May 8, 2026
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The New Orleans Public Library and Junior League of New Orleans partner to provide monthly period supply kits for free.
New Year, New Hobbies
Are you seeking a new hobby for the new year, but don’t know where to start? From crafting and gardening to puzzles and games, the New Orleans Public Library has tons of free programs and resources to help you discover your newest passion. Here are a few options to get you started:
1. Writing & Journaling
Start 2026 off right with a brand new, handmade notebook for journaling, scrap booking, or whatever you want to do with your new year. At New Year, New Notebook, attendees will learn a simple method for binding a pamphlet-style notebook, and then customize their creations using stamps, stickers, stencils, and other colorful supplies.
Register to reserve a spot. Walk-ins are welcome for any remaining space.
After getting your journal ready to go, aspiring writers can find support, guidance, and community at Just Write: A Virtual Creative Writing Workshop.
Every month, members get together on zoom to discuss their work with other local writers in a friendly, supportive environment. Writers of all levels and genres are welcome. The group will meet next at 2pm on January 10th.
To register for the workshop, or for more information, please email CreativeWriting@nolalibrary.org. After registration, you will receive the Zoom link via email.
The Library also offers free resources to writers interested in self-publishing their work, including Pressbooks, Indie Author Project, and BiblioBoard.
2. Gardening
Gardening is a great hobby for people looking to spend more time outside and in nature, or for those seeking a more sustainable lifestyle. If you’ve been itching to flex your green thumb, but don’t know where to start, keep an eye on the Library’s event calendar to find our next gardening or composting event.
This winter, we’re teaming up with Barcelo Gardens for two Fig Tree Care and Propagation workshops, first at Hubbell Library on January 17, and again at Mid-City Library on February 21. Both workshops start at 10:30 a.m. and are open to all. Registration is recommended if you’d like to reserve a fig cutting to take home.
You can also get into gardening this year with help from our Seed Libraries, which are offered at seven Library locations:
- Alvar Library
- Cita Dennis Hubbell Library
- East New Orleans Regional Library
- Mid-City Library
- Nora Navra Library
- Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center
- Milton H. Latter Memorial Library
Seed Libraries have seeds for fruits, vegetables, and herbs that grow in New Orleans.Availability may vary, so be sure to visit a location with a Seed Library for current information on seed offerings.
3. Crafting
Needle Crafts like knitting, crochet, cross stitch, and embroidery are a great way to relieve stress while working with your hands to make something beautiful. To start off the new year, the Library is offering Crochet for Beginners at the Mid-City and Nora Navra Libraries. Registered participants will learn new stitches and work on making their first project—a keychain lanyard.
If you’d like to meet other crafters while working on your personal yarn arts projects, join the Latter Library Yarn Arts Circle, and enjoy some tea and cookies while you craft and socialize. The circle meets on the first Monday of the month at 12pm.
Check the Library events calendar for more crafty programs of all kinds offered throughout the year.
If you can’t wait to learn something new, check out Creativebug, an online Library resource that offers classes taught by artists and creative experts in a wide range of subjects including art & design, sewing, knitting, crochet, food & home, and jewelry-making, among other crafty categories. Choose topics for beginners, those focused on techniques, or multi-part classes that walk you step-by-step through the crafting process.
4. Puzzles & Games
A new resource at the Library is our Community Puzzle Exchange, which works like a little free library, where you can take a puzzle for yourself or leave a puzzle for others to enjoy. You don’t even need a Library card. Puzzle exchanges are located in nine Library locations:
- Algiers Regional Library
- Alvar Library
- Central City Library
- Cita Dennis Hubbell Library
- East New Orleans Regional Library
- Mid-City Library
- Milton H. Latter Memorial Library
- Robert E. Smith Library
- Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center
Meet other puzzle aficionados at one of the Library’s Community Puzzle Nights, where you can work on a puzzle alone or enjoy puzzling with other community members.
In January, community puzzle nights will be held at Latter Library on January 15 and at East New Orleans Library on January 29, from 4:30-6:30pm.
Check the event calendar for future puzzle nights at various locations throughout the Library system.
In January, community puzzle nights will be held at Latter Library on January 15 and at East New Orleans Library on January 29, from 4:30-6:30pm.
Check the event calendar for future puzzle nights at various locations throughout the Library system.
For the game-loving kids in your life, the Library offers weekly Chess Clubs for Kids at three locations: Wednesdays at the Algiers Regional and Nix Libraries, and Thursdays at Hubbell Library. All clubs start at 4pm.
For kids interested in tabletop role-playing games, Algiers Regional Library also has Dungeons and Dragons for kids 9-12 on the first and third Saturday of the month at 2pm in January and February.
Because adults love games just as much as kids do, we also have Bingo at the Library January 16 at 2pm at the Main Library. You might even win a prize!
5. Joining a Book Club
Joining a book club is a great way to form community from an otherwise solitary hobby. The Library offers a variety of book clubs in different locations featuring different genres, interests, and even lengths—yes, we have short story clubs too. New members are always welcome!
- Enjoy a variety of fabulous, fun, fierce, and finely-crafted books at the Central City Book Salon first Tuesdays of the month at 5:30. January’s book is Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov.
- The West Bank Book Club meets the first Wednesday of the month at Algiers Regional Library at 4pm to discuss a variety of literary fiction. Their first meeting of the year is January 7, when they’ll discuss The Moviegoer by Walker Percy.
- Mystery-lovers unite at the Who Dun It? Book Club every third Wednesday of the month at 5pm at the Nora Navra Library. On January 21, they’ll be discussing Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson.
- At Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, the African American Literature & The Urban Experience group gets together on the first Saturday of the month at 11am to discuss fiction and nonfiction by BIPOC authors. The next meeting is January 3 when the book selection will be Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture by Emma Dabiri.
- Alvar Library’s Bywater Book Club meets on second Saturdays at 3pm and discusses books from many genres, including historical fiction, romance fantasy, and science fiction. The selection for their January 10 meeting is Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.
- For those who love short stories and long conversations, check out the Teatime Reading Nook: A Short Story Book Club for Busy Folk on third Saturday at 3pm at the Hubbell Library. On January 17, they’ll be discussing “This Blessed House” by Jhumpa Lahiri over tea and cookies.
- Sci-Fi Shorts is a short story club for readers of classic and contemporary science fiction. They meet on the 4th Saturday of the month at 3pm at the Latter Library to discuss the themes and current relevance of two sci-fi stories. On January 24, they’ll discuss “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury & “Sandkings” by George R. R. Martin.
May 4, 2026
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Since 1957, the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library have been standing up for the Library’s mission through sponsorship, fundraising, and advocacy work.
May 1, 2026
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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and to celebrate, we’re taking a look through our City Archives & Special Collections to honor the history and heritage of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the New Orleans area.