Join us to gain a greater understanding of the conflict ongoing between Ukraine and Russia with an expert in Russian politics and society, Rebecca McGory. She will describe the history of Russian-Ukrainian relations and the events that led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 to contextualize the ongoing conflict. She will provide information about the current status of the war and all its moving parts, including the international relationships driving the hostilities.

The Portsmouth Public Library is creating a new Strategic Plan and we have received over 2300 responses to our recent survey which will help with the planning.

We look forward to reviewing the analysis and moving forward. We will hold  three community forums to  tease out some questions through a discussion with the community. We hope many of you will choose to participate in one of these 90-minute sessions to share your thoughts about the library and what services, spaces, staffing and programming you would like to see here in the future.

1956. Unrated. 86 Minute Runtime.

During the 1950s, a small-town librarian is shunned by the locals after she refuses the City Council's request to remove a book on Communism from the library's shelves.

Help us celebrate Banned Book Week! “Our 2023 Banned Books Week theme – ‘Let Freedom Read’ – captures what’s at stake for our democracy: that the safety of our right to speak and think freely is directly in proportion to our right to read." American Library Association

The Office of the City Clerk and the Portsmouth Public Library invite you to register to vote or update your voter registration, at one of two voter registration sessions at the Portsmouth Public Library. Attend either of the two sessions on Wednesday, October 18 from 11 AM until 12:30 PM or Tuesday, October 24 from 4 until 5:30 PM.

Voter Registration Requirements:

City Clerk Kelli Barnaby announced that the last day to change Party Affiliation prior to the upcoming Presidential Primary Election (Date TBD) is Friday, October 6, 2023. 

The Board of Registrars will be in session from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 6, 2023 in the Main Lobby of City Hall.

The City Clerk’s Office will also accept party affiliation changes during regular office hours up to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 6, 2023.

We are pleased to announce a SPECIAL GUEST coming this month – author and illustrator David McPhail will be at the library reading from his latest book, Truffle and doing some live drawing as well as answering questions!  Mr. McPhail has authored and/or illustrated dozens of books including some of our storytime favorites – check out his books in the library or place some on hold today by clicking the link below! Registration is not required.