Metro Boston Diaper Drive

The Trustees approved holding the Metro Boston Diaper Drive at the library for the next two weeks. In July, Somerville WIC, which collected about 53,000 diapers last year, became responsible for Reading as well as 18 other towns.

Donate Diapers to Area Families in Need

SNAP & WIC benefits do not cover diapers and have faced deep cuts in recent years.  As a result, many families must make difficult decisions between food, rent, or clean bottoms.  But you can help babies in the Metro-Boston area stay happy, clean, and dry by donating to the annual Metro-Boston Diaper Drive. 

The Drive will run from October 4 – 17.  Please visit mbdiapers.org to donate or click directly on the links to the Amazon and Target registries.  The Metro-Boston Diaper Drive donates all diapers to the Somerville WIC office, which, as of July, serves 19 towns: Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Burlington, Cambridge, Everett, Lexington, Lincoln, Malden, Medford, North Reading, Reading, Somerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn. Read more about why diaper drives like the Metro-Boston Diaper Drive are so important HERE.  

Facebook/Meta Changes & the RPL Newsletters

Meta/Facebook is changing its policy on posting links, and soon they will charge for posting more than two links each month. Since we will not pay for extra links, this is a good time to encourage people to sign up for our newsletter. That way, library users can stay informed about what’s happening at the library, and we can share updates directly.

If you haven’t already, please sign up for our newsletters.

General Newsletter
Children’s Newsletter

Voter Information Books (The Red Book)

If any patrons come in looking for the red voter information books, we have limited copies available down at Reference.

They are in:

  • English, regular print
  • English, large print
  • Chinese
  • Spanish

There will also always be a book available behind the desk if they just want to look at it.

You can also direct people to this link for more information: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/research-and-statistics/information-for-voters-2026.htm

Signs and Displays

As collections move, you’ll notice we have updated, moved, and removed some of the signage and displays.

We removed the audiobook room signs and the ground floor sign, with updates coming soon.

Thanks to the Display Committee—Carol, Judy T., Ashley, Alissa, Jocelyn, and Desiree—for their great ideas. Regular lobby displays are paused, so there are no tables under the Brightsign or Borrower Services sign by the purple wall. This creates a more open, peaceful lobby and better views. With fewer visual distractions, it’s easier to interact with patrons and build relationships.

Other displays remain: the ground-floor non-fiction display (maintained by Alissa), displays opposite the Ref Desk, and those along the windows facing the parking lot. Some ground-floor display furniture will move to the Reading Room for collection highlights, maintained by R and R.

Please Note: Collections Moving

The audiobooks will be moved up to the first floor starting September 21. They will be at the end of the DVD section.

This is to make browsing more accessible, having the entire multimedia collection on the same floor.

The audiobook room will be closed to the public after this move. Admin is working on what that room will eventually become. If patrons ask, you can let them know that it is just “under construction.”

MIIA Wellness Healthy Charcuterie 101, Walktober, Webinar Buffet, Fun Days, and More

Healthy Charcuterie 101

Learn about building a beautiful and balanced charcuterie board that’s as nutritious as it is delicious ahead of the holiday season in MIAA’s Healthy Charcuterie 101 class in the Library Community Room on Monday, October 26 from 4:15 PM to 5:15 PM. Register by Friday, October 16.

Walktober

Register now to join Walktober, a fall step challenge beginning on October 1st. Fill your Walktober tree with red (6,000), orange (8,000), and gold (10,000) leaves. Employees and spouses enrolled in an active MIIA/Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan are eligible for the chance to win one of 40 $40 gift cards of their choice by earning at least 20 leaves and completed a post-program evaluation. Help Reading be the municipality/district with the highest average number of steps at the end of the program and receive a one-time free healthy snack delivery from Berkshire Naturals for all employees to enjoy!

Webinar Buffet

See attached for monthly Webinar Buffet offerings from MIIA. These flexible and short pre-recorded 10-minute webinars can be completed  anywhere any time during the month from your Reading MIIA Member Portal.

The webinars are open to all employees and their spouses. However, if you are a MIIA / Blue Cross subscriber and complete 5 webinars by early August 2027, you will earn a $50 gift card! 

Fun Day Challenges

All employees, retirees, and spouses are eligible to win raffle prizes by participating in monthly Fun Day challenges.

Choose an activity, take a picture of yourself, and submit via MIIA’s online Fun Day form.

Celebrate Collect Rocks Day in September by displaying a creative rock or visiting a famous rock or local geology exhibit.

Ompractice

Ompractice has created a series of on-demand meditations for the school teachers in our community to support the transition into the new school year.  Although the library staff are not school teachers, many similarities exist, specifically related to the transition from summer to fall.  

There are four new videos in the Back To School Reset Collection to check out, including grieving the loss of summer freedom, meditation for a different season (life isn’t always about reinvention!), preparing for the new school year, and the unfinished list.  These are open to everyone with or without an Ompractice membership.

Other Wellness Offerings

Keep an eye out for emails from Avantika at Town Hall regarding other wellness offerings as well!  You can also view all other MIIA Wellness Programs for Reading Employees on the Reading MIIA Member Portal