all programs are free and open to everyone
New Books | Teen Events | Tween Events
Free Permit Practice Test | Teen Recommendations | Research
New Books
The following books have just been added to our collection and are certain to be popular. To place a hold, just click on the title and then on “Request/Hold” and have your Library card handy.
Teen Events (Gr. 9-12)
Teen Bring Your Own Book Club (Ages 13+)
Tuesday, September 26, 5:00 p.m. in the Teen Section
Registration requested but not required.
Do you like the idea of joining a book club, but aren’t sure you could commit to reading the assigned book each time? Then this new casual book club is for you! Come discuss the books you’re reading and share recommendations with others! Find new books, play book themed games, or just talk and hangout.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Dungeons & Dragons Character Creation: Teen Session (Gr. 9-12)
Thursday, September 28, 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room
Registration required.
Join us and play the world’s greatest role-playing game at one of the Essex Library’s Dungeons & Dragons sessions! Come create your own character and join the adventure where we will fight monsters and explore new lands. Both new and experienced players are welcome.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Louie Listens
Thursday, October 12, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Reserve your private 10-minute session to spend time with local, licensed therapy dog, Louie the Labrador! Open to kids, teens, and families!
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Spooky Family Trivia
Tuesday, October 17, 5:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Drop-in event, no registration required.
Join us for a fun family trivia night celebrating all things Halloween and spooky. Test your knowledge to see who knows the most about this popular holiday!
Escape Room: In a Box (Ages 13+)
Thursday, October 19, 5:00 p.m. in the Teen Section
Registration required.
1 hour, 19 puzzles, and 3 locks. Do you have what it takes to escape? Come challenge your puzzle solving skills at the Escape Room (In a Box).
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Teen Bring Your Own Book Club (Ages 13+)
Tuesday, October 24, 5:00 p.m. in the Teen Section
Registration requested but not required.
Do you like the idea of joining a book club, but aren’t sure you could commit to reading the assigned book each time? Then this new casual book club is for you! Come discuss the books you’re reading and share recommendations with others! Find new books, play book themed games, or just talk and hangout.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Dungeons & Dragons: Teen Session (Gr. 9-12)
Thursday, October 26, 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room
Registration required.
Join us and play the world’s greatest role-playing game at one of the Essex Library’s Dungeons & Dragons sessions! Come create your own character and join the adventure where we will fight monsters and explore new lands. Both new and experienced players are welcome.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Tween Events (Gr. 4-8)
STEAM Saturdays: Coding with Lego WeDo (Ages 5-12)
Saturday, September 30, 10:00 a.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Enjoy a different STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Mathematics) project at the library select Saturdays.
This session we will explore basic coding with Lego WeDo robots. With LEGO WeDo 2.0 patrons can build and program basic robots. Geared towards younger patrons, this kit helps them learn basic design and programming. LEGO provides designs for 17 different types of robots with different abilities and patrons are encouraged to create their own designs as well.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Dungeons & Dragons Character Creation: Tween Session (Gr. 4-8)
Saturday, September 30, 12:00 p.m. in the Conference Room
Registration required.
Join us and play the world’s greatest role-playing game at one of the Essex Library’s Dungeons & Dragons sessions! Come create your own character and join the adventure where we will fight monsters and explore new lands. Both new and experienced players are welcome.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Ghost Scavenger Hunt
Saturday, September 30, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Children’s Room
Drop-in, all day event.
There are ghosts at the library! Start the spooky season off right with a ghost hunt at the Essex Library. Ghosts will be hidden throughout the children’s room and it’s up to you to find them. Can you catch them all?
Pumpkin Painting and Scarecrow Decorating (Gr. K-6)
Tuesday, October 3, 4:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Help Essex Library create a scarecrow to decorate for the Halloween season! After our scarecrow is finished, paint a pumpkin to take home!
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Kids Create: Fairy Houses, Program Room (Gr. K-6)
Saturday, October 7, 10:00 a.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Get crafty with Essex Library’s newest arts & crafts program for kids ages 5-12.
In this session, children are invited use terracotta pots, paints, and other materials to decorate their own fairy house, a small structure for fairies and woodland creatures to live in.
These whimsical habitats are built by children, families, gardeners and nature lovers alike, and can bring a bit of magic and mystery to any family garden.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Percy Jackson Party (Gr. 3-8)
Tuesday, October 10, 4:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Celebrate Rick Riordan’s newest addition to the Percy Jackson series, The Chalice of the Gods!
We’ll compete in games fit for the gods, talk about our favorite parts of the Percy Jackson books, test our Percy Jackson and Greek Mythology knowledge, and even snack on some blue food like Percy and his mom!
We’ll end our party with a Greek Mythology scavenger hunt in the children’s section.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Louie Listens
Thursday, October 12, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Registration required.
Reserve your private 10-minute session to spend time with local, licensed therapy dog, Louie the Labrador! Open to kids, teens, and families!
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Spooky Family Trivia
Tuesday, October 17, 5:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Drop-in event, no registration required.
Join us for a fun family trivia night celebrating all things Halloween and spooky. Test your knowledge to see who knows the most about this popular holiday!
Dungeons & Dragons: Tween Session (Gr. 4-8)
Saturday, October 21, 12:00 p.m. in the Conference Room
Registration required.
Join us and play the world’s greatest role-playing game at one of the Essex Library’s Dungeons & Dragons sessions! Come create your own character and join the adventure where we will fight monsters and explore new lands. Both new and experienced players are welcome.
Sign up at (860) 767-1560 or e-mail staff.essexlib@gmail.com
Fantasy Card Games Club (Gr. 4-8)
Monday, October 23, 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. in the Program Room
Drop-in event, no registration required.
Join us for an afternoon of fantasy card games, like Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon. Both new and experienced players are welcome!
Volunteers Wanted
Interested in volunteering with the library? Fill out our short survey and a library staff member will be in contact with you. Volunteering is a great way to learn more about the library and gain valuable experience for college or work.
Volunteer Form: https://forms.gle/P4zZ4PsNfPLku3jW7
Teen Service
Free Permit Practice Tests
In partnership with Driving-Tests.org, the Essex Public Library is offering FREE Connecticut Driver Permit practice tests. This service also provides information on taking the CT Driving Test as well as the Driving Handbook.
Want to share a good book? Feeling especially passionate about something you’ve just read? Come in and visit. We’d love to add your video or written reviews to our selection. You never know whose life a good book will change for the better. Visit Riley Sullivan’s newest video review.
Teen Recommendations
YALSA’s Teen Book Finder is a free app to help teens, parents, librarians, or any lover or YA literature to access the past three years of YALSA’s awards and lists on their Smartphone, iPod or iPad. App features include: a homepage featuring titles from the database, refreshed each day, a book search engine, a Find It button (powered by OCLC WorldCat Search) a favorites button and the ability to share brooks from the Teen Book Finder on Twitter and Facebook. Scan the QR Code in our YA Department to get the app today!
Research
Need reliable (and last minute) research help? The free online resource, researchIT CT is here for you! Don’t forget about researchIT CT where you can find articles and information that you can trust. If you’re in need of a little project help, please visit the Children’s department for a researchIT CT tutorial. We’re always happy to help!