Library Roundup

A new year brings new opportunities and this is a great time to consider the ways the library can help you meet your goals in the coming year.

For many people, New Year’s resolutions are often challenging tasks of self-improvement that take continued effort. A lot of folks tend not to stick to them, but the library has lots of material to help you meet those goals! If you’re looking to get your personal finances in order, learn to invest, lose weight, cook healthier food, exercise, or generally learn self-help techniques we have plenty of books in our nonfiction section. If you talk to one of our reference librarians, we’d be happy to assist you in finding what you need.

We also have regular programs for both yoga and Zumba alternating on Wednesday mornings at 9:30. No matter what your experience level or range of movement, these classes are designed to be beginner-friendly and welcoming to all. Consider joining us for some healthy activities in a welcoming environment.

Of course, New Year’s resolutions can be more fun than the traditional mainstays. Maybe you’d like to watch 12 different movies from 12 different decades. Maybe you’d like to read through one of the imposing ‘serious’ classics of English literature like Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, or Ulysses by James Joyce. Maybe you finally want to explore a genre of music that you’d found difficult to approach like jazz or classical. These are all things the library is ready to help you with.

We also have our reading challenges accessible through the Beanstack app where you can log your reading activity and complete a variety of activities, including our new 2026 annual reading challenge. This can be a good way encourage yourself to read more than you might otherwise and help you discover new types of books.

Alternatively, if your goal for 2026 is to get out of the house more and be more social, the library can help with this, too. Every month we have several book clubs that meet regularly along with a multitude of other programs for all ages. We also have museum passes available for free or discounted access to fourteen different institutions around the region.

Or you may just be looking to focus more on being charitable and generous in the new year. Again, the library can help: our partnership with the Goshen Ecumenical Food Pantry is ongoing and donations of food are always appreciated. The Friends of the Library, who have a bookstore connected to our lobby, is regularly looking for volunteers.

No matter what your New Year’s resolution might be, we look forward to seeing you in the library in 2026.

The Goshen Public Library and Historical Society is located at 366 Main St. in Goshen. For information, call 845-294-6606.