Tag: library

Help Build Gloucesterā€™s Future Today

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 ~ Sawyer Free Library

2025 Sawyer Free Library šŸŒø Spring Appeal

The future of the Sawyer Free Library is rising on Dale Avenueā€”and itā€™s breathtaking. On schedule and on budget, our modernized library is nearly complete and set to open its doors to the Gloucester community this fall!

This transformation is about more than a building. Itā€™s about what happens inside, and every floor tells a story of inclusion and innovation.

On the Ground Floor

  • A cutting-edge Digital Learning Lab šŸ’»
  • A Local History Research Center with an 85ā€ interactive display and digital archive
  • A 100-seat Community Room for performances, workshops, and forums

On the First Floor

  • A warm, inviting Reading Lounge and expanded collection šŸ“š
  • A Quiet Room for focused study and reflection
  • A newly expanded Matz Gallery showcasing Cape Annā€™s artistic talent šŸ–¼

On the Second Floor ā€“ 9,500 square feet devoted to Young Minds

  • A Light-Filled Childrenā€™s Room
  • An Early Learning Center supporting literacy from the start
  • A Creative Program Room for hands-on exploration
  • Gloucesterā€™s only dedicated Teen Space and Creation Studio

Weā€™re building more than a libraryā€”weā€™re creating a future where knowledge, equity, and opportunity can thrive. This is a library for everyone: every age, every voice, every dreamer. But weā€™re not quite there yet.

To everyone who has supported the Sawyer Free Library projectā€”thank you. Your generosity has brought us this far, and weā€™re proud of what weā€™ve built together. Now, as we prepare to open the doors, we invite you to help us complete this transformational project by donating to the 2025 Sawyer Free Library šŸŒø Spring Appeal.

šŸ’› Letā€™s Finish This Together
Your gift will help turn this shared vision into reality. Itā€™s an investment in Gloucesterā€™s wellbeing, culture, and future. Please consider donating today at 2025.sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Whether youā€™ve already contributed, are considering an additional gift, or are giving for the first timeā€”your support matters.

Together, letā€™s build a space where ideas grow, stories are shared, ā€‹and our community shines! ā˜€ļø

Help Build Gloucester’s Future Today

Congratulations to Author Jean Woodbury! Invited to The Association for Small and Rural Libraries Conference. With Tom Clark, Asst. Dir. Rockport Public Library

Posted on by Catherine

Image: Jean Woodbury, joined by Tom Clark, Asst. Dir. Rockport Public Library in Springfield, Mass. for The Association for Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL) 2024 national conference

The Association for Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL) was founded in in 1982 and became an American Library Association (ALA) affiliate in 2008. The ARSL conference is scheduled in a different part of the country each year, cycling through a five year rotation, spread out by region and city to foster congenial networking and knowledge. In 2024 the convention landed in the Northeast, and for the first time in Massachusetts. Attendees encountered celebrity writers and panels and an impressive Author Fest. Author Jean Woodbury traveled with Tom Clark to celebrate The Tree in Dock Square and Cape Ann Reads on the road and representing our region and local libraries at ARSL! (arsl.org)

ARSL Author fest

ARSL Author Fest 2024 here

The Tree in Dock Square here

Cape Ann Reads here

Sawyer Free Library Kicks off 2024 Annual Appeal

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Ā ~Ā Sawyer Free LibraryĀ ~Ā 

The Libraryā€™s 2024 Annual Appeal in support of the Sawyer Free 2025 Library Capital Campaign

The Sawyer Free Library has kicked off its 2024 Annual Appeal campaign, Our History to Tomorrowā€™s Possibilities: Transforming the Sawyer Free Library. With appeal letters reaching over 1,800 Gloucester households, the Library seeks community support to complete the 2025 Sawyer Free Library, a state-of-the-art facility where history meets innovation. All funds raised through the 2024 Annual Appeal will go directly to the Sawyer Free 2025 Library Capital Campaign, which has reached nearly 60% of its $29 million fundraising goal. Contributions will support the Libraryā€™s historic renovation, expansion, and modernization building project.

ā€œThe 2025 Sawyer Free Library will be more than just a buildingā€”it will stand as a beacon of knowledge, creativity, and connection. By supporting this transformative project, we are investing in our communityā€™s future and creating an inclusive space where everyone can learn, grow, and thrive,ā€ said Mern Sibley on behalf of the Libraryā€™s Board. ā€œWe need everyoneā€™s help to make this vision a reality as we approach the finish line. Every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to opening the doors to our new 21st-century Library.ā€

Scheduled to open in Fall 2025, the new Sawyer Free Library will serve as a vital community resource, offering expanded spaces for children, teens, and adults, enhanced digital resources, and sustainable design. It will boast a range of modern amenities, including a larger childrenā€™s area, a teen room with creative spaces, a digital learning lab, a local history research center, quiet study rooms, a 100-seat community room, and more. This new facility will allow the Library to serve a broader, more diverse audience and increase its offerings of public programs.

As the Library reaches this milestone, it invites the greater community and beyond to support the 2024 Annual Appeal, ensuring that the Sawyer Free 2025 Library can fully realize its potential as a beacon of learning and connection. Donations can be made online at sawyerfreelibrary.org or by mailing a check to Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930.

For additional information, and to donate to the Libraryā€™s Annual Appeal, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library Kicks off 2024 Annual Appeal

Halloween in Magnolia

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Great costumes and wonderful decorations on Lexington Avenue, Magnolia, Gloucester, MA.

Yummy pizza from Grillfriends

Alien

Decoration at Microsearch

Cute decorations at Magnolia Library

Olaf and Anna

Smiles

 

Happy Trick or treaters

Early walk on Sunday before the rain

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

Tea rose on Hesperus Avenue, thank you Generous Gardeners

 

Mary Poppins visits the library!

Posted on by Catherine

Justine and Christy share Sawyer Free children’s services fun program from a versatile enrichment talent:

Mark your calendars: Mary Poppins Visits the Library Thursday, February 21, 2019

mary poppins courtesy sawyer free childrens programs

Ah! fun supplies for Sawyer Free Children’s Library

Posted on by Catherine

Fun! Special delivery donation for Sawyer Free Children’s library from good egg, Ellen B

Ellen B donation to Sawyer _20180615_Ā© c ryan

Ellen B donation to Sawyer Free_2018061_c ryan

The Library and Librarians Are Flat Out Some Of The Greatest Local Resources Going- Poll

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

image

As I was preparing my list of books to take on vacation there was one I had at the top of that list- Adam Carollaā€™s Not Taco Bell Material.Ā  Last year in Playa del Carmen I read his first book In Fifty Years Weā€™ll All Be Chicks and was laughing with every turn of the pages.

No luck on the shelves locally, I headed to Barnes and Noble where it was also out of stock and since I was leaving in two days time there was no chance of ordering it in time to take it on vacation.

So the Mrs suggests ordering it to read on my iPad.Ā  While she has a tendency to not take care of her electronics I donā€™t like taking mine to the beach.Ā  Sand and saltwater and suntan lotion- just way too much chance of messing stuff up.Ā  However when looking online at the Library inventory of availability I see my book available in hardback edition.

I place the book on hold at 7:30AM. Show up at 10:00AM and ask for the book.Ā  It hadnā€™t been pulled from the shelf yet but the librarian (total unsung hero) walks around from behind the desk, goes and finds it for me, hands it to me and I straight up walk out.Ā  With a $25 book.Ā  For free.Ā  Just by showing up! I gots it for three weeks.

Customer service?Ā  You betcha!Ā  With a smile.

I thanked him and told him I appreciate his service to the community.

Twenty Five Dollars Savings In My Pocket.

This is not to mention to the free museum passes that are always available, the cds you can take out and burn to your iTunes collection listen to before returning, art exhibits, lecture series, free wifi, ect, ect, ectā€¦

Point is, the library isnā€™t just a place for the homeless to hang out once the shelter boots them out for the day.Ā  Itā€™s probably one of the greatest resources in the community and itā€™s free.Ā  If you end up on the positive end of savings and all these resources, please consider giving back and supporting the library. http://www.sawyerfreelibrary.org/

#Boom!

The new points to the old

Posted on by Matthew Green

The Gloucester Lyceum and Free Public Library, and the Unitarian Universalist Church.

-Fr. Matthew Green

There’s something fishy about this snow storm…

Posted on by Matthew Green

Being in March, these fish don’t seem to think the snow will last long.

They've been out of water so long, they'll take anything they can get...

It looks like they’re lifting up their heads to drink in all the snow they can, while it lasts.

From the lovely fountain in front of the Sawyer Library on Dale Ave.

GMG contributors at the Matz gallery (Sawyer Free Library)

Posted on by Matthew Green

Not to toot our own horn, but I want to share a couple of photos of the exhibit of photos, painting, pottery, and origami by GoodMorningGloucester contributors! Ā The exhibit started on New Years Day and runs through the month of January.

A panoramic overview of the exhibit

It was hard to take this panorama, because it required a series of photos, and the library is (thankfully) a busy place, with lots of people walking in and out!

Closeup of some of the non-photographic work

Stop in to see the work closer up for yourself! Ā The library is located across the street from City Hall. Ā  Directions and hours (and more, of course!) are available on the library website.

Take your kids to the Library!

Posted on by Sharon

Sawyer Library
Sawyer Free Library

If you have children and remember the magic of learning to read, why not share some of those books you loved as a child?Ā  There are programs for children as young as newborns, movies, activities, andĀ  musicĀ  for children of all ages. And while your child is occupied, maybe YOU can look for a new book or check out music to take you far, far away from the real world!

This list covers our local libraries, but you if you can’t find what you want, the librarians can help find it over the bridge.

Here are 10 tips for choosing books for children.

Happy reading! And remember to start Flapping like a Haddock for more Cape Ann family-friendly information and fun!