Join us for a month of fun and educational programming!

Community Art Exhibit: “Frozen Fruit from Siberia: Artwork by Aleksandr Surikov”

Aleksandr Surikov, born in 1971, is a Yakut Siberian Artist and Poet.  He lives and works in his hometown of Irkutsk, Russia and teaches at Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Fine Arts. Mr. Surikov is known for his unusual style of ‘Ironic Primitivism’. His work has been exhibited across Russia, as far away as Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Japan, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, and in the USA, in Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and Brooklyn.  He is in permanent museum collections in Russia and Spain, and in the famed miniatures collection of Italian Art Critic, Eraldo DaVita, where he hangs alongside Matisse and Basquiat.  This Vermont exhibit includes nineteen silkscreen prints (some from Mr. Surikov’s ‘Circus Candy’ series) and three oil paintings from a private collection.  Interest in Mr. Surikov’s work may be directed to Ms. Sieglinde Wood at sieglindevolsung030@gmail.com.

YOUTH SERVICES PROGRAMS

National Gardening Day

Celebrate Spring by planting a couple of flowers to take home with you!

Plant your spot by registering HERE.

Monday, April 13, 3:30-4:30 PM | Community Room

National Librarian Day

Give library staff a high five or fist bump to celebrate National Librarian Day.

Thursday, April 16, 3:30-7 PM | Entire Library

National Karaoke Day

Sing your heart out on National Karaoke Day!

Thursday, April 30, 3:30-4:30 PM | Community Room

LEGO Tuesdays

Free build with your friends or on your own. Creations will be displayed in the library each week and you’ll de-construct your masterpiece the following week. Snacks provided. This is a drop-in event. Children under 5th grade must be accompanied by a caregiver. 

Tuesdays, April 7, 14, 21, 28, 3:30-4:30 PM | Meet in the Community Room

Tabletop Game Wednesdays

We’re playing board games and card games Wednesday afternoons! Play one of the many games we have at the library or bring your own. This is a drop-in event. Children under 5th grade must be accompanied by a caregiver. 

Wednesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2:30-4:00 PM | Meet in the Community Room

EARLY LITERACY

Storytime

Join us in the Community Room for an interactive morning full of stories, songs, rhymes, and dancing. All you need to bring is your enthusiasm. Be ready to shake your sillies out– singing and laughter is encouraged! Stay and play during social hour after storytime. All ages welcome.

Wednesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 10:30-11:30 AM | Community Room

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

The Light Pirate Discussion

Read The Light Pirate and join others in a discussion led by NPL favorite Suzanne Brown.

Tuesday, April 14, 7 – 8:30 PM | Community Room

Homes for Norwich – Elizabeth Carpenter Song, Families on the Edge

Dartmouth professor Elizabeth-Carpenter Song will discuss her book, Families on the Edge: Experiences of Homelessness and Care in Rural New England. Her ethnographic study follows five families over the course of 10 years in the Upper Valley. This is a very affecting book that highlights the problem of housing insecurity right in our community. We hope you will join us for this discussion. Several copies of the book will be available to check out at NPL.

Thursday, April 9, 6:30-7:30 PM | Community Room

Bringing Green Burial to the Upper Valley

Lee Webster, Director of NH Funeral Resources & Education, Natural Burial NH, and White Mountain Conservation Burial will lead this presentation. 

How we care for our dead has a tangible impact on the earth. From industrial body care outsourcing to concrete vaults to flame cremation, we have distanced ourselves from processes that are having an impact on our culture and environment in significant ways. Join us as we explore the principles of sustainable funeral options that seek to promote climate resiliency, address funeral poverty, and create community. We’ll also learn about what’s happening to create independent, sustainable burial options here in the Upper Valley and what you can do to help.

Wednesday, April 15, 6:30 – 7:30 PM | Community Room

Facing a Flooded World: Why Relationship is the Sweetest Way

Central Vermont endured catastrophic flooding in 2023 and 2024. Now, the horizon looks different. An America with less disaster response support seems likely, while the planet continues to warm and the rain falls hard and fast. This presentation by Shawna Trader from Barre Up! will explore several examples of community building projects which, in turn, are proving to be pathways towards resilience.

We are not doomed to endure passively the rising water and the changeful times. Community care is possible and necessary. We’ll explore The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton and how this prescient story points to the power of relationship as we look to the future.

Thursday, April 23, 5:30-7 PM | Community Room

Advance Transit Brown Line Community Discussion

In partnership with Advance Transit, the Library will host a community discussion about the Brown line between Hanover and Norwich. AT wants to hear feedback from Norwich residents about this service. We’re hoping to create a welcoming space for people to share information on their current needs — what’s working well, what could be improved, and whether existing services are meeting their day-to-day transportation needs. Insights from these conversations would help inform future service planning and ensure that transit better reflects the experiences of the community. Registration required. REGISTER HERE.

Saturday, April 25, 10:30 AM – 11:30 PM | Community Room

Homes for Norwich – Andrew Winter Twin Pines

Andrew Winter, the executive director of Twin Pines Housing Trust, will tell us what affordable housing means here in the Upper Valley: how the homes fit into our neighborhoods; how the residents benefit from living near jobs, schools, and community services; and what it takes to make all this happen in a place not typically prioritized by policymakers or funders in either state capital. A resident of Norwich, Winter will reflect on why more and better housing options help all of our communities thrive.

Thursday, April 30, 6:30-7:30 PM | Community Room

ADULT PROGRAMS

Memory Café

A Memory Café is a program designed to bring together individuals with memory loss and their care partners to socialize, share experiences, engage in activities that promote cognitive function and overall well-being, and for caregivers to find resources for daily living and future planning. 

NPL’s Memory Café is made possible by a generous Community Grant donation from the Norwich Women’s Club.

For questions or to RSVP, email Lisa Milchman at lisa.milchman@norwichlibrary.org or call 802-649-1184

Monday, April 6, 10 – 11:30 AM 

Adult Arts & Crafts Creation Time

Whether you’re a knitter or a painter, drawer or scrapbooker, sign-maker or origami-folder, come hang out at the library and work on whatever project you’ve got going in this once-a-month gettogether.

The library will have some materials and tools available for use.
Water colors, pastels, markers, colored pencils, button making, sewing things, scrap fabrics, and so much more!

Monday, April 13, 5:30-7 PM | Community Room

NPL Writing Group

NPL’s friendly monthly writing group! Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just interested in dabbling, come on by. NPL staff will facilitate playing with writing prompts, discussing great writing, and sharing as we go.

Register HERE to reserve your spot for our April gathering (you can indicate on the form if you are interested in having an excerpt of your own writing workshopped during the session). 

The group will meet every third Tuesday of the month. Monthly participation is encouraged, but there’s no commitment. New members are always welcome!

Tuesday, April 21, 1-2:30 | Community Room

Tech Help

Did you get a new device recently? Can’t seem to get ebooks to download? Need to set up email or run a confusing update? We are here for you! Easily make an appointment and stop by on Thursday afternoons or at our Friday time to let us troubleshoot all your tech-related challenges.

Thursdays, 1-4 PM & Fridays, 11 AM-1 PM | Call 802-649-1184 or email circulation.desk@norwichlibrary.org to make an appointment