Betts Branch Library - Onondaga County Public Libraries

06/03/2026

Tomorrow morning is Miss Margaret’s Lapsit Storytime!🫂🤗

Babies, toddlers, siblings & guardians are invited to Betts Library @ 10:30 a.m. for music, rhymes, fingerplays, movement, and a short book with Miss Margaret!✨📚

06/01/2026

ALERT:
We are currently experiencing some issues with our website.

Visiting https://onlib.org appears to be working for some, while https://www.onlib.org does not appear to be working.

You can also search our catalog directly at:
https://catalog.onlib.org/polaris/

Or access our ebooks/audiobooks and more here:
https://onlib.overdrive.com/

We apologize for the frustration and interruption and are actively working on the issue.

06/01/2026

Art, learning, community building, and even some healthy competition😌♟️Here’s the highlights for this week at OCPL!✨ For more events, details, and information, check our online calendar👀

06/01/2026

This past Saturday for our More Than Just Books segment on CNY Central, we showcased the array of cake pans that a person could check out at Maxwell Memorial Library.

A lot of various designs including Mickey Mouse, a princess, a football and so many more choices. Just pick one out and check it out with your library card.... then get to baking!

A few other libraries in the OCPL family also have cake pans as well.

If you need a cake pan you’ll probably only use once, the Maxwell Memorial Library has an option that doesn’t involve buying one.

05/30/2026

Creativity flew high today at Petit Branch Library🐦‍⬛

Onondaga Audubon educator Anna Stunkel led a tutorial on bird sketching, and patrons got to socialize & sketch different feathered friends🪽✍️

Then, they got to spend some time outside birding!🔎🐦

05/30/2026

🧵 Our new Basic Sewing Group is off to a wonderful start at Betts Branch Library! We’re learning sewing basics together in a friendly, supportive space—and beginners are always welcome.

Join us next time:
📅 Thursday, June 11
🕒 3–4:30 PM
📍 Betts Branch Library

Bring your own machine if you have one, or just bring your curiosity! ✂️🪡

05/29/2026

We’ve seen the online buzz about Theo of Golden, but we’ve also witnessed its popularity in our libraries. With HUNDREDS of current holds on this Allen Levi novel, we curated a list of other must-reads to help with the wait.🕖 Or, if you’re simply hungry for another fascinating tale of converging stories, then this list is for you, too!

The books are:
⭐ This Book Made Me Think Of You by Libby Page
⭐ The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop by Takuya Asakura
⭐ The Correspondent by Virgina Evans
⭐ Pack up the Moon by Kristan Higgins

The overarching theme in all of these novels is how stories can help people endure difficult times, and how deeply interconnected people’s lives can be. Shout-out to OCPL’s Desteny for the list & happy reading!📚✨

05/29/2026

🌿 June is here at Betts Branch Library! 🌿

We’ve got a full month of opportunities to connect, learn, and enjoy time together at the library—books, creativity, music, conversation, and more.

From community favorites like Hooks & Needles and our book group to special summer programs for adults and families, there’s something for all kinds of interests this month.

📬 Check out our June newsletter for dates, details, and everything coming up at Betts.

We hope to see you at the library soon!

05/28/2026

On Monday, Betts Library had the pleasure of hosting 1st grade classes from Rockwell Elementary School. What a blast we had with interactive read-alouds, book browsing and checkouts, coloring bookmarks, and playing with magnatiles!

05/27/2026

You oughta know: The pop up library at the Redhouse is prepped for the upcoming Jagged Little Pill performances. We have some interesting books about not only Alanis, but amazing artists like Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.

Books are pre-checked. All you need to do is take a book home and drop it off at any branch when you are done. And, Thank U.

05/26/2026

Are you a caregiver who knows your child should be reading to you, but you're not sure for how long per sitting, how to coach them through the process, or what books are best? Mark your calendars, because our friends at Book Buddies will be giving a talk on helping your beginning reader, minus the frustration. Full program description here: https://onlib-central.libcal.com/event/16633004

05/25/2026

Pig and Elephant are in a podcast. Check It Out welcomed the cast members of the Mo Willems play to talk to Maggie and Tom and talk all things about Gerald and Piggie. The play is over the next three weekends (Saturday shows only) at the Gifford Family Theatre which is across the street from Soule Branch.

Meg and Killian play the main characters for the play and it was a blast to have them in studio. So, stop reading and Check It Out!

We have TWO MAJOR celebrities: Piggie and Elephant from the Mo Willems books are our guests this week's for Check It Out. Maggie and Tom talk to Killian Crowley (Gerald) and Meg Keough (Pig) about the Elephant and Piggie play going on at the Gifford Family Theater. We will learn about the play, how....

05/16/2026

Thank you, Syracuse Stage Theatre for the Very Young for a wonderful, interactive performance of Tiny Martians, Big Emotions this afternoon! The kids and grown-ups had a blast!

05/13/2026

Let's hear it for Florence and her grown-ups, who reached 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! What Betts book did they choose for Florence's commemorative bookplate? Let's just say it's dinotastic!

05/08/2026

The Valley neighborhood is home to one of Syracuse’s architectural and historical treasures. Join Unity of Syracuse for their Sacred Site Open House on Saturday, May 16, from 10 AM–5 PM.

Built in 1885 by St. Paul’s M.E. congregation, this remarkable historic church features architecture by Archimedes Russell and stunning stained-glass windows by Henry Keck and Stanley Warden. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors can enjoy self-guided and guided tours, historical displays, informational materials, and conversations with trained docents throughout the day. At noon, Town of Onondaga historian Natalie Dadaris will present stories about life in “The Hollow” in the early 1900s.

A wonderful opportunity to explore local history, architecture, and community stories right here in the Valley. Free and open to the public.

05/05/2026

Caregivers of children 5 and under, mark your calendars! Saturday, May 16, Syracuse Stage's Theatre for the Very Little will be bringing their interactive performance Tiny Martians, Big Emotions to Betts Library!

04/30/2026

So much reading going on! Evelyn's family has logged 100 books and Florence is at 900 in their journey towards 1000 Books Before Kindergarten here at Betts Library!

04/29/2026

🌼 May is blooming at Betts Branch Library! 🌼

Our May Newsletter is here, filled with programs, events, and opportunities for all ages. From creative classes and book discussions to community resources and special events, there’s something for everyone this month.

Stop by the library to pick up a copy, or check it out online to see what’s happening. We’d love to see you at Betts this May!