Storytimes near Durham Public Library

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Children of all ages with an adult are welcome to join Miss Kristen on Thursdays at 9:30 AM, July 9th-August 20th, for stories, songs, and a playgroup to follow. Registration is encouraged so that we can connect in the event of delay or cancellation due to weather or illness, but it is not required.

Lower Level (Entire)

Kids entering Grades K-2 in the Fall of 2026 are invited to join Miss Alex for a fun STEM activity! Registration required. Registration opens 2 weeks before each session. Participants must register for each session they’d like to attend.

Lower Level (Entire)

Kids entering Grades 3-5 in the Fall of 2026 are invited to join Miss Alex for a fun STEM activity! Registration required. Registration opens 2 weeks before each session. Participants must register for each session they’d like to attend.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Join Miss Kristen or Miss Alex every Friday at 10:30 AM for a fun, hands-on activity perfect for curious kids ages 2 and up (siblings welcome!). Whether it’s art, science, or a bit of both, each week’s activity will be a surprise revealed the day of. Some programs may be outside—dress for mess! Registration is required and opens 2 weeks before each event. Space is limited to 12 children.

Lower Level (Entire)

Kids entering grades 3-6 in the fall of 2026 can celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our nation by learning about kitchens and cooking in colonial times by making several simple popular recipes from around 1776. All supplies will be provided. Registration is required Limit 10.

WAIT LIST FOR KIDS TAG SALE

Front Lawn

Saturday, July 11, 2025 (Rain Date: July 25, 2025) Set up: 9:00–10:00 AM | Sale: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM Location: Durham Public Library A sale where only kids can sell, but anyone can buy. We are looking for sellers ages 5-18 (ages 12 & under must have a parent). Sellers, please bring: Kid’s items only A blanket and/or table Items marked with prices A parent if under 13 Plan to take home any unsold items and move cars after unloading

Back Garden

This time in our Welcome to Hogwarts series, we explore the world of Herbology! We'll be planting carrots in the library's new planter, and watching them grow throughout the summer. We'll also be planning, planting and decorating our very own fairy gardens that each participant will be able to take home. All materials provided, registration is required as space is limited. For teens entering grades 6-12 only.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Enjoyed Cocoa & Crafts? Sign up for the summer version. Kids entering Grades 3 and up in the Fall of 2026 can join Miss Alex on Monday evenings this summer to make crafts and share some lemonade. Registration is required for each meeting.

Upstairs Reading Room

Join us for a lively discussion of My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie! Copies of the book will be available to be checked out at the circulation desk. Registration required. About My Dear Hamilton: From the New York Times bestselling authors of America's First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton--a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. In this haunting, moving, and beautifully written novel, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza's story as it's never been told before--not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal--but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right. A general's daughter... Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington's penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she's captivated by the young officer's charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of war. A Founding Father's wife... But the union they create--in their marriage and the new nation--is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all--including the political treachery of America's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness. The last surviving light of the Revolution... When a duel destroys Eliza's hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband's enemies to preserve Alexander's legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she's left with one last battle--to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her...

Durham Conference Center ( Lower Level Left)

Join Miss Kristen for some art while enjoying a movie. A project will be presented, but participants will also be able to choose to use supplies to create something all their own. The movie will be chosen by the group. For teens entering grades 6-12, registration is required for each meeting, and begins June 1st.

Upstairs Reading Room

Enjoy Durham’s hidden gem! Location: Frederick White Farm open space, 70 Maple Ave. Park on side of dirt road down the hill. Join Birding for Pleasure in Durham & Middlefield for a bird walk at Frederick White Farm - an important habitat for Bobolinks. The Bobolink is a migratory songbird who travels all the way from South America to nest in the grasses at this town-owned farm. During this walk we will observe and count the Bobolink and other grassland species as we explore the importance of plants in relationship to wildlife. Elena Coffey is a Birding for Pleasure volunteer and specializes with birding-by-sound. She is on the executive board of Mattabeseck Audubon Society, a member of the New Haven Bird Club and the Connecticut Ornithological Society. When she was in her twenties, Elena saw a tree full of colorful migrating warblers and she was hooked on birding! Elena will help build your birding skills by recognizing bird sounds while learning about the musical Bobolink. ** Youth must be accompanied by parent or responsible adult.** Run completely by volunteers, Birding for Pleasure’s goal is to engage communities in conversation, restoration and enjoyment of nature focusing on grasslands birds, other wildlife and their habitats. Please bring your binoculars, drinking water, bug repellent and wear waterproof shoes or boots. The walk around the farm is mostly flat and may be muddy. No dogs. Vortex binoculars are available through a CVEF grant for check-out at the Durham and Middlefield Public Libraries during regular library hours. A few binoculars may be borrowed during our walk. ** Please register to help us with our planning. Heavy rain or lightening cancels. Birding For Pleasure’s next walk is Saturday July 18, 2026 at 8 a.m. led by Melissa Baston.

Durham Conference Center ( Lower Level Left)

Kids in Grades 3 as of the Fall of 2026 can build and program a simple robot using LEGO Spike Essential Robotics kits. Please register for each meeting.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Children of all ages with an adult are welcome to join Miss Kristen on Thursdays at 9:30 AM, July 9th-August 20th, for stories, songs, and a playgroup to follow. Registration is encouraged so that we can connect in the event of delay or cancellation due to weather or illness, but it is not required.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Kids entering Grades K-2 in the Fall of 2026 are invited to join Miss Alex for a fun STEM activity! Registration required. Registration opens 2 weeks before each session. Participants must register for each session they’d like to attend.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Kids entering Grades 3-5 in the Fall of 2026 are invited to join Miss Alex for a fun STEM activity! Registration required. Registration opens 2 weeks before each session. Participants must register for each session they’d like to attend.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Join Miss Kristen or Miss Alex every Friday at 10:30 AM for a fun, hands-on activity perfect for curious kids ages 2 and up (siblings welcome!). Whether it’s art, science, or a bit of both, each week’s activity will be a surprise revealed the day of. Some programs may be outside—dress for mess! Registration is required and opens 2 weeks before each event. Space is limited to 12 children.

Durham Conference Center ( Lower Level Left)

Come by the library and win some prizes playing BINGO! For teens entering grades 6-12, registration is required.

Enjoy Durham's hidden gem! Meet at Frederick White Farm open space. 70 Maple Ave, Durham. Park on side of dirt road down the hill. Join Quinnipiac Valley Audubon Society and Birding for Pleasure for a bird/nature walk at Frederick White Farm. Frederick White Farm is an important habitat for the Bobolink, a migratory songbird who travels all the way from South America to nest in the grasses in Durham. Melissa Baston is one of the original Birding for Pleasure volunteers and will lead the walk. She is a board member of Quinnipiac Valley Audubon Society, and a member of the Connecticut Ornithological Society. Melissa monitors and helps to install the American Kestrel boxes at Frederick White Farm and throughout Connecticut. American Kestrels are North America’s smallest falcon, are often seen during our walks at Frederick White Farm. ** Youth must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult.** Run completely by volunteers, the goal of Birding for Pleasure in Durham & Middlefield is to engage communities in conversation, restoration and enjoyment of grasslands focusing on birds, wildlife and their habitats. * Please bring your binoculars, drinking water, bug repellent and wear waterproof shoes or boots. The walk around the farm is mostly flat and may be wet or muddy. Vortex binoculars are available through a CVEF grant for check-out at the Durham and Middlefield Public Libraries during regular library hours. A few binoculars may be available to borrow during the walk. No dogs. ** Please register to help us with our planning. Heavy rain or lightening cancels.

Please join us for an EKPHRASTIC POETRY WORKSHOP on site in renowned artist WILLIAM KENT’s preserved Art Barn and Studio in Durham. Registration is limited. Sign up today! RARE OPPORTUNITY! Experience the William Kent Foundation Art Barn and Studio as you create poetry based on the artist’s truly spectacular two and three-dimensional work. Ed Lent, poet laureate of Madison will lead our introduction to ekphrastic poetry: the practice of creating poems focused on a specific work of art. Ed has led ekphrastic workshops for students, artists, poets, and writers, and welcomes new writers and writers of all levels of practice. Leslie Bulion, poet laureate of Durham will assist Ed. On the day of the workshop the Museum Gallery will open for participants. The workshop includes a tour of William Kent’s printed art and larger-than-life sculptures, which will be catalysts for our writing day. Edward A. Lent became the inaugural poet laureate of Madison, CT in 2024. He is an active Shoreline Artist in Essex and Lyme Art Associations. He established the Ekphrastic Poetry Trust of CT and uses art to teach Ekphrastic poetry in schools, events and specialty workshops. Publishing two collections under the pen name Ezra Lovecroft, Ed is a Member of the Academy of American poets, Poetry Society of America, the Connecticut Poetry Society, The Haiku Society of America, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies of Poets, Poet Laureates of Ct and Italian Writers Association. Ed received the CT Arts Hero Award, and oversees several philanthropic, art and writing awards and scholarships. For more information, please visit Ed’s website: www.ealentartistpoet.com. Leslie Bulion creates nature poetry steeped in observation and humor. Leslie is Durham’s inaugural poet laureate. Her ten poetry collections scuttle, swim, and soar across Earth’s remarkable ecosystems. Leslie's graduate science studies and experiences in social work inform her science poetry and middle grade novels. Her books have been honored by Bank Street College, NCTE Notables, Parents Choice, Green Earth Book Awards, Blueberry Nature Book Awards, and state lists including CT’s Nutmeg List. Connect with Leslie through her website www.lesliebulion.com, Leslie Bulion on Facebook, @LeslieBulion.bsky.social and check out her Instagram nature photos @LeslieBulion. Her newest poetry collection is Nature’s Remarkable Partners: Wild Poems for Two Voices (Peachtree: March 2026). William Kent, an artist, an environmentalist, and a historic voice in American art was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He settled in Durham, CT, where he created remarkable large-scale sculptures and striking monoprints at his home studio and art barn. For more information about William Kent please visit williamkentfoundation.org

Lower Level (Entire)

Join us for an elegant affair filled with delightful stomps & roars,crafts, games, exquisite teas, and a delectable assortment of dinosaur approved treats. Dress to impress with your best dinosaur or fancy attire. Ages 4-9 with an adult.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Enjoyed Cocoa & Crafts? Sign up for the summer version. Kids entering Grades 3 and up in the Fall of 2026 can join Miss Alex on Monday evenings this summer to make crafts and share some lemonade. Registration is required for each meeting.

Lower Level (Entire)

Fossils have a long story to tell! Take a first-hand look at real fossils, find out how fossils are made, and learn what they can tell us about the past. You’ll also have a chance to make your own “fossil” to bring home! Recommended for 1st to 5th graders.

WAITING LIST ONLY

Durham Conference Center ( Lower Level Left)

Kids in Grades 1-2 can build and program a simple robot using LEGO Spike Essential Robotics kits. Registration is required for each meeting.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Learn to make your own taper candles using the DIP method! All materials will be provided. For teens entering grades 6-12, registration is REQUIRED and begins June 1st.

Children's Activity Room (Lower Level Right)

Children of all ages with an adult are welcome to join Miss Kristen on Thursdays at 9:30 AM, July 9th-August 20th, for stories, songs, and a playgroup to follow. Registration is encouraged so that we can connect in the event of delay or cancellation due to weather or illness, but it is not required.

Lower Level (Entire)

Travel on safari with us and meet animals from all around the world . Animals include a chinchilla, hedgehog, angora or Flemish giant rabbit, tortoise or guinea pig, lizard, and snake. Space limited, registration required.

WAITING LIST ONLY