50 Hopedale Street, Hopedale Contact: Tricia Perry, Library Director  508-634-2209

[email protected]

Labor Day

The Bancroft Memorial Library will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 3 and Monday, Sept. 5 in observance of Labor Day.

Friday Hours

Friday hours will return to 1-5pm beginning on Sept. 9.

Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! Any resident of Massachusetts is eligible for a library card free of charge. All you need is a picture I.D. and proof of a Massachusetts address. To learn more about the library’s resources and programs, please visit our website: www.hopedale-ma.gov/bancroft-memorial-library/bancroft-memorial-library.

BML Celebrates Banned Books Week

The Bancroft Memorial Library celebrates Banned Books Week, Sept. 18-24. Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. It spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. This year’s theme is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” 

Intellectual Freedom: Fighting the Good Fight with Martin Garnar, PhD - Save the Date!

On Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7pm, the Hopedale Unitarian Church and The Friends of the Hopedale Library invite you to join in a community conversation led by Martin Garnar, Director of the Amherst College Library, Chair of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, and Editor of the 10th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual.  Across the country there has been an overwhelming increase in the number of materials challenged in school districts and public libraries. Join us as we explore the themes of freedom of expression, the intersection of intellectual freedom and social justice, and the rights of readers. To sign up, please call the Library at (508)634-2209.

Ongoing Monthly Library Events

Helen Symonds Book Group

The Helen Symonds Book Group meets in the Library Program Room at 1:00 pm on the first Wednesday of every month. Everyone is welcome to join the group. If interested, please call the library at (508)634-2209 to request a copy of the discussion book.  

The group returns on Wednesday, September 7 at 1pm to discuss Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. “A resourceful Puritan woman in 1662 Boston plots to escape a violent marriage only to find herself targeted by her disapproving and superstitious neighbors for failing to save a child’s life.” – CW MARS Catalog

The group will meet in October to discuss 11/22/63 by Stephen King. “Receiving a horrific essay from a GED student with a traumatic past, high-school English teacher Jake Epping is enlisted by a friend to travel back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a mission for which he must befriend troubled loner Lee Harvey Oswald.” –adapted from CW MARS catalog

Wednesday Needlework Group

Join us for an evening of needlework every Wednesday night from 6:00pm until 7:45pm. Bring your latest project. No commitment required – come when you can!

The Friends of the Hopedale Library

The Friends of the Hopedale Library are pleased to host local historian Linda Hixon as she presents Hopedale’s Hidden History: Who is Miss Margie, Wednesday, September 21st at 6:30 pm. This program is free to the public and will be held in the downstairs program room. To sign up, please stop by the upstairs registration desk or call the library at 508-634-2209.

The Humphrey family was very important in the Hopedale Community. In his History of Milford, Adin Ballou called Almira and William “among our most exemplary people,” and he praised their daughter Lizzie, calling her “our excellent artistic designer” and noted her “sterling moral character.” Lizzie became a successful artist, and a search for her in newspaper archives shows acclaim for her illustrations.

But the Humphrey family had a secret. Around 1860, just before Lizzie’s 20th birthday, a child was born. Margie, born when Almira was 51, was listed as Almira’s and William’s daughter in the 1865 Mass state census. But Ballou, the town’s minister, never mentioned Margie in his 1882 book and he called Lizzie Humphrey the couple’s “only surviving daughter.” Margie was still living with the family in the 1880 federal census and was very much alive in 1886. Which begs the question: who was Margie Humphrey?

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Hopedale Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

News from the Marjorie Hattersley Children’s Room

“Kids Plus One”Book Club

Join our newest book club for kids in grades 3 and 4 on Monday evenings (biweekly on Sep 19, Oct 3, Oct 17) from 6-7pm! Bring an adult of your choice and discuss books! Books will be provided. Begins September 12 and lasts 5 weeks. Please call Mrs. Kraimer to register at (508)634-2209. 

Story Hour with Mrs. Kraimer

Story Hour will begin again on Tuesdays (Sep 13-Oct 11) at 3:30pm! Join Mrs. Kraimer for stories, flannel boards, music, and crafts! Call Mrs. Kraimer to register at (508)634-2209. Ages 3-6

Mother Goose

It’s Mother Goose time! Enjoy stories, puppets, music, and rhymes on Thursday mornings at 10:30am (Sep 15-Oct 13). Please call Mrs. Kraimer to register at (508)634-2209. Ages 2+

Come Sail with Me!

Sail away with Mrs. Kraimer on Saturday, September 17 at 11am! Listen to nautical tales and make a wooden sailboat! Please call Mrs. Kraimer to register at 508-634-2209. Ages 3+

“Check It Out”

Coming in October!                                                                                                                       The library’s annual “Check It Out” contest for grades K-3 at Memorial Elementary School is coming in October! During this four-week contest, children are urged to visit the Library to check out a book and earn points for their class. The winning class will win a pizza dinner and special evening event chosen just for them at the Library. Be on the lookout for a visit from Mrs. Kraimer this month to explain more!

For updates throughout the month, Friend us on Facebook and sign up at www.wowbrary.org to discover the Library’s newest books, movies and music.