Check It Out » Central Library

A Reimagined Central Library

Tana — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:41:18 +0000

Mayor Cieslewicz remains committed to reimagining the Central Library despite a disappointing end to negotiations with Fiore Companies and Irgens Development Group for a new Central Library and the redevelopment of Block 66. The Mayor says “Library Board President Tripp Widder and I will ask the board and the Common Council to go with a rebuilding of the library on its current site.” [Building a New Library, 3/18/10]

Check back with the Central Library Project page for updates on upcoming Library Board and Common Council meetings discussing the future of the Central Library or to read recent news stories about the library project.

Spring Break at the Library

Alicia — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:46:24 +0000

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.

Update on Central Library Negotiations

Alicia — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:13:38 +0000

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.

Madison Cares: Community Read Highlights Homelessness Awareness

Tana — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:51:51 +0000

In celebration of the launch of Porchlight’s Madison Cares Campaign, the Madison Public Library has joined forces with Porchlight for a community read of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez.

The Soloist is the remarkable story of the bond between a journalist and a mentally ill, homeless, classically trained musician in Los Angeles. “The Soloist is a great read,” says Porchlight executive director Steve Schooler. “More importantly, the main characters - Nathaniel and Steve - help us understand the intertwined issues of homelessness and mental health and inspire us to care more about the people who live in our midst.”

The Soloist is available both as a book and as a major motion picture starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Community members can get involved by either reading or viewing The Soloist. Porchlight and Madison Public Library have developed an online Community Read Tool Kit that is available to all book clubs and individuals, and prepared book club kits with multiple copies of the book which are available for checkout from the library. Members of the community are invited to read the book, see the movie, and join a discussion—either at home with friends or at the library.

We will be holding seven book discussions at libraries around the city. Please join us for a conversation about this “unique yet universal” story.

Saturday, April 17, 1:30 p.m. at the South Madison Branch
Film screening with Porchlight-led discussion to follow on Friday, May 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780
Tuesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Pinney Branch
Wednesday, June 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Meadowridge Branch
Wednesday, June 16, 7 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch
Wednesday, July 14, 7 p.m. at the Central Library
Wednesday, July 21, 6 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch

Porchlight provides emergency shelter, food, employment services, counseling, and affordable transitional and permanent housing to homeless people in the Dane County area. Porchlight’s services are designed to foster independence and the transition into permanent housing and employment. For more information, visit their website.

As American as Apple Pie: MMoCA and MPL

Alicia — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:15:33 +0000

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.

Tired of waiting for Rosetta Stone?

Lisa — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:52:50 +0000

The Library has a new product that may work just as well for you. Transparent Language is an Interactive self-study guide on a USB drive. It’s an immersion program that enables learners to take basic vocabulary and quickly progress to more advanced comprehension and use. Grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening and pronunciation skills are emphasized through the use of native-language videos, texts and stories that immerse the user in the language. Each language edition includes:

Record, playback and compare
Conversation practice
Interactive games
Over 15,000 words of vocabulary
Full-motion video
Testing and scoring
and much more

Just download the program on to your computer, and as long as you have any of the USB drives in your computer, your work will be saved and available to you.

Languages available are Arabic, Chinese, English for Spanish Speakers, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Look for Transparent Language in LINKcat.

The History of English Literature in Six Sonnets

Jane — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:48:38 +0000

The sonnet is one of the most compact of literary forms, and on Tuesday, Feb 23 at 6:30 pm six English professors from UW-Madison will rely on its brevity to unfold a sweeping story of English literature. Michael Witmore, Theresa Kelley, Caroline Levine, Cyrena Pondrom, Lynn Keller, and Amaud Johnson will each present one sonnet—a form short enough for the audience to read and digest on the spot—and lead a discussion of its literary language and context. The conversation will move from the Renaissance, when the sonnet first emerged, to our own time, concluding with one of Madison’s most exciting young poets.

The event is being held at the Central Library and is part of UW-Madison’s celebration of the Year of the Humanities. It is open to the public and free of charge. For questions, please email: clevine@wisc.edu

Get help getting a job

terrymc — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:53:52 +0000

The Dane County Job Service is holding a series of workshops at the Central Library aimed at assisting people get themselves ready for the job search. Called Diversify Your Approach to Employment, the workshops help you analyze your skills and market yourself in the best way possible for today’s job market. Sign-up for the classes online or call 266-6350. And, while you’re at it, register with the Job Center of Wisconsin.

Here’s the workshop schedule:

January 21 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters
February 4 - 1-2:30 p.m. Transferable Skills: Identify Yours, 3-4:30 p.m. Develop a Formal Work-Search Plan
February 18 - 1-2:30 p.m. Diversify your Resume, 3-4:30 p.m. Marketing your Skills & Cover Letters

Are you eligible for FoodShare (previously Food Stamps)?

terrymc — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:19:59 +0000

A FoodShare specialist from Second Harvest FoodBank Wisconsin will be on hand at many library locations to help you find out if you’re eligible and to assist you with the application process. Call (toll-free) for an appointment at 877-266-3635 or feel free to drop-in. The program is available to singles, families, students, seniors and disabled individuals with limited or fixed income.

At this time, the schedule is as follows. But check back–more dates will be added soon.

Central Library–Every Monday through February, 12-4pm; Wednesdays, February 10 and 24, 10am-2pm.
Hawthorne Library–Tuesday, January 26, 2-6pm
Lakeview Library–Saturday, January 23, 12-4pm.
Meadowridge Library–Wednesday, January 20, 12-3pm
Sequoya Library–Wednesday, January 27, 3-7pm
South Madison Library–Friday, January 29, 4-7pm

Bringing the following documents will help you complete the application and get benefits sooner:

Identification for every member in the household, including driver’s license, SSN card, and birth certificate.
Proof of income (pay stubs, unemployment stubs, social security or SSI letter, etc.)
Housing expenses (rent, mortgage, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, etc.)
Utility bills
Medical bills that you pay (if you are 60 or older or disabled)

Libraries Closed Monday, January 18 to Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Tana — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:20:20 +0000

All Madison Public Library locations will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18. You can still use the library when we’re closed: place holds in LINKcat, return items to our bookdrops, or use our 24/7 online reference service, AskAway. See our web site for more information on area celebrations or on Martin Luther King, Jr. or discover our recommended resources for African American History Month in February.

Join others in celebration of the life of Dr. King at the 25th Annual Madison-Dane County King Holiday Observance at the Overture Center Capital Theater at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 18. Former SCLC Education Director, Dorothy Cotton, who served under Dr. King’s direct supervision, will bring her message of hope on her first visit to Madison. Sponsored by the King Coalition and the Urban League of Greater Madison; see more information on Cotton and other ULGM sponsored events.