Career Connections Workshop: Top Notch Resumes

Tuesday, May 21, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room.

Tuesday, June 18, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room.

Join us in an interactive resume workshop to learn step-by-step tools and tips to write the most effective resume! Free and open to the public.

This workshop is possible thanks to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Saturday, June 22, from 1:00 to 4 p.m.
Kids in the Children's Room, Teens in the Teen Room, and Adults in the Main Lobby.

Come learn about and sign up for the library’s Summer Reading programs! This year, we explore the "Universe of Stories." There will be fun activities for all and goody bags for the kids.

Universe of Trivia

Saturday, June 29, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room.

Join us for a trivia event that will challenge everything you know about books, movies, television, and science. Come solo and join a team or bring your own team and compete for prizes. Refreshments will be available.

This trivia event is free and open to everyone. Are you ready to show off your knowledge of fun facts?

Career Assistance

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (when the library is open).

Stop by our Reference Room and get assistance from our career counselors. They offer help with resume writing, career searching, and referral services. This program is possible thanks to New Jersey Career Connections.

Open to everyone. No registration is required.

Knitting/Crocheting Club

2nd Thursday of each month

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Do you like to knit and/or crochet? Or do you want to learn? Join the club! Everyone is welcome, from beginners to old pros. Just bring your current project, or if you are new to knitting/crocheting, a willingness to learn! Participants exchange knitting/crocheting ideas while enjoying pleasant conversation. (This is an informal, self-run group and not a strictly instructional class.)

For more information, please contact Librarian Joye Crowe-Logan at joye@lmxac.org

Computer Skills Tutoring

By appointment only during Rutgers semesters, October - April.

Looking for help with learning to use a computer? We have volunteers who offer one-on-one tutoring sessions to go over skills such as keyboarding and mouse fundamentals, basic word processing, and Internet and email essentials. Stop by or call the Reference Desk to schedule a tutoring session.

Volunteer tutors are sponsored by the Rutgers Give Where You Live Program.

~ Check out other tabs on this page to see what else the library has to offer, such as Annual All Ages, Movie Nights, Makerspace programs, and events presented by the Friends of the Library!

English for Beginners

Current cycle: April 29 - June 22.

This class is specifically for those new to the English language and is free, with all materials provided. Pre-registration is required and participants must be age 18 or older. Those interested in attending this class should fill out a registration form and return it to the library before attending the class. Email nbenglishforbeginners@gmail.com or call/text 732-659-4359 with questions. You may send or leave a message in English or Spanish.

Volunteer Opportunity

The English for Beginners program offers regular opportunities for community volunteers to be trained as small group leaders in various English Language Programs. Please visit this page for current opportunities, or email Jessica at Jessica.nbfpl@gmail.com or Akisha at akisha.nbfpl@gmail.com or call/text 732-659-4359 with questions.

English Conversation Groups

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

(January 15 - May 23, and June 4 - December 19, 2019.)

The New Brunswick Free Public Library provides recurring English Conversation Groups on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. The goal of this program is to provide English language conversation practice to support further education and workplace training. Adult learners can improve their English language skills through an integrated literacy curriculum and the use of "real-life materials." Participants must be age 18 or older and have at least an intermediate understanding of and ability to speak English.

One group meets on Tuesdays and one group meets on Thursdays. You can attend one or both of these groups.

To join an English Conversation Group, please complete a registration form and bring it with you on the evening you would like to attend.

English Conversation Café

Summer 2019: May 29 - July 17 and May 31 - July 19

Wednesdays 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.; Fridays 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

The Conversation Café is an informal conversation group for adult language learners. Participants engage in one-on-one or small-group conversations with Conversation Facilitators discussing a variety of topics. Conversation Facilitators are prepared to facilitate intercultural conversations through academic courses and professional development offered by the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Participants must be age 18 or older. All levels welcome.

To join a Conversation Café, please fill out a registration form and return it to the library. You may also e-mail conversationcafes@gmail.com or call/send a text to 732-659-0590. For a schedule of all the Summer 2019 Conversation Cafés (including the Spanish Café, which is not held at the library), download this PDF.

This program is made possible through a partnership of the New Brunswick Free Public Library and The Conversation Tree: Community-Based Language Partnerships, a program created by Rutgers Graduate School of Education and The Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service.

Volunteer Opportunity

New Brunswick Free Public Library in collaboration with The Conversation Tree is providing a Professional Development (PD) opportunity for volunteers interested in learning how to support adult learners of English in the Conversation Café. Please visit this page for more information, or download a PDF here for a detailed summary of the Professional Development program.

JFS ESL/Citizenship Classes

Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Currently scheduled dates: February 7 – May 9, 2019; May 30 – August 29, 2019.

Do you need help preparing for your Naturalization interview? Learn what you need to know in order to pass your exam. The Jewish Family Services of Middlesex County offers Citizenship Classes at the library! These classes provide opportunities to learn about U.S. government and U.S. history and to improve English language skills, while preparing for the Citizenship Exam. Immigration and Citizenship application assistance provided as well.

Please call the JFS office at 732-777-1940 with any questions and to register.

Read and Play

Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Parents and other caregivers: bring your little ones for storytime and play at the library!

Open to ages 0-4

More Play Time

Wednesdays from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

Join Ms. Luz from The Children's Center of Middlesex County for some additional play time immediately after the library's Read & Play Story Time. (Come to either or both!)

Open to ages 0-4.

Kids' Community Council

Tuesdays, January 8 - May 21 (with no meeting on 4/16 & 5/7), at 4:00 p.m.

Are you in grade 5, 6, 7, or 8? Are you a resident of New Brunswick, and interested in making your community a better place? Are you free on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. to attend meetings? If you answered yes to all of these, come join the Kids' Community Council! We are New Brunswick kids who meet once a week to discuss issues important to us and help take care of the library. Snacks provided!

Please fill out the registration form, available in the Children's Room. Any questions, ask Ms. Chelsea.

Garden Club

Thursday, May 23, at 4:00 p.m.

Let's put together a mobile garden wall! And, weather permitting, we can begin planting outdoors in the library garden!

For children in grades K-6.

Lego Club

Friday, May 31, at 3:30 p.m.

Play a Lego board game. Your goal: to have the tallest tower at the end of the game!

For children in grades K-6.

Garden Club

Thursday, June 6, at 4:00 p.m.

Let’s start a pumpkin patch! We’ll also plant some herbs and veggies both for the library garden and for you to take home!

For children in grades K-6.

A.S.K. Club: Invention Convention

Monday, June 10, at 4:00 p.m.

The A.S.K. (After School Kids') Club explores science and math concepts in fun ways! Come ready to think up some seriously cool ways to help your community! Kids will split into teams to solve a problem using their imaginations.

For grades 4 and up. Parents are also welcome: see your student build the critical thinking skills they need, and have some fun yourself!

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Thursday, June 22, from 1 to 4:00 p.m.

Come learn about and sign up for the library’s Summer Reading programs! This year, we explore the "Universe of Stories." There will be fun activities for all and goody bags for the kids.

For all ages.

MASST (Math And Science Story Time)

Tuesdays, June 25 - August 13, at 6:00 p.m. (English session)

Wednesdays, June 26 - August 14, at 6:00 p.m. (Spanish session)

Math And Science Story Times are back for the 8th year in a row! This summer, join Ms. Linda Stork and the Children's department for free bilingual story-times featuring stories, songs, and activities designed to introduce children ages 2-5 to important math and science concepts! Parental attendance is required. English speakers should plan to attend Tuesday evening sessions, and Spanish speakers should plan to attend Wednesday evening sessions.

Registration required. For more information, visit or call the children’s circulation desk at 732-745-5108 ext. 16.

~ Check out other tabs on this page to see what else the library has to offer, such as Annual Events, Movie Nights, and Makerspace programs!

Kids' Community Council

Tuesdays, January 8 - May 21, at 4:00 p.m..

Are you in grade 5, 6, 7, or 8? Are you a resident of New Brunswick, and interested in making your community a better place? Are you free on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. to attend meetings? If you answered yes to all of these, come join the Kids' Community Council! We are New Brunswick kids who meet once a week to discuss issues important to us and help take care of the library. Snacks provided!

Please fill out a registration form, available in the Children's Room. Any questions, ask Ms. Chelsea.

Teen Zone

Wednesday, May 29, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room

This will be a place and time for teens to try different activities and hang out with friends.

This program is for teens in grades 7 - 12.

Afternoon Game Time

Wednesdays, May 22 and June 5 & 19, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room

Come test your mettle and challenge your friends with one of the library's video games.

Open to tweens and teens.

Hour of Code

Thursdays in the Teen Room during Teen Room hours

Learn how to create your own website using HTML or your very own computer game through MIT's Scratch. Just come to the Teen Room during its open hours on Thursdays and sign in with the librarian there to start your Hour of Code!

Open to students in grades 7 - 12.

Friday Afternoon Magic

Most Fridays* from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Teen Room.

This is a time for anyone interested in playing Magic the Gathering to meet up and play a few games.

This program is open to young adults in grades 6 through college, of all levels of experience. (*Check with Mr. Trevor or the librarian at the Teen Room Desk.)

A.S.K. Club: Invention Convention

Monday, June 10, at 4:00 p.m.

The A.S.K. (After School Kids') Club explores science and math concepts in fun ways! Come ready to think up some seriously cool ways to help your community! Kids will split into teams to solve a problem using their imaginations.

For grades 4 and up. Parents are also welcome: see your student build the critical thinking skills they need, and have some fun yourself!

Teen Summer Volunteer Orientation and Great Stories Club Information Session

Saturday, June 15 at 11:00 a.m. in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room.

Teens interested in helping out at the library this summer must attend an orientation before they begin volunteering with the library. This event will include an introduction to the library, a review of the Teen Volunteer Program, Summer Reading Procedures, and some time to design your own name tags. Teens can learn about all the different ways to volunteer, including participating in a Reading Buddies program and joining the Great Stories Club for teens, sponsored by a grant from the American Library Association and the WW Kellogg Foundation.

For those in grades 9-12. For questions, please contact the youth services office at 732-745-5108 x13.

Great Stories Club Kick-Off & Racial Healing Circle

Saturday, June 22, at 10:00 a.m. in the Carl T. Valenti Community Room.

Teens who join the "Great Stories Club - Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation" book club this summer can receive volunteer credit! The club meets Tuesdays at 2 p.m. from July 2 through September 17 (start time for September meetings may be different). We will read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew, Dreaming in Indian edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale, and Always Running, La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. by Luis J. Rodriguez.

Come to our kick-off to learn about the program, receive copies of the books you'll read over the summer, meet our partners at ReThink Theatrical, and participate in a racial healing circle, led by Sharon Stroye of the Rutgers-Newark TRHT Center.

For those in grades 9-12.

The Great Stories Club is generously funded by a grant from the American Library Association and the WW Kellogg Foundation.

For questions, please email Chelsea Woods-Turner, Youth Services Librarian, at chelsea@lmxac.org or Trevor Hotalen, Teen Librarian, at thotalen@lmxac.org.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Saturday, June 22, from 1:00 to 4 p.m.

All ages are invited to come learn about and sign up for the library’s Summer Reading programs! This year, we explore the "Universe of Stories." There will be fun activities for all and goody bags for the kids.

Kids in the Children's Room, Teens in the Teen Room, and Adults in the Main Lobby.

~ Check out other tabs on this page to see what else the library has to offer, such as Annual Events, Movie Nights, and Makerspace programs!

Photography Contest and Workshops

Submission deadline extended from May 10 to May 22, 2019!

Photography Contest Exhibition Reception: Friday, June 14th, at 6:30 p.m.

The New Brunswick Free Public Library presents its 12th Annual Photography Contest and Exhibit! The theme this year (2019) is "Love and Unity." The contest submission form with complete details is available in the library, or click here to download a copy (o aquí en español.)

Photographs entered in the contest will be displayed in a joint exhibition at the New Brunswick Free Public Library and Above Art Studios. A panel of professional photographers and library staff will judge the submissions for first, second, and third place. Winners will be announced at the Reception. For more details, please visit the Photo Contest page here.

Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a grant provided by New Jersey State Council on the Arts / Department of State.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Saturday, June 22, from 1:00 to 4 p.m.
Kids in the Children's Room, Teens in the Teen Room, and Adults in the Main Lobby.

Come learn about and sign up for the library’s Summer Reading programs! This year, we explore the "Universe of Stories." There will be fun activities for all and goody bags for the kids.

Visual Arts Contest

View the submissions to our first Visual Arts Contest, held in 2018, in this PowerPoint presentation.

Sewing 101

Stitch something special with local volunteer sewing expert Pam Brooks.

Wednesday, May 29, at 6:30 p.m. - Come make a drawstring backpack!

Wednesday, June 26, at 6:30 p.m. - On this evening, we'll be making beach blankets!

Minimum age to attend is 8 years old. Please arrive on time to participate. Registration is suggested.

Knitting/Crocheting Club

2nd Thursday of each month

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Do you like to knit and/or crochet? Or do you want to learn? Join the club! Everyone is welcome, from beginners to old pros. Just bring your current project, or if you are new to knitting/crocheting, a willingness to learn! Participants exchange knitting/crocheting ideas while enjoying pleasant conversation. (This is an informal, self-run group and not a strictly instructional class.)

For more information, please contact Librarian Joye Crowe-Logan at joye@lmxac.org

The Friends' Book Club

The book club usually meets on the fourth Monday of the month (with some exceptions) at 1:30 p.m. next door in the Henry Guest House. (Please ask inside the library if you have questions about the location.) The only requirements are to have read the book and be willing to discuss it. The library will often have copies of the Book Club book set aside for the upcoming discussion: just ask at the front desk.

Download a copy of the Friends' Book Club Schedule for 2018-2019 here.

• Sept. 24 - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman:
  A heartwarming story of what happens when a couple with two young children moves next door to a cranky old man.
• Oct. 22 - The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto:
  A New York Times notable book for 2004, it is a history of the Dutch founding of Manhattan.
• Nov. 26 - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee:
  The story of a Korean family, first in Japanese occupied Korea and then in Japan from before WWII to the late 80s.
• Dec. 17* - Soul of America by Jon Meacham:
  A perspective on American history when we have chosen kindness over paranoia and rancor. (*Date changed from Dec. 10.)
• Jan. 28, 2019 - Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout:
  A collection of short stories.
• Feb. 25 - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders:
  The Man Booker 2017 winning novel about Lincoln's grief at the death of his son Willie.
• Mar. 25 - Grant by Ron Chernow:
  Even those who think they are familiar with Ulysses S. Grant's career will learn something from this.
• Apr. 22 - The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by The Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
  In 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in India. They explore the nature of joy, obstacles to joy, and their daily joy practice.
• May 20 - Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday:
  A comedy of manners set in Manhattan as well as a tragedy about an Iraqi-American family which poses deep questions about free will, fate and freedom, the all-powerful accident of one's birth and how life is alchemized into fiction.
• June 10 - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:
  A set of philosophical essays expressing a deep humanity.

Book Sale

The library's Book Sale is an annual event, usually held in mid-April. The Friends sell a wide array of items at incredibly low prices: There are always thousands of books as well as DVDs, CDs, and more!!
Only cash and checks are accepted.

This year's Book Sale was held on the following dates/times:
Friday, April 12, 2019 | 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. &
Saturday, April 13, 2019 | 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.