Both the Manchester City Library and the West Manchester Branch Library will be closed Saturday, May 24th and Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen on Tuesday at our regular times. We hope that you all have a safe and happy holiday.
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Please join the New Hampshire Commission on Aging at the Manchester City Library at 1:30 pm on Thursday, June 26, 2025, for a discussion to share your ideas, needs, and opinions on living a long life in New Hampshire.
AgeWellNH is a program of NH Commission on Aging to create a 10-year blue print to make NH a great place to live a long life. The AgeWellNH plan addresses all aspects of aging including housing, transportation, health, caregiving, community engagement, workforce and more.
The NH State Legislature created the Commission on Aging (COA) to advise both the Governor and members of the legislature on issues related to aging. Commission members represent all corners of the state and a range of interests and expertise. The COA is developing a 10-year plan that explores all facets of NH life and services as they converge around aging, including housing, transportation, social engagement, health care services and access, legal representation and more.
Presently team members are talking with nurses, social workers, libraries, older adult services professionals, and more to gather feedback about the diverse experiences around aging in the state. And we want to talk to you! We are barnstorming New Hampshire in May and June meeting at libraries, senior centers and other important community spots to talk to community members about their experiences, needs and ideas around making NH an even better place to live a long life.
Please take 5 minutes to share your opinion here! Your ideas, priorities and opinions are vital to the plan. What is most important to you?
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Once again, the Manchester City Library will running an Adult Summer Reading Program, open to participants 18+! This year’s theme is Color Our World. Stop by the Information Desk after June 1st to pick up your welcome packet which includes info on the program, raffles, missions, and a reading log.
Be sure to log your reading and complete missions to earn points. Points are used to purchase raffle tickets to our 8 weekly raffles. Raffles this year include a voucher to the Palace Theater, a gift certificate to the Copper Cave, and a family membership to the Currier Museum, among others.
The program will run June 23-August 8 and registration opens on June 1st.
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The Library is happy to announce that staff are participating on an Advisory Committee to help develop an Age Friendly Action Plan for the City of Manchester. The committee greatly needs your input as we follow “AARP’s 8 Domains of Livability and will aim to create a more inclusive, accessible, and supportive environment for seniors across Manchester.” The library is participating in a survey online as well as providing paper copies at upcoming library programs for your participation. Thank you for helping with this community endeavor!
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Join us in June as we make our own worry dolls to chase our worries and fears away!
Worry Dolls are traditional little dolls originally made in the beautiful country of Guatemala. The idea is simple. If at night you find yourself worrying about things (And worries have a habit of bothering you when you are trying to sleep, right?), you tell your worries to these little dolls and place them under your pillow. It is said that the person relinquishes their worries to the dolls during the night and by the next morning, all sorrows are said to have been taken away by the worry doll and the person can move forward, refreshed the next day. Traditional worry dolls are used by both children and adults alike. They are small and made from things like match sticks and scraps of fabric. Nowadays, there are lots of variations on making these bright and colorful dolls. Our versions will be made as folk-art peg dolls. Kits will be available in the Library Rotunda on Tuesday, June 10th, while supplies last. For more information, please contact Yvonne L. at 603-624-6550 ext. 7620 or e-mail [email protected].
Happy crafting!
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“To ride on a horse is to fly without wings.” – Unknown poet
Known as the “Sport of Kings”, horse racing is popular all across the world. The horse racing books in our derby display will give a glimpse of what life is like in this glamorous and competitive industry. From the Kentucky Derby to the Grand National, horse races have become some of the biggest events in the sporting world.
Read up on of horse racing and embrace the incredible passion and history that defines this sport.
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The Manchester City Library and the Manchester West Branch Library will be closing at 12:00 PM noon, on Thursday, May 8th, for the “world’s largest taco tour“. The Manchester West Branch Library will not open that day. For more information about the taco tour and for the taco tour map please visit the official website here.
See you at the taco stands!
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This program is cancelled due to presenter illness. We are sorry for any inconvenience!
We will be having a family movie and chalk art in place of the Morphs & Milestones program.
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It’s Spring, and this is a good time of year to start getting organized. Getting organized can feel like an intergalactic challenge. Organizing our lives may not be the most popular topic, but we can all agree that it’s something we all need to do from time to time. If you’ve been letting things pile up such as clothing, books, magazines, toys, and all that stuff in the junk drawer (and let’s not even get started on the garage) then read on!
Getting organized can mean many things to many people. It could mean everything from organizing your files, to that pesky overstuffed closet full of clothing you haven’t worn since last decade, to re-organizing your entire home. Getting organized can also mean organizing people to advocate for ideas or change around a topic which you, your friends, neighbors, club, school or town feel passionate about.
Getting organized can seem daunting and if you’ve tried before to get organized but weren’t successful, The Manchester City Library can help. Per Yoda, “You must unlearn what you have learned”. Start by perusing the curated list of helpful items listed below. Click the title for more information about the item or to request the item. Some items are currently on display in the Rotunda.
Below the list of items, you’ll find helpful websites with additional topics to encourage you to accept the challenge of getting organized. As Yoda said, “Your focus determines your reality”.
Titles in the library, currently on display in the Rotunda, and in our consortium to help you get organized:
Organize your Physical Space and Personal Records
Love the home you have by Melissa Michaels
Good housekeeping simple organizing wisdom: 500+ quick & easy clutter cures by Good Housekeeping
I have nothing to wear!: a painless 12-step program to declutter your life so you never have to say this again! by Jill Martin
Get it together: organize your records so your family won’t have to by Melanie Cullen
Organize for Change
Democracy or else: how to save America in 10 easy steps by Jon Favreau
Faith-rooted organizing: mobilizing the church in service to the world by Alexia Salvatierra
Golden gates: fighting for housing in America by Conor Dougherty
Rise up: confronting a country at the crossroads by Al Sharpton
Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything by Becky Bond
Getting Organized at Work
Getting Organized For Young Adults
Organize for Your Mental Space
The organized mind: thinking straight in the age of information overload by Daniel Levitin
Pretty neat: the buttoned-up way to get organized & let go of perfection by Alicia Rockmore
Helpful Websites for getting organized:
Free declutter checklist and more from free organizing printables – This helpful website provides freebies such as helpful checklists for decluttering. Browse by topic for other helpful lists such as cleaning lists, grocery lists, organizing your finances, budget spreadsheet, vehicle maintenance log and chore charts for kids and adults.
Doin’ The Work Podcast – Success stories on organizing for change. Check out interviews with social workers, educators and other issues based advocates engaged in organizing for social change. In addition to the podcast, the site offers consulting, webinars, coaching, workshops and more.
Decluttering Tips from AARP – Decluttering your home in 8 easy steps! Also helpful tips such as if it’s too much, don’t go it alone.
Happy organizing and we hope we can help you bring out your inner Jedi and overpower the cluttered side. Or, maybe you already are an organized Jedi. If so, please share your tips, successes and suggestions for getting organized. Feel free to share your helpful feedback below.
One final encouraging quote from Yoda as you gaze out at your vast, disorganized universe:
“Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.”
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As you know an executive order issued Friday, March 14th, 2025, calls for the reduction and elimination of functions of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which is an independent federal agency that supports libraries and museums in all 50 states and U.S. territories. This decision will greatly impact Manchester residents and Granite Staters.
On March 31st, 2025 most of IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave. As of now our State Library is still operating as normal and still has access to federal funds to run the programs with the $1.5 million of IMLS they currently are allocated.
How you can continue to help?
We thank the thousands of Granite Staters who completed the petition to save IMLS! Our Congressional Delegation heard us and issued a supportive statement. Please continue to express your opinion to our Congressional Delegation and we hope our concerns will be heard and acted upon.
Thank you for supporting the power of libraries and we will keep you posted with updates and other ways to help!
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