If wishing for peace on earth seems ambitious this holiday season...

Maybe start with household peace and work up from there. If this sounds good, we have some tools to help: materials to keep your family blissfully entertained, art that makes masks fun again, and even a place to escape if the "quiet" part is missing from your "peace and..."

Friday Dec. 24th: Library Closed Saturday Dec. 25th: Library Closed Sunday Dec. 26th: Library Open 12-5

Don't get left out in the cold, plan your holiday reading now

The Library will be closed on December 24th and 25th, so plan your reading ahead of time. If you're too busy to drop by to pick up a cozy read and heartwarming holiday movies, our digital collection is always open!

Here are a few of our always available favorites for reading together in front of the fire:

Book your peace and quiet online

The library has 3 small study rooms available for patron use, independently or for two people. At this time, we are also utilizing a conference room as "Study Room 4" to allow for up to 4 people to study together and maintain social distance.

Study Room 1 and Study Room 4 may now be reserved in advance online. Each reservation is for 2 hours, but patrons may continue to use the room as long as no one else has reserved the space.

Study Room 2 and Study Room 3 are first-come-first-serve. All patrons that wish to use any study room must check in at the Reference Desk first.

Our Study Rooms are open, but please be advised:

Some rooms are of small enough size so that physical distancing is not possible
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 is advised to stay home, call their doctor, and seek testing. Should you become symptomatic after sharing this study room with another person not in your own family please contact them and seek testing for COVID-19 as you would have been close contacts of one another.
Please do not leave your valuables unattended in a study room

Visit our website for more information or to reserve a space.

In the gallery: A World of Masks

Until 30, 2021

Eric Dwinnells has worked with adults with developmental differences at Advocates Life Skills and Learning Center in Ashland, MA since 1999. For the past several years, he has been the Senior Case Manager for the Community Based Day Services (CBDS) PROGRAM. The CBDS program is dedicated to exploring the abilities and interests of program participants with a special focus on helping them develop skills to attain gainful employment and become fully participatory members of their community. When not exploring the community, program participants stay onsite working on various skills including arts and crafts. Because masks are still required at the Life Skills and Learning Center, Eric thought it might be interesting and fun for the CBDS group to learn about how and why different cultures from around the world wore masks and to try to re-create some themselves. Each individual was assigned a culture to research and a mask to attempt to recreate. Working mostly in paper mache, it took several months to make masks for each participant, but the CBDS program worked together to create over 20 masks representing diverse cultures from many different eras.

About Advocates, in their words.

"Advocates champions people who face developmental, mental health, or other life challenges. We partner with individuals and families to shape creative solutions to even the greatest obstacles. First, we listen. Then, together, we do what it takes to help people thrive.

Advocates provides a broad range of services for people facing life challenges such as aging, autism, brain injury, intellectual disabilities, substance use disorders, and serious mental health conditions. With Advocates’ help, thousands of individuals and families living in Massachusetts are finding the supports they need to lead healthy, productive, and rewarding lives."

Find out more at www.Advocates.org