Richards Memorial Library: This Month @ the Library: January 2026 Newsletter

This Month at the Library

January 2026

Message from the Director

Happy New Year!

Here are the latest updates:

First, we are pleased to announce our new Assistant Children’s Librarian Lauren Berghman.

Join us on Monday, January 12, at 5:00pm for Narcan training. Attendees will learn how to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to administer Narcan, a life-saving medication that reverses a known or suspected opioid-related overdose. These trainings are organized by the North Attleborough Opioid Task Force and hosted by the SAFE Coalition.

We’ve relocated New Non-Fiction books to the lower level where the rest of the Non-Fiction collection lives. Right behind the New Non-Fiction is our growing Leadership collection.

Finally, we are in the process of upgrading the library website to comply with new ADA requirements. Stay tuned for the new look!

We’re always available online at rmlonline.org.

Best regards,

Debbie Clifton, MSLS

Library Director

Holiday closing: January 19

The Library will be closed on Monday, January 19,
for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will reopen with
regular hours on Tuesday, January 20.

Thank you for using your voice!

We received 123 completed surveys in December. Results are Man Holding Megaphone on Blank Background

being compiled and will influence our monthly programs, book groups, and summer reading plans. (Hint: Adults will have their own summer reading program this year!) Via a drawing, three patrons received local gift cards as a thanks for participating. Check out the event calendar to see everything new that will soon brew at RML!

Library of Things has new winter items

The Library of Things collection continues to grow! Have more fun this winter by borrowing a Snow Fun kit (four total) that contains

two snowball makers and a snow brick maker. Housed in a clear backpack, these are easily portable to your snowy destination! There are also four Snowshoe kits--two adult-sized and two child-sized. Find these materials on a table across from the circulation desk; all may be borrowed with an adult RML library card. These new items are courtesy of the Town of North Attleborough's Solid Waste Department via a MassDEP Recycling Dividends Grant it was awarded.

Children & Teen Programs

Winter Coat Drive! The library is collecting gently-used winter coats, boots, and snowpants of all sizes and ages during the month of January. Items are available for free to all members of the public.

The children's librarians will visit the third-grade classrooms at the five public elementary schools and Saint Mary Sacred Heart this month. Students will learn what the library has to offer, from circulating items to programs. These visits, and the letters sent home to parents with information about registering children for new library cards, are a great stepping stone on the path to a child's love of reading.

It's time for a scavenger hunt! Find all of the snowmen and gnomes hidden on the first floor of the library anytime in January and get a small prize!

Join us for storytime Mondays and Thursdays at 10am. Hear stories, sing songs, get up and move, and do an easy craft. Storytimes are best for children ages 0-7. There will be no storytime on Monday, January 19, due to the holiday.

Can't make it to storytime? Grab a Take and Make bagged craft from the front Reading Room on the first Tuesday of each month. This month's craft is a paper chain snowman and is great for children ages 2 and up.

Check out our monthly clubs!

Chess Club for ages 6 and up meets Tuesdays, January 6 and 20, at 6pm. This club is welcome to children ages 6 and up, teens, and families. Some knowledge of the game of chess is expected.

Graphic Novel Club for ages 8 to 12 meets Monday, January 26, at 6pm. We will have a snack and do a craft. This month, bring a graphic novel that is new to you!

The STEAM Cart will be out in the Children's Room from 10am-6pm on Wednesdays and 10am-4pm on Saturdays. Each day, there will be a new STEAM activity for children to enjoy. Our items include Snap Circuits, Legos, Keva Planks, Marble Run, and Magna Tiles.

Teens

Teens and adults are invited to join the Community Fiber Arts Circle on the first Thursday of the month (3:30-5pm) and the third Thursday of the month (5:30-7pm).

Teens ages 12+ are invited to a fun, hands-on Cookie Decorating 101 class with local bakery Frosted Bake Shoppe on Saturday, January 31, from 2-3:30pm! Participants will learn basic decorating techniques, practice with guidance, and create a trio of beautifully decorated cookies to take home. All supplies are included--just bring your creativity and a sweet tooth. Register here to secure your spot.

Adult Programs

Morse Code Bracelets
Thursday, January 22, 6:30-7:30pm
With just three colors of seed beads and using Morse code language, create special messages in the bracelet(s) you design! All materials will be provided for this adults-only program. Space is limited, so please register here.

Community Fiber Arts Circle

Richards Memorial Library is now offering a monthly Community Fiber Arts Circle on the first and third Thursday of the month.

Come crochet, knit, embroider, weave, etc. with fellow fiber crafters! Beginners are welcome. Come work on your latest project, make new friends, and bounce ideas off of each other. There will be no direct teaching of fiber arts, but community guidance and sharing of ideas are greatly encouraged. Open to ages 12-adult and all experience levels.

First Thursday: New Year's Day (no session)
Third Thursday: January 15, 5:30-7pm

Adult Book Groups

Yes, the plural is correct! RML now has two book groups, with a third to be created in the near future after the results of December's survey are compiled.

The newest group is the Guys Book Group, which will meet quarterly and read a mixture of fiction and non-fiction. Anyone who identifies as male is welcome to join. The first meeting is Saturday, January 31, at 10:30am, to discuss The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton.

The Adult Book Group will meet on Tuesday, January 13, at 1:30pm. January's title is The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. All 12 fiction titles have been selected for 2026; you can find them on the Library's calendar when you click on the second Tuesday of each month.

Copies of both books are available on the bookshelf in the large-print area in the Reference Room. We hope you'll join us!

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Reading Challenge 2026

Richards Memorial Library has again partnered with the Massachusetts Center for the Book on their 2026 Reading Challenge!

To participate, read a book each month in a specific category and

then fill out a monthly entry form for the chance to win free books or book-related items. You can participate as little (one month) or as much (all 12 months) as you want. Whatever works for your schedule!

January's challenge is to read a book about or that's set in the winter. Throughout the year, we will create book displays near the elevator or stairway to help you find that just-right book! And while you're here, pick up a free postcard or bookmark that lists all the monthly categories.

Friends of Richards Memorial Library

The Friends of the Richards Memorial Library support library programs, museum passes, and more! You can support the library by giving to the Friends (checks payable to Friends of RML) or by volunteering. Contact the Friends of the RML via email to learn more: friendsofrml118@gmail.com.

Helpful Links

Richards Memorial Library
118 N. Washington St.
N. Attleboro, Massachusetts 02760
508-699-0122
www.RMLonline.org