News & Notes from Blanding Library

Spring Gardening Program on May 15

Lisa Reigel will present “Veggies 101: Starting a Heritage Garden” on Mon. May 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the library, 124 Bay State Rd. Learn how to plan your garden and save some seeds. Lisa’s previous gardening program at the Blanding was a great success and we’re sure this one will be popular too. Admission is free but please call the library (508-252-4236) to register so we’ll know how many people to expect. There will be a limited number of free plants and seeds available to take home. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Blanding Library.

At Your Library …

• The next meeting of the Lego Club at the Blanding will be on Sat. May 13 at 10:30 a.m. All ages welcome.
• The next meeting of the Blanding Book Club will be on Wed. June 7 at 7 p.m. to discuss the book “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman.
• Summer programs for kids, including a new story hour series, will be announced soon. You can also check the library’s calendar at blandinglibrary.net.
• With the return of warm weather, it’s time to remind everyone about the discount passes available free to you with your library card. These are one-day passes offering discounted admission fees to a number of local institutions and events (including PawSox games). Terms of use vary for each pass, but all of them can save you money. It’s very simple to reserve a pass online for the day you want. Don’t have a library card? They are free to all local residents. Stop by the library for more information. Having a library card offers so many benefits. 
• Here are the discount passes available at the Blanding: Biomes Marine Biology Center, Blithewold Mansion and Gardens, Boston Children’s Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Massparks Pass, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Mystic Seaport and Aquarium, New Bedford Whaling Museum, New England Aquarium, PawSox, Plimoth Plantation, Providence Children’s Museum, Roger Williams Park Zoo, and USS Constitution Museum.
• It’s also worth noting that public libraries are not just places to borrow books and so many other items. They are important community meeting places and offer a variety of programs as well. Early May has been a busy time so far at Goff Hall with two programs already, “Meet Julia Child” by the Delvina Theatre Company, sponsored by the Rehoboth Cultural Council and the Friends of the Blanding Library, and also another event, an interfaith panel discussion group “Maybe We Should Talk”. In addition to library-sponsored programs such as these, historic Goff Hall is the meeting place for a number of local groups and organizations. There’s always something going on at the library.

The Friends of the Blanding Library is a volunteer group which supports the library by funding various programs, as well as helping to purchase library items that are not in the Blanding’s budget. We hope you have renewed your Friends’ membership ($10 per year per household) and we always welcome new members. Stop by the Blanding circulation desk to find out more.