Along with schools and other City buildings, the Malden Public Library will be closed to the public effective Saturday, March 14.  All programs, events and all outside use of meeting rooms have been cancelled until April 9th.

PLEASE RETURN ITEMS TO THE OUTSIDE BOOKDROPS OR KEEP THEM UNTIL THE LIBRARY REOPENS.  ALL OVERDUE FINES WILL BE WAIVED.

We will be here to serve you as best we can.  For information and assistance, contact us at

https://maldenpubliclibrary.org/contact-us/ or by phone at (781) 333-0640.

Also follow us on Facebook as we add new online services at https://www.facebook.com/MaldenMALibrary/

Stay safe everyone and we look forward to seeing you soon.

“Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Beneficials,” a 90 minute presentation about welcoming pollinators and other beneficial wildlife, will be offered by naturalist and landscaper John Root at 6:30 PM on Thursday, March 26th. Free; perennials for edible landscaping and attracting birds, butterflies, and other beneficial wildlife will be offered for sale.

This program is supported in part by the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Enjoy the pleasure and power of slow looking! Join us on Saturday, March 28^th at 11:00 a.m. for One Painting / One Hour in the Converse Memorial Building’s Ryder Gallery.   A growing number of museums now offer “slow art” tours or days that encourage visitors to take their time.  One Painting / One Hour was developed from the observation that viewers, in museums and galleries, spend an average of 15 to 30 seconds in front of any given art work; and the pace of life on the Internet makes this seem normal.

As part of the library’s focus visual literacy, this program is a chance for participants to slow down and dive deep for 60 minutes of focused looking, consideration, conversation, and interpretation of a single artwork.   In March we will focus our collective attention on English landscape painter John Linnell’s The Barley Harvest (1874).

The Malden Public Library art collection was made possible through the generous donations Elisha and Mary Diana Converse.  The program is limited to 15.  Register by calling 781-324-0218.

Exciting news!  The Malden Public Library has received a grant from  American Library Association to prepare for the 2020 Census.  We are proud to be working to support a complete count of everyone in our community.  The ALA received over 500 applicants from all over the country and awarded 59 grants.

“The 2020 Census will determine how political representation and critical resources are distributed for the next ten years, and libraries are essential partners in making sure the data collected as part of the Census is complete and accurate,” said ALA President Wanda Brown. “The efforts of these 59 libraries will shine a light on all the library workers across the country who are shouldering efforts to reach and inform their communities—especially vulnerable and hard-to-count populations—about the importance of a full and inclusive count.”

The U.S. Constitution requires a census of all residents every ten years. In the 2020 Census, residents will have the choice to respond online, by phone, or by mail. The U.S. Census Bureau will send mailings to households prior to Census Day, which is April 1, 2020.

To learn more, visit ala.org/census.

National Library Week (April 7- 13, 2019) is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and library workers and to promote library use and support. From free access to books and online resources for families to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries offer opportunity to all. The theme for 2019 National Library Week is “Libraries = Strong Communities,” and  Gates Foundation Co-founder Melinda Gates will serve as 2019 National Library Week Honorary Chair.   First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and observed in libraries across the country each April.

Would your organization or business like to sponsor a discount museum pass for Malden families to enjoy?

The Malden Public Library offers a number of different free and discount passes to museums and attractions in New England. The passes are available to Malden residents who hold valid a library card.

Malden residents continue to use their library enthusiastically. This past year, the library offered over 300 special programs throughout the year, attended by 16,943 children, teen, and adults.  Money saved through your sponsorship will allow us to put more funds toward programs and activities, bring new online resources and technology to the community, and expand services for the community.

Museum Sponsorships Available:

DCR Mass Park Pass                           $ 60

ICA – Contemporary Art                        185

Isabella Stewart Gardner                      195

Harvard Art Museum                            250

John F. Kennedy Center                        250

Peabody Essex Museum                       350

Children’s Museum Pass                       700

Children’s Museum Pass (2)                 700

New England Aquarium                        700

New England Aquarium (2)                 700

Zoo New England                                  800

We would be love to discuss ways in which we can partner with your organization or business. For more information, contact Library Director Dora St. Martin at 781-324-0218 or by email at dstmartin@maldenpubliclibrary.org

Recognizing the integral role that public libraries play in their communities, Massachusetts Center for the Book (MCB) has added Malden as a Gateway City Library Trail to its live app, MassBook Trails. The Malden Public Library is celebrated on the Gateway City Library Trail for providing access to reading and 21st century gateways to opportunity for their patrons through digital connectivity and programming that enhances life-long learning and cultural assimilation.

Available on the web and as a free download, Mass Book Trails was launched in 2017 with two literary walking tours in Boston and two statewide trails:  Literary Museums of Massachusetts, and African American Writers Heritage Trail. Additional tours are being added as libraries have accepted MCB’s invitation to develop their own local literary, cultural, and historic tours.

MCB, chartered as the Commonwealth Affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is a public-private partnership charged with developing, supporting and promoting cultural programming that advances the cause of books and reading and enhances the outreach potential of Massachusetts public libraries.

For more information, contact info@massbook.org.  MassBook Trails may be found in the app store and through Google Play.