Friends of the Library Programs
The Friends of the Library plan and sponsor a number of public programs of enrichment each year. These include lectures, demonstrations, performances, and recitals. All programs are free and open to the public.
In addition, the Friends sponsor several programs each year for children.
Most programs are in the Library’s Community Room. Click here for directions to the Library. If you enter the Library through the main entrance, the Community Room is just inside the main entrance doors to the right. If you enter the Library through the Highland Avenue entrance, the Community Room is on the lower level on the opposite side of the building.
Our program schedule for the 2010-2011 year:
- Sunday, November 14, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Program to be announced.
- Sunday, December 5, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. (Tentative) program to be announced.
- Sunday, January 23, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Program to be announced.
- Sunday, February 27, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Program to be announced.
- Sunday, March 27, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Program to be announced.
- Tuesday, April 26, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. Program to be announced
- Thursday, June 9, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Annual Meeting and Program. Program to be announced.
Programs in prior years:
- Sunday, November 14, 2004, 2:00 p.m. Innovations and Postal History - Norm Shufrin
- Sunday, December 5, 2004, 2:00 p.m. The Enchanted Harp with Harpist Katie Lynch
- Sunday, January 16, 2005, 2:00 p.m. Atlantis: Fact or Fiction? The case for the Greek Island of Thera - Professor Curtis Runnels
- Thursday, February 3rd, 2005, 7:30 p.m. The Art of the Handwritten Note - Margaret Shepherd. Cosponsored with the North Hill Library Committee.
- Sunday, March 13th, 2005, 2:00 p.m. Achieving Financial Success: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Money - Michele E. Heist
- Saturday, March 26, 2005, 2:00 p.m. The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship - Musical Performance by The Solar Winds. Concert to benefit the Friends of the Needham Public Library.
- Thursday, March 31, 2005, 7:00 p.m. When Hate Comes to Town: How Communities Respond - Author James S. Hirsch. Cosponsored with the Needham Human Rights Committee.
- Sunday, April 10th, 2005, 2:00 p.m. Tour of the Danforth Museum Collection in Framingham.
- Thursday, June 2, 2005, 7:30 p.m. Friends of the Library annual meeting; entertainment provided by the Waterfront Park String Band. Knights of Columbus Hall, 1211 Highland Avenue, Needham.
- Sunday, October 16, 2005, 2:00 p.m. Author Diana Abu-Jaber, The Language of Baklava.
- Sunday, March 19, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Author Anita Diamant, The Last Days of Dogtown. Cosponsored with the Library Trustees.
- Sunday, April 23, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Author Barbara Delinsky, “An Author’s Roots: From One Small Library to the World.” Cosponsored with the Library Trustees.
- Sunday, May 7, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Author Timothy Kenslea, The Sedgwicks in Love: Courtship, Engagement, and Marriage in the Early Republic. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
- Thursday, June 1, 2006, 7:30 p.m., Friends of the Library annual meeting. Photographer, author, and Boston Globe “Cityscapes” columnist Peter Vanderwarker, “Civic Architecture and Cultural Aspirations.” Cosponsored with the Library Trustees.
- Sunday, October 22, 2006, 2:00 p.m., The New Woman: The Life and Times of Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovksy with Peter Zheutlin
- Sunday, November 5, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Oriental Rugs, an interactive presentation with Scott Gregorian
- Sunday, December 3, 2006, 2:00 p.m., Holiday Harp: Relax with Harp Music from Around the World, performed by Katie Lynch
- Sunday, February 11, 2007, 2:00 p.m., 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, with author Charles C. Mann
- Sunday, March 18, 2007, 2:00 p.m., A Visit with Louisa May Alcott: a living history portrayal with Jan Turnquist
- Sunday, April 22, 2007, 2:00 p.m., Here Comes the American Bride: The History of Our Country Reflected in Our Weddings, with actress Judy Bernstein
- Monday, April 30, 2007, 7:30 p.m., Mental Health: In Your Mind or In Your Brain?, presented by Science in the News
- Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 7:30 p.m., Friends of the Library annual meeting. Terry Marotta: Vacationing in One's Driveway
- Sunday, October 14, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. Meet Eleanor Roosevelt: Wife, Mother, and First Lady. Performed and co-authored by Elena Dodd. Directed and co-authored by Josephine Lane.
- Sunday, November 4, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. The Battlefield Guide. Poetry about Gettysburg and Antietam by Rodger Martin, accompanied by traditional and original music.
- Sunday, February 10, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. When Computers Were Human. David Alan Grier, Author.
- Sunday, March 2, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. You Never Call! You Never Write! A History of the Jewish Mother. Joyce Antler, Author.
- Sunday, April 6, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. Spahn, Sain, and Teddy Ballgame: Boston’s (almost) Perfect Baseball Summer of 1948, a panel discussion with contributing authors of this upcoming Rounder Books publication.
- Sunday, May 4, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia, Marshall I. Goldman, Davis Professor of Economics Emeritus, Wellesley College.
- Thursday, June 5, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. Annual Meeting and Program. Real Men Don't Rehearse: Adventures in the Secret World of Professional Orchestras, Justin Locke, Author.
- Sunday, November 2, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap!, Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, Author
- Sunday, January 25, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Forensic Science: The View from the Laboratory, Drew R. Killius, Materials Scientist
- Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. The History of Sculpture, Emily Silet, Director of Gallery Learning, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park
- Sunday, March 15, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Investigating Sherlock Holmes in the Sesquicentennial of Arthur Conan Doyle's Birth, Daniel M. Polvere, Esq., of the The Speckled Band of Boston
- Sunday, April 5, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. New Rooms for Old Houses: Beautiful Additions for the Traditional Home, Frank Shirley, Author
- Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. Annual Meeting and Program. Silent Sentinels of the Shores, Ed Beaulieu, Producer and Commentator
- Sunday, November 1, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine, John Abramson, M.D., Author
- Sunday, December 6, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Jazz for All Ages with Cosmic Moxa, Nancy Valois and John Salonen
- Sunday, January 10, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Past Views of the Future: Science Fiction's Peek Over the Horizon, Walter H. Hunt, Author
- Sunday, February 21, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Brainstorming: An Act of Mentalism, Rory Raven
- Sunday, March 21, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. Understanding Manga and Anime, Robin Brenner, Author
- Tuesday, April 27, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Where Have All the Good Movies Gone?, Ty Burr, Film Critic for the Boston Globe
- Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. Annual Meeting and Program, The Joy of Sox: Weird Science and the Power of Intention, Eric Leskowitz, M.D.
While the Library building was not available during construction work in 2004-2005, we held programs in several venues around Needham: Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, North Hill, Olin College, Knights of Columbus Hall, the Faramarz K Gallery, and Needham High School. We thank the providers of those venues for their help during the construction work.