Free Seeds! March and April
Several companies have generously donated seeds (last year’s) including Burpee and High Mowing. Come pick out up to 5 veggie and flower seed packets, eat healthy home grown veggies & beautiful flowers, and share your excess with neighbors and Orford Cares!

Cookbook club: Casseroles Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. Bring a casserole and join with others to try something new.

Alyssa Godesky: Winter Spine Race 2026
April 13 @6:30 pm
Elite endurance athlete/coach Alyssa Godesky will talk about finishing the grueling 268 mile Winter Spine Race traversing iconic wilderness in the Backbone of England” through cold, sleet and ice for 119 hours.

Poem on a Postcard:
April is national poetry month. Stop by the library and pick up a postcard from a local artist, and send a poem to a friend!

Tales From The Spice Rack: exploring people & places behind the ingredients that flavor our food

Presenter: Laura Tilghman, Plymouth State Professor, April 16 @ 6:30 p.m. Funded in part by New Hampshire Humanities to Go and the Friends of the Orford Libraries

The spice trade conjures up images of traveling tent caravans or heavy-laden ships from the Age of Exploration. But what you may not know is that many of the flavoring ingredients we use in baking and cooking today are grown and traded in ways that echo those ancient roots before ending up in our spice rack. In this presentation we will explore two spices: cloves (the aromatic flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum Myrtle trees) and vanilla (the cured pods of the Vanilla planifolia orchid). Madagascar grows and exports a major proportion of the global supply of both spices. The stories of vanilla and cloves show continuity with the past, as both are grown by small scale farmers using techniques and tools similar to when these spices were first introduced to the island by the French in the late 1800s. Yet these spices can also help us understand the tensions in our increasingly connected and complex world, as those farmers must now weather pressures as varied as commodity market fluctuations, climate change, and artificial flavor competition. Whether you’re an avid baker, have a sweet tooth, or are just curious about the world around you, this presentation will help you appreciate the people and places behind the global products we buy and consume every day.

Book Discussions: Pick up a book at the library and join us for an informal discussion. 

Regular Programming:
Mah Jongg – every Monday from 1-3 p.m. Beginners are always welcome!
German Conversation – Mondays from 3:30-4:30 p.m. *note new time for winter
Knitting/Crafts – 2nd and 4th Wednesdays from 2- 3:30 p.m.
Bridge – Every Thursday from 3-5 p.m.
French Conversation – Thursdays 4-5 p.m.
Crokinole – Thursdays at 2 p.m. Join us for some fun for all ages.
Tech Help – Second Saturday of the month at 9:30 am

We Need Your Support
The town of Orford provides annual support of almost 50% of our operating expenses. Friends of the Library provides funding for enhancements (not operating expenses) to both libraries. The rest of our operating costs depend on annual donations to enhance the small savings account from which we draw. As costs of everything rise over the years, we fear the original investment is dwindling and at some point will be unable to sustain or grow to our needs. Grants for improvements (solar panels, new walkway, new accessible ramp, heat pumps!) to the library are helpful, but there aren’t grants for operating expenses. Your contributions, big and small, make all the difference!

You can have your stock portfolio make an effective gift by designating the Orford Social Library as a recipient of a Donor-Advised Fund. Another way to support the library is to include us in your will or estate plans. Please help us continue our good work by contributing what you can.

We also appreciate donations of new (within the past year) fiction and non-fiction books to add to our collection and to help keep our costs down.

The library is looking for a bookkeeper. Contact orfordsoclib@gmail.com if you are interested