Events Calendar

This informal program is an opportunities for babies and toddlers and their caregivers to gather, play, and spend time together. We'll supply books, toys, and a welcoming inviting space for you and your little one to spend time with other kids and families of a similar age at the library. Intended for children under 3 and their caregivers. Siblings welcome! 

Attention word lovers: exercise your brain by playing Scrabble with other adults!

Join us for a book discussion of "Settlin'" by Muriel Simms. New members always welcome!  Please check with library staff for location or Zoom link.  Titles subject to change based on availability.

"Only a fraction of what is known about Madison’s earliest African American settlers and the vibrant and cohesive communities they formed has been preserved in traditional sources. The rest is contained in the hearts and minds of their descendants. Seeing a pressing need to preserve these experiences, lifelong Madison resident Muriel Simms collected the stories of twenty-five African Americans whose families arrived, survived, and thrived here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While some struggled to find work, housing, and acceptance, they describe a supportive and enterprising community that formed churches, businesses, and social clubs—and frequently came together in the face of adversity and conflict. A brief history of African American settlement in Madison begins the book to set the stage for the oral histories." -- Amazon.com

READ and PLAY with your favorite baby, ages birth to 17 months! Reading, singing, talking, and playing with your baby from the beginning is important because the roots of language are developing in a baby’s brain even before they can talk! Library programs are always free. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

BadgerCare Plus is Medicaid health care coverage for Wisconsin residents with low income.

Stop by Room 211 to consult an Americorp volunteer BadgerCare Outreach Specialist with questions about signing up or for information on an existing BadgerCare account.

This is a great storytime for kids who love to move!

Movement artist Aki B. will move through the picture books librarian Jessi H. reads aloud. Youth and their families will be encouraged to join in through added their own movements to the story.

This program is geared towards youth ages 1-5. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

Drop-in knitting. All experience levels welcome. Children under 9 must be accompanied by an adult for duration of program. Yarn and Needles provided for in-library use.

Please join us to play chess at our weekly, drop-in program! All ages and experience levels welcome.

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Goodman South is proud to host the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. Every year members of the House of Representatives organize a non-partisan art competition for high school students throughout the U.S. Each representative organizes an art show in their district. A panel of judges critiques the artwork and selects a third, second, and first-place winner.

Our judging panel has art professors, local Wisconsin artists, and community art directors who donate their time to the competition.  

Historically, our first-place winner is invited to a reception in Washington D.C. by the Congressional Institute and has their artwork displayed in the Capitol tunnel in Congress. Travel expenses are covered for the first-place winner and a parent.

The youth's work will be on display beginning one week prior to the reception.

Join local artist Amy Mietzel for hands-on art projects!

Join us the first Wednesday of every month to discuss an older elementary/tween graphic novel!

We will be meeting 4:30-5:30 in the studio. No registration required!

This month we'll be discussing Miss Quinces by Kat Fajardo

"Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?" - Publisher Description

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Visit the Dream Bus to browse books and other library materials, place or pick up holds, and sign up for a library card.

Learn more at dreambus.org

Join Thurber Park Artist-In-Residence Ash Armenta (they/them) for this class at Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave) Have you ever wanted to screenprint at home but feel intimidated by the process or have had inconsistent results after trying? This beginner to intermediate class will focus on showing you some foundations of successful home poster and t-shirt screenprinting. We will be using a budget friendly diy Speedball kit. This class is for teens up through adults, please sign-up below if you plan to attend. 

Ash Armenta, a printmaker, is the second Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence who's work centers around the question “How can interpersonal relationships with self and community be visualized?" 

Thurber Park Artist Residency, founded in 2019, is a partnership between the City of Madison, Madison Arts Commission, and the Bubbler at Madison Public Library. This multi-month residency provides a private studio space for an artist to develop their own art practice by working towards the creation of a public art piece for the City of Madison, and inviting the community in to see and experience the art-making process. The selected artist has access to a free studio space, located within Thurber Park for approximately one year. Along with activating this space, the artist hosts intentional hands-on programming for the community, by leading hands-on workshops and open studio sessions for the public and targeted groups. The residency will culminate in a public art piece that is created during the residency.

Drop in knitting: Learn a new craft or work on that unfinished project with other neighborhood knitters.

Rehabilitation Worker  and Mental Health Advocate Nikyra McCann will share skills to help minimize the stress of everyday life using mindfulness techniques. After the presentation, we’ll have open journaling time to try out the techniques learned. Bring your own journal, or use one provided.

Nikyra McCann is the Founder at Still Standing Enterprise LLC and Motivational Speaker who has been featured throughout the world. She specializes in inspirational workshops and seminars pertaining to mental health. Nikyra sits on the Board of Directors for NAMI Dane County as well as Housing Initiatives. She also sits on the CCS Coordination Committee.