YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S JULY E-NEWSLETTER
 
Hello friends,
 
Like many a passenger on a long road trip, COVID-19 is asking us "Are we there yet?!" And our answer, like many a driver of said car, is, "Almost."  The exit is just down the road, but we've still got one important stop along the way. 
 
Beginning July 1, 2021, we will no longer require masks for vaccinated members of our community in the Upper Level of the Library.
 
Masks will continue to be required in the Children's Room downstairs, as that age group is not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. 
 
Thank you for supporting York's children - and Happy 4th of July! 
 
Lots of Love,
York Public Library
 
In this Issue
Art Show
Summer Reading 2021
More July Events and News
Online Auction: The Results are In!
Coming Soon
Current Hours
Art Show
Featuring work by:
Anthony Alemany | Sean Beavers | Alice Carroll | Alistair Dacey | Lauren Dow | Josh Dow | Bob Ellis | Tom Glover | Christopher Gowell | Sean Kramer | Joshua Langstaff | Amanda Letscher | Bill Paarlberg | Sydney B. Sparrow | Russel Whitten
 
Summer Reading 2021
 
Have You Signed Up?
 
Summer reading has started in a big way. Within the first week of opening registration, we surpassed the number of participants from 2020 and we can't wait to see how many join us this year. 
Learn more about the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge
Tie-Dye Workshop
 
In keeping with this summer's Challenge theme, we invite you to join us outside for a colorful tie dye workshop! YPL logo t-shirts will be provided for free to all registrants. Space is limited and registration is required; please only register for one date. This activity is for all ages. 
 
Thursday, July 22 @ 2:00 PM Register Here
 
Thursday, July 29 @ 2:00 PM Register Here
 
More July Events and News
Policy Change
 
Beginning July 1, 2021, we will no longer require masks for vaccinated members of our community in the Library's UPPER LEVEL. Masks are still required in the Children's Room (downstairs) as that age group is not yet able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Thank you for your continued support of York's children.
 
Approved by York Public Library Association Board of Trustees, June 30 2021
 
Chess Club is Back!
Wednesdays @ 3:30 PM
 
Join us by the fireplace for some friendly competition in a game of chess. We'll have plenty of boards available. Bring a friend or make a friend!
Mid-Day Meditation with Brian Bliss
July 6, 13, 20, 27 @ 12:00 - 12:30 PM
 
A short meditation can reset the tone of our busy and distraction-filled day. Guided sessions with practitioner Brian Bliss provide an opportunity to practice mindfulness, reduce stress, regain focus, boost productivity, and to be fully present.  Meet our meditation leader, Brian Bliss 
 
NEW THIS MONTH: We'll be experimenting with a slightly longer session, somewhere between 20 minutes and a half-hour. 
 
To join a meditation, click here ahead of the session to participate via Zoom. 
Author Talk: Kerri Arsenault
 
Thursday, July 15 @ 6:00 PM
Join readers across the state as Kerri Arsenault discusses her 2020 nonfiction work, Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains. Join the Zoom event here. 
 
Book Description: 
Kerri Arsenault grew up in the rural working class town of Mexico, Maine. For over 100 years the community orbited around a paper mill that employs most townspeople. Arsenault sifts through historical archives and scientific reports, talking to family and neighbors, and examining her own childhood to present a portrait of a community that illuminates not only the ruin of her hometown and the collapse of the working-class of America.
 
From Read ME nominating author Gerry Boyle:
“My first newspaper job was with the Rumford Falls Times, the weekly newspaper in Rumford, Maine, where I worked for a few months 40 years ago. Just a page into Mill Town the experience of living and working in that extraordinary western Maine community came rushing back. Rumford and its downwind sister town, Mexico, are complicated places, a blend of fierce independence juxtaposed with the reality of a one-employer town. With a native’s experience and an outsider’s perspective, Arsenault explores mill town culture and the human cost of its irreplaceable prosperity. I read the book in very few sittings, feeling that with every page I was gaining new understanding of the community and the people who live there. This mill town had an outsized influence on me, including serving as the setting for my first mystery novel, Deadline.  That book was translated into a half-dozen languages as readers across the world found life lessons in a crime novel set in this startling place. Mill Town delivers insights that go far beyond its geographic bounds. It’s an important book.” 
 
Roblox! 
Thursday, July 22 @ 3:30 PM
5th and 6th Grade

Join us on Roblox! Play together, chat with friends, and have fun - all on the Library's private VIP servers. Chat will be available through Zoom or in-game.
 
Register online here!
 
The Book Nook Thanks You
We appreciate how thoughtfully you've been following our rules about donating books to the Book Nook! 
 
Donations will be accepted by Book Nook volunteers between 3pm-5pm on Wednesdays and 10am-12pm on Fridays. If you aren't able to come to those times, send us a message and we'll try to work out an alternate arrangement. 
 
Changes to Hoopla
 
Back in April 2020, when things were grim, we decided to add our digital service Hoopla to Library offerings to help sustain our patrons while we were all stuck at home. Needless to say, it is now a service we can't live without! 
 
Now that we're back to regular, in-person offerings, we do need to reallocate our budget to provide in-library services. Therefore, beginning today, July 1, 2021, we are reducing the number of monthly Hoopla borrows from 10 to 7 per month. Please know that we are committed to providing this service, and we are so happy you enjoy it as much as you do!
Read More from our YA and Children's Departments

Catch up on all the latest from our Youth Librarians in this month's YA Newsletter and Children's Newsletter.
 
 
Online Auction: The Results are In! 
The Library would like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in our first Online Auction, from the individuals and businesses that generously donated incredible items—even in these tough times—to all who bid on and/or purchased items, to our inaugural auction event sponsors. To all of you, we say a humble THANK YOU!!
 
To say the auction was a success would be an understatement. Together, we raised about $30,000 for Library programs. This was the Library’s first fundraising endeavor specifically for programs, and you will see auction dollars at work in future speaker series, author talks, children’s programming, and MUCH MORE that enriches the Library experience and provides valuable content for all members of our community.
 
It has been a challenging year (we had this whole pandemic thing, maybe you heard about it) but the show of support for our Library has filled us up, mission and soul!
Coming Soon
In-Person Writing Workshop
Wednesdays, August 11, 18, 25 
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM 
 
Save the date! Join Marjory Lyons for a three-week writing workshop in August. This is Marjory's 8th year presenting at York Public Library, and we're delighted to have her back. More information will be available soon, but until then, please email ssmith@yorkpubliclibrary.org with any questions. 
 
More Upcoming Programs
 
Stay tuned for upcoming programs and events, and remember you can check out our Events page any time for all the latest happenings at YPL. Have an idea for a program? Email us at info@yorkpubliclibrary.org to share your thoughts.
 
Current Hours
Tuesday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
 
Masks are not required for guests who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, with one exception: masks are required for ALL GUESTS in the Children's Room downstairs for the safety of our youngest patrons. 
 
If you have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, we ask that you wear a mask throughout the Library. 
 
  
The Library will be closed on  Saturday, July 3, in observance
of Independence Day.  
   
15 Long Sands Road | York, Maine 03909
 207-363-2818 | info@yorkpubliclibrary.org
yorkpubliclibrary.org