Looking for the best place to buy ice cream in Madison? Want to know where the most interesting neighborhoods are? Madison Magazine’s Ultimate Guide ‘08 lists 25 different categories featuring quirky shops, the friendliest waitresses and best places to find a late-night bite to eat here in Madison.
Take advantage of all that Madison has to offer! Read Madison Magazine online or find the latest issues at the library.
In the spirit of Public Services Recognition week, we’d like to thank the many people who use our library. You keep us very busy!
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all our staff for a job well done. In addition to the people you see every day when you visit the library, there are many more employees that keep library service running smoothly. Our staff select, order, purchase, catalog, label, deliver, and repair the 1.1 million items in our collection, and we work with libraries throughout the South Central Wisconsin area and beyond to share our materials for your benefit. Other staff keep the sidewalks clean, the bathrooms working, the carpet vacuumed, the books shelved, and the holds filled. Still more staff take programs and resources out into the community, working with other city agencies, nonprofit groups, neighborhood associations, local businesses, and funding sources to share library resources with those learning to read, looking for jobs, or wanting to learn more about practically any subject.
And if a library visit isn’t exciting enough, there’s always the Public Services Recognition event on Wednesday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join Mayor Dave Cieslewicz at noon on the steps of City Hall, or stop by the first block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. near the Capitol to meet representatives from the Police Department, Fire Department, Metro Transit, and the Streets Department, and some of their equipment.
Public Service Recognition week is a time to help every citizen become more aware of the ways, both direct and indirect, that public services improve the quality of their lives. It is also a chance to highlight our accomplishments, to raise awareness of the good work City employees do every day, and to express appreciation for those efforts. The week offers an opportunity to celebrate the importance of contributions made by Madison’s public servants.
Recent news coverage of developer T. Wall’s proposed new Central Library is generating lots of questions. The proposal outlines a nine story mixed-use building at the corner of Mifflin and Fairchild streets and includes a new library on several floors. On Thursday, May 1, the Library Board agreed to go forward with a Request For Proposal (RFP) to begin the process of accepting proposals for purchasing and building on the current site. There will be five Library Board members on the committee to review the proposals submitted.
In the meantime, we are also beginning the interior construction of the expanded Sequoya Library, and in the beginning stages of building a new South Madison Library in the Villager Mall. It’s a busy time for the library. To help you - and us - keep track of all the changes, we’ve created a new page with updates about current or proposed library building projects. It also includes some demographic and library data the Library Board is using to plan for future library use and buildings. Stay tuned! Or, subscribe to the Check It Out email newsletter to receive regular updates of library news and events.
Alicia Ashman Branch, Tuesday, May 20, 7:00 p.m.
Learn the benefits of volunteering and explore the incredible variety of volunteer opportunities by participating in this interactive session featuring current RSVP volunteers and staff members. Volunteers have fun, build friendships and share new experiences while giving back to their communities.
RSVP will match your interests and skills with a wide variety of volunteer options in over 80 non-profit and public agencies throughout Dane County. Last year RSVP’s 2,200 active volunteers contributed 190,000 hours of public service—the equivalent of a 90 person company working full-time on behalf of others—and had a great time doing it.
Bring your energy and enthusiasm and RSVP will find you a great volunteer opportunity! Register online or call 824-1780 to reserve a seat.
This program is part of THE NEXT CHAPTER resources for retirees and those considering retirement. The collection, created with a gift to the library from Bob and Carroll Heideman and RSVP, is a resource where retirees or persons approaching retirement can find the information they need to take charge of their future and create a life they love living. The collection consists of books, DVDs, magazines, and other information, complimented by an electronic newsletter sent every other month. Currently housed at the Alicia Ashman Branch, the collection is supplemented by related materials in all Madison Public libraries.
The first Saturday in May is Free Comic Book Day!
As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world are giving away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores.
In addition to comic shops, a selection of the Free Comic Book Day comics will be available at the following Madison Public Library locations, courtesy of Westfield’s Comics and Capital City Comics:
Alicia Ashman Branch
Central Library — in the Youth Services Department, 2nd floor
Meadowridge Branch
Sequoya Branch
Be sure to visit local comic book stores for even more great free comic book titles!
If you are new to comics or returning after not reading them for awhile, some useful links are available here.
I’m Liz, a Librarian at Central and mother of a two year old son. My boy LOVES books, but it can be a challenge to find just the right picture books for two year-olds, as the library’s picture book collection covers a wide range of ages and interests. Here’s a list of librarian & son field tested faves, culled from our own reading. Hope you enjoy them too! (You can sign up to receive an email update each month, too.)
Sábado, 3 de Mayo de 2:00 a 4:30
¡Acompáñenos en una tarde de narración de cuentos en español e inglés - comida, música, premios, juegos y más! *GRATIS*
Saturday, May 3rd from 2:00 to 4:30
Join us for stories in Spanish and English - food, music, face-painting, games, prizes and fun! *FREE!!!*
South Madison Branch Library, 2222 South Park Street, 266-6395
Did you know that the Dane County Circuit Court, in coordination with the Dane County Bar Association and the UW Law School offers legal assistance programs for the public?
One such program is the Dane County Small Claims Assistance Program (SCAP). Volunteer attorneys who are members of the Dane County Bar Association assist with forms and procedures related to small claims court and provide referrals to community resources. SCAP is a free service available one day per week at the Dane Co. Courthouse, Tuesdays 9:00 to 11:00 AM. For more information, please call 608-266-4311.
Some new titles pertaining to small claims available to check out from the library include:
In addition, the Dane County Legal Resource Center has compiled a list of low-cost legal assistance in Dane County and the library maintains a legal resources page, too, for more information.
Madison Public Library will be at the Día de los Niños celebration this Saturday, April 26, at Union Sport Club, 155 Braun Rd. Oregon, Wisconsin from 9 a.m. to noon.
Join us at the festival for a variety of activities: activities for children, informational tables staffed by social service organizations, and more.
El Día de los Niños is sponsored by Joining Forces for Families.
In recent days, U.S. warehouse retail chains have limited how much rice customers can purchase as prices rise. The price of wheat is also rising and the cost of groceries in general is climbing at an annual rate of about 5% this year. How does global food inflation affect what we will eat in the future and what can we do about it now?
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times and search for other news articles about the food supply in the library’s ProQuest newspaper index online. Continue your research at the library with these titles: