Social programs of the Great Society were aimed at utilizing relief and social programs to prevent crime. The Law Enforcement Assistance Act of 1965 changed the emphasis from creating jobs as a tool to prevent crime to funneling federal funds to support increased policing. This legislation laid the foundation for high incarceration rates for African Americans and people of color. This trend was further intensified by the establishment of mandatory sentencing laws in the 1980s. This panel will discuss these laws as they pertain to New Hampshire’s criminal justice system.

The Holdovers.
2023. Rated R. 133 Minutes. 

From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, The Holdovers follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them -- a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) -- and with the school's head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).

In December of 1774, a heroic insurrection against the authority and property of King George III punishable by hanging occurred at New Castle, New Hampshire’s Fort William and Mary (later renamed Fort Constitution). The event inexplicably escaped the radar of history and should be rediscovered for its critically important influence on America’s movement for independence.

Peter Blanchette is known around the world as the inventor of the 11-string archguitar. He is a guitarist, composer, arranger, and conductor and has released 17 albums on the Dorian label and his imprint, Archguitar Music. His albums receive heavy radio airplay.   He performs and records in solo recitals and together with Mané Lareggla (of Madrid, Spain) as Archguitar Duo.  Blanchette is a veteran performer who has appeared on NPR’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” and at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,

Join us at the library in the Special Collections Room and be part of our Research Huddle! In sports, a huddle is when the players gather in a circle to strategize, motivate, or celebrate. We think genealogists should do the same!

This is the perfect opportunity to dig into your personal history and tell your family’s story. Use the library’s print collections and research databases to progress with your fact-finding. We’ll gather to use library resources, share our successes, learn from fellow researchers, and overcome our research stumbling blocks!

Franklin D. Roosevelt included “The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health” as one of the fundamental rights of Americans. In subsequent decades Medicare and Medicaid were enacted as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 expanded health care insurance to more Americans. This panel explores the realities of New Hampshire’s health care today and the further strains the Covid 19 pandemic put on the system.

Barbie
2023. PG-13.114 Minutes.

Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken.

Registration is not required. This is a drop-in event. Refreshments will be served.

The Seacoast Camera Club's Annual Photography Exhibition, "Made in New England" will be on display for public viewing in the Levenson Room of the Portsmouth Public Library from Monday January 30 through Saturday March 2. The images are the work of members of the Seacoast Camera Club, based in Portsmouth, NH.

The median income of a New Hampshire household is not enough to rent a median-priced apartment in places like Portsmouth and Manchester. The data is far worse for a single person earning the New Hampshire median income. A single person would need at least two roommates to afford a median-priced, apartment. Burdened by high rents, households strain to cover other necessary expenses, such as food, health care, clothing, and transportation.

Harriet
2019. PG-13. 125 minutes.

From her escape from slavery through the dangerous missions she led to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, the story of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman is told.

Refreshments will be served. Subtitles are shown whenever possible. This is a free event open to the public. 

Registration is not required. Just drop into the Levenson Community Room!