Where the Magic Happens…

Each month, Montecito Library holds our regular programs in the Community Hall, which end up creating some of the most enjoyable and deep connections between patrons. Here’s a quick update on what we are doing and we welcome you to join the fun!

Stay & Play Tuesday Mornings

Starting in March of 2022, we launched our Stay & Play program outside, in front of the library. You may have driven by and seen colorful safety gates and adorable little ones playing with their caregivers. 

As of September, we moved inside and are now in the Community Hall each Tuesday from 9-10:30 am, offering time to play, relax, and connect with other children and caregivers. We offer coffee (for the grownups), graham crackers (for the kids), and lots of bubbles and smiles for everyone. 

Come check out our new toys and board books! 

Book Club, 4th Tuesday at Noon

Our Montecito Book Club is, to be completely objective, downright delightful. The books that we read vary, including fiction and nonfiction, books on social themes, as well as quirky characters and less mainstream genres and locales. 

Members sit in a circle, get to know each other, and discuss the books while connecting them to our everyday experiences. We also often share reading recommendations. 

Please let me know if you would like to get on our newsletter list. We invite new members to join this opinionated, clever group of voracious readers. 

Preschool Storytime Thursday Mornings

For children who are open to sitting a little longer to listen to stories, sing songs, and make a craft, we have our Preschool Storytime every Thursday from 10-10:30 am. This is a wonderful way for a smaller group of kids to practice their social skills and get ready for kindergarten. We keep it short and sweet so that expectations are not too high for young attention spans. 

The recommended age range is 3 to 5, but some very little ones have been having a blast, so feel free to try it out if yours is younger. For the month of March, our theme was dinosaurs. For April, we enjoyed stories about forest animals.

Come see what we have in store for May!

Knit ‘n’ Needle Thursday Afternoons

Our weekly meeting of fiber artists, currently facilitated by Library Technician Janet Baker, has been a consistent gathering, having met for many years. They even met privately on Zoom during the pandemic while library programs were on pause. 

Incredible conversations and laughter can be heard coming from the Community Hall every Thursday afternoon, with plenty of jokes from the library peanut gallery about the knitters running the world and being dangerous spies, armed with their knitting needles. 

We invite you to bring your projects with you and see what this group is all about.

Public Service Announcement

Recently, at a local school event, I was shocked to hear someone say they didn’t know that there’s a public library in Montecito! Please do your friends and neighbors a favor and spread the word that we’ve been in this same location here for over 40 years, right across from the gas station in the Upper Village. Thank you. 

May Events:

Stay & Play – Tuesdays, Drop in anytime 9-10:30 am

Preschool Storytime (age 3-5) – Thursdays, 10-10:30 am

Knit ‘n’ Needle – Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm

Learn Library Apps: Digital Local History Resources – Wed, 5/3, 10-11 am

Library On the Go Van @ Cold Spring School – Wed, 5/10, 3:30-5:30 pm

Montecito Book Club: Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder – Tues, 5/23, 12-1 pm

See you at the library!