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.
Add comment May 8th, 2008
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.
Add comment May 5th, 2008
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.
Add comment May 2nd, 2008
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.
Add comment April 25th, 2008
Culver’s is continuing their joint National Library Week program this year with the Youth Services Section of the Wisconsin Library Association. Children eleven and younger can pick up coloring sheets at their local Madison library or download the sheet from our web site. Celebrate your favorite book by drawing a picture about it. It can be a character, event, scene or anything you liked about the book. Return the drawing to the library, and you’ll receive a certificate for a FREE single scoop of frozen custard in a cake cone or dish to be redeemed at your participating neighborhood Culver’s. After coloring sheets have been collected, each library will hold a drawing for a grand prize winner.
Add comment April 17th, 2008
Alicia Ashman Branch, Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m.
Whether you spent your career at UW-Madison, or have never set foot on campus, everyone is welcome to take advantage of the vast array of of lifelong learning opportunities available through the university. A number of campus entities offer non-credit enrichment programs, courses and events, but finding out about these opportunities and navigating your participation can be downright daunting! From one-hour lectures to one-day events, and from discussion groups to online and in-person courses, this talk will give you an overview of what’s available, and share the roadmap you need to start your journey to lifelong learning. Presenter: Sarah Schutt, Director of Alumni Learning, Wisconsin Alumni Association. Register online or call 824-1780 to reserve a seat.
This program is part of The Next Chapter collection and program series for retirees or those considering retirement.
Add comment April 17th, 2008
The official Request For Proposal for an architect for the build-out of the new South Madison Library closes shortly and we expect planning for the Library, as part of a new building also housing the Urban League and Planned Parenthood, to begin soon. During a recent public meeting about the second phase, involving redevelopment of the current Atrium space, questions arose as to why the Library will be located in a building on Park Street, separate from the main Villager tenants.
All along, we believed the Southside needed and, more importantly, warranted a new state-of-the-art South Madison Branch Library. It was time that the Southside had its turn at a new facility – it deserved better than a rehabbed space in the new Villager. For a whole range of programmatic, operational and aesthetic reasons, including the fact that we will pursue LEED certification for a new green building, locating the Library on the first floor of a new mixed-use space on Park Street proved to be the best option available – for both the library and the community.
This prominent Park Street library location makes a statement about the City’s commitment to the community – at the same time, it provides convenient access for people in the neighborhood and a welcoming presence off the Beltline as part and parcel of a new Park Street corridor, and invites users from the surrounding region to visit this community-supported destination.
The actual Library entrance will not access directly off Park Street; instead, it will most likely be oriented toward the prominent Atrium entrance, providing easy and safe back-and-forth access for people using both buildings. Other concerns about user safety and traffic noise, expressed at the recent public meeting, will be addressed during the design phase. Also, as planning and development proceed, the Library and its architects will be seeking regular input from people in the neighborhoods, in the form of both community meetings and individual suggestions, for this much-needed new South Madison Branch Library.
Add comment April 7th, 2008
Youth Services Librarian Krissy Wick offers five tips for parents worried about their children’s internet use in an article in the Spring/Summer issue of Madison Area Parent’s Guide titled: “Keeping It Safe: Teaching Children and Teens About Internet Safety”
To read the whole article, and other information of interest to parents, pick up an issue at your favorite grocery store or read it online (page 11).
Add comment April 7th, 2008
The 10th Annual Wisconsin Film Festival takes place this year from Thursday, April 3 to Sunday, April 6, 2008. We’re proud to announce that a student film from the Lakeview Library will be shown during the “Young Visions and Voices” screening on Sunday, April 6th at 11:30 a.m. at the Monona Terrace Convention Center (not during the “Wisconsin Student Short Films” on Saturday, April 5th as previously posted). For a complete listing of Film Festival events, ticket information and theater locations, visit wifilmfest.org.
If you are looking for films from previous festivals, the library system owns a sampling of past Wisconsin Film Festival films; for a complete list, see the Wisconsin Film Festival’s Archives.
To find other new films available to check out at the library, visit LINKcat: Don’t Miss Lists. Lists featuring award winning films as well as new features, special interest and foreign language films are updated monthly.
NOTE: the date and time of the Lakeview Library Student Film being shown during the Film Festival has been updated.
1 comment March 28th, 2008
The City of Madison offers a Pothole Patrol web page designed to let citizens report potholes, view maps of where to watch out for potholes (most potholes occur on concrete streets) and check plans for common pothole areas. Mayor Dave and his staff created this web site to give residents an easy way to inform city workers of potholes in Madison neighborhoods.
Add comment March 27th, 2008