The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to host local author Aime Alley Card on Thursday, March 7 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. She will be discussing her book The Tigerbelles: Olympic Legends from Tennessee State. Joining her in the conversation will be fellow author, Jean Duffy, author of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World.
The Tigerbelles: Olympic Legends from Tennessee State chronicles the 1960 Tennessee State University all-Black women’s track team, which found Olympic glory at the 1960 games in Rome. It is an epic story of desire, success, and failure—of beating the odds—against the backdrop of a changing America.
Published this month to coincide with Women’s History Month in March, the author, who lives in Wenham, will speak as part of the Sawyer Free Library’s author event series from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at the library, 21 Main Street (upstairs) in Gloucester. There will be books available for to sign. No registration required.
Tigerbelles is a multi-layered inspirational tale of triumph over adversity. The elite group of talent includes Wilma Rudolph, Barbara Jones, Lucinda Williams, Martha Hudson, Willye B. White, and Shirley Crowder. These are women who once were and should still be known worldwide. Ultimately, the team’s drive is for more than medals. Their coach, Edward Temple, and the Tigerbelles offer a challenge to the world’s perception of what a group of young Black women in the Jim Crow South are capable of.
For the past several years, Aime Alley Card has been researching, interviewing, and writing about the Tennessee State Tigerbelles and those who supported them along their path. She conducted and reviewed hundreds of hours of interviews and read just as many books and articles, ranging from concurrent to retrospective. She is a nonfiction editor for Pangyrus literary magazine and a board member for the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Chapter, and serves on her town’s cultural council supporting educational programs.
Please join us for this special event. For more information visit: sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.
Stop by the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street between 2 and 4 pm on Saturday, February 17 to make your own zine! We will provide all the supplies for you to finish something that you’ve been working on, or start something new.
Zines (pronounced “zeen” like “bean”) are self-published magazines with limited print runs. They typically provide an alternative point of view and provide a platform for underrepresented voices. We believe they belong in the library. No registration required. All ages welcome!
What: Drop-In Zine Making Workshop
When: Saturday, February 17. 2:00 – 4:00 PM
Where: Main Floor – Sawyer Free Library, 21 Main Street,Gloucester, MA, 01930
No registration required. All ages welcome!
Questions? contact Julie Travers at jtravers@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5525.
Please join the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street this Thursday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m. for an author talk with Gloucester resident, Eric Lessinger, who will be discussing his book Stethoscope on Reality: how my journey as a working-class Jew from Brooklyn informed my 50 years of medical practice, opening my heart and mind.
In his book, Dr. Lessinger documents his education as a striving, intelligent, upwardly mobile student in New York City public schools who went to Harvard College and NYU Medical School. He exposes the oppressive nature of medical training, from medical school through the years as an intern and resident. Overwork, exhaustion, humiliation in front of one’s peers, and competition rather than cooperation were routine parts of his daily experience. Still, he refused to relinquish his full humanity in the process. Working as a family doctor, utilizing both science and deep caring, he is not defensive about his mistakes, but rather, honest and remarkably willing to show us his vulnerability.
Eric Lessinger, MD grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He is a family doctor who graduated from NYU Medical School in 1972 and did his internship at Lincoln Hospital in Bronx, New York. He completed his residency in Rochester, New York. He practiced Family Medicine and Hospice and Palliative care in Trumansburg, New York, near Ithaca, for many years. He is now happily retired and lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with his wife Meredith and two cats.
No registration required for the event. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
Details: Thursday, February 8, 2024 from 5:30-6:30pm at Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is taking shape, and the community is invited to maketheir name part of it from February 1-3 on the lawn of the Library’s Saunders House
The Sawyer Free Library invites the community to be a part of history by signing the commemorative steel beam that will be a cornerstone of the renovated, modernized and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The public beam signing event will take place daily from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm on Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House located on Middle Street at Dale Avenue.
“As we reach this pivotal moment in our Library’s evolution, we are so pleased to extend an invitation to everyone to share in the excitement and pride of leaving their mark on the 2025 Sawyer Free Library,” said President of the Library’s Board of TrusteesMern Sibley. “This act of signing the last beam is symbolic, reflecting our collective commitment to knowledge, growth, and community engagement. We look forward to seeing the beam adorned with the signatures of those who make our Sawyer Free Library truly special.”
From Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm, the entire community can sign their names and express their support and excitement about the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The beam will be set up under a tent on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House on Middle Street. Permanent markers will be available on-site, and the Library asks everyone planning to sign the beam to ensure their lasting messages are community-friendly. The Library also encourages people to document this historic moment by taking a picture as they add their signature to the beam, and then tag Sawyer Free Library on Facebook or @SawyerFreeLibrary on Instagram with the hashtag #signthebeam.
This unique opportunity allows residents, patrons, and supporters to leave their mark on the future of the Sawyer Free Library. The signed beam will crown the newly expanded 2025 Sawyer Free structure in the symbolic beam-topping ceremony scheduled for Friday, February 9, at 10 am, marking the next exciting stage in the construction of this historic project. Due to limited space on the site, the area for the ceremony will accommodate speakers and key stakeholders and the public is welcome to witness the historic moment outside the safety fencing.
“We’re excited about the construction progress and appreciate the outstanding work completed by WT Rich Construction and our subcontractors,” said Library Director Jenny Benedict. “We hope that everyone from our incredible Gloucester community and beyond joins us in celebrating this milestone by signing their name to the last beam of this historic project and becoming a part of its lasting legacy. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is a community project in every sense. It is through the support and participation of our residents and visitors that our Library truly reflects and serves our vibrant Gloucester community.”
The Sawyer Free Library is grateful for the tremendous engagement and investment at every level from all parts of the community. The capital campaign is continuing during construction to raise $11M toward our $29M goal. There are still naming opportunities available for donors who may be interested in leaving their legacy, honoring a family member, or aligning their company’s mission and values while supporting the Library, Gloucester and the Cape Ann community. To learn how you can invest in this historic project and make the 2025 Sawyer Free Library a reality, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
The comprehensive renovation, modernization, and expansion of Gloucester’s public Library officially broke ground this past September. The project, which remains on schedule and budget, will take approximately eighteen months and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
When its doors open, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will exemplify what a 21st-century public library can and should be in terms of architecture, sustainability, accessibility, use of natural resources and light, wayfinding, lines of sight, air quality, and public safety. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library project will preserve the original exterior, housing an entirely redesigned interior, and will also double the size of the existing Library’s footprint with a 14,000-square-foot addition.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will offer current and emerging public technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and new dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. It will feature a digital learning lab, a 100-seat community room with state-of-the-science media presentation equipment, a local history research center, a dedicated teen room, a beautiful expanded children’s room with an early learning center for toddlers, study rooms for individual and group study, a 16-seat conference room, and much more. With its modern and sustainable design, the Library will provide an inspiring environment for library patrons, staff, the community, and beyond.
W.T. Rich Company of Beverly, MA, is leading the construction of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The comprehensive project was designed by a team composed of Oudens Ello Architecture and Dore + Whittier Architecture, Construction Management Firm W.T. Rich, and Library project leaders, along with the vital input of the citizens of Gloucester.
The Sawyer Free Library is temporarily located at 21 Main Street and online 24/7 during construction. The Library remains committed to providing a dynamic and enriching environment for all. For more information about the Public Beam Signing Event please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500.
Rendering of the 2025 Sawyer Free Library from Dale Avenue
The Sawyer Free Library invites the entire Gloucester community and beyond to be a part of history by signing the commemorative steel beam that will be a cornerstone of the renovated, modernized and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library. The public beam signing event will take place daily from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm on Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, February 3, on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House located on Middle Street at Dale Avenue.
This unique opportunity allows residents, patrons, and supporters to leave their mark on the future of the Sawyer Free Library. The signed beam will crown the newly expanded 2025 Sawyer Free structure. The beam will be set up under a tent on the front lawn of the Library’s Saunders House on Middle Street. Permanent markers will be available on-site.
The Library also encourages people to document this historic moment by taking a picture as they add their signature to the beam, and then tag Sawyer Free Library on Facebook or @SawyerFreeLibrary on Instagram with the hashtag #signthebeam #SawyerFree2025.
When its doors open, the 2025 Sawyer Free Library will exemplify what a 21st-century public library can and should be in terms of architecture, sustainability, accessibility, use of natural resources and light, wayfinding, lines of sight, air quality, and public safety. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library project will preserve the original exterior, housing an entirely redesigned interior, and will also double the size of the existing Library’s footprint with a 14,000-square-foot addition.
The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will offer current and emerging public technology, diverse collections, engaging programs, and new dedicated spaces for collaboration, learning, and relaxation. With its modern and sustainable design, the Library will provide an inspiring environment for library patrons, staff, the community, and beyond. The 2025 Sawyer Free Library is expected to open in the Fall of 2025.
To learn more about and how you can invest in this historic project, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.
The Sawyer Free Library is thrilled to welcome local jazz guitarist STEVE LACEY on Saturday, January 27 from 3:00 to 4:00 PM as part of the Library’s Local Music Showcase Series @ 21 Main Street.
All are welcome to come and enjoy some live jazz performed by the incredibly talented Steve Lacey at the Sawyer Free Library located at 21 Main Street, 2nd floor, Gloucester.
The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to share that the Gloucester Genealogy Group is back in action and kicking off its monthly meetings this January at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester.
Researching your genealogy can provide information about where your ancestors lived, what they did, and how they may have lived. The Sawyer Free Library holds a vast and diverse collection of resources to help you with your research. In addition, each month, the Library’s Gloucester Genealogy Group will present genealogy-related programming, including lectures from guest speakers with expertise in numerous related topics. All events are free and open to the public. Registration is required at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
On Saturday, January 27 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. nationally recognized professional genealogist, author and lecturer, Senior Genealogist Rhonda McClure will present virtually to the group at 21 Main Street on “Getting Started in Italian Research.” This lecture looks at how to start researching your Italian ancestors by examining records generated in the U.S. and Italy and what is most important in effectively researching Italian records.
Then on Saturday, February 17, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., Rhonda McClure will again join the group virtually to share about the importance and details of “Organizing Your Family Papers.” The March meeting will be presented in partnership with the Rockport Public Library. On March 9 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., the Libraries will welcome Michael Brophy, a nationally known, professional genealogical researcher, heir search specialist, and lecturer from the Boston area. This event will occur in the Brenner Room of the Rockport Public Library.
Registration is now open for all three Gloucester Genealogy events at sawyerfreelibrary.org or by calling 978-325-5500.
Currently the Sawyer Free Library offers a wide variety of local history resources, in person and online, at its temporary location at 21 Main Street. The Library’s Local History Collection contains materials about Gloucester and Cape Ann and written by and about Gloucester and Cape Ann authors. Subjects include local history, genealogy, biography, and some fiction. Materials are in the form of books, hand-printed items, maps, city documents, and more.
The Sawyer Free Library is looking forward to officially opening its renovated, expanded, and modernized space in the fall of 2025 which will feature a Local History Research Center. This new center will revolutionize how Gloucester’s historical research materials are curated, archived, preserved, and accessed, offering an insider’s passport to the rich cultural history of the city and region.
For more information about Sawyer Free Library’s digital archives, local history resources, and services or to register for the Gloucester Genealogy Events, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5500
To learn more about or to invest in the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s History Research Center, please visit sawyerfree2025.org.
The Sawyer Free Library is pleased to host the Cape Ann Climate Coalition on Thursday, January 25, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at 21 Main Street for an interactive presentation on the benefits of electrifying everything in your home.
Whether you rent or own, are ready to make decisions, or are gathering information for future decisions, you’ll want to attend this free discussion. Learn from Cape Ann residents about what you can do as a Cape Ann resident to “Electrify Everything” and make your home here on Cape Ann more energy efficient.
The event will feature a “Breakfast for Dinner” demonstration on induction cooktops. They will make pancakes, hot cocoa, and tea for everyone to eat and drink using induction cooktops; explain the benefits of cooking with induction stoves; raffle off a portable induction cooktop; and discuss the energy rebates and incentives for all income households, including tenant households. The event is free and open to all. Registration is requested at sawyerfreelibrary.org.
The Sawyer Free Library, temporarily located at 21 Main Street and online 24/7, is looking forward to officially opening its new and modernized space in the fall of 2025. The renovated and expanded 2025 Sawyer Free Library will be the first public building on Cape Ann that generates renewable energy from solar and uses no fossil fuels for the building’s site energy. The Sawyer Free Library is committed to achieving a LEED Gold Certification and Mass Save Path 1 Net- Zero-Ready Verification —a status achieved by minimizing energy demand, generating as much electricity on site as possible through solar, and securing a renewable source for additional electricity to achieve net-zero energy.
The Sawyer Free Library knows that every action we take individually and collectively toward making our environment resilient and sustainable is a step toward a net zero-impact future.
Library’s most-borrowed books give a glimpse into what Gloucester was reading in 2023
Have you ever wondered what everyone around the community has been reading? Look no further as Sawyer Free Library has dug into its data and compiled a list of some of the most popular books from 2023, sharing its top checkouts for adults, teens, and children.
With SFL’s total circulation last year close to 170,000, new authors and familiar favorites, including Geraldine Brooks, Jodi Picoult, and Barbara Kingsolver, were among the most read books, eBooks, and audiobooks. Royalty graced the list with Prince Harry Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare, which became a must-read for many library users. Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel Lessons in Chemistry was another favorite, along with Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Ed Yong’s New York Times bestseller An Immense World, a multisensory exploration of the many ways in which animals perceive their environment.
Of the thousands print, digital, and audiobooks borrowed from the Sawyer Free Library, these were Gloucester’s favorites in 2023:
Top Adult Fiction:
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Verity by Colleen Hoover
Top Adult Nonfiction:
Spare by Prince Harry Duke of Sussex
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Downshiftology: Healthy Meal Prep by Lisa Bryan
The Healthy, Happy Gut Cookbook by Dr. Heather Finley
Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World, by Pádraig Ó Tuama
Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg
The top checkouts for children’s books featured titles from popular series, including Dog Man by Dav Pilkey, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and The Babysitter Club based on the novel by Ann M. Martin.
The Young Adult titles with the highest circulation were The Tryout, a graphic novel about courage and friendship by Christina Soontornvat, Throne of Glass, the first in Sarah J. Maas’s popular fantasy book series along with the classic novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the powerful nonfiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon by journalist David Grann.
Top Teen Fiction:
The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Top Children’s:
Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man: Fetch-22 by Dav Pilkey
The Babysitter Club: Karen’s Worst Day by Katy Farina
The Babysitter Club: Kristy and the Snobs by Chan Chau
Diary of the Wimpy Kid Greg Heffley’s Journal by Jeff Kinney
Find these and millions of other books through the Sawyer Free Library. Visit the Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester or sawyerfreelibrary.org where Librarians are always there to help you find a new book to read and much more.
Approximately 14,000 people currently possess Sawyer Free Library cards. Anyone who resides or attends school in Gloucester can obtain a Library card for free by applying in person, online, or by mail. For more information, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or call 978-325-5500.
The Sawyer Free Library, temporarily located at 21 Main Street and online 24/7, remains committed to providing a dynamic and enriching environment for all and looks forward to officially opening its newly renovated, expanded, and modernized space in the fall of 2025. For details on the 2025 Sawyer Free Library and the many ways to support this historic project, visit sawyerfree2025.org.
Please join the Sawyer Free Library and the Gloucester 400+ on Wednesday, January 31 from6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Beauport Hotel Gloucesterto celebrate the launch of theGloucester Timeline: An Interactive History and the relocation of the digital Gloucester 400 Stories Projectto the Library.
The celebratory community event will feature story-tellers from the community, an interactive Gloucester trivia game, and a demo of the Library’s new interactive research tool. The evening is FREE and open to all to attend. No registration required.
The Gloucester Timeline is the Sawyer Free Library’s legacy gift to the City to commemorate its 400th anniversary. The Timeline traces Gloucester’s unique history through culturally and historically significant people, places and events that have made Gloucester what it is today. Spearheaded by Sawyer Free Library with support from the Cape Ann Museum and Gloucester City Archives, the Gloucester Timeline also connects people to cultural organizations, archival repositories and historical collections where more information is available. Gloucester 400+ staff have made extensive use of the Timeline in 2023 to illustrate and highlight significant events in our history. The launching of the Gloucester Timeline by SFL makes this new interactive research tool available to the public online.
The collection of stories gathered over the course of the past year has been assembled into the Gloucester 400 Stories Project. This award-winning digital collection of stories, poems and videos, has until now, been available on the Gloucester 400+ website. The collection is about Gloucester people by Gloucester people and is a powerful voice of ordinary and not-so-ordinary citizens. The Gloucester 400 Stories Project too represents a 400+ legacy gift to the City.
Now that the quadricentennial year is over, the Gloucester 400 Stories Project collection will be permanently housed in the 2025 Sawyer Free Library’s new Local History Research Center located on the first floor of the newly renovated, expanded, and modernized Library, the Local History Research Center.
Cape Ann Community 