Events Calendar

READ and PLAY together with children under age 5! Engaging with books, songs and playful experiences all help children develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and pre-reading skills​ and helps to build a lifelong love of reading.

Library programs are always free. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

Are you behind on your rent because of the pandemic, either directly or indirectly? You are not alone. Many people are experiencing financial hardship right now.

The African Center for Community Development will be at the Hawthorne Library on Mondays, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm, to help individuals and families who owe back rent apply for Dane CORE 2.0 assistance.  For questions about the program or to set up an appointment, please call African Center at (608) 957-5623 or (608) 294-0066. More info at https://africancentermadison.org/housing-support/ (link is external)

Join Kim for a chair yoga and gentle movement class focusing on range of motion, breathing, and balance. Movements will be performed either sitting in a chair or standing.

Chair yoga is accessible to anyone of any age or ability. The practice begins with quiet stillness, focusing on breathing to increase respiratory function. Gentle movement while seated can increase range of motion and flexibility in all joints of the body and reduce arthritis pain. Standing postures are intended to strengthen muscles and bone, improve balance and decrease fear by gaining body awareness. In addition to the physical benefits, chair yoga can also calm the mind, reduce stress, and enhance compassion for ourselves and others, therefore enhancing quality of life! 

Space is limited for this program; registration is required. To register please use the link below or call Lakeview Library at 608-246-4547. Registration opens May 1 at 10 AM, two weeks prior to program date.

Presented in partnership with NewBridge.

About the presenter

Kim Sprecher is a registered yoga teacher with over seven years of experience in helping older adults improve their quality of life. 

The Personal Archiving Lab at Central Library is a collection of equipment that can be used to digitize at-risk analog materials like home movies video tapes audio cassettes photographs and more. Stop by the Central Library on Mondays, 2-4pm (Room 209) for a tutorial on how to use the library's Personal Archiving Lab. Tutorial duration is approximately 20-30 minutes. The instructor may not be able to accommodate those who arrive after 3:40pm.

Following the tutorial, you will be able to make an appointment during library hours to use the equipment - up to 2 hours per day - for your personal archiving project.

The Personal Archiving Lab supports the following formats: VHS and VHS-C tapes DVDs (not BluRay) audio cassettes MiniDV and Hi-8 tapes photographs (including negatives and slides) and other paper-based documents. Patrons who use the lab must bring some form of external storage — a portable hard drive, or a thumb drive — on which digital files can be stored.

Call 608-266-6350 for more information.

WELCOME • KARIBU • E KAABO • AKWAABA • SIYAKWAMUKELA • أهلاً و سهل 

The African Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with Madison Goodman South Library is proud to present our inaugural Children’s African Story Hour series. Join us each week in a fun and relaxing atmosphere as we share award-winning children’s literature that celebrates the diversity of art, culture, food, and language across the African continent. Participants will engage in hands-on creative activities and will have the opportunity to sample different African cuisines. Each week promises to be fun and enriching!  This program is free and designed for children ages 5 – 10 and their caregivers. All are 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

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 us for this exciting Dungeons and Dragons campaign for kids ages 9 - 17! Set in the world of Krixth, The Dragon Queen Draco Vonet needs your aid. Travel to her keep and see what she needs. What adventure and mystery await you on the way? What will occur in this Ballad of Interesting Events?

This program is currently full and sign-ups are closed for the time being. Check back later for additional availability, or call (608) 288-6160 for more information.

Drop-in and play cooperative games on the library's iPads. Cooperative board games will also be available! Families are encouraged to attend and play together. 

Cooperative games (co-op games) are a form of play in which players work with one another in order to achieve a common objective. 

Geared for ages 5 & older! Youth 7 years & younger must have a caregiver with them during the program.

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

Chess meets the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month from 4-5:45 p.m. Come and learn chess basics in the library with a 30 minute introduction of the game and then play a friendly game of chess with an opponent. Lessons start promptly at 4 p.m., followed by an open game at 4:30 p.m. Chess club is open to all ages and skill levels. No Chess 1/2, 1/16, 6/19.

Masks are not required but recommended.

It Takes A Village After-School Enrichment sessions are created in an effort to promote community, and a safe place for youth patron between 12 and 18 years old. We will supply various activities from crafts, board games and electronic games also.

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 staff from BadgerBOTS for a hands-on robotics activity perfect for the whole family!

Join friends and neighbors for a game night! Revisit old favorites or try something brand new from the library's collection of board games and card games. Beverages and snacks will be provided.