Library News
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Franklin Public Library is currently closed to the public. Curbside Pickup is available Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the vestibule of the entrance at the top of the parking lot ramp. Library Staff are available by phone (508-520-4941) and email (frkill@minlib.net) Monday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday hours are not available at this time.
The Library will be closed and Curbside Pickup will not be available on Wednesday, November 11 for Veteran's Day, and Thursday, November 26 for Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, November 25, the Library will be closing at 2:00 p.m., and Curbside Pickup will only be available 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
No donations are being accepted at this time. Please do not place them in the return bins or outside the building.
Curbside Pickup
How it works:
- Place a hold in the Minuteman Library Network catalog https://find.minlib.net
- Wait for a notification (email, text, phone call)
- Pick up your items at the Library Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the glass vestibule entrance at the top of the ramp.
- Items are filed by your last name on book carts
- Your items are already checked out to you, just bring them home!
- Prefer to make a request by phone? Give us a call between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 508-520-4941. We can place up to five holds per phone call.
Returns:
- Please return items in the return slots at the top of the ramp, to the left of the glass doors.
- To return an oversized item, call the Circulation Desk during Curbside Pickup hours and a staff person will meet you at the door to accept the item.
- Please call the Circulation Desk with any questions, or if you have mobility issues: 508-520-4941.
How to Get a Library Card While the Library is Closed
Apply for a Public Library Card Online!
If you have never had a Minuteman library card, click the link below to get a 6-month Minuteman library card. Please visit the Franklin Public Library when it is open to complete the library card application. When you pick up your card you must present a photo ID and proof of address.
Please sign up using a valid email address. Your temporary barcode and username will be emailed to you.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A FRANKLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY CARD!
Your temporary number allows you to:
- Login to My Account and establish a password.
- Use state-provided online research databases within Massachusetts only.
- Place up to 5 requests on Books, DVDs, CDs, etc. in the Minuteman Catalog for pickup at a Minuteman library.
- Use our Digital Catalog.
How to complete the registration:
- Pick up your full service library card at the Franklin Public Library once they reopen.
- After 6 months, temporary accounts, including item requests, are deleted.
- Please mention that you have already registered for a temporary card and bring your temporary library number or a copy of the confirmation email.
- When you pick up your card you must present a photo ID and proof of address.
New Materials
See the latest additions to the Franklin Public Library's collection of books, movies, and music for all ages!
https://www.franklinma.gov/franklin-public-library/pages/new-materials
Online Resources
Even though we are closed to the public, the Library still has so much to offer! Here are updates and information regarding the Library's services during this closure:
- Our digital library is still open! Explore our collection of audiobooks, ebooks, and more at https://minuteman.overdrive.com/ . On your phone or tablet, download the Libby and Minuteman Library Network apps!
- Try out Kanopy, hoopla, and Consumer Reports on the Featured Databases page (exclusively available to Franklin residents).
- Learn something new, find articles for school assignments, read newspapers like the New York Times, or pick up a new skill using the links on our Databases & Research Resources page.
- Don't have a Library card? Apply for one online here https://library.minlib.net/selfreg ! This will give you access to all of our online resources and apps.
- Tune in to our Facebook page for streaming storytimes, book discussions, and other live programs. https://www.facebook.com/FranklinPublicLibrary/
- For email Reference service, or help with your library account, send questions to frkill@minlib.net . Inquiries will be answered within 24 hours.
- Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!
Programs for Children and Teens
Weekly Virtual Events for Kids!
Wake Up Wiggles! Mondays 10:30AM on Facebook Live!
Zoom Tummy Time for Babies! Tuesdays @9:30AM
email Miss Caleigh at ckeating@minlib.net to register for Tummy Time!
Zoom Toe Tapping Tuesdays! (Super Silly Dance Class for Ages 2+!) Tuesdays @4:00PM
email Miss Bree at bcomeau@minlib.net to register for Cool Cruisers!
Bookworm Bounce! Thursdays @4:00PM on Facebook Live!
Zoom Book Club for Kids Grades 3-5 (Alternating Saturday afternoons at 3:30PM)
Kids in Grades 3-5! Join us for awesome book discussions and fun activities! We are currently reading the 39 Clues Book 3 (The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis) and having a blast trying to solve all the mysteries and make predictions with this thrilling series! Email ckeating@minlib.net to get involved!
Reader's Choice Zoom Book Club for Teens!
Join a group of avid readers as we choose a YA book or series to read together and then discuss over zoom! This casual book club meets on zoom at the convenience of the members, and we decide what to read together, and LOVE getting recommendations! Email ckeating@minlib.net to get involved!
Teen Advisory Board, 2nd Wednesday of the Month on Zoom @7:30PM!
Teens! Want to get involved at the library from a distance? Join us as we plan teen-centric events, book displays, revamp our website and more! The perfect way to earn community service hours remotely! Email ckeating@minlib.net to get involved!
Special Programs for Families
Diwali Zoom Cooking Class
Saturday, November 7, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Join Miss Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen for a special zoom cooking class for kids and their grown ups! We will be making a special version of Gujjia in honor of Diwali! To register and receive the recipe and zoom link, please email ckeating@minlib.net!
Take and Make Craft: Diwali Diyas!
November 9-13
The library is celebrating Diwali with a special take-home craft kit! Pick up your very own clay diya lamp to decorate during the week of Diwali! Come to the library between 10AM-4:30PM and call the children's room (508-520-4941 ext 2) to pick up your very own diya and some supplies to decorate! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED! Diya kits will be distributed on a first come first serve basis!
Programs for Adults
Hungrytown
Sunday, November 15, 3:00 p.m.
After more than a decade of world-wide touring and three album releases, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson--otherwise known as the folk duo Hungrytown--have earned a reputation for the quality and authenticity of their songwriting: "It's great to hear an act eschew sentimentality in favor of honesty and to prove that you don't have to go raiding the memory of others to find the stuff that really good songs are made of," writes Jedd Beaudoin of Popmatters. Lyricist Hall is credited with compositions "that sound as timeless as any traditional songs" (Northern Sky, UK) while producer/multi-instrumentalist/husband Ken Anderson is lauded for his "remarkable affinity for instrumental embellishment" (No Depression) and for crafting Hungrytown's "gorgeous vocal harmonies" (Folk and Roots, UK). The couple continues to spend more than half of each year on the road, especially roads in North America, Europe and New Zealand. Hungrytown's music has received extensive radio airplay worldwide and has appeared on several television shows, including the Independent Film Channel's hit series, Portlandia.
For more information, please visit https://hungrytown.net . This performance will take place on Facebook Live http://facebook.com/hungrytown .
Kitchen Table Art Workshop: Chakra Gemstone & Lava Bead Bracelet
Sunday, November 15, 3:00 p.m.
Are you balanced and grounded in mind and body? We will create a stretch bracelet with gemstone beads and lava rock beads as we explore the significance of the chakra design. Your favorite essential oil can be placed on the lava beads to create a personal aromatherapy diffuser. This workshop is for adult and young adult artists and non-artists, no experience needed.
The Kitchen Table Art Workshop series is an online studio workshop to foster creativity and encourage experimentation. For more info and registration, please visit www.thecreativitycurator.com. Registration deadline is November 5th. Registration required. Please register early if you would like to receive one of the kits since quantities are limited. Priority is for Franklin residents. Registrants who don't receive a kit will be provided with a supply list to assemble their own.
Contact: Jacqueline Burke Volpe at thecreativitycurator@gmail.com .
Franklin Public Library Book Club, Tuesday, November 24, 7:00 p.m.
The book for discussion is The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides.
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening, her husband, Gabriel, returns home late from work, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure psychiatric unit in North London. Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia's story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a path more unexpected, more terrifying than he ever imagined--a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.
To reserve a copy of the book or for more information, please contact Assistant Library Director Kim Shipala at kshipala@minlib.net . To register, please visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuqupjgoGd0XAfQuUAIIChGwkzLwWWsx .
