Staff Articles
Little Book Bites: Graphic Novels
One of the most popular genres in the Children’s Library is Graphic Novels/Comics. Our beginning readers can now enjoy the world of graphic novel storytelling too. Many publishers are now producing series of graphic novels that will appeal to most emerging...
Read Before You Watch!
With the wild number of streaming services and other ways to watch out there today, there are a huge number of books coming to big and small screens alike! Check out this list of recently released or announced projects based on fantasy and science fiction books so...
Books for Native American Heritage Month
November is Native American Heritage Month, and we've got books and authors for you to celebrate with! First up, we have a list of some new titles by indigenous authors. then, there's a list of authors who write fiction. Revisit an old favorite or try something...
Mystery Unboxing with Adventure Video Games for Switch
Welcome to our mystery unboxing feature with Westfield librarians, with a new episode released on IGTV every month! In this episode, librarian Olivia asked her colleagues for recommendations for Nintendo Switch or Wii video games with a wide variety of interests....
Dragon Tails Recommends: Tasty Reads
Do you love cooking or eating? Then here is a book list for you! Whether it's stewing monsters, saving your town with doughnuts , or making the best galactic pizza, we have books for you to devour. (Not literally, please. The librarians seem to frown upon...
Learn About Westfield’s Ghosts
Earlier this month, attendees of the Westfield Historical Commission’s ghost tours at the Old Burying Ground enjoyed stories narrated by a variety of “ghosts” from the early years of Westfield. The Old Burying Ground, also called the Mechanic Street Cemetery, is...
An Alphabet of Horror Books
It's the spookiest time of the year, and librarian Kat has had some fun finding a horror novel or spooky story to represent every letter of the alphabet. As with all her displays, this is available to be browsed at the Athenaeum, but we also have the entire list...
You follow them online, now read them in print!
We have a brand new book display up on internet personalities! These are YouTubers, podcasters, web comic artists and more that you may have come across on the web - but did you know they have books? For a full range of titles, come check out our display at the...
Dragon Tail Recommends: Spooky Reads
Ghosts and witches and werepenguins, oh my! Welcome to the wonderful time of year when creepy stories crawl into our laps on eight legs. For fans of Goosebumps and other spooky stories, here is a list of books at the Westfield Athenaeum that will fill your evenings...
Mystery Box with Horror DVDs for the Spooky Season
Welcome to our mystery unboxing feature with Westfield librarians, with a new episode released on IGTV every month! In this episode, librarian JR asked his colleagues for recommendations for adult DVDs in the horror genre that would absolutely bend his mind! He is...
Banned Books Week 2021
This year's Banned Books Week, as sponsored by the American Library Association, is Sept 26-Oct 2. They will be hosting events all week, so check out the website for more! The theme of this year's celebration is: "Books unite us. Sharing stories important to us...
Celebrate Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week
Did you know there was a day and a week devoted to J R R Tolkien, his works, and his larger universe? Check out this explanation from the American Tolkien Society for more context. Since this is the Athenaeum, we want to help you celebrate in appropriate style, of...
Hispanic Heritage Month Book List
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month--Sept 15 to Oct 15--with a title from our newest book display! We welcome you in to browse it, but if you can't make it - don't worry! We've got a list for you that links directly to the catalog so that you can request everything...
Books from Our Mental Health Checkpoint
Teen librarian Tina has been hard at work decorating the Teen Loft with graphics, lights, and crafts, but she's recently installed a new book display called a Mental Health Checkpoint! This display, along with the Loft's new resident Doreen, are there for when you...
Books for September 11th
As September 11th, 2021, marks the 20 year anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, we will be displaying new releases and other titles about the stories and heroism of that day. A selected list is below, with the titles linking to the catalog for easy...
Mystery Box with Humorous Speculative Fiction
Welcome to our mystery unboxing feature with Westfield librarians, with a new episode released on IGTV every month! In this episode, librarian Christian asked his colleagues for recommendations for adult speculative fiction that could be surreal and/or humorous!...
Remembering September 11th
Twenty years ago, a regular Tuesday morning in September turned into a long nightmare for many Americans and their loved ones. The September 11th terrorist attacks took nearly 3,000 lives, including three natives of Westfield, MA. In this post, we honor those who...
Dragon Tail Recommends: Books for the New School Year
It’s time to begin learning again and with it comes new grades, new experiences, new teachers, possibly even a new school. Maybe you are excited to go back to school; maybe you are feeling a bit scared. Here is a list of chapter books to support you during...
Announcing: Fall Book Clubs!
Summer Reading is may be over, but our new Fall Programming schedule is just beginning. The tip of the iceberg are our Book Clubs - one returning and one brand new! Readers of all types can find a group to discuss monthly books with at one of our two options....
Museum Passes Are Back!
Now that summer’s in full swing, you may be looking forward to a trip to see some art, experience history, or to visit a park. Well, the good news is that the Athenaeum can help with that, as we are in the process of rebuilding our collection of museum passes after...
