Jefferson Market Library

By Corinne Neary

Now that we’ve had our annual year-end showing of The Poseidon Adventure, we’re excited to begin 2026 here at Jefferson Market Library. Many people take the new year as a chance to start fresh and make some positive changes, so we came up with a few ideas for ways that we can help. Something we’ve noticed about the annual reset is that many people bring in books to donate as part of their post-holidays cleaning ritual. With that in mind, we have our first Book Swap event of the year on Saturday and Sunday, January 10-11. That’s right–it’s a two day, weekend long, book swap super spectacular! We’ll be setting up in our lobby, with plenty of space and tables of books. So come by, bring your books, take some books, bring a friend, or maybe make a few while you’re here!

As always, our calendar will be full of book discussion groups, film screenings, and author talks, and we have a couple of new offerings in the works as well. First, we’ll be having a weekly chess group for adults on Fridays at 3 p.m. beginning January 2, led by Dylan. Come to sharpen your mind, meet new people, and enjoy this timeless game with friendly competition in a relaxed setting. Chess sets and timers will be provided. There’s no need to register; just drop in and pick up a game. Beginners are welcome, just keep in mind that this is not a class as much as a place to play. Dylan will be happy to show you some basics and get you going!

Also on Fridays, we are starting a Craft Circle program, led by Jenny. Come see us at 11 a.m. on January 16, February 20 and March 20. This is perfect for anyone looking for a social and friendly space to work on their knitting, needlepoint, felting, or whatever else you’re working on. At least to start, this is a BYOC (Bring Your Own Craft) kind of program. If certain crafts turn out to be highly popular, and a core group develops, we may start providing some supplies down the road.

On the note of crafts, we have a new exhibit in our Little Underground Gallery, full of paintings, post cards, holiday cards, and magazine illustrations of our building. We’re lucky to have been given so many of these over the years, and thankful to the librarians who preserved them through the decades. Drop by to see a few artistic renderings of Jefferson Market which you won’t have seen before, even if you’re a local architecture buff.

And one fun performance to wrap up the month on January 25—a production by Equity Library Theater of New York: Even More Tales from The Times – Selections from the Metropolitan Diary. Broadway and television actors will present short vignettes based on the popular and often hilarious New York Times Saturday Metropolitan Diary section. Also being presented are a few short monologues by area actors. Theatrical performances are something we are interested in hosting more of this year, so stay tuned!

As always, check our website for the most up to date program listings.