The Goodwin Library is a public library that serves as an information center for the personal, cultural, and social growth for the community of Farmington. The Library maintains collections and implements programs that address the community’s changing informational and recreational needs for education and literacy. The collections, materials, and programs are offered in a variety of formats to ensure equitable access for all. The Library believes that free and open access to information and resources will establish the framework for an informed and involved community.
Hours Change in APRIL!
Starting April 4th, we will switch to summer hours, meaning we will be open from 1-7 on Thursdays.
All other hours will stay the same.
From April through the end of summer, our hours will look like this:
Monday: 1:00 – 5:00
Tuesday: 1:00 – 7:00
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 1:00 – 7:00
Friday: 10:00 – 5:00
Saturday: 10:00 – 2:00
Sunday: Closed
Friends of the Library Book & Plant Sale! Starting April 1
Looking for new additions to your bookshelf? Or maybe you’d like to celebrate Spring with some new houseplants?
Stop by the Friends of the Library’s Book & Plant Sale! Purchase a Goodwin Library tote bag for just $12 and fill with as many books as you can fit! Or, donate a minimum of $3 to receive a plastic bag to fill instead! There will also be a selection of houseplants for purchase.
All proceeds go to the Friends of the Goodwin Library, who help fund great services like Museum Passes & special guests!
Find us on Instagram!
Did you know we have an Instagram account?
Get quick updates about programs, holiday closings, and more, right on your IG feed!
Monday Story Times! Mondays through April 15
The last few story times of the season will be March 25, April 1st, 8th, and 15th!
Baby Story Times (age 0-2): Join Miss Kayla for stories, songs, and rhymes! Mondays at 10:15am.
Pre-school Story Times (ages 2-5): Join Miss Carolyn for stories, rhymes, and crafts! Mondays at 11:00am.
Family Place Play Group, Fridays at 10:30am (Full)
This program is full and cannot accept any more sign-ups.
The last Play Groups will be Fri. March 29th and Fri. April 5th.
Receive informal education all while you play with your child! Click here to learn more about Family Place Libraries.
Teen Craft! Blackout Poetry – Tuesday, 4/2 at 4:00pm
April is National Poetry Month!
Come make your own blackout poetry to celebrate! This program is for ages 10+.
Craft & Chat – Tuesday, 4/2 at 7pm on Zoom
Craft & Chat is a virtual crafting program!
Curl up at home and Zoom-in to this program to socialize with other crafters while you work on your current project.
Please reach out to Pam at pgroat@amycornwellry.org for the Zoom link.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party! Rain or Shine -Monday, 4/8 at 3pm
Did you know that after this eclipse, there won’t be another one visible from NH until 2079?
Join us to view this once-in-a-lifetime event – we’ll have special glasses for safe viewing, a space-themed craft, and eclipse cookies from Meemaw’s Mixin’ Bowl!
Even if the eclipse is not visible due to weather conditions, we’ll still party with cookies and crafts!
Eclipse Glasses Policy: Because we have a limited number of glasses to give away, we are capping the number of glasses we give out to 1 pair per couple or 2 pairs per family/household. Thank you for understanding!
We will begin handing out glasses on April 1 for those interested. You must have a library card or proof or Farmington residence to receive glasses. Please see the Children’s Room staff if you are interested in a pair.
Friends of the Library Meeting – Thursday, April 11 at 6:30pm
The Friends of the Goodwin Library will be meeting in April!
The Friends of the Library is an organization that helps fund museum passes and other exciting programs like special guests & performers. They meet quarterly, and organize fundraisers like book sales. Joining the Friends of the Library is a great way to meet new people and support your local library!
Click here to find out more about the Friends, or reach out directly at friendsofthegoodwinlibrary@gmail.com.
Caregiver Café – Friday, 4/12 at 1:00pm
Are you caring for a loved one with a disability or chronic illness?
Consider stopping by for Caregiver Café, a support group run by Cornerstone VNA. The group offers conversation and resources to caregivers.
Elevator access is available.
Homeschool Meet & Greet – Friday, 4/12 at 1:00pm
Meet other local homeschooling families!
Socialize, share ideas and resources, or just play at the library.
Signup Required: Watercolors for Kids! Homeschool & After-school sessions – Tuesday, 4/16
Join us to learn how to paint with watercolors! For ages 6-10.
Homeschool Session: 2:00pm. Click here to sign up for the homeschool session!
After-school session: 3:30pm. Click here to sign up for the after-school session!
Painting Garden Stepping Stones – Tuesday, 4/16 at 5:30pm
Paint your own garden stepping stone!
All supplies will be provided – design it however you’d like!
The Bookies – Tuesday, 4/16 at 7:00pm
The Bookies is the Goodwin Library’s book club!
Join us Tuesday, April 16, to discuss And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. We will have multiple copies available for checkout. New members are always welcome!
You can attend this program in-person or on Zoom. Please email Joyce at jwhite@goodwinlibrary.org if you would like to attend virtually. If you attend in person, please try to make it to the library before 6:50pm, because that is when we typically lock our doors for the night. If the door is locked when you arrive, please call Joyce. Thank you!
Summary: Afghanistan, 1952. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and stepmother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters. To Abdullah, Pari – as beautiful and sweet-natured as the fairy for which she was named – is everything. More like a parent than a brother, Abdullah will do anything for her, even trading his only pair of shoes for a feather for her treasured collection.
One day the siblings journey across the desert to Kabul with their father. Pari and Abdullah have no sense of the fate that awaits them there, for the event which unfolds will tear their lives apart; sometimes a finger must be cut to save the hand. Crossing generations and continents, moving from Kabul, to Paris, to San Francisco, to the Greek island of Tinos, with profound wisdom, depth, insight and compassion, Khaled Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives, the ways in which we help our loved ones in need, how the choices we make resonate through history and how we are often surprised by the people closest to us.
Trustee Meeting – Thursday, 4/18 at 6:00pm
Would you like to know what’s going on at the library?
Feel free to join our trustee meetings, which are open to the public.
We are looking for kind, caring people to join our board of trustees! If this sounds like you, join our next meeting, or reach out to Katiemae at katiemae.a.white@gmail.com.
Signup Required: Jumanji Escape Room for teens! – Monday, 4/22 at 2:00 & 3:30
Can you escape Jumanji? Based on the board game, this program is sure to be a fun, exciting challenge! Solve puzzles to escape!
This program is open to ages 12+ and is limited to 6 participants per session.
S.T.E.A.M.: Construction Paper Seed Bombs – Thursday, 4/25 at 3:00pm
Did you know Earth Day is this month?
Stop into the Children’s Room to learn how to make seed bombs you can plant to celebrate!
New Bag Colors! $12
Have you seen our newest bag colors? If you’re longing for a bit of spring, you’ll love these new bright green and deep violet shades!
All of our bags are 16 inches wide and feature Goodwin Library metallic lettering and logo, lots of pockets, and a zipper closure. Beautiful, sturdy, and even waterproof! And best of all – they’re only $12!
We also still have the red bags and the light blue bags.
Latest puzzle!
Here’s how the most recent puzzle at our puzzle table turned out!
The puzzle table is open to everyone. Feel free to stop in and try our next one if you’re looking for a quiet, calming activity!
Fall/Winter Hours are Now in Effect
Our hours have changed slightly for the fall/winter season. We will be open from 11-5 on Thursdays from now until spring.
All other hours will remain the same.
From November 2 until Spring, our hours will look like this:
Monday: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Tuesday: 1:00pm to 7:00pm
Thursday: 11:00am to 5:00pm
Friday: 10:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Wed/Sun: Closed
Lego Saturdays! Every Saturday, from 10:00am to 1:30pm
We have tons of Legos in the Children’s Room – stop in for some building fun and see what you can create!
We also have Duplos for little ones!
WIC at the Library
The Goodwin Library is pleased to host Strafford County WIC for their monthly clinics.
If you have an appointment, you can find WIC in our community room, which is upstairs from the main floor of the library. Elevator access is available.
Don’t hesitate to ask staff for directions – we are happy to help!
Visit dhhs.nh.gov for more information about the NH WIC program.
New Story Trail Book!
Coming this month, read The Thing to Remember About Stargazing by Matt Forest Esenwine! Thank you to the author for donating his book for our Story Trail!
The Story Trail is located at the McCarthy Trail, next to the Public Safety Complex at 169 NH-153.
Thanks to our 2024 Story Trail Sponsors: The Perkins Family, Chestnut Hill Chimney & Hearth, Energy Resources Group, and the Mason Family!
March Staff Pick!
The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg
It’s 1880, and in the frigid city of Stockholm, death lurks around every corner. Twelve-year-old Mika knows that everyone in her orphanage will struggle to survive this winter. But at least the notorious serial killer the Night Raven is finally off the streets… or is he?
Mika is shocked when when a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night, by a boy with a cryptic message. Who is he? And who is this “Dark Angel” he speaks of?
Drawn in by Mika’s unique ability to notice small details – a skill Mika has always used to survive – the gruff Detective Hoff unwittingly recruits her to help him with his investigation into a gruesome murder. Mika knows she should stay far, far away, and yet… with such little hope for her future, could this be an opportunity? Maybe, just maybe, this is Mika’s chance to be someone who matters.
March Staff Pick!
Matrix by Lauren Groff
Matrix is an astonishing, poetic Literary Fiction pick about an outcast young woman’s journey to transform an impoverished 12th-century English abbey into a thriving sanctuary against all odds. Over the course of only 260 pages, the novel follows Marie from the age of 17 onward, chronicling her visions, passions, losses, and incredible achievements.
Groff has such a deeply singular, poetic voice that nearly every sentence felt to me like I was experiencing one of Marie’s own earth-shattering fits of divine inspiration. I never expected a novel about 12th-century nuns to be so gripping, but I was so awed by this book that I’ll be keeping an eye out for Groff’s other work from now on. It’s a perfect pick for lovers of literary or historical fiction, complex female characters, and those who appreciate novels with a unique, lyrical touch.
We Have a Little Free Library!
Take a book, leave a book!
There are all kinds of books in our little free library! The top shelf has children’s books, the bottom shelf has adult books. Stop by and check it out – it’s right outside our front door!