HOLIDAY HOURS

The Watertown Free Public Library will close at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, December 24, and will be closed on Wednesday, December 25.  We will resume normal hours on Thursday, December 26.

That means, you should come visit us during the following open hours this week:

Monday (today) 9:00am-9:00pm

Tuesday 9:00am-12:00pm

Thursday 9:00am-9:00pm

Friday 9:00am-7:00pm

Saturday 9:00am-5:00pm

Super Hero Party on Friday!

Do you wish you had super powers?  Which super hero is your favorite?  If you love everything super, you won't want to miss our Super Hero Party on Friday at 3:30 p.m.  It's for kids in kindergarten through second grade, and there are still spaces available.  You'll get to come up with your own Super Hero name, we'll share some stories about amazing powers, and you'll make your very own mask and super hero cape!

Registration is required, so call 617-972-6435 or stop in and let us know if you're interested!

Story Time at Santa's Village in the Watertown Mall - 12/18 at 10:15am

You won't want to miss this!  On Wednesday, December 18 at 10:15 a.m., a librarian will be in Santa's Village at the Watertown Mall to share stories and songs to get everyone in a winter mood!

This program was added after a few December calendars were distributed, so if you grabbed one of our early calendars you may not see it on your calendar.  It's an end-of-the-year bonus program!

The stories and songs will be appropriate for families with children of all ages, and there's no need to register.  Just stop into the Watertown Mall on December 18 and join us!

Wanna know more?  Check out our online calendar of events, call us at 617-972-6435, or stop in for more information.

Legoland Discovery Center Boston

Hey LEGO lovers!  Did you know that Boston's going to get it's very own Legoland Discovery Center?  And did you know that, starting on December 2, you can vote on what landmarks will be in the Boston Miniland?  If you visit the Legoland Discovery Center Facebook Page, you'll be able to vote and find out more about the soon-to-be Legoland, including some photos of the building's construction.

In January, Legoland Discovery Center is also hosting a unique event.  Each Discovery Center has a Master Model Builder who develops new features, exhibits, and models.  This person will play a big role in the experience of children who visit Legoland, and they don't get chosen lightly.  Legoland will be hosting auditions over the course of a two-day event, and families will be able to watch potential Master Model Builders earn their spot.  You can find out more at Legoland's website: http://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/boston/holding/

And of course, we've got all sorts of fun options for LEGO fanatics here at the library!  Each month we've got LEGO Club, where kids in grades K-5 can spend time creating whatever they can imagine with our huge supply of LEGOs.  We move the day and time around so people with different schedules can come.  The next LEGO Club will be on Friday, December 27 at 10:15am.

Throughout the year, we offer multiple sessions of LEGO Simple Machines programs (for grades 1 and 2) and LEGO WeDo Robotics programs (for grades 3-5).  We utilize LEGO engineering kits to help kids develop all sorts of STEM skills while having a blast.  Look for these programs coming up in the spring.

And everyday we've got two different LEGO sets that you can check out and play with here at the library: the LEGO Train (for younger kids) and a LEGO Simple Machines set (for kids who are a little bit older).  We just added the Simple Machines (check out our past blog post about it), but each kit can be checked out for 2 hours to play with here in the library.

So LEGO enthusiasts, make sure you check out the Legoland Discovery Center website, vote on your favorite Boston landmarks to be LEGO-ized, and stop by the library and check out some of our great programs.

Only 2 Days Till Our Hunger Games Party!

Do you have what it takes to survive?

In just two days, the Children's Department and Teen Department are teaming up to celebrate the upcoming movie release of Catching Fire, the second installment in the thrilling Hunger Games series.  Older kids (grades 5 and up) should bring all their friends to this amazing event.

Kids will get to find out what district they'd be from, create fashionable accessories that would be worn in the Capitol (their Capitol Couture), try their hands at some survival games, catch up on the first movie before, and so much more!

(Will a gift from your sponsor save you?)

This awesome event will be on Thursday, November 21 at 3:30 p.m.  And be sure to come dressed as your favorite Hunger Games character!  Prizes will be awarded for the best costume, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Now you can play with Lego Simple Machines at the library!

Have your kids gotten a little too old for our Lego Train set but still enjoy playing with Legos?  Are you looking for ways to help your child learn more about engineering and simple machines?  Want to try it before you buy it?

Well now you can!  We've added a Lego Simple Machines set to our collection of games that are available for use here in the library.  All you need is your library card, and you can check out this set to play with for up to 2 hours here in the Children's Room.  Just like the Lego Train, you'll need to play with it in the program room, which means it's only available when there are no programs going on in there.

Be sure to stop in soon and try it out!

We've got Hoopla! You can stream movies, songs and audiobooks for FREE!

We've just started offering a brand new service for digital media: Hoopla!  Hoopla is a service that provides streaming video, music and audiobooks for free with your library card!  Here's what you need to know:

• No late fees!  Hoopla items are automatically returned for you when they're due, so you never have to remember to give them back.
• Unlike our other digital ebooks and audiobooks, we have unlimited quantities of Hoopla items!  That means that all of the videos, songs and ebooks that you see on Hoopla are available all the time.  You don't have to put anything on hold or wait for someone to finish something you're interested in.
• You can use Hoopla on a computer with an internet connection, and there's also an app for use on devices that run iOS or Android systems.  It's a streaming service, so you just click on what you want to watch or listen to and it starts playing!

Interested?  Here's how to get started:

• Direct your browser to www.hoopladigital.com and click Sign Up in the top right corner.
• Scroll down and agree to Hoopla's terms and conditions.
• Enter your information to start a Hoopla account.  When you get to "Your local public library," select "Watertown Free Public Library."  (Note: you can leave the "Library card PIN/password" field blank.)  Click "Register."  Now you've got an account, and it may automatically sign you in.
• If you are not automatically signed in, click "Sign In" at the top right and enter the email address and password you just created.
• That's it!  You can click "Browse" near the top look through available titles, or you can use the "Search" box in the middle to find something specific.

Want to try it on your Android or iOS device?

• Download the "Hoopla Digital" app.  It's free!
• If you've already done the above steps on a computer, click "Sign In" at the top right.
• If you haven't started an account yet, click "Sign Up" at the top left.
• Agree to Hoopla's terms and conditions.
• Select "Watertown Free Public Library" on the "Find Your Library" screen.
• Enter your library card number in the "library card" field.  You can leave the "pin" field blank.
• Enter your email address and a password.  You'll use these two pieces of info to sign in.
• Once you're signed in for the first time on the app, you'll see a brief tutorial about how to use Hoopla.  Start browsing and borrowing!

Give it a try!  And next time you stop in to the Children's Department, let us know what you think!