Category: Libraries

• Back-to-Back: Tournament of Books Recap 2026

  Middletown readers can’t get enough of Kristin Hannah. When the bracket for this year’s tournament was unveiled in late February, the librarians at Russell Library were puzzled about which ones to pick in their brackets. “I have NO idea which one is going to win,” said one of my coworkers. “I could honestly see at…

  Jack B.

  April 13, 2026

  Book Reviews, Contests, Libraries, Middletown, CT, Recommendations

  Bracket, EverythingIsTuberculosis, MarchMadness, RussellLibraryGames, TheWomenByKristinHannah, TournamentOfBooks

• Why Vote for Russell Library?

  Thanks to our fabulous patrons, Russell Library has been nominated for CT Insider’s 2026 competition for Best Cultural Attraction for Families. If you look at the listing of other nominees, you might notice that we are the only library nominated. As a devoted reader of CT Insider’s Connecticut Magazine myself, it was news to me…

  Amy S.

  April 6, 2026

  Contests, Events, Graphic Novels / Manga, Inside Stories, Kids and Teens, Libraries, Library Services, Recommendations

  ActivityRoom, BuildingBlocks, BuildingTable, Chicks, Concert, ConnecticutMagazine, CTInsider, DinosaurBones, IndoorPlayroom, LEGOs, MegaChess, PettingZoo, PingPong, SarahLouRichards, ScienceSaturday, TheSpace, ToniesAndYotos, TrainTable, WallMaze, YogaForLittles

• Get Ready for the Tournament of Books 2026!

  Everything you need to know for this year’s book smackdown. March is on the horizon, and at Russell Library that can only mean one thing — the Tournament of Books has returned! Make a bracket, vote for your favorite books, and help decide the 2026 Tournament of Books Champion! Last year, from a crowded field…

  Jack B.

  February 16, 2026

  Contests, Events, Libraries, Middletown, CT, Recommendations

  book recommendations, Bracket, Contest, MarchMadness, MarchTournament, TournamentOfBooks, Vote

• Fowl Preview 2026

  by Amy S. You’ve been asking. We heard you. Chicks are returning in February 2026. Why so early? Because nothing helps beat the late-winter blues like little balls of adorable fluffiness. Once again, the Youth & Family Learning department is partnering with our local Hatch the Chicken affiliate, Farmer Joe’s Gardens of Wallingford, Connecticut, to…

  Amy S.

  February 2, 2026

  Events, Kids and Teens, Libraries

  BabyBunnies, Chicks, Cute&Cuddlies, DateWithADuck, DuckEggs, EggCandling, FarmerJoesGardens, HangWithTheChicks, HatchingChicks, HatchTheChicken, TakeYourChildToTheLibraryDay, TrevorTheDuck, XensCritters

• Thanks for Your Memories

  By Ramona B. For most of the past thirty-five years, I’ve worked in public libraries. It all started at age 14, when I got a special work permit so I could become a Page, i.e. book-shelver, in my hometown library in coastal Maine. I had spent untold hours at the library as a child, first…

  Amy S.

  December 29, 2025

  Inside Stories, Libraries, Library Services, Middletown, CT

  150Years, HubbardRoom, MiddletownCT, ReferenceDesk, RussellLibrary, Sesuicentennial, SouthFarms