Clapp Memorial Library

Learn Computer Basics!
2025-04-25 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-09 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Learn Computer Basics at the Clapp Memorial Library!
We’re partnering with Tech Foundry to offer a series of computer basics classes and drop in tech-support on alternating Fridays starting on April 25th and running through June 20th. Computer Basics classes run from 12-1 in our Activity Room, with Drop-In Tech Support available for everyone’s computer questions in the Main library from 1-2.
Sign up for all or just some of the classes by visiting the Circulation Desk or calling the library, 413-323-0417
Computer Basics (4/25)
This beginner workshop helps you get comfortable with computers, covering basic skills like using a mouse, keyboard, and navigating the internet. Gain the confidence to handle everyday tasks!
Internet Basics (5/9)
Conquer the internet in this beginner-friendly workshop! Learn to use search engines, browse websites, and explore the online world with confidence—no prior experience needed.
Email Basics (5/23)
Connect with friends and colleagues from across town or across the world. Learn the basics of using e-mail and use this powerful tool to your advantage.
6/6: Online Safety & Avoiding Misinformation
This workshop teaches online safety basics, including creating strong passwords, securing information, and avoiding scams. Learn how to protect your privacy and navigate the web safely, as well as learn how to spot red flags, fact-check, and navigate the web confidently, becoming a savvy and critical consumer of online information.
6/20: Social Media Basics
This beginner workshop covers using Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger to connect, share posts, and manage privacy—no experience needed.

Drop-In Tech Support
2025-04-25 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-05-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
We’re partnering with Tech Foundry to offer drop-in tech support on alternating Fridays starting April 25th through June 20th!
Bring in your computer questions and quandaries, and let the troubleshooting begin. Find our Tech Foundry expert on the main floor of the library from 1-2PM, no appointment needed.

Teen Advisory Board (Apr 2025)
2025-04-25 16:30 - 17:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library’s Teen Advisory Board will meet Friday, April 25th from 4:30-5:30PM in the library’s Activity Room. TAB members will continue to work on their miniature libraries and reflect on their Food Drive in March. TAB is a group of 7th-12th grade students who meet monthly during the school year to propose library programming for teens, provide input on teen services, volunteer, and have fun. Teens can email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register. New members are welcome.

Introduction to Basic Photography
2025-04-26 09:00 - 12:00 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Registration required, click here to sign up.
Learn how to capture beautiful images of nature in this series of photography workshops. Belchertown’s abundant natural resources offer limitless opportunities for creating amazing photos. Through these workshops, you’ll gain an understanding of photography fundamentals, and then go into the field to apply what you’ve learned. All levels of photographers are welcome, as are all types of cameras (including smartphones). Attend one or all workshops. All sessions are free to attend.
Open to Adults & Teens!
The ViewFinder workshop series is sponsored by the Clapp Memorial Library and the Town of Belchertown’s Creative Economy Committee, with support from the Belchertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library. For more on ViewFinder, visit https://clapplibrary.org/art-in-the-library/viewfinder/
Introduction to Basic Photography on Saturday, April 26 with Ed Comeau and Creative Nature Photography on Saturday, May 3 with Mark Lindhult will meet at the Belchertown Recreation Department, 66 State Street, Belchertown. The Art of Smartphone Photography workshop on Saturday, May 10 with Linda Repasky will meet at the Les and Terry Campbell Visitor Center at Quabbin Reservoir, 100 Winsor Dam Road, Belchertown
ViewFinder Workshop List – click here to sign up:

Saturday, April 26: Introduction to Basic Photography, 9am-12pm
Saturday, May 3: Creative Nature Photography, 9am-12pm
Saturday, May 10: The Art of Smartphone Photography: Nature and Landscape, 9am-12pm

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2025-04-26 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-05-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet twice a week at the library to socialize and work on their various projects. Whether you’re interested in knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, embroidery, needle point, sewing, or another fiber art, you’re welcome to join the fun.

Magic: the Gathering
2025-04-26 10:30 - 12:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Magic: the Gathering
Saturdays in March and April
March 22nd, 29th, April 19th, 11 am to 1:30 pm
April 26th, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
Come play Magic: the Gathering in the Activity Room. Bring your own deck (and mats and dice) or use one of our learning decks. Everyone is welcome, however players must be fluent readers. We will have two instructors to help get games started and assist with the rules of the game.
No registration required. Attend one session or all, that’s up to you. No food is allowed in the activity room but you may bring a nut-free snack to have in the hallway. Water bottles with tops are allowed everywhere.
If you have any questions please email Jennifer at jwhitehead@cwmars.org.

Servas
2025-04-26 14:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Are you interested in having a greater cultural experience when you travel in the US or abroad? Do you have commitments preventing you from traveling yet you are still looking to make connections with the world? Are you 18 to 30 years of age and want a language or cultural immersion experience? Perhaps Servas is for you?
Servas connects hosts and travelers from over 100 countries to provide a network for its members to build friendships and broaden their understanding of the world. Are you interested in learning more about what Servas can offer you? Join this informational session where current members share their experiences and answer your questions about hosting and travelling.

Babytime Story time (3-12 mo) Spring 2025
2025-04-28 09:00 - 09:45, 2025-05-05 09:00 - 09:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Babytime Story time (3-12 mo) Spring 2025
9:00-9:45 AM, Mondays, Mar 10, 17, 24, 31, Apr 28 & May 5
Babytime is for ages 3 – 12 months and begins @ 9:00 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/SMT6g9315DR9NVhVA. Registration open until all slots are filled.
If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

First Steps Storytime (12-24 months) Spring 2025
2025-04-28 10:00 - 10:45, 2025-05-05 10:00 - 10:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Monday Firststeps (12-24 months) Spring 2025
10:00-10:45 AM, Mondays, Mar 10, 17, 24, 31, Apr 28 & May 5
Firststeps is for ages 12 – 24 months and begins @ 10:00 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/jdQiaTGikFYtMPVt7. Registration open until all slots are filled.
If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Toddler Time (2 year olds) Spring 2025
2025-04-29 09:30 - 10:30, 2025-05-06 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Tuesday Toddler Time (2 years) Spring 2025
9:30-10:30 am, Tuesdays, Mar 11, 18, 25, Apr 1, 29 & May 6
Toddler Storytime is for children aged 2 years, and begins @ 9:30 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/kYNjbepNHCczoTdS9. Registration open until all slots are filled. If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Afterschool Adventures: Enter the Abomination Vaults
2025-04-29 14:30 - 16:00, 2025-05-06 14:30 - 16:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Afterschool Adventures: Enter the Abomination Vaults
Calling all Belchertown Students for Afterschool D&D
Tuesdays, 2:30-4:00PM, April 29th, May 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, and June 3rd
Grab your dice and join us for our Spring Teen D&D Campaign!
Something is stirring in the ruins of the Haruvex manor, abandoned since heroes defeated the evil sorcerer Belcorra Haruvex. But now a strange light glimmers in the Gauntlight tower, and brave adventurers are needed once again. What will you find as you enter the Keep? What treasures and dangers await as you delve into the hidden dungeon levels below?
No experience necessary. For teens in grades 7-12.
Program will run weekly starting April 29th for Middle & Highschool Students. Participants may bring their own nut-free snacks. Please inform Librarian & Game Master Tegan Mannino, if there is a day you will not attend.
Space is limited! Register here: https://forms.gle/uKYV3SEaasr5tK1Y8
Confirmations will be sent out to students confirming enrollment or waitlist status.
Please email any questions to tmannino@cwmars.org

Preschool Storytime (3-5 year olds) Spring 2025
2025-05-01 09:30 - 10:30, 2025-05-08 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Preschool Story Time (3-6 years) Spring 2025
9:30-10:30 am, Thursdays, Mar 13, 20, 27, Apr 3, May 1 & 8
Preschool Story Time is for ages 3-5 and begins @ 9:30 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/mYromqYwNvYb2gpNA. Registration open until all slots are filled. If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2025-05-01 17:00 - 18:30, 2025-05-08 17:00 - 18:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet weekly at the library to socialize and work on their various projects. Whether you’re interested in knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, embroidery, needle point, sewing, or another fiber art, you’re welcome to join the fun.

Mindfulness Meditation
2025-05-01 19:00 - 20:15 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Clapp Memorial Library is offering a Stress Reduction Awareness course. The eight-week introductory course starts on Thursday, March 13 at 7 PM and runs every Thursday through May 1. The course is designed to teach and practice mindfulness-based skills. Mindfulness meditation skills teach us to be fully present in the moment and, when practiced regularly, help decrease stress levels and improve general well-being and health. Skills covered in the course are gentle and free of judgment. Because each session of this course builds on the previous week, we ask that you register only if you are able to attend all sessions.
Registration required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/rFqoLh2NCX1QHSWB8. If you have any questions please email clapp@cwmars.org
This course will be taught by Magda Bechar, a retired nursing professor who has taught mindfulness meditation skills to many groups, including at the Clapp Memorial Library, for many years.
Sessions will take place on the main library floor, except for April 3 and May 1, which will take place in the Activity Room.

Fairy Seats & Future Sculpture: Creative Play at Lake Wallace
2025-05-02 16:30 - 17:30 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Imagination and nature will come together at Lake Wallace on Friday, May 2, from 4:30–5:30 PM for Fairy Seats & Future Sculpture: Creative Play at Lake Wallace, a free, all-ages event inviting the community to spark creativity and collaboration in the outdoors.
Led by Kiran Jandu, a professor of fine arts and MFA candidate at UMass Amherst, this playful hour of making will blend the magic of tiny fairy chairs with STEAM/STEM-inspired thinking. Using clay and found natural materials — twigs, moss, flowers, and stones — participants will design and build miniature fairy-sized seats that celebrate curiosity, problem-solving, and the joy of creating something together.
This event is more than just an afternoon of fun — the designs crafted on May 2 will help inspire Kiran’s full-scale public bench sculpture, coming to Lake Wallace in Fall 2025. No experience is needed, and all materials will be provided. Just bring your imagination!
The upcoming bench sculpture is funded by the Belchertown Cultural Council (BCC), a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Creative Nature Photography
2025-05-03 09:00 - 12:00 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States

Acres of Clams Documentary Screening
2025-05-03 14:30 - 16:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Saturday, May 3 at 2:30pm, the Clapp Memorial Library will host a screening of the documentary, Acres of Clams. Eric Wolfe’s Acres of Clams is a feature-length video history of the Clamshell Alliance’s direct-action campaign against the Seabrook nuclear plant in the 1970s. Acres of Clams combines archival film footage and music with the personal remembrances of the activists themselves to reveal how disciplined nonviolence can have an out-sized impact on the world – when people take action together. The screening will be immediately followed by a Q&A/discussion of the film with Cliff McCarthy and Sharon Tracy of the Clamshell Alliance.

CANCELLED: Intro to Nature Photography for Kids at the School Gardens
2025-05-03 16:00 - 17:30 | Chestnut Hill Community School, 59 State St, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Program cancelled due to weather forecast and low registration
Learn how to capture beautiful images of nature in these photography workshops. Come for a short presentation and then go outside to explore for hands-on photography. You will gain an understanding of photography fundamentals, and then apply what you’ve learned. Attend one or both workshops. If you attended the Lake Wallace program, you are welcome to join us at 4 pm for the presentation or meet us at the School Gardens around 4:15 pm.
Geared towards photographers 5 & up. Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult caregiver. Dress for the weather. Bring a camera or smartphone or take turns borrowing one of the Library’s cameras. There will also be some phone microscope lenses to borrow that can be used with most smartphones. Holly Fields and Meru Causeway will be our instructors, and Louise Levy and Jennifer Whitehead will help when we break up into groups. Come take a different look at the beautiful nature Belchertown has to offer.
The ViewFinder workshop series is sponsored by the Clapp Memorial Library and the Town of Belchertown’s Creative Economy Committee, with support from the Belchertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.
Intro to Nature Photography for Kids at Lake Wallace on Tuesday, April 22 will meet at the Belchertown Recreation Department, 66 State Street, Belchertown. Intro to Nature Photography for Kids at the School Gardens on Saturday, May 3 will meet at the Swift River Elementary pavilion, 57 State Street, Belchertown
Workshop List
Tuesday, April 22: Intro to Nature Photography for Kids at Lake Wallace, 9:30am-11am
Saturday, May 3: Intro to Nature Photography for Kids at the School Gardens, 4pm-5:30pm

Ukulele Play Along (Virtual Event)
2025-05-05 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
Strum along with the Ukulele Play Along on the first Monday every month!
Grab your ukulele and play along – because playing your ukulele is more fun when you do it with others. We’ll be focusing on 3 and 4 chord songs, with lyrics and chords provided on screen. Participants will be muted, so don’t worry about how you sound!
To join, email Julie Stepanek (julie@musicjulie.com) for the Zoom link and to receive the songs for the program. Don’t have a Ukulele? Don’t worry – you can borrow one from us!

Free Food Friday
2025-05-09 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Teens are invited to the library after school on the second Friday of the month for free snacks as they visit and use the library! Students must be in grades 7-12 and arrive between 2:00-3:30PM for a free snack, courtesy of the library, as supplies last. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Teen Crafternoon: Upcycled Planters
2025-05-09 15:30 - 16:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to the library to upcycle tea tins into planters just in time for Mother’s Day! Share your new houseplant or keep it for yourself, the choice is up to you! This program will take place Friday, May 9th from 3:30-4:00PM on the front lawn of the library, except in the case of rain in which the program will be moved to the Activity Room. Plants are limited. Email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register.
