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Programs for Adults

For more information, call 203-574-8225 or email bronsonlibrary@waterburyct.org.


 



       

Book A Librarian
Please call 203-574-8225 to schedule an appointment,
or visit our Book A Librarian page.

Whether you need help with a resume, want some help looking up information, or want some help learning to use some of the library's resources, you can now "book a librarian" to help you one-on-one for up to one hour.

Schedule your appointment by calling 203-574-8225 or visit our Book A Librarian page.

 

 



       

One-on-One Computer Help
Please call 203-574-8225 to schedule an appointment,
or visit our Book A Librarian page.

Can't attend our Computer Classes?  Need help with a different computer problem?  Call us at 203-574-8225 to schedule a one-on-one computer appointment at a time that works for you! 

 


Computer Classes


      

Computer & Smartphone Classes
Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m.
Computer Classroom

Our librarians will teach you what you need to know about using computers and smartphones. 

 

March 5: Staying Safe on the Internet

March 12:  Computer Basics - Uploading, Downloading, Organizing Files

March 19: Computer Basics - Understanding Your Computer's Settings

March 26: Computers Basics - Keyboard Shortcuts

April 2: Email Basics - Gmail (bring your smartphone if you have one)

April 9: Internet Basics - Searching, Downloading, Printing

April 16: MS Word, Part 1

April 23: MS Word, Part 2

May 7: Android Basics

May 14: Learn to Zoom

May 21: Ebook & Audiobooks Apps on Your Phone

 


      

Computer Evening Classes
Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.
Computer Classroom

Brush up on the computer skills you need for work.

   

March 6: Excel, Part 1

March 20:  Excel, Part 2

March 19: Computer Basics - Understanding Your Computer's Settings 

April 3: MS Word, Part 1 

April 17: MS Word, Part 2 

May 1: PowerPoint

May 15: Going Beyond Google - Great Free Online Research Resources

 


      

Digital Impact: Elevating Your Online Presence
Wednesdays, April 3 - May 22, 5 p.m.
Computer Classroom

Discover the latest in social media trends, content creation, and audience engagement in the ever-evolving digital landscape. This interactive workshop will provide you with practical tools and innovative approaches to amplify your online voice. Whether you’re aiming to increase your community outreach, boost fundraising efforts, or elevate your brand, join us to unlock the full potential of your digital presence. It’s more than a workshop: it’s your gateway to making a lasting online impact.

Presented by Brass City Gamers.

Class size is limited. Please click here to register.

 

 


March

       

Sisters to Sisters Book Club
Thursday, March 7, 6 p.m.
Auditorium

New members welcome. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

In March, we'll be discussing The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore.

 

Book Description:

Elizabeth Packard is committed to an insane asylum by her husband in 1860. The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line - conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored.

 

 

        

Friends of the Library 
Tuesday, March 12, 6 p.m.
Hybrid: Auditorium & Zoom

The Friends of the Silas Bronson Library meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Come find out how you can help support the library through book sales and other fundraising activities.

Advance registration is required for Zoom participation. Click here to register. 

 

 

 

       

Grow Your Own Vegetables
Thursday, March 14, 1 p.m.
Auditorium

Spring is the perfect time to start your vegetable garden. Get practical tips on how to get the best results from Shawn Joseph, Director of Operations at Brass City Harvest in Waterbury. Joseph is a farmer and the author of Grow to Eat: A Vegetable Growing Guide.

 

 

 

        

Bunker Bookies
Thursday, March 14, 1:30 p.m.
Bunker Hill Branch Library

Come join our in-person book club at the Bunker Hill Branch! Copies of the book are available to borrow. Free parking is available in the library's parking lot.

In March, we'll be discussing The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict.

 

Book Description:

In the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein offers us a window into a brilliant, fascinating woman whose light was lost in Einstein's enormous shadow. It is the story of Einstein's wife, a brilliant physicist in her own right, whose contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight.

 

 

       

Ruth: Justice Ginsburg In Her Own Words
Tuesday, March 26, 6 p.m.
Main Reading Room

Join us for a documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in celebration of Women’s History Month. Throughout her legal career, Justice Ginsburg faced gender discrimination and became an advocate for gender equality and women’s rights. Learn more about the challenges she faced and her achievements with this inspiring documentary.

 

 

        

BRASS Book Club
Thursday, March 28, 12:30 p.m.
Zoom

For seniors age 60+

In March, we'll be discussing One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

 

Book Description:  

Bill Bryson transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The summer of 1927 began with one of the signature events of the twentieth century: on May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to cross the Atlantic by plane nonstop, and when he landed in Le Bourget airfield near Paris, he ignited an explosion of worldwide rapture and instantly became the most famous person on the planet. Meanwhile, the titanically talented Babe Ruth was beginning his assault on the home run record, which would culminate on September 30 with his sixtieth blast, one of the most resonant and durable records in sports history. In between those dates a Queens housewife named Ruth Snyder and her corset-salesman lover garroted her husband, leading to a murder trial that became a huge tabloid sensation. All this and much, much more transpired in that epochal summer of 1927.

Advance registration is required for this Zoom program. Click here to register.


 

     

Coloring & Conversation Club
Thursday, March 28, 2:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Meet and chat every month during our Coloring and Conversation Club. Whether you are looking to relax and de-stress, practice your English conversation skills, or meet new people, you are welcome to join us! Coloring pages and supplies will be provided.

 

 

       

Genealogy Tips: Ancestry.com
Thursday, March 28, 6:30 p.m.
Computer Classroom

Learn how to research your family tree using Ancestry.com, a powerful tool available at the library for free. Explore billions of census, vital, census, military, immigration, and other records.

 

 

 

        

Philip V. Benevento Cultural Program for Adults
The Jolly Beggars
Saturday, March 30, 1 p.m.
Main Reading Room

The Jolly Beggars bring the rich tradition of Celtic folk music and storytelling to modern day audiences. Their traditional songs and musical arrangements have exposed many to the joys of Celtic music. They tell traditional stories from Irish folklore and intersperse their musical arrangements with traditional reels and jigs.

 

The Philip V. Benevento Fund for Cultural Programs for Adults at the Silas Bronson Library was established in 2016 in honor of Waterbury’s City Historian and former Silas Bronson Library Board member Philip V. Benevento. The fund continues to grow through individual donations made to the Friends of the Silas Bronson Library.

 


April

 

 

 

Sisters to Sisters Book Club
Thursday, April 4, 6 p.m.
Hybrid: Auditorium and Zoom

Author Beverly Jenkins will be joining us via Zoom for a special discussion of her book, A Christmas To Remember. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

To join via Zoom, you must click here to register in advance.

You can also join in person at the library without registering.

 

Beverly Jenkins is the recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance.

She has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award in Literature, was featured both in the documentary “Love Between the Covers” and on CBS Sunday Morning.

Since the publication of Night Song in 1994, she has been leading the charge for inclusive romance, and has been a constant darling of reviewers, fans, and her peers alike, garnering accolades for her work from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, People Magazine, and NPR.

 

 

 

Take A Hike
Friday, April 5, 1:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Learn about free hiking resources, how to use Connecticut's trails, and how to plan for a day hike or an overnight adventure. Sample gear will be available to view.

 

 

 

        

History of Hamilton Park
Saturday, April 6, 1 p.m.
Main Reading Room

As Waterbury's first municipal park, Hamilton Park was home to a small zoo, included an acclaimed rose garden, offered some of the city’s favorite ice skating and swimming spots, and featured one of the state’s top dance and music halls during the Big Band era.

Michael Griffin, author of the new book, The Great Breathing Place Of The City: A History Of Hamilton Park In Waterbury, will tell the story of the park that has captivated city residents for more than a century. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

 

 

 

        

Friends of the Library 
Tuesday, April 9, 6 p.m.
Hybrid: Auditorium & Zoom

The Friends of the Silas Bronson Library meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Come find out how you can help support the library through book sales and other fundraising activities.

Advance registration is required for Zoom participation. Click here to register. 

 

 

 

 

Bunker Bookies
Thursday, April 11, 1:30 p.m.
Bunker Hill Branch Library

Come join our in person book club at the Bunker Hill Branch! Copies of the books are available to borrow from the library. In April, we'll be discussing The Spectacular by Fiona Davis.

 

 

 

        

Book Page Wreath
Thursday, April 11, 2:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Celebrate National Library Week with a fun book page craft! Upcycle book pages into a beautiful wreath to take home with you. All supplies will be provided.

 

 

       

Genealogy Tips: Online Books
Thursday, April 11, 6:30 p.m.
Hybrid: Computer Classroom & Zoom

Learn about the thousands of digitized family and local history books available online for free. Join in person in our computer classroom, or join from home via Zoom.

Click here to register for Zoom participation.

 

 

 

Spring Clean & Green
Monday, April 22, 1:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Learn how to make your own environmentally friendly cleaning products, including disinfecting spray, floor cleaner, air freshener, and carpet deodorizer.

 

 

         

BRASS Book Club
Thursday, April 25, 12:30 p.m.
Zoom

For seniors age 60+

In April, we'll be discussing Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

Advance registration is required for this Zoom program. Click here to register.

Book Description:  

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

 


 

     

Coloring & Conversation Club
Thursday, April 25, 2:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Meet and chat every month during our Coloring and Conversation Club. Whether you are looking to relax and de-stress, practice your English conversation skills, or meet new people, you are welcome to join us! Coloring pages and supplies will be provided.

 

 

 


May

 

 


Sisters to Sisters Book Club
Thursday, May 2, 6 p.m.
Auditorium

New members welcome. In May, we'll be discussing The Unsettled by Ayana Mathis. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

 

 

 

 

Macramé Bracelet Workshop
Saturday, May 4, 1 p.m.
Auditorium

Make a fun and easy macramé bracelet that you can take home with you! All supplies included.

 

 

        

Friends of the Library 
Tuesday, May 7, 6 p.m.
Hybrid: Auditorium & Zoom

The Friends of the Silas Bronson Library meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Come find out how you can help support the library through book sales and other fundraising activities.

Advance registration is required for Zoom participation. Click here to register. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bunker Bookies
Thursday, May 9, 1:30 p.m.
Bunker Hill Branch Library

Come join our in person book club at the Bunker Hill Branch! Copies of the books are available to borrow from the library. In May, we'll be discussing Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult.

 

 

       

Genealogy Tips: One-on-One
Wednesday, May 15, 1 - 3 p.m.
Computer Classroom

Just starting your family history research? Reached a “brick wall” in tracing your ancestors? Call 203-574-8225 to reserve a half-hour appointment with a librarian and learn how we can help you build your family tree.

 

 

        

Pearls From Carol with Albert Ruggiero
Saturday, May 18, 1 p.m.
Main Reading Room

Albert Ruggiero will talk about and read from Pearls from Carol, a collection of short, funny, thought-provoking writings by his late wife, Carol Ann Ruggiero. He will also provide a sing-along at the conclusion of the program and will play his saxophone.

 

 

          

BRASS Book Club
Thursday, May 23, 12:30 p.m.
Zoom

For seniors age 60+

In May, we'll be discussing Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the library.

Advance registration is required for this Zoom program. Click here to register.

 

Book Description:  

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

 

 

     

Coloring & Conversation Club
Thursday, May 23, 2:30 p.m.
Auditorium

Meet and chat every month during our Coloring and Conversation Club. Whether you are looking to relax and de-stress, practice your English conversation skills, or meet new people, you are welcome to join us! Coloring pages and supplies will be provided.