The Library’s much needed public bathrooms renovation has begun after nearly 3 years planning. View “Before” pictures, see the planned improvements, or follow construction on our Library Project webpage:  https://stevensmemlib.libguides.com/publicbathrooms/home.  This is an opportunity to both modernize and introduce efficiencies. The much needed improvement is made possible through the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan.

Wednesday, February 4 @ 9:30—11:30 AM on ZOOM

The Library 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group meets via Zoom on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, from 9:30am to 11:30am. Informal networking takes place from 9am to 9:30am and 11:30am to noon. If you are unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your “Encore Career,” this networking group program is perfect for you!

This week’s topic (February 4) is Career Story & Elevator Pitch. Register directly on Zoom HERE. This group is sponsored by approximately 30 Massachusetts public libraries.

Wednesday, February 4 @ 10:30 AM—12:30 PM

Stop by the library to meet with North Andover Community Support Services –

The Community Support Services Department advances individual and community wellness and growth by providing personal support and community partnership and engagement to members of the North Andover community. Resources available include individual support and advocacy, information and referral services, and guidance through various needs.

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Wednesday, February 4

10:15—11:15 AM Register here

11:30 AM—12:30 PM Register here

Story time for toddlers will include songs, stories, puppets, manipulatives and more to help lay the foundation for early literacy. Time for play/socialization will be available after the program. Siblings are welcome.

Weekly sign-up necessary!

This program is for children 18-36 months.

Wednesday, February 4 @ 3:30—4:30 PM

If you’re the creative sort, drop in and try a new craft each month.

This month we will make shrinky dinks!

This program is for students in grades 4-8. Registration requested. Register here.

Wednesday, February 4 @ 7:00—8:00 PM

Come discuss the cookbook Shorts by Christopher Kimball!

“In the kitchen, brevity is brilliant. Short recipes are the ones cooks remember best—not only because they’re simple to make and easy to repeat, but because they are boiled down to their elemental beauty and charm.

In Milk Street Shorts, Christopher Kimball and his team of cooks and editors have developed a repertoire of nearly 150 genius recipes that are casual, improvisational, and fun. These recipes are not just short—they’re bolder, better cooking because they’re short. Their essential cleverness gives them power that does not require long ingredient lists or all-day cooking.

And every recipe packs a punch—throw-it-together meals like “Nothing Soup,” Chili Crisp Peanut Noodles, and Five-Ingredient Pork and Kimchi Stew, snacks and side dishes like Sunflower Hummus, Crispy Spiced Chickpeas, and Salt and Vinegar Smashed Potatoes, and smart ways to use your oven, like Reverse-Sear Pork Loin, Skillet Lasagna, and Two-Hour Turkey. Recipes are organized by simplicity—Short, Shorter, and Shortest—with chapters including skillet suppers, sheet-pan tray bakes, and weeknight desserts like Clementine Blender Cake.”

Stop by reference to pick up a copy. Cookbook Club is the first Wednesday of every month.

Thursday, February 5 @ 4:00—4:45 PM

Like reading about things that are real and true? Are facts and information on your favorite thing to read about? Join us for our Kids Nonfiction Book Chat!

This month we are learning about different types of chickens with “Chickenology”  Barbara Sandri and Francesco Giubbilini.

Registration is appreciated! Register here.

Books available at the Children’s Room desk.

This program is for students in grades 2-5.

Thursday, February 5 @ 6:00—7:00 PM

Caregivers and teachers, join us to learn about setting the foundation for reading success with your children.

Miss Megan will teach about the 6 major skills of Emergent Literacy, and provide activities and examples of how you as a caregiver can strengthen these skills with your young children.

**Children 5 and under are welcome to attend and participate in the literacy strengthening activities.**

Registration is required and spots are limited. Register here.

Friday, February 6 @ 10:30—11:30 AM

Preschoolers can join us on Friday mornings for their very own Story Time! We will use stories, songs, felt boards and more to help your child to develop early literacy and kindergarten readiness skills. Each meeting will conclude with a craft to reinforce additional skills. Siblings are welcome.

Weekly sign-up necessary! Register here.

This program is for children 3-5 years old.

**REGISTRATION UPDATE: Please only register the 3-5 year old child who will be participating in the CRAFT after story time! Younger siblings are absolutely welcome, but do not need to be registered if they are not participating in the CRAFT.**

Friday, February 6 @ 4:00—5:00 PM

Do you like LEGO? Want to hang out with other people who do? Once a month we will meet for LEGO Club! The library will provide LEGO bricks to build with and challenges if you need some inspiration!

Saturday, February 7 @ 10:00 AM—12:00 PM on ZOOM

Roses for New England is a special presentation for every rose lover who wants to grow hardy, healthy, and disease resistant roses in their home gardens. This program specifically addresses the merits and challenges of rose gardening in New England. Novice rose gardeners will find everything they need to know to successfully grow roses, and experienced gardeners will utilize this program as a ready reference to enable them to grow better roses. Mike and Angelina Chute’s book Roses for New England: A Guide to Sustainable Rose Gardening is the companion reference to this program.

This program includes: six easy steps to growing roses in New England; how to select winter hardy and disease resistant varieties for New England gardens; the best way to plant and prune roses; and tips and personal anecdotes from the authors’ twenty-five years of rose gardening experience.

Mike and Angie Chute have been growing roses for over twenty-five years in their East Providence, Rhode Island garden. They have presented gardening programs, lectures, and seminars at such venues as the Boston, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Newport Flower Shows as well as the University of Rhode Island Master Gardener programs and NBC10’s Plant Pro. They also speak at numerous garden clubs and other organizations throughout the Northeast

For more information or questions, email the NAGC at northandovergardenclub@gmail.com or visit www.northandovergardenclub.org.

Click here to sign up and receive the Zoom link!

Saturday, February 7 @ 10:30 AM—11:30 AM

Join us for our Saturday Morning Book Discussion every first Saturday of the month! This month we are reading On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.

“Brilliant, heartbreaking, tender, and highly original – poet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a sweeping and shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born–a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam–and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity”

Pick up a copy at the Reference Desk!