Access CreativeBug Through The Library!

Did you know that you can access thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes through CreativeBug with just your library card? Visit creativebug.com/lib/clarkmemorial and use your library card number to sign in for free. You’ll have unlimited access to countless projects you’ll love – it’s a great way to learn new skills and find fun ways to apply the ones you already enjoy!

Once you’ve created an account through our website, you can also access CreativeBug on mobile devices by downloading the CreativeBug app through the App Store or Google Play. Contact the Library at clarkmain@bethanylibrary.org or call 203-393-2103 for more info or assistance.

Join us on January 7 for Clark Memorial Library’s Take Your Child to the Library Day Celebration! Take Your Child to the Library Day is an event celebrating libraries’ role in their communities and encourages library visits; it originated right here in Connecticut, but thousands of libraries across the world now participate every year.

We will be celebrating with a special Storytime with Willow Tree Montessori from 10:30 – 11:30 AM, a marionette rendition of “The Snow Queen” from 2:00 – 2:45 PM, and a “What Can You Make With A Dot?” makerspace craft that will be offered all day (and throughout the rest of February)! You can also get a library card if you don’t have one already (they’re free!), meet your local librarians, and explore all the services that the Library has to offer on a daily basis. And be sure to stop in again soon – because every day is a great day to take your child to the library!

In anticipation of Take Your Child to the Library Day, we’ve filled our display shelves with “books about books” – stories that take place in libraries and bookstores, about characters who either enjoy reading from the start or learn to through their adventures, and (of course) featuring lots of books! Next time you’re here, grab a book from these displays to celebrate books, reading, libraries, and their places in our lives – and don’t forget to stop by on February 7 for our official Take Your Child to the Library Day Celebration, featuring a special storytime, marionette show, and craft. Check the Calendar of Events for more details!

New on our Read-Alike Shelf (by the public computers upstairs) are LSC Featured Reads – books that have been featured in the Library’s LSC Virtual Author Talks! Bookmarks indicate whether each book features in an upcoming or an archived Talk, along with a QR Code and link to the relevant collection.

If you enjoy a book you find on the display, take the opportunity to learn more about both the book and its author by watching their LSC Author Talk! Featured books for younger readers will also be on display in areas appropriate to their reading level, so keep an eye out for Featured Reads bookmarks when you visit.

Stop by the Friends of the Library nook at the bottom of the stairs to grab a Take n’ Make Craft bag from the basket. These kits come with a full set of supplies and instructions to create a fun craft project at home, and there’s an assortment of options to choose from! Supplies are limited – please only take one kit per child per family.

On the lookout for more at-home craft projects? Check out CreativeBug, which provides access to thousands of award-winning art and craft video classes. Visit creativebug.com/lib/clarkmemorial and use your library card number to create an account for free!

What can you do with just a dot?

Join us in the Makerspace during Library hours in February for a special craft inspired by The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds – a book that encourages children to “make their mark” artistically, even if it’s with just a dot to start. We will provide plenty of art supplies for participants to decorate custom “dots” however they want!

This craft is part of our celebration of Take Your Child to the Library Day, a national event that celebrates libraries’ role in their communities and encourages library visits! Be sure to get a library card while you’re here if you don’t have one already, and join us on February 7 at 2:00 PM for a marionette production of “The Snow Queen” by local artist and puppeteer Robin McCahill!

Our workshop series with local artist Susan Taddei is back!

The second run of the Library Quilt Bee will take place over 5 sessions on January 24, 2:00 – 4:00 PM; February 5, 4:30 – 6:30 PM; and February 21, March 7, & March 21, 2:00 – 4:00 PM. No prior experience is necessary! Susan will be teaching participants fabric preparation and ironing, rotary cutting, strip piecing, easy triangles, layer tying, and edge binding. The result will be a 9″ x 9″ square sampler.

You must attend all 5 sessions to complete the sampler. We supply all materials – come free your inner quilter in a relaxed afternoon atmosphere! Space is limited; call the Library to register at 203-393-2103.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Have you seen the Bethany Bicentennial Quilt?
Created in 1976 by the Friends of the Library of the time and featuring both sewn images of local landmarks and more traditional quilting patterns, it’s a real piece of both the town and the Library’s history! It’s currently on display downstairs in the Community Room, along with a list of the participants and a “map” to help match names to squares. Stop by and take a look next time you’re at the Library!

Starting January 9, Clark Memorial Library will once again be open on Fridays, from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM! We hope you’ll take the opportunity to stop by and enjoy everything we have to offer more often!