Author Archive
Save the date for the 2010 Book Club Café, to be held at Olbrich Gardens on Wednesday, May 26 at 7 p.m. We are pleased to welcome Michelle Wildgen, author of two novels set in Madison: You’re Not You and But Not For Long. Wildgen lives in Madison, and attended the University of Wisconsin and Sarah Lawrence College in New York. She also writes about food, is a senior editor of Tin House magazine, and editor of an anthology, Food & Booze: A Tin House Literary Feast. Her work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, and O, the Oprah Magazine, as well as numerous anthologies and journals. Please visit the author’s website for more information.
See more information about the Book Club Café, including previous Café authors.
March 12th, 2010
Alicia
Apple Pie: Symbols of Americana in the permanent collection at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) features more than 80 paintings, photographs, prints, and objects that address American identity through imagery ranging from big cars and hamburger joints to cowboys and fields of corn. Books from the Madison Public Library - about art and the American spirit - are currently on display in the MMoCA Kids Learning Center, and available for families to use while viewing the display. The exhibit will be on display through Sunday, April 11.
Looking for more books about American art? Check out our Americana companion booklist for the exhibit. See more children’s programs at MMoCA.
March 9th, 2010
Alicia
Help high-school students to take control of their financial futures! The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Education have teamed up to launch the National Financial Capability Challenge for 2010, an awards program designed to engage teachers in teaching personal financial fitness, and to increase the financial knowledge of high-school aged students across the country. Encourage your high-school teachers to register for the challenge by visiting challenge.treas.gov prior to March 14th.They’ll receive access to educational materials and a toolkit to help students prepare to make smart financial decisions. An online challenge exam can be administered anytime between March 15 - April 9, and top performers from all schools will be nationally recognized. Spread the word in your community by posting a flier, and ask your teachers to participate in the Challenge!
Looking for more information on personal finances for teens? Check out the Teen Finance Series, with information about savings, credit, debt, finding money for college, and more.
March 4th, 2010
Alicia
Mosaic boxes created by local artist Tom Linfield are on display now through March 31st at the Pinney Library.
“I spent a large part of my life living in Europe, sketching stone circles and cairns, visiting cathedrals, and living in a medieval village called Cordes, in the south of France. I’m fascinated by the beauty and potency of these ancient, sacred stone formations and the imagery continues to inform my work,” Linfield says of his work. “This exhibition features… glass mosaic boxes. The work explores such common themes as memory, balance, and fragmentation”
Join us for a reception and artist’s talk on Wednesday, March 24, 6 p.m. at the Pinney Branch. Tom Linfield will talk about his mosaic work, show images, and discuss inspiration. Reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by the talk at 7 p.m.
View a virtual display of works from the exhibit on Flickr. For more information about the artist, view his art resume and visit his website.
February 21st, 2010
Alicia
Lights, camera, library! Want to show off your creative talent and your love of reading? The Library has a new Flip Video Camera, and we want for you to show us how we should use it and help create a video advertisement for the 2010 Summer Library Program. We’ll be hosting five events in early March for you to film your masterpiece at the library with our camera. Or, if you’ve got your own digital video camera, you can shoot a short on your own and share it with us online. Be sure to register if you’d like to use our camera; space is limited, and we want for everybody to be able to bring their vision of reading fun to life! Registration opens the week of February 22.
- Monday, March 8, 4 - 6 p.m. at the Pinney Branch - Register online or call 224-7100
- Tuesday, March 9, 4 - 6 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385
- Wednesday, March 10, 3:30 - 6 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch - Register online or call 246-4547
- Thursday, March 11, 6 - 8 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780
- Saturday, March 13, 1 - 3 p.m. at the South Madison Branch - Register online or call 266-6395
If you’d like to make your movie on your own, upload it to YouTube and send us the link at MadisonTeens@Gmail.com
February 15th, 2010
Alicia
The Madison Public Library is pleased to welcome ensembles from the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) in three performances at Madison Libraries during February and March.
WYSO provides young musicians in southern Wisconsin with opportunities in musical excellence; musical groups include three full orchestras and a string orchestra, a chamber music program, a harp program, a percussion ensemble, and a brass choir program. To supplement the educational experience of its orchestra members. WYSO also offers a number of opportunities for members to participate in small ensembles. Chamber music ensembles will be appearing at these three Madison Public Library locations for free performances of classical music, open to the public.
Join us and the WYSO Ambassadors for an afternoon of beautiful music!
February 4th, 2010
Alicia
Join us at upcoming Valentine Cards and Candy Sushi workshops for kids. Make a one-of-a-kind card with glitter, stickers, and sparkles & create some sweet candy sushi for someone special. All supplies provided!
Friday, February 5, 3:30 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch - Register online or call 246-4547 (ages 5 - 14)
Monday, February 8, 4:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385 (ages 10 and up)
Wednesday, Feburary 10, 3:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch - Register online or call 246-4548 (ages K - 5)
Thursday, Feburary 11, 3:30 p.m. at the Pinney Branch (ages 5 and up)
Saturday, Feburary 13, 2:00 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780 (grades K - 12)
Get in the Valentine’s spirit with these “sweet” books about the holiday and gift ideas!
Valentine’s Day by Katherine Imler - Learn the history of the holiday
Word Bird’s Valentine’s Day Words - New readers will love learning words associated with Valentine’s Day with Word Bird and friends.
Valentines: Cards and Crafts from the Heart by Thiranut Boonyadhistarn - Make fun gifts for loved ones.
Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas - Lily wants to make a Valentine heart for her Mom, but none of them turn out quite right!
February 1st, 2010
Alicia
Next week, we’ll be introducing two new e-newsletter booklists: Anime, Graphic Novels and Manga; and Art of the Picture Book. Both lists compliment Dane County Collection Grants from the Madison Community Foundation. Sign up to receive news about new additions to the collections, as well as upcoming events and items of interest.
Anime, Graphic Novels and Manga: Complimenting the Comics & Anime Collection, housed at the Alicia Ashman Branch, this newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the best new additions to the collection, hand picked by the librarian who selects graphic novels for the Madison Public Library. The first edition highlights noteworthy titles of 2009.
Art of the Picture Book: Complimenting the Art of the Picture Book Collection, housed at the Sequoya Branch, this newsletter highlights new additions to this collection of the finest in childrens’ book illustration.
If you are interested in receiving other email newsletters, please visit our Subscription Page to sign up for additional lists.
January 30th, 2010
Alicia
The League of Women Voters of Dane County, a non-partisan, community-based organization committed to “reconnecting citizens with government, enhancing voter participation, including all voices in civic life, and strengthening the democratic process through reform” has just released their 2010 Spring Election Candidates’ Answers. The League of Women Voters of Dane County is not printing Candidates’ Answers for the Primary Spring 2010 election. Read up on the primary election (February 16) candidates at the LWVDC web site.
January 28th, 2010
Alicia
As the new year begins, and we settle in for the rest of the winter with “can’t-miss” books from the year before, there’s often a group of readers that goes overlooked. The cooks have their books, and the listeners have their audiobooks, but what about the children? Despair not, little library lovers! We’ve gathered the 2009 Best of Illustrated Children’s Book Lists into one place for you! Booklists from The New York Times, Nick Jr., Amazon.com, Publisher’s Weekly and more have selected their favorite picks; many titles appear on multiple lists.
Best of the best (number in parenthesis indicates number of lists on which the book appeared):
Looking for more great children’s books from 2009? Check out our picks for Caldecott Award contenders. See also the Charlotte Zolotow Award, given by the UW-Madison Cooperative Children’s Book Center.
January 13th, 2010
Alicia
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