The library is located at 214 Main Street, Chatham, New Jersey.
Some events require registration. You may register online at chathamlibrary.org or call 973‑635‑0603.
New! English as a Second Language
Thursdays, through June 21, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Registration required.
For anyone wanting to improve their English language skills, we are starting our first ever ESL program. The program will be conducted by Language Education and Resource Network (LEARN) and volunteer tutors for eight weeks. Further sessions may be offered depending on demand. Students will be divided into small groups by skill level. Books and other learning materials will be provided. The program is free; all you need is a commitment to learn!
Martin Luther King, Newark, and the Cool Spring of 1968
Tuesday, May 8, 7 p.m.
Mark Krasovic, Assistant Professor and Interim Director of the Clement A. Price Institute at Rutgers University in Newark, will give a lecture featuring Newark in the late ’60s during the rise of the Black Power movement. Krasovic will examine events often overshadowed by the attention paid to the uprising of 1967, including the first National Conference on Black Power held in Newark days after the riots, Martin Luther King’s visit to Newark in March 1968, and the aftermath of his assassination days later. This lecture will offer new historical perspectives of Newark, the Black Power movement, and the legacy of the 1960s.
The American Movie Musical with Stephen Whitty
Tuesday, May 15, 1 to 2:30 pm
Film reviewer and two-time chair of the New York Film Critics Circle, Stephen Whitty will discuss the American musical in film. We will look at the history of the genre focusing on its greatest styles and stars, from Busby Berkeley’s backstage extravaganzas to MGM’s lush fantasies, from the elegant Fred Astaire to the athletic Gene Kelly. Stephen Whitty has been writing about entertainment for more than 30 years, publishing reviews in The Star-Ledger, the New York Daily News, Entertainment Weekly, Fortune.com, and other papers, magazines, and websites across the country and abroad. His latest book is The Alfred Hitchcock Encyclopedia.
College Essay Seminar with Alisha Davlin for Teens and Their Parents
Wednesday, May 23, 7 p.m.
As a former NYU outside admissions essay reader, Ms. Davlin is well versed in what makes a college essay great and how to avoid common pitfalls. Ms. Davlin will give you advice on how to write a successful essay and strengthen your college application.
Film: Saving the Great Swamp with Scott Morris
Thursday, May 24, 7 p..m
Documentary filmmaker Scott Morris will present his film Saving the Great Swamp and will be available to answer questions concerning the project. In 1959, the Port Authority of New York announced that it was planning to build a 10,000-acre jetport in the rural area known as the Great Swamp. The proposal included filling in the Swamp, demolishing 700 homes, and destroying the habitat of hundreds of bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, and fish species. Local residents fought the plan and eventually won leading to the establishment of the federally preserved Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
