Author Archive
Spring Break for the Madison Metropolitan School District starts on Friday, March 26. How will you be spending your time off? The library has plenty of fun and exciting programs to interest and entertain everyone in the family!
School Age Gaming
Friday, March 26, 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch
Play the Wii with your friends and kick of Spring Break at the library! See more gaming events at the library
Fun Films Fest
Monday, March 29, 10:30 a.m. at the Lakeview Branch
Tuesday, March 30, 1:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch - Register online or call 246-4548
Monday, April 5, 2:00 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780
Enjoy popcorn and lots of laughs as you watch these funny films at the library.
Art in a Suitcase with Mary Tooley
Monday, March 29, 1:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch - Register online or call 224-7100
Join Artist Mary Tooley for an Elephant Extravaganza!! Learn about elephants and make a craft. For children 4 and up.
Keyboard Jewelry
Tuesday, March 30, 11:00 a.m. at the Meadowridge Branch - Register online or call 288-6160
Bring your friends and make unique jewelry with a mish-mash of keyboard pieces and parts. Rings, necklaces, earrings and more.
Around the World in 80 Strings
Tuesday, March 30, 1:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385
Join Eric Sorenson and explore musical instruments from all over the planet, from steel drums to the didgeridoo. Ages 4 and up.
Be A Parade
Tuesday, March 30, 2:00 p.m. at the Central Library
Come one, come all to the library’s parade! Stories, crafts, and of course, a parade around the library. Fun for all ages.
Reid Miller’s Paw Paw Theater
Wednesday, March 30, 10:30 a.m. and Saturday, April 3, 2:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch
Wednesday: Puppeteer Reid Miller will perform the “Fable of Lion and Mouse” and “Tale of Mama Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile” for preschoolers.
Saturday: Puppeteer Reid Miller will perform the “Fable of Monkey and Crocodile” and “The Story of Mootown Musicians” for children in grades K-5.
Joy of Origami
Wednesday, March 31, 2:00 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch - Register online or call 246-4547
Certified origami instructor Ruth Anne Bessman teaches how to make beautiful and fantastic origami. All materials supplied.
Magnetic Poetry-Palooza
Thursday, April 1, 11:00 a.m. at the Meadowridge Branch - Register online or call 288-6160
Express yourself with a lollapalooza of words & phrases! Join in the fun and create your own eye-popping poetry and ridiculous rhymes. All supplies provided!
Wii Outdoor Challenge
Monday, April 5, 2:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch - Register online or call 266-6385
Are you up to the challenge? These games will get your heart pumping. Ages 7 & up. Please wear socks.
March 17th, 2010
Alicia
Earlier today, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz e-mailed City Council members with information regarding the City’s negotiations with Fiore Company, partly in response to an open records request. In this email, he outlines four main issues that are currently being negotiated between the city and the Fiore/Irgens team. To read the full letter from the Mayor, see the Laptop City Hall post on these recent developments.
March 16th, 2010
Alicia
Do you remember getting ready to set out into the world on your own? Going to college, moving away from home, looking for a job? Jonathan Davis, a Special Education-Transition Teacher at Madison West High School, offers an opportunity for his students to experiment with budgeting and spending money, banking, and planning for apartment renting and buying a car, in preparation for entering the wider world as financially literate citizens. In the class, called “Living on Your Own”, students have the opportunity to earn money by participating in class and by working in the school-based business West International Cafe; with the money they earn, they pay rent for their classroom seat and have to fill out a rental application and sign a lease.
Davis is currently seeking donations of other items, such as gift cards, for students to purchase with their earnings. “This could be a more powerful and rewarding experience if they could purchase other goods and services with their money,” he says. Please contact Jonathan Davis directly with questions about the project, and ideas for donating materials, by calling 516-9512, or emailing jidavis@madison.k12.wi.us
We have partnered with West High School in the past for Career Fairs, helping to educate students about the opportunities and resources available to young job seekers through the Library. 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 15th, 2010
Alicia
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
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