Waterford
Connecticut
Waterford Public Library
Mission Statement:
The mission of the Waterford Public Library is to help the citizens of Waterford to enrich their lives through access to the ideas, information, and entertainment available from books as well as from a variety of other resources. To this end, the Library provides an array of materials, services and professional assistance, as well as facilities for the support of educational, civic and cultural activities.
The Waterford Public Library is a town-owned and supported institution maintained for the benefit of the townspeople. By resolution of the Representative Town Meeting of the Town of Waterford, dated August 7, 1967, it was designated to be Principal Public Library of the Town of Waterford. It is operated by the Board of Trustees of the Waterford Public Library, Inc. The Board of Trustees consists of twelve citizens of Waterford. The First Selectman, the Chair of the RTM Education Committee and the Chair of the RTM Finance, Wage & Personnel Committee are ex-officio board members.
The Waterford Public Library is a non-partisan, non-sectarian institution, dedicated to serving the public in the areas of education, information and recreations, making its service known and available to all.
The Library has a collection of over 100,000 items including books, magazines, newspapers, videos, audio books and music CDs for adults, children and teenagers. It also offers a wide variety of entertainment, informational and cultural programs for all ages. Professional librarians are available on-site, via telephone and over the world wide web (www.waterfordpubliclibrary.org) to answer questions. You can also access the library’s catalog from its homepage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Library provides computers for public use with Internet access and popular software applications. The library also offers WI-FI access.
Waterford residents and taxpayers may register for a card at the library. This card can be used at any public library in the state under the ‘Connecticard’ program. Meeting rooms are available for use by town agencies and non-profit civic groups. Exhibits of local collectors, artists and organizations are featured monthly.
Upcoming Events at Waterford Public Library
Friday Movie Matinee: The Color Purple: Musical Adaptation
Recent News
Waterford Public Library Happenings for December 2023
December 2023 Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees that one could easily imagine its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness. Mary Oliver, Snowy Night from Why I wake early, c2004 A Note from the Library…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - October 14, 2023
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson Our strategic planning process is continuing. Thank you to everyone who completed our new survey. We are seeking input from as many Waterford residents and library users as possible. If you have not…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - September 30, 2023
Our October e-newsletter is a bit delayed this month, so we're sending this mini version to let you know what's happening the next few days! We expect to send the complete newsletter on Tuesday. Thank you for your patience. Hispanic Heritage…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - September 23, 2023
Hispanic Heritage Celebration! Saturday, September 30, 2:30 to 4:30 PM In Person Bring the whole family to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Join us for food, dancing, crafts and fun! Featuring dance performances by groups from Peru, Ecuador,…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - August 30, 2023
A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month Saturday, September 30, 2:30PM - 4:30PM IN PERSON, All Ages ¡Todos Son Bienvenidos! Come and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and bring the whole family! Join us for free food, dancing, crafts and…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - August 4, 2023
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Read More »Waterford Public Library News - August 2023
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson It has certainly been hot this summer! Thank you for your patience with our building's limited air conditioning. We are grateful that the Town of Waterford has reserved over $1M in funds to renovate…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - July 2023
July 2023 Join us Today for the first of our three Family Movie Matinees! Movies start at 2:00 PM in the Meeting Room Find your voice during our singalong movie matinees! Each month will feature a different family friendly movie that includes…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - May 30, 2023
A note of gratitude from the Library Director, Chris Johnson It was a fair to remember! Thanks to the 600+ folks who showed up on a very rainy day in May to participate in our 100th anniversary fair day. We had fun and we hope you did too! Special…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - May 19, 2023
Upcoming 100th Anniversary Programs The Tribal 20's Tuesday, May 23, 6:00 PM IN PERSON The 1920’s was a decade of paradox: a revolution in manners and morals that touched everywhere in America, and a conservative reaction evident in the…
Read More »Waterford Public Library News - May 15, 2023
100th Anniversary Events Begin this Week! Anything Goes: America during the Jazz Age Tuesday, May 16, 7:00 PM Online This virtual presentation is an entertaining overview of the 1920's, showcasing world events, political events, prohibition,…
Read More »Discover More At Your Waterford Public Library - May 10, 2023
New Starting Date! World Affairs Lecture Series Wednesday, May 17, and Thursdays, May 25 & June 1, 6:30 PM IN PERSON May 17 - The U.S. and China: Are the United States and China on the brink of another Cold War? From trade disputes and spy…
Read More »Discover More At Your Waterford Public Library - May 2023
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson May 23, 2023 marks one hundred years since a small group of dedicated and forward thinking Waterford residents established the Waterford Public Library! Please join us to celebrate this momentous…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - April 2023
April is a promise that May is bound to keep. -- Hal Borland A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson In April, we celebrate National Library Week. As you may be seeing in the media, libraries across the country, and right here in CT,…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : Friday Afternoon Book Club
Join our Friday Afternoon Book Club each month at 1:00 p.m. These are the upcoming discussions: -March 24 - The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai (2021) -April 28 - The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois (2021) -May 26 - And Then There Were None by…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : Mystery Book Club
Join us for our NEW monthly Mystery Book Club series meeting on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in person. April 5 - The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021) Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his…
Read More »Waterford Public Library -Ann Petry's The Street: a discussion
As a follow up to the Ann Petry panel discussion that took place on February 11, Laurie Wolfley, a member of Waterford RISE, and a member of the English faculty at UConn, Avery Point, will be leading a discussion of Ms. Petry's book The Street…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - March 2023
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson Thanks for all of the love that was shared on our in-building flipcharts for Library Lovers month. In March, we would like to learn more about what we can do to make your library experience even…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : February is Black History Month
Adult Programs My Freedom is a Privilege that Nothing Else can Equal: New Research into the Life of Venture Smith Wednesday, February 8 6:15 p.m. Refreshments 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Program IN PERSON A talk on the life of Venture Smith and the…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - February 2023
Why buy happiness when the library shares it for free?! - Quote of unknown origin At our January Library Board of Trustees meeting, we honored Bernard J. Pisacich. Bernie has decided to retire, after providing over 20 years of volunteer service…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : Botanical Beauty Class - We've added 5 more spots!
Ready to ditch your store-bought beauty products? In this one-hour class, we will explore the many applications plants have for glowing, vibrant, healthy skin! You will learn about a handful of skin loving plants and discover how to use plant…
Read More »Winter Reading Bingo Challenge for the Whole Family
Read Those Winter Blues Away! Let's Play Winter Bingo for the Whole Family! January and February is a perfect time to light a fire, enjoy some hot chocolate and stay indoors. Bingo cards will be available for adults (18 years and older) and…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - January 2023
There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter. One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues. - Hal Borland A Year-End Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson As yet another year comes to an end, it…
Read More »Happy Holidays From The Waterford Public Library
I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow From all of us at the Waterford Public Library, our very best…
Read More »Discover More At Your Waterford Public Library
Introducing Lauren O'Neill! Our new Information/ Reference Assistant, Lauren O'Neill, joined us in October. We asked Lauren to share a little about herself: Favorite reading genre? Fantasy Currently reading? Fairy Tale by Stephen King…
Read More »Waterford Public Library - Friday Afternoon Book Group
Friday Afternoon Book Group 4th Friday of each month Join our Friday Afternoon Book Group each month at 1:00 p.m. These are the upcoming discussions: - December - NO DISCUSSION - January 27 - Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif (1989) -…
Read More »Waterford Public Library - Speculative Fiction Book Group
We have a group that meets virtually at 7 p.m. on the 2nd Monday of each month. This group discusses utopian, dystopian, fantasy and science fiction titles selected by the facilitator Pam Bedore, associate professor of english at UConn, Avery…
Read More »Waterford Public Library Weekly News - November 22,2022
Join us this week at the library! "Be present in all things and thankful for all." - Maya Angelou The library will be closed on Thursday, November 24 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Our building is open tomorrow, Wednesday, 9 a.m.…
Read More »Waterford Public Library Newsletter - November 2022
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson In November, our thoughts turn to giving thanks. We are grateful for our Veterans and the service they have provided to our country. We are reminded of the importance of our right to vote and…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : Online Upcoming Genealogy Workshops
Wednesday, October 12, 6:30 pm. Researching your Hispanic Heritage. This Zoom presentation will help descendants from the Caribbean, Central, South and North American former Spanish colonies start the journey of healing and empowerment through the…
Read More »Discover More in October at Your Waterford Public Library!
Waterford Public Library - October 2022 The end of the summer is not the end of the world. Here’s to October.... - A.A. Milne, A Word for Autumn Changes in Library Fines Structure to Begin on November 1 The Library's temporary…
Read More »Discover More At Your Waterford Public Library
“That old September feeling, left over from school days, of summer passing, vacation nearly done, obligations gathering, books and football in the air ... Another fall, another turned page: there was something of jubilee in that annual…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : ONLINE The Beauty in Breaking: Author Talk with Michele Harper
Michele Harper is a female African American emergency room physician in an overwhelmingly male and white profession. Brought up in Washington, D.C., in a complicated family, she went to Harvard, where she met her husband. They stayed together…
Read More »Waterford Public Library : Introduction to Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing
Join us for an engaging and interactive presentation to learn about the healing benefits of practicing shinrin-yoku, also known as forest bathing. You will learn how this practice came about, what studies and research has confirmed, and how you can…
Read More »Waterford Public Library Newsletter - July 2022
A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson July for the library, and the Town, means the start of a new fiscal year. Personally it also means writing many year-end reports! For the library, our 2023 fiscal year will be quite a special one as…
Read More »Discover More at Your Waterford Public Library - June 2022
June 2022 I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June! - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island. A Note from the Library Director, Chris Johnson It is hard to believe that summer is already here! It feels like we were…
Read More »Waterford Public Library - Library Services To The Homebound
We offer library services to the homebound. Do you know a Waterford resident who would like books, movies, music or magazines but can't get to the library?
Ask at the Information Desk or call 860-444-5805, x2
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