Berkshire Athenaeum, Downtown Pittsfield Celebrates Library Card Sign-Up Month

08:44AM / Monday, August 31, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, and the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, has partnered with Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.

During the month of September, show your Berkshire Athenaeum library card at participating local businesses for discounts and freebies.

This year, join our scavenger hunt by visiting each participating business. Find the secret word on each store's Library Card Sign-Up Month poster to fill out the phrase at the bottom of the official event brochure, then return the brochure to the Library for a free book and a chance to win a $50 Downtown Pittsfield Gift Card.

Participating businesses include:

413 Shirts
Beetle Buds Native Gardens
Berkshire Carousel
Berkshire Fitness & Wellness Center
Berkshire Music School
Berkshire Theater Group
Carr Hardware
Garden Blossoms Florist
Hot Harry's Burritos - North St.
Hot Plate Brewing Co.
Indie Readery & Records
Kidding Around Consignment
Mana Crypt Gaming Center
Nene's Deco
On Pointe Barre & Fitness Studio
Prospect Meadow Farm
Sally Tiska Rice Art Studio
Solarium Plant Shop
Wander Berkshires

This promotion is made possible by Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., and our generous local businesses.

A brochure listing the discounts offered is available at Athenaeum service desks, in participating locations, and online at www.downtownpittsfield.com and www.pittsfieldlibrary.org.

For more information about this initiative, please contact the library at info@pittsfieldlibrary.org or call (413) 499-9480, ext. 4.

Tags: berkshire athenaeum,

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Berkshire Museum Explores Ancient Egypt With ‘Soulful Creatures’

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
11:33AM / Friday, October 09, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Following its multimillion-dollar renovation, the Berkshire Museum is welcoming an exhibition unlike any it has been able to host before.

Marking the museum's first major exhibition since its renovation, "Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt," opening Saturday, Oct. 10, thins the veil between the ever-evolving history of Egyptian culture and society and modern day people.

"The most important thing about history is recognizing people from the past as actual people. Ancient Egyptians are no different than us," said William Dore, the museum's chief curator. "They have different cultures and beliefs and different viewpoints, but you can say the same thing about people today."

When audiences experience the exhibit, they will see the humanity in the people of the past, which in turn helps them connect with different views and perspectives around the world today, he said.

Combining archeology with modern scientific imaging, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum curators Yekaterina Barbash and Edward Bleiberg designed an exhibit that works to uncover the mysteries behind these objects and the beliefs and rituals that surround them.

"I think something that people kind of misunderstand about history is none of it's ever settled. ... History is a science that is constantly questioned,” Dore said. "It only works if everyone's constantly rethinking things, learning new things ... which is for me super exciting because as much as we know a lot about the ancient Egyptians, there's a lot we don't know.”

The installation features dozens of artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum that explores the practice of animal mummification and the role animals played in ancient Egyptian religion.

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