Our Summer Hours (Saturdays 10-1, closed Sundays) will start on June 23. The library will be closed Wednesday, July 4, for Independence Day.

 

This summer the library will be offering some free summer art workshops with local artists for teens and adults.

 

On Wednesday, July 11, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wayland High School art teacher Janet Armentano will offer a Teen Art Workshop.  On Friday, July 13, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., Ms. Armentano will offer a second workshop for adults (or teens who are very serious about art).  In the two-hour workshops, participants will begin by designing strong compositions in order to develop successful artwork.  A variety of media such as pencil, charcoal and conte crayon will be used to develop thumbnail sketches with the goal of creating asymmetrical balance in the work. Analyzing negative space and using techniques such as sighting will aid in accurately representing the subject.  Participants will learn about color, the effects of light, and how to develop a shadow on color without the use of black. Soft pastels and/or oil pastels with turpenoid will be explored in the second hour of the workshop. If weather permits, we will work en plein air, which is working outdoors in the natural light.  In case of rain, we will work indoors on observational drawings.  Participants in the teen workshop must be at least 13 years of age. Registration required and each workshop is limited to 10 participants.  Register through our online event calendar at waylandlibrary.org and please register for only one workshop. 

 

Later in July, we will also be offering two free painting workshops with artist Cecilia Sharma.  The dates for Ms. Sharma’s workshops will be announced next week.

 

Are you curious about your forebears and your family tree?  We have access to genealogy resources that can help you find records and personal histories, even if you don't know exactly where an ancestor came from.  You can find these resources by clicking on the “Research Databases” link at waylandlibrary.org.  "Heritage Quest" searches U.S. census records 1790-1930, over 28,000 local history and genealogy books from libraries all over the country, as well as over 2 million local history and genealogy articles and government documents.  Best of all, you can use it from home!  We also subscribe to the Library Edition of "Ancestry.com" which has access to more census data and some international information.  Ancestry.com is for use from library computers only. 

 

Yvonne Posa exhibits new watercolor paintings at the library during the month of June. Also this month, the library foyer features photographs taken on Long Pond in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine from 2008-2012 by Peter W. Agnes, Jr. of Wayland.

 

This year’s summer reading theme is “Dream Big–READ!” for children and “Own the Night” for teens.  Registration for Dream Big–READ! begins the same day as the kick-off events (6/28).  Children can sign up at the library and pick up their “Dream Big–READ!” goodie bag, which will contain a listing of the summer programs as well as a prize.  Children may also register online by following the Summer Reading link on the left side of the Children’s’ section of our website (waylandlibrary.org).  Children are encouraged to keep track of their summer reading online or (if they prefer) on paper reading logs.  Registration for the teen summer reading program “Own the Night” also starts on Thursday, June 28. 

 

The kick-off events for “Dream Big–READ!” will be a magic show (for children ages 3+) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 28.  That same day there will be a balloon sculpting workshop (for children ages 8+).  Registration is required for the balloon sculpting.  For information about the balloon workshop, call the Children’s Room at 508-358-2308.  Other planned summer highlights include a visit from live owls on Wednesday, July 18, at 2 p.m. and a shadow puppet show on Tuesday, July 31, at 10:30 a.m.  We have scheduled many pre-school storytimes on Tuesday mornings in July and August. 

 

On Wednesday July 11, from 7-7:30 p.m., kids can come to the library in their pj’s with their favorite stuffed animal and listen to stories.  If they wish, they can leave their stuffed animal at the library for a "Stuffed Animal Sleepover." When they pick up their stuffed animals the next morning, they can see pictures of what the stuffed animals did overnight!

 

Kids! On Thursday, July 12, from 3-4 p.m., come to the library to listen to stories about quilts and about big dreams.  Then paint a quilt square for our Wayland Free Public Library Dream Quilt.  For children ages 4 and up.

 

Welcome in the summer on Tuesday, June 22, from 2-4 p.m. at a drop-in “summer craft” program for ages 4 and up, led by Children’s Librarian Elise Katz.  We’ve planned lots of afternoon craft programs for kids this summer, so be sure to check out our online events calendar to find out more about them.