Decorate a Lantern for the Lantern Festival, Wednesday August 14

It's time to get ready for the Lantern Festival!

The Portsmouth Public Library is proud to partner with the Alliance for Greater Good again this year for a fun, all ages lantern decorating event!  Join us to decorate your own lantern to float at the Portsmouth Lantern Festival on September 28! The Lantern Festival is a family-friendly fundraiser celebrating community kindness. 

Indigenous Stories: Digging for Native History in New Hampshire, Tuesday August 13

Abenaki history has been reduced to near-invisibility as a result of conquest, a conquering culture that placed little value on the Indian experience, and a strategy of self-preservation that required many Abenaki to go "underground," concealing their true identities for generations to avoid discrimination and persecution.

Gundalow Game Night, Wednesday August 7

Gundalows played an important part in Portsmouth's heritage. Gundalows were used until the late 1800s as the delivery trucks and tractor trailers of history, transporting cargo and passengers to the towns around the Seacoast. With a flat bottom and wide beam, gundalows were not as glamorous as the fancier schooners and clippers, but they could travel over the mud flats that were dangerous to the deep-water sailing ships.

Exhibit: "The Whistle at Eaton Falls" – A Louis de Rochemont Award Display, August 1-30

The Whistle at Eaton Falls, produced by Seacoast film legend Louis de Rochemont in 1951 and recently restored on DVD, was awarded the Willy Haas-Preis Award for Best Film on Blue Ray/DVD at the International Film History Conference in Hamburg, Germany in 2023. Filmed in Exeter, Portsmouth, and Newmarket, New Hampshire, The Whistle features Dorothy Gish, Ernest Borgnine, and a very young Lloyd Bridges in the starring role. 

Cardio room closed

The Cardio Room (with exercise bike, ellipticals, etc.) will be closed on Monday, July 29 while a repair to the roof is carried out. The rest of the building will remain open.

Alert

Celebrate Disability Pride Month!

July marks Disability Pride Month, celebrating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation that broke down barriers to inclusion in society. This month is an opportunity to lift up the voices of people with disabilities, study the history of disability rights, and learn how to foster inclusion and possibilities for future generations. 

Check out our curated book lists: