It's Hot!

Heat Advisory

Hartford Public Library (HPL) will act as a cooling center Today, July 9, and tomorrow, July 10.

To beat the heat, please visit Albany, Barbour, Camp Field, Dwight, Ropkins, and Park Street libraries during regular operating hours. HPL provides a safe space for community members to stay cool.

There will be no outdoor Patio Service at the Downtown Library on Wednesday, July 10.

A Night with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Join us for a FREE screening of STAND, a documentary about Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's life and hardships. An in-person Q&A with Abdul-Rauf will follow the screening.

Watch the trailer HERE.

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, a former professional basketball player, will share his journey of overcoming a debilitating condition and adversity to compete at the highest levels in college and the National Basketball Association (NBA), embodying resiliency while standing firm on his principles.

4:30 PM - 6:00 p.m. - STAND documentary screening

6:00 PM - 7:30 p.m. - In-person Q&A with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Wednesday, July 10 | 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Downtown Library, Center for Contemporary Culture (CCC)

500 Main Street

Please enter through the Arch Street entrance.

Learn More Here

HPL Book Recommendations:

Newly added Young Adult and Children's books to our catalog

Those Who Saw the Sun

Jaha Nailah Avery

NYPL Best of the Year

Best of the Best, Black Caucus of the American Library Association

“Powerful… Avery highlights essential perspectives on significant cultural moments and movements by centering the voices of those who lived them. With the intention of preserving varied Black experiences and the wisdom and knowledge they offer, the creator crafts a vital, nuanced depiction of a fraught period in American history via myriad perspectives.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Chilling… bring[s] alive the realities of life under Jim Crow.”

—Booklist

Find it HERE in our catalog

What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon?

Rachel Ignotofsky

National Bestseller

New York Times Editiors' Choice

”Complex information sensibly organized and beautifully presented.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“What is inside a caterpillar cocoon? Young readers will find the answer, along with a whole host of other facts, inside this supremely stylish introduction to the Lepidoptera family….A great primer on familiar flying and creeping friends.”

—Booklist

Find it HERE in our catalog

Summer Concerts Just Got Better

Now at Your Favorite Library

Pictured above: The Lost Tribe at Barbour Library.

Let's Dance!!

Catch more exciting performances this summer at your favorite HPL branch with our Let's Dance Celebrating 250 Years Summer Concert Series!

Wednesday, July 17th | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Goza Latin Band

Dwight Library, 7 New Park Avenue

Thursday, August 1 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Haneef Nelson Duet

Albany Library, 1250 Albany Avenue

Tuesday, August 27 | 3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

The Lost Tribe

Ropkins Library, 1750 Main Street

”Let’s Dance” is funded by the Evelyn Preston Memorial Fund, a private foundation in Connecticut administered through Bank of America Connecticut Private Bank.