Fabric Swap Drop Off
2026-04-27 - 2026-05-01 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Bring in your usable leftover fabric from the 27th-1st. Come in on Saturday the 2nd and pick up some new fabric! Don’t forget to check out our ongoing pattern swap too!

Must Read Mondays The Salt Stones
2026-04-27 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Kolvoord Community Room
The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life by Helen Whybrow
Set in Vermont’s Green Mountains, a profoundly moving meditation on the lessons and wisdom that come from raising a family, tending sheep, and living close to the land.
In the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains, Helen Whybrow and her partner set out to restore an old two-hundred-acre farm. Knowing that “belonging more than anything requires participation,” they begin to intertwine their lives with the land. But soon after releasing a flock of Icelandic sheep onto the worn-out fields, Whybrow realizes that the art of shepherding extends far beyond the flock and fences of Knoll Farm.

Please fill out this form to get the GoToMeeting sign in information.
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May's Daily/Ongoing Programs for Adults:
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-31 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Book Display: This month, check out books and films about, inspired by, and written during the 1920’s! This is party of the Brownell Library’s 100th programs!
Visit the KCR display! This month our display features art by the Essex Art League!
Magazine Swap: Need some new reading material? Check out the magazine swap!
Community Puzzle: Spend some time working on a puzzle in the Main Reading Room. Puzzles rotate as they are completed.
Pattern Swap: Bring in sewing, cross stitch, and knitting patters and take a few home!
Puzzle Swap: Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. Adult and kid friendly puzzles welcome! Only puzzles that have all the pieces. Drop your puzzle off on the table next to the main desk.
Red Cards: Informational cards are available in different languages.
Coupon Swap: Do you have extra coupons that aren’t useful to you? Bring them in and take a few!
Battery Recycling Station: Do you have old batteries? Drop them off at our recycling station (no exploded batteries please!)
Lion’s Club Eyeglasses Drop Off Station. Do you have old glasses you no longer need? Drop them off at our recycling station!
Seed Swap: Have extra seeds you don’t need? Drop them off at our seed swap and take home seeds you want for your garden!

Adult Take and Make Kits - Painted Bird Houses
2026-05-01 - 2026-05-31 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Kits can be found on a cart to the left of the main circulation desk and are available while supplies last. Instructions will be included in each kit. 1 kit per family please. Share pictures of your making experience by emailing them to: frontdesk@brownelllibrary.org or tag @brownellvt on social media.

Fabric Swap
2026-05-02 09:00 - 13:00 | Kolvoord Community Room

CANCELED: Vermont Astronomical Society Meeting
2026-05-04 19:30 - 21:00 | Kolvoord Community Room

Grief Group
2026-05-06 18:30 - 19:30, 2026-06-03 18:30 - 19:30, 2026-07-01 18:30 - 19:30 | Kolvoord Community Room
Join a compassionate community of others who are grieving. In this safe and supportive space, we come together to share, validate, and navigate the complexities of grief. Guided by certified death doula Karen Hergesheimer, our conversations offer understanding, education, and valuable resources to help you through this journey. Hot tea is provided.

Dungeons & Dragons (FULL)
2026-05-08 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Players embark on imaginary adventures. The current campaign is full, if you are interested in joining, and able to commit to an ongoing collaborative story for at least 4 months, please email youth@brownelllibrary.org to add your name to the wait list. Open to 5th grade and up.

Plant Swap
2026-05-09 10:00 - 13:00 | Library Pavilion
Bring plants to swap under the pavilion in front of the library! Garden starters and houseplants welcome!

Librarian's Choice Book Discussion
2026-05-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Main Reading Room
“Alanna the First Adventure” by Tamora Pierce In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom. Disguised as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is not an easy one. Alanna must master weapons, combat, and magic, as well as polite behavior, her temper, and even her own heart. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins—one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and make her a legend in the land.

Fairbanks Museum Lecture
2026-05-13 17:00 - 18:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Join the Brownell Library for a lecture about Climate Change by a guest speaker from the Fairbanks Museum! This lecture is for adults and is sponsored in part by Vermont Humanities. Attendees will be able to leave with a copy of “The Light Pirate” by Lily Brooks-Dalton, available while supplies last.

Collecting Book & Media Donations
2026-05-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
The Brownell Library Foundation will be accepting books and media for their book sale.

Springtime Potluck
2026-05-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Kolvoord Community Room
Join the Brownell Library for a potluck! Please bring a dish to share.

Must Read Monday - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
2026-05-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon – In Person and Online – Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Brownell Library Trustees Meeting
2026-05-19 19:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Brownell Library is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Brownell Library Trustees Meeting
Time: Dec 16, 2025 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the Third Tue, 44 occurrence(s)
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Adult Movie Night with special guests from the Howard Center
2026-05-20 17:30 - 20:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Join us for a movie night! The movie is an award winning film that brings alive the struggles of unhoused visitors at a public library on a frigid night. After the film, there will be a panel discussion with guests from the Howard Center as well as library staff.

100th Anniversary 1920's Style party!
2026-05-30 12:00 - 14:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
1920’s inspired party! Games, music, and crafts inspired by the 1920’s when the library was founded. This is a Brownell libraray 100th anniversary celebration!

Daily and ongoing programs for adults:
2026-06-01 - 2026-06-30 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Book Display: This month we are celebrating the country’s 250th birthday! Stop by the library and check out a book, documentary, film, or magazine about the United States!
Visit the KCR display! This month our display features art by the Essex Art League!
Magazine Swap: Need some new reading material? Check out the magazine swap!
Community Puzzle: Spend some time working on a puzzle in the Main Reading Room. Puzzles rotate as they are completed.
Pattern Swap: Bring in sewing/cross stitch/knitting etc. patterns and take a few!
Puzzle Swap: Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. Adult and kid friendly puzzles welcome! Only puzzles that have all the pieces. Drop your puzzle off on the table next to the main desk.
Red Cards: Informational cards are available in different languages.
Coupon Swap: Do you have extra coupons that aren’t useful to you? Bring them in and take a few!
Battery Recycling Station: Do you have old batteries? Drop them off at our recycling station (no exploded batteries please!)
Lion’s Club Eyeglasses Drop Off Station. Do you have old glasses you no longer need? Drop them off at our recycling station!
Seed Swap: Have extra seeds you don’t need? Drop them off at our seed swap and take home seeds you want for your garden!

STEM Challenge: Robo-Cubes
2026-06-02 - 2026-06-15 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Stop by the Winnie Bell Maker Space in Youth Nonfiction to explore robotics with cubelets. We will offer challenges with a range of difficulties, from novice to master. This program is made possible with support from the Winnie Bell Learned Fund, and it is open to all ages.

Author Talk: "Asa James" by Jodi Lew-Smith
2026-06-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Asa James, Winner of the 2025 prize for Historical Fiction in the American Legacy Book Awards.

Jodi Lew-Smith lives on a hill farm in Hardwick with her husband, dog, chickens, and 250 apple trees. She has always been a writer but also enjoys biology, which comes out in her fiction.

ART LAB: Dino Prints
2026-06-16 - 2026-06-30 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Turn your fingerprint into a dinosaur and your dinosaur into a story at the Winnie Bell Maker Space. Show us your creation and we will make a copy to display on the Winnie Belle Windows, and it may be included in our Summer Zine! This program is for all ages, and it is made possible with support from the Winnie Belle Learned Fund.

Must Read Mondays - Audition by Katie Kitamura
2026-06-22 06:30 - 19:30 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
One woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilizing Möbius strip of a novel that asks whether we ever really know the people we love.

Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling, young—young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In this compulsively readable, brilliantly constructed novel, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day – partner, parent, creator, muse – and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately.

Please fill out this form to get the GoToMeeting sign in information.
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Adopt a Dino!
2026-06-24 - 2026-07-01 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
A train full of dinosaurs has escaped into the library, and we need your help to find them! Beginning Wednesday June 24, patrons are invited to search the library for dinosaur figurines to take home. These little dinosaurs will only be available until July 1 – come claim yours today! Available while supplies last. This program is open to patrons of all ages.

Bookmark Stitch-In with the Embroidery Guild
2026-06-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Local members of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America celebrate our summer theme with a Stitch-In. Watch them create embroidery using a variety of needlework techniques. Choose a beautifully stitched bookmark to take home. For all ages.

Librarian's Choice Book Discussion
2026-06-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. He is visited by a man called The Other who enlists Piranesi’s help in uncovering A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

Daily and ongoing programs for adults:
2026-07-01 - 2026-07-31 | Brownell Library, 6 Lincoln St, Essex Junction, VT, 05450, United States
Book Display: For the month of July, check out books and movies about, inspired by, or related to Dinosaurs and/or Paleontology!

Visit the KCR display! In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Brownell Library, the Essex Community Historical Society will have on display pictures of what Essex Junction looked like in the early 1900’s

Magazine Swap: Need some new reading material? Check out the magazine swap!
Community Puzzle: Spend some time working on a puzzle in the Main Reading Room. Puzzles rotate as they are completed.
Pattern Swap: Bring in sewing/cross stitch/knitting etc. patterns and take a few!
Puzzle Swap: Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. Adult and kid friendly puzzles welcome! Only puzzles that have all the pieces. Drop your puzzle off on the table next to the main desk.
Red Cards: Informational cards are available in different languages.
Coupon Swap: Do you have extra coupons that aren’t useful to you? Bring them in and take a few!
Battery Recycling Station: Do you have old batteries? Drop them off at our recycling station (no exploded batteries please!)
Lion’s Club Eyeglasses Drop Off Station. Do you have old glasses you no longer need? Drop them off at our recycling station!
Seed Swap: Have extra seeds you don’t need? Drop them off at our seed swap and take home seeds you want for your garden
Adult Take and Make : Mini dinosaur painting!
Kits can be found on a cart to the left of the main circulation desk and are available while supplies last. Instructions will be included in each kit. 1 kit per family please. Share pictures of your making experience by emailing them to: frontdesk@brownelllibrary.org or tag @brownellvt on social media.
