:30 a.m.—11 a.m.
Courtyard
Children are invited to our weekly Wednesday program with stories and movement led by early childhood educator Debbie Leibowitz. Story Time A-Go-Go is for kids ages 1-4 years old in the Events Center. Online registration is required – please register below.
This program is sponsored by the Oliver P. Killam, Jr. Fund.
On the Trail of Your Family Roots: A Six-Week Genealogy Course at Abbot Public Library
6 p.m.—7:30 p.m.
Event Center (105)
**This class is WAITLIST ONLY at this time***
The class dates for this series are: Sept. 11 & Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, 9, 16 & 30
Starting Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., join Linda B. MacIver as she leads a six-week course where patrons will learn how to gather and organize historical materials and search online genealogy and biography tools and resources accessible through Abbot Public Library, Boston Public Library and various databases, vital records and local newspapers. Participants will apply their new research skills to discover the names, dates and places of their family’s origins, and an entire class will be dedicated to finding immigrant ancestors and learning about naturalization. At the end of the course, participants will display the culmination of their findings and how to continue research on their own.
PLEASE NOTE: Space is limited and participants must have basic computer skills and are required to attend the first two classes on Sept. 11 and Sept. 25 from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
About Linda B. MacIver: Linda spent 27 years at Boston Public Library where she inaugurated the BPL patron genealogy classes, taught multi-week beginners’ genealogy courses and organized two seasons of the Local and Family History series and developed the Intermediate Genealogy Summer Lecture series. MacIver is the former Civil Records Director for Federal Records for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council and a member of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) and the Essex (MA) Society of Genealogists (ESOG). She also serves as the New England Representative for Essex (England!) Record Office. MacIver has a bachelor’s in history from the University of New Hampshire, a master’s in education from Boston University and a master’s in library and information science at Simmons College.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Marblehead Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.