Thank you to everyone who supported Clark Memorial Library during the 2026 Great Give last week – we exceeded our goals with close to 100 donors, making this the most successful Great Give the Library has ever taken part in. Such strong support from our community is what allows the Library to continue to grow and improve!
We’ve worked hard to make Clark Memorial Library a special place for the children and adults of our community – a place where people can attend a storytime, a D&D session, or a stitch-along, create something in our Makerspace, or browse for a book, movie or puzzle to take home and enjoy. On Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7, the Library will be participating in the annual Great Give. This 36-hour event raises money and awareness for many causes important to our region, with valuable matching funds and prizes from The Community Foundation, the Valley Community Foundation and other generous sponsors.
Please make a donation on the Bethany Library Association’s page on the Great Give websiteduring the event to support Clark Memorial Library – any amount helps! This year, we’d like to ask for your help to let a little more light into our building: twenty-eight of our windows are in sore need of replacing. We are focusing our campaign on much-needed renovations to make our building shine just a bit brighter.
Thank you for all your help – the Library is a better place because of you!
Book Donation Day
On Saturday, April 25 the Friends of the Library will be on-site from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM to accept new and lightly used book donations for the Friends of the Library Book Sale in the downstairs entryway. Children’s books and recently published adult fiction will be prioritized, and hardcover is preferred over paperback, but all books in good shape will be considered. Thank you for supporting the Friends and the Library!
This April, Clark Memorial Library and more than 100 other public libraries in Connecticut will once again be taking part in the Connecticut Library Association‘s Passport to CT LibrariesProgram! We hope that participants will take the opportunity to visit as many participating libraries as possible to experience and appreciate their unique architecture, vibes, and collections. Remember, you can use your library card at any Connecticut library!
The Passport program is open to both children (under 18) and adults (18 and up). Visit Clark Memorial Library any time between April 1 & April 30 to pick up a Passport and have it stamped to get you started. Then take your Passport along as you visit other participating libraries (listed here), and be sure to get it stamped at each location!
If you visit at least five participating libraries, you can return your Passport to a participating library by Monday, May 11 to enter a state-wide raffle with a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. Six winners will be announced in mid-June: one child and one adult who collected five or more stamps, one child and one adult who collected twenty-five or more stamps, and one child and one adult who collected the most stamps overall. Clark Memorial Library will also be offering a small prize to the Bethany patron who collects the most stamps, sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
Have fun exploring, and good luck!
Mark your calendars for another Paint and Sip event organized by the Friends of the Library! Join local artist Zach Chernak on Saturday, April 11, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM; he will guide participants through the creation of a special spring painting, accompanied by wine and light refreshments. All materials will be provided, and no prior experience is necessary!
Space is limited and participants must sign up in advance; cost is $20.00 per person paid in advance. Call the Library at (203) 393-2103 to register, or for more information.
Bethany Rid Litter Day is coming up!
Bethany Rid Litter Day is a community event to clean up trash on the sides of the roads of Bethany. This year Rid Litter Day will take place on Saturday, April 11, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Cleanup supplies (including safety vest, pick up tools, gloves and trash bags) will be available Friday, April 10, 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the Library, or by appointment. Contact BethanyRidLitterDay@gmail.com for more information.
Clark Memorial Library and Willow Tree Montessori invite families with young children (ages 0-3) to join a representative from Willow Tree at the Library for a special Montessori Morning storytime on Saturday, March 14! This is a drop-in event that will start at 10:30 AM.
Willow Tree hopes to share the love of language with rich vocabulary through stories, songs, and poems. For more information about Willow Tree Montessori, visit their website at wtm.earth.
Bedazzled Books
Bring your favorite book to the Library from 12:00 – 3:00 PM on Saturday, March 14 and make it sparkle with bedazzling gems!
This program is open to adults only (ages 21+). You must bring your own book to bedazzle, but all other materials will be provided. Please consider that more detailed book cover designs will be more difficult to accent with the gems.
The program will take place in the Library’s Community Room – space is limited. There will be a maximum of 15 participants and registration is required. Contact the Library at 203-393-2103 or clarkmain@bethanylibrary.org to register; if you register but cannot attend, please let us know as far in advance as possible so that your spot can be opened back up.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
The art teachers of Amity High School and the Bethany and Orange branches of Amity Middle School are collaborating with Arts@Clark! to display student artwork at the Library during February and March. Stop by any time during Library hours to see the work of a new generation of artists downstairs in the glass art displays and the Community Room!
An artist reception will take place on Wednesday, March 4, from 5:00 – 6:30 PM in the Community Room.
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!
