New Orleans Public Library: Volume 2 Issue 4 by Gambit New Orleans

SATURDAY APRIL 11

10:30am – 3:30pm Milne Rec Center (5420 Franklin Avenue)

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2026

This year’s theme is “All in the Family,” with programs and exhibits focusing on the nuts and bolts of genealogy research. The event will feature representatives from over 40 genealogical, cultural, historical, and preservation groups, with professional speakers on the foundations of genealogy research.

Main Library

219 Loyola Avenue (504) 596-2570

Algiers Regional Library

3014 Holiday Drive (504) 596-2641

Alvar Library 913 Alvar Street (504) 596-2667

Central City Library

2020 Jackson Avenue, Suite 139 (504) 596-3110

Children’s Resource Center Library 913 Napoleon Avenue (504) 596-2628

Desire / Florida Satellite Location 3250 Industry Street

East New Orleans Regional Library 5641 Read Boulevard (504) 596-0200

Cita Dennis Hubbell Library 725 Pelican Avenue (504) 596-3113

Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center

4300 South Broad Avenue (504) 596-2660

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library 1611 Fats Domino Avenue (504) 596-2695

Milton H. Latter Memorial Library 5120 Saint Charles Avenue (504) 596-2625

Norman Mayer Library 3001 Gentilly Boulevard (504) 596-3100

Mid-City Library

4140 Canal Street (504) 596-2654

Nora Navra Library

1902 Saint Bernard Avenue (504) 596-3118

Nix Library 1401 South Carrollton Avenue (504) 596-2630

REACH Center

2022 St. Bernard Avenue, Building C (504) 256-6983

Robert E. Smith Library 6301 Canal Boulevard (504) 596-2638 /nolalibrary @nolalibrary

EARLY LITERACY EVENTS

The New Orleans Public Library ofers storytimes for children from birth to age 5 and playtimes for ages 2 – 5 at all of our locations. Visit nolalibrary.org/early-literacy for more information

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS

Celebrate International Children’s Book Day with a trip around the world. Explore different countries and cultures through storytime, music, and activities. For children ages 2 – 5 and their families.

Thursday, April 2

from 10:30am – 11:30am

Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Dance, wiggle, and stretch as we use music and movement to practice early literacy skills. This program is designed for children ages 2 – 5 and their caregivers.

Friday, April 10

from 4pm – 4:30pm Nora Navra Library

LPO MUSICAL STORY HOUR

LPO’s Musical Story Hour highlights a musician from the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra who will perform alongside the reading of a classic children’s book. This month, trumpeter Alan Tolbert will accompany a reading of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Saturday, April 11

from 10:30am – 11am

Milton H. Latter Memorial Library

BLUE HOUSE MUSIC

Explore natural connections between language and music through singing and storytelling during this music and early literacy workshop.

Saturday, April 11

from 10:30am – 11am

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

SENSORY SATURDAY

STORYTIME & PLAYTIME

Families looking for a welcoming and comfortable space for neurodivergent children can join us for an inclusive and interactive storytime or playtime. Space is limited for each program.

Saturday, April 11 from 10:30am – 11:30am & 2pm – 3:30pm Keller Library & Community Center

CREATE & PLAY: SUPERHEROES UNITE!

Practice developing early literacy skills with crafts, hands-on activities, and snacks. A fun superhero-themed program for children ages 2 – 5 and their families.

Friday, April 17 from 10:30am – 11:30am Hubbell Library

LITTLE STEAMERS

A series designed for children ages 3 – 5 years old to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) at the Library.

Saturday, April 18 from 10:30am – 11:30am Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Celebrate Earth Day with a nature story hour and enjoy an Earthwalk by T.R.E.E. An Earthwalk is a fun, interactive experience in nature for all ages.

Wednesday, April 22 from 10:30am – 12pm Central City Library

2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH ART CONTEST Award Ceremony

CHILDREN’S EVENTS

STEAM CLUB

Experiment, create, or craft at this hands-on STEAM event for children ages 6 – 12.

This month’s activities include:

• Sierpinski Triangles

• Dungeons and Dragons

• Paper Bird Puppets

• Chlorophyll Prints

• Art Smarts: Bead Design Challenge

• Game Day

• Jelly Bean Design and Graphing

• Georges Seurat & Pointillism

• Art Smarts: Recycled Sculpture

• Bee Hotels

• Koinobori

• Scribble Art

• Pequeñas creaciones / Small Creations: Esculpir en arcilla Visit nolalibrary.co/STEAM for times and locations.

CHESS CLUB

Beginner and experienced players are welcome at Chess Club. Each session includes instruction as needed but focuses on playing against other participants or Library staff. Practice problem-solving and develop critical thinking at this hands-on STEAM program for ages 6 – 12.

Wednesdays from 4pm – 5pm Algiers Regional Library Nix Library

Thursdays from 4pm – 5pm Cita Dennis Hubbell Library

Celebrate the winners of this year’s Black History Month Art Contest. Winning art pieces will be displayed and refreshments will be provided.

Tuesday, April 28 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

Books & Breakfast

with Kids Author

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Civil Rights pioneer Dr. Leona Tate

Meet picture book author Vaunda Nelson and Civil Rights pioneer Dr. Leona Tate for a book talk & signing, plus light breakfast. Families will receive their own copy of Small Shoes, Great Strides.

Saturday, April 18

from 10:30am – 12pm

Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

FRENCH AND KREYÒL KONEKSYON

FOR SUCCESS

Free French and Haitian Kreyòl classes for children and teenagers. Kou franse ak kreyòl ayisyèn gratis pou timoun ak jèn jan.

Saturday, April 4

from 10:30am – 11:30am Algiers Regional Library

COMMUNITY ARTMAKING BY WHOLE VILLAGE ART THERAPY

Make art and enjoy community at this event where all are welcome. Drop-in between 12 pm and 4 pm. All art materials are provided.

Saturday, April 11 from 12pm – 4pm Nora Navra Library

CATURDAY

CAT MEET & GREET BY LOUISIANA SPCA WITH THEMED CRAFTS

Louisiana SPCA cats and kittens are headed to the Library. Kids and families can meet these ﬂufy visitors, craft toys to go back with them to the shelter, and leave with an animal themed book.

Saturday, April 11 from 2pm – 3:30pm

Cita Dennis Hubbell Library

DIVERSIÓN BILINGÜE EN FAMILIA / BILINGUAL

FAMILY FUN TIME

Tiempo para pasar juntos en familia. Actividades gratuitas que incluyen merienda y libros de regalo. Hang out time for Spanish-speaking/ bilingual families with free activities, snacks, and books.

THEME: Día de Juegos / Game Day

Wednesday, April 15 from 5pm – 6:30pm Central City Library

STEAM CLUB

HOMESCHOOL EDITION

A morning edition of the Library’s STEAM club, specially for homeschool families. The Homeschool Edition will be longer and highlight resources for Homeschool families on the theme of the session.

Wednesday, April 29 from 10:30am – 12:00pm Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

TEEN & TWEEN EVENTS

TEEN VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION

Interested in volunteering at the Library? Volunteering for the ﬁrst time in a while? Our monthly virtual orientation session shares everything you need to know. Register at nolalibrary.co/orientation.

Monday, April 6 from 4:30pm – 5:30pm

TEEN VOLUNTEER DAY

Serve your community, be creative, socialize, and earn service-learning hours. Teen Volunteer Day is open to teens ages 14 – 18.

Tuesday, April 7 from 4pm – 6pm Mid-City Library

Tuesday, April 14 from 4pm – 6pm

Milton H. Latter Memorial Library

Wednesday, April 15 from 4pm – 6pm

Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

Tuesday, April 28 from 4pm – 6pm Algiers Regional Library

EXPRESS

YOURSELF! MONTHLY

TRANS & QUEER TEEN HANGOUT

WITH THE NEW ORLEANS PRIDE CENTER

Enjoy games, activities, and pizza each month at this drop-in event for teens ages 11 - 18. This month’s theme is Blackout & Bloom: Celebrating the Earth & Poetry. April is a time to honor the Earth and celebrate inﬂuential poets such as Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, Pablo Neruda, Nikki Giovanni, and E.E. Cummings. Let’s reconnect with our creativity by upcycling these masters’ works into our own literary pieces through Blackout Poetry bookmark making.

Thursday, April 9 from 4:30pm – 5:30pm Main Library

TEEN DROP-IN

Hang out, play games, make art, learn a new hobby, or explore new tech at this program for teens ages 11 – 18.

THEME: Shadow Puppet Animation Workshop With NOCCA Instructor Zoe Zollinger

Thursday, April 16 from 4:30pm – 6:30pm Robert E. Smith Library

THEME: DIY Seed Bombs Tuesday, April 21 from 4pm – 5pm Mid-City Library

ROBOTICS WORKSHOP FOR TWEENS

WITH JESUIT ROBOTICS

Design and program robots to create a new and exciting city. Open to tweens ages 9 – 12.

Saturday, April 25 from 2pm – 4pm Robert E. Smith Library

SWEET NEW ORLEANS CLASSICS FOR TWEENS

WITH DELGADO CULINARY ARTS CHEF TASHEENA BUTLER

Craft two iconic New Orleans desserts. Master the buttery crunch of classic pralines and the dramatic ﬂair of ﬂaming bananas foster in this fun, hands-on class.

Saturday, April 25

from 10:30am – 12pm

Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

ADULT EVENTS

BRINGING BIRDS INTO YOUR BACKYARD WITH MASTER GARDENER

MARIEANNE ARATA

Learn how to attract native and migrating birds into your yard. Grow shrubs for nesting, and use seeds, ﬂowers, and berries to keep the birds coming back for more.

Thursday, April 2 from 1pm – 2pm Nora Navra Library

GET MORE OUT OF YOUR LIBRARY CARD: MUSIC AND MEDIA

Movies, music, magazines, and media education are all available free from your Library! Learn how you can access media resources using your Library card.

Tuesday, April 7 from 2pm – 3pm Nix Library

Wednesday, April 29 from 10:30am – 11:30am Mid-City Library

POETRY NIGHT AT LATTER LIBRARYREADINGS FROM RENEWED

Celebrate National Poetry Month with readings from local poets published in the New Orleans Public Library’s own anthology, RENEWED.

Wednesday, April 8 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm Milton H. Latter Memorial Library

FINANCIAL

LITERACY PRESENTATION WITH ONPATH FOUNDATION

Build long-term ﬁnancial stability in real-world, accessible ways. Leave this session empowered with foundational money skills, including budgeting, credit awareness, and ﬁnancial goal-setting.

Wednesday, April 8 from 5:30pm – 6:45pm Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center

WRITING

ODES WITH LOUISIANA POET LAUREATE GINA FERRARA

Odes are poems of celebration and close attention often written to praise something or someone, including everyday objects. In this workshop, we’ll examine famous odes and write ones of our own. Funding for this Louisiana Poet Laureate program has been provided by the State of Louisiana and administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.

Monday, April 13 from 2pm – 3pm Nora Navra Library

DIGITAL SKILLS CLASSES

AT THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

BOOST YOUR SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

The Information, Technology and Innovation (ITI) department provides internet instruction on basic skills for job seeking, connecting with friends and family, improving job performance, and more.

Tuesday, April 21 from 1pm – 3:30pm Thursday, April 23 from 1pm – 3:30pm Tuesday, April 28 from 1pm – 3:30pm City Hall (1300 Perdido Street)

Earth Day Reminder: Recycle

Your Glass at the Library WITH GLASSROOTS

Bring your clean glass to recycle it. Glass is turned into sand and cullet for coastal restoration, disaster relief, eco-construction, and more. Glass is only accepted during program hours.

3rd Mondays at Mid-City Library from 4:30pm – 6:30pm

3rd Tuesdays at Alvar Library from 4:30pm – 6:30pm

3rd Wednesdays at East New Orleans Regional Library from 4:30pm – 6:30pm

3rd Thursdays at Algiers Regional Library from 10:30am – 12:30pm

3rd Fridays at Milton H. Latter Memorial Library from 10:30am – 12:30pm

If locations are closed, please do not drop of glass. To ﬁnd out if a location is closed, visit events.nolalibrary.org.

AUTHOR NIGHT AT HUBBELL LIBRARY: NED RANDOLPH

Using the case study of South Louisiana, Muddy Thinking in the Mississippi River Delta asks how a place uniquely vulnerable to sea level rise became one of the nation’s most promiscuous producers and consumers of fossil fuels.

Tuesday, April 21 from 6:30pm – 7:30pm Cita Dennis Hubbell Library

DOCUMENTARY

SCREENING: EARTH DAYS

Spend Earth Day learning more about the origins of the modern environmental movement by watching Director Robert Stone’s Earth Days with us.

Wednesday, April 22 from 4:30pm – 6:30pm Algiers Regional Library