Calendar

Older youth are invited out to the Main Library this summer to be part of our summer STEAM Club. At these sessions, youth will join library staff as we explore coding, robotics, building, and more, as a great introduction into technology at your library. We’ll supply all the materials you’ll need.

Attend the Main Library’s weekly evening Chess Free-for-All session for all who are interested in playing the game and challenging others. Each week, we’ll provide the space and a limited number of chess sets, you provide the strategy and chess know-how. Enjoy playing chess with others of the community.

Are you looking for a place to host a Dungeons & Dragon game? Looking for other teens to play with? Come over to the Mockingbird Branch Library where, every Monday evening, our activity room will be booked for any teen to come out and play. The library will provide the three main manuals, dice, and characters sheets...so if you’re a Dungeon Master, or an adventurer, feel free to join us!

If it’s time for you to sign-up for Medicare, and you don’t know where to begin, be sure to register and attend a free Medicare Class at your Abilene Public Library. Multiple sessions will be hosted each month and led by specialist Breanna Maichel. Each session will run up to 1-hour long and designed with the goal of providing seniors with the tools needed to be able to make the right decisions going into Medicare. From understanding the parts of Medicare to prescription drug plans, learning how to enroll to reviewing health plans, you’ll be sure to get all the answers you need. Be sure to come with a pen and paper for taking notes, and you’re encouraged to ask questions too. For more information, visit our website at www.abilenetx.gov/986/Medicare-Class.

Tweens and teens are invited to come out to the library to join us for a session on using our Ozobots. We’ll be exploring how to make simple electronics and machines using these tools, which will also teach you great STEAM skills while learning and having fun. We’ll supply all the instructions and materials needed, you just come ready to learn about coding and technology.

If you’re in need of a little stress relief and relaxation, we invite you to be a part of the Coloring Club at your South Branch Library. Coloring is a great activity for all ages and there are many benefits that can come from taking some time to express yourself through art. We’ll supply the coloring sheets and tools so you can come out, color, socialize, and have a little fun at your library.

Join your Main Library for a summer of Harry Potter fun during the Summer Reading Club. Each week we’ll be watching an installment of the series, making a craft to go along with the featured film, and having fun with this popular movie franchise. At this session we’ll be watching 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” In the final installment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts. This film is rated PG-13 for some sequences of intense action, violence, and frightening images, and has a run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes. Feel free to bring in your own snacks and drinks, and be sure to come out and have some Harry Potter fun with us every week!

Come out to your Mockingbird Branch for another Pet Care session where staff from our local Abilene Animal Shelter will come out for a visit and talk to us about the ins and outs of pet care. This will include how to best care for our dogs and cats as well as how to know if an animal is being abused so you know what you can do to help. This program is designed for all ages, but children should be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Families are invited out to the Adamson-Spalding Storybook Gardens for regular Stories in the Park sessions. Join your South Branch Library staff as we share some of the greatest stories and activities ever on the grassy knoll next to the stage. Sessions will be hosted on the dates provided, weather permitting. Don’t forget to bring something to sit on and come out and enjoy. After the program, stick around and look at the sculptures in the storybook garden if you haven’t seen them already.

If you’re looking for some crafting fun, stop by your South Branch Library where we’ll be offering Take & Make kits featuring different craft activities each week while supplies last. Stop by from 10:00AM to 6:00PM and you can pick up your kit that has all of the materials and instructions you’ll need to then take home and make a fun craft to enjoy. Don’t miss out on this come and go activity at your library.

Want to learn how to use the various equipment in our Creation Station at the library? Need help on a craft project you’re working on? Get 1-on-1 help through the Maker Meetup program where staff will assist you based on your needs. We may not know how to do it all, but we’ll do our best to assist you. Register for a time to visit on Thursdays by calling 325-676-6025, ask for Heather Carter, or email heather.carter@abilenetx.gov. Sessions will last 30-45 minutes.

As more people acquire smartphones, tablets, and laptops, you may find yourself needing a little help. Join us for Tech Time where the library’s tech gurus will be on hand to assist you with troubleshooting your technology issues. We may not have all the answers, but we’ll do our best to answer all your questions. Each guest will be helped on a first-come, first-served basis, limited to 25 minutes if people are waiting. For help that might take longer, you may also see about signing up for a 1-on-1 session at a different time so we may accommodate you better.

Adults are invited to join us for Coloring Nights at the library. Coloring is a great way to de-stress, take a break, and have a little fun down time in the evening. Come meet new people and enjoy yourself at this great event. We will provide coloring sheets and supply you with coloring tools, or you can feel free to bring your own supplies if you’d like. Don’t miss out on this stress-free program at your library.

Designed for youth ages 3-6, come out with your parents and join your library for stories, fingerplays, sing songs, watch puppets and engage in other visual presentations.

Designed for youth ages 2-6, come out with your parents and join your library for stories, fingerplays, sing songs, watch puppets and engage in other visual presentations.

Designed for youth ages 3-6, come out with your parents and join your library for stories, fingerplays, sing songs, watch puppets and engage in other visual presentations.

Designed for youth ages 2-3, Toddler Times are designed for children (and parents) who are ready to sit and listen to longer stories and to help prepare them for all other youth programming offered at the library.

Designed for newborns up to age 3, Mother Goose on the Loose is an award-winning literacy program utilizing a variety of activities such as rhymes, puppets, and songs.

Children learn while they play! One of the latest trends in libraries is to provide a time of sensory play for young children. Exposing children to sensory play helps them develop and refine the use of their senses. Stimulating these senses helps children develop cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, physical, and creative skills.

Designed for youth ages 2-3, Toddler Times are designed for children (and parents) who are ready to sit and listen to longer stories and to help prepare them for all other youth programming offered at the library.