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Natick library hosting free craft supplies swap

February 4, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Morse Institute Library in Natick is holding a craft supplies swap this month, with drop-off slated for Feb. 7-9 (make sure your stuff is in some sort of container), and “shopping” for free supplies on Feb. 10-11.

The swap is intended to prevent supplies from going to waste. If you drop something off, you’ll get early access to the craft swap from 9-11am on Friday, Feb. 10. The swap will be open to the general public after that early access period.


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Filed Under: Art, Morse Institute Library



Scenes from Natick book & music sale at Morse Institute Library

January 28, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

It looked more like the mall than the library when I showed up at the Morse Institute on Saturday afternoon to take a few photos, as families exited with bags or arms full of treasures scored at the winter book and music sale. With items selling for $1 and under, how could you go wrong?

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library sale, held on Saturday, Jan. 28 (8:30am-4:30pm) and Sunday, Jan. 29 (12-3pm), featured upper and lower level sales spaced out to give browsers and shoppers more room to maneuver.

The Friends raises funds to support library services and programs ranging from the check-out system to museum passes and educational programs.

book sale


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Filed Under: Books, Morse Institute Library, Music



Natick library winter book & music sale set for Jan. 28-29

January 22, 2023 by Admin Leave a Comment

The Friends of the Morse Institute Library is holding its two-day winter book & music sale on Jan 28 (8:30am-4:30pm) and Jan 29 (12-3pm). The book sale and children/tween book sale will  be on the lower level of the library and the music sale, with vinyl and CDs, will be in the Morse Room on the first floor. Adult books, puzzles, and games are $1, books for children, tweens, and teens are $0.50, and DVDs are $2. CDs are $1 each or $2/set.

No scanners or strollers on Saturday, please. Masks are encouraged.

Morse Institute Library


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Filed Under: Books, Morse Institute Library, Music

Morse Institute Library in Natick—hours for winter 2023

Updates for winter 2023:

The Morse Institute Library in Natick will be closed on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and Mon., Feb. 20, 2023 in observance of Presidents’ Day. Regular hours will be in effect for the rest of Jan., Feb., and Mar. 2023.

Morse Institute Library

Morse Institute Library location

ADDRESS: 14 E. Central St., Natick, MA 01760
PHONE: 508-647-6520

Morse Institute Library hours, winter 2023

Monday-Thursday: 9am – 9pm
Friday: 9am – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 5pm
Sunday: 1pm – 5pm

Closed

Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Mon., Feb. 20, 2023 in observance of Presidents’ Day

Natick, Massachusetts libraries

Natick, Massachusetts has two public libraries:

  1. The Morse Institute Library, located at 14 E. Central St.
    (508) 647-6520
  2. The Bacon Free Library, located at 58 Eliot St.
    (508) 653-6730

The Morse Institute Library—14 E. Central St.

Morse Institute Library

The Morse Institute Library opened in 1874 thanks to the largesse of Mary Ann Morse (1825-1862), who willed her estate to the town “for the purpose of creating a public library” to serve Natick’s population of about 10,000. The library’s collection started out with 7,300 books. Today the Morse Institute’s holdings include 200,000 books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks. The library also circulates games and puzzles, museum passes, a “Library of Things” that includes a selection of household tools, outdoor supplies, music, and tech items.

Natick’s population has increased to over 37,000 since The Morse Institute opened, as counted during the 2020 US Census. To accommodate the increased number of patrons, the library underwent a renovation that began in 1995 and was completed in 1997. The renovations preserved the 1873 building, while bringing a fresh, modern feel to the historic structure.

Public spaces of the library are on the first and second floors, as well as the basement, which holds the Children’s Room, a public multi-purpose space, and storage space.

The library is part of the Minuteman Library Network, a consortium of 43 libraries that provide services to members in the MetroWest region of Massachusetts.


The Bacon Free Library—58 Eliot St.

Bacon Free Library, Natick

The Bacon Free Library’s began in the parlor of Mrs. Sarah Griffin Bacon’s home in the 1800s as the Ladies Social Circle Library. After she passed away, her husband, Oliver Bacon, obtained the land where the library is sited and first built a small library. Upon his death in 1878, and his will established a trust to build and operate a more substantial structure, which is the current library building.

Siting the Bacon Free Library building on its Eliot St. plot proved to be a controversial matter, which rankles local Native Americans to this day. The land is part of an Algonquian Indian burial ground. Some of their graves were destroyed during construction of the building, and again when the intersection of Eliot and Pleasant Streets was enlarged. The Natick Historical Society held some of the contents of these graves until the 1990s, when they were repatriated according to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

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