Happy Fall, Y'all! 

Are you sipping a hot pumpkin beverage in a comfy armchair right now? With a cozy blanket on your lap, and an adoring kitty or doggy snuggled up? We hope so. That would be a good setting for catching up on the latest from York Public Library.  But, if you're like a lot of us and racing to get your day going, we proudly offer you an opportunity to catch your breath and read about the goings-on at your local library. And there's lots going on! 
 
October is Membership Month at York Public Library. What does that mean? It's the month we launch our annual campaign to support the York Public Library Association (YPLA), the nonprofit that owns the Library and shepherds it through thick and thin. Are you a member? Don't forget to renew! Are you not yet a member? (You can see where we're going with this...) Donate now. And thank you. 
 
In addition to celebrating Membership Month, we have a new staff member who will be loved by all but especially by those of us who are tech-impaired; we are expanding our hours (finally back to pre-COVID-19); we have a new online calendar; and we are offering a host of online and in-person events.
 
If you don't have access to a comfy armchair in a quiet space to read this month's Library Newsletter, come on over. As the months get cold, you may even have a fire going in the fireplace beside you! 
 
York Public Library
 
In this Issue
Support the Library
Library News
October Events
Ongoing Programs
Save the Date
Current Hours--Back to Normal!
Support the Library
York Public Library can thrive because of YOUR SUPPORT!  
 
While the Town of York provides a strong foundation for our annual budget, support from the York Public Library Association (YPLA) and its members allows the Library to make capital improvements (such as masonry repairs) and to help our Library be the best it can be for area residents. Your contribution directly impacts the programs, services, and materials we're able to offer. Thank you for your support!
 
Library News 
We have a New Library Calendar!
There are lots of exclamation points in this newsletter!
 
If you've visited our calendar page recently, you'll notice its quite different! The new system, aptly named "Library Calendar," makes easy work of room reservations, and filtering events so you can see just what you want to see: Kids' events. Teen events. Town of York events. Events by program type. You can reserve a room for your local community group online. The future is now. 
 
At a glance, you'll see each event is color coded by age group. Click on an event for complete details. At the top you'll notice some feature events to which we'd like to draw your attention, and in the upper right you can choose what view you'd like to see: All upcoming, Month, Week, and Day. 
 
We will still "tease" some events on the Library homepage, but you can access the complete calendar any time from the Library website. 
 
Explore the Calendar
 
We are Bringing York History to Life!
 
Old York Historical Society has loaned the Library pure historical gold: 101 reels of microfilmed newspapers dating back to the 1890s, including The York Weekly, the York Independent, the York Courant, and the York Transcript. We plan to digitize the reels with the help of Advantage Archives.
 
The end result will be a keyword-searchable collection of 125 years+ of York history. We are tremendously excited to be able to offer these archives to all York residents and Library visitors, particularly those of you in the process of discovering your own family's story. Watch for updates on our digitization project here in our monthly newsletter and on our website, yorkpubliclibrary.org. 
 
Would you like to help us shine a light on the last century of York's history? Support this project at yorkpubliclibrary.org/donate and write "Digitization project" in the gift notes field.
 
Meet Devin, our new Reference and Technology Librarian!

Our newest recruit has extensive experience in libraries and is returning to them after a hiatus caring for his young children. Read all about him in the latest Shelf Life in the York Weekly, and ready your tech questions: he'll be hosting several instructional workshops in the coming months, like the one below!
 
Say hello at dburritt@yorkpubliclibrary.org
 
Youth Services Newsletters

Catch up on all the latest from our Youth Librarians in this month's YA Newsletter and Children's Newsletter.
 
 
October Events
AUTHOR TALK
Caitlin Wahrer presents The Damage 
Thursday, October 7 @ 6:30 - 8:00 PM
York Public Library (Community Room) and online
 
Join us in welcoming debut author Caitlin Wahrer. Set in a fictional town in southern Maine, The Damage is equal parts family drama, crime story, and moral thriller. In it, a New England family is torn apart when the husband’s much-loved younger brother accuses a man he’s just met of sexual assault. It's a page-turner that library staff could not put down.
 
Caitlin Wahrer is a Maine girl through and through. She was raised in a small town in central-southern Maine without a single stoplight in it. Caitlin left the state to study criminal justice and marriage and family studies at college in Pennsylvania. She returned to Maine after graduation to attend law school and practice law. She and her husband live in southern Maine with their dog.
 
Learn more or register now
Tech Savvy: Zoom
Wednesday, October 20 @ 1:00 PM
 
The past few years have made the video conferencing software Zoom ubiquitous, but not everyone feels totally comfortable using it! Come to Tech Savvy at the York Public Library to learn how to Zoom successfully and confidently. Topics covered will be how to respond to a Zoom invitation, how to turn your microphone and video on/off, how to use the chat function, and how to customize your name. Please share this event with your less tech-savvy family and friends, who may not see this digital newsletter!
 
Learn more and register here. 
October Storytime
Wednesdays and Thursdays
10:30 AM   |   Registration Required

Find your storytime spot and join us for stories, songs, and a craft. Suggested ages 3-5 with a caregiver. 
 
Register for Wednesdays here
 
Register for Thursdays here
 
 
Local History with James Kences
Tuesday, October 26 @ 1:00 PM
York Public Library (Community Room) and online

Join local historian James Kences to learn more about his work creating a biographical directory for the graves at First Parish Cemetery.
 
Learn more and register here. 
Ongoing Programs
Mid-Day Meditation with Brian Bliss
Tuesdays, October 5, 12, 19, and 26 
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
 
A short meditation can reset the tone of our busy and distraction-filled day. Guided sessions with practitioner Brian Bliss provide an opportunity to practice mindfulness, reduce stress, regain focus, boost productivity, and to be fully present. To join a meditation, click here ahead of the session to participate via Zoom. 
Chess Club
Wednesdays @ 3:30 PM
 
Join us by the fireplace for some friendly competition in a game of chess. We'll have plenty of boards available. Bring a friend or make a friend!
Game Night
Wednesday, October 27 
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
 
Come join us for a new, drop-in program: a monthly board game night at the library! Maybe you need a change of scenery to break your cribbage slump, maybe the library will help spark your Scrabble imagination, or perhaps you just want to try out a new game. We'll have a selection out on tables on the upper level of the library. We welcome all ages to come and have some fun. 
 
More Upcoming Programs
 
Stay tuned for upcoming programs and events, and remember you can check out our Events page any time for all the latest happenings at YPL. Have an idea for a program? Let us know!
Save the Date
Virtual Author Talk:
Gregory Brown
The Lowering Days 
Tuesday, November 9
6:30 PM 

“In The Lowering Days Gregory Brown gives us a lush, almost mythic portrait of a very specific place and time that feels all the more universal for its singularity. There’s magic here.” —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls 
Get Writing!

Dust off your novel, pull the poems out of the drawer, print out that screenplay, and join us for a weekly writer's meetup, starting next month. For the truly ambitious, participate in NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Can you write 50,000 words in November? Stay tuned for more information about how to participate at York Public Library.
 
Current Hours--Back to Normal!
Tuesday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM (NEW evening hours)
Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
 
Masks are REQUIRED throughout the library.
   
15 Long Sands Road | York, Maine 03909
 207-363-2818 | info@yorkpubliclibrary.org
yorkpubliclibrary.org