Events Calendar

READ and PLAY with your favorite baby or toddler! 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.

Join us for a book discussion of "The Signature of All Things" by Elizabeth Gilbert. New members always welcome!  Please check with library staff for location or Zoom link.  Titles subject to change based on availability.

"In The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction, inserting her inimitable voice into an enthralling story of love, adventure and discovery. Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life...  Written in the bold, questing spirit of that singular time, Gilbert’s wise, deep, and spellbinding tale is certain to capture the hearts and minds of readers." -- Amazon.com

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

Join other neighborhood families for a casual library playdate for babies ages birth to 17 months and their caregivers. We’ll feature open-ended play materials and lots of books! Siblings welcome.

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.

READ and PLAY together with children 5 & under! Stories, songs, and rhymes for about 20 minutes, followed by playtime and an art project. 

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.

No registration, free of cost, and older siblings are welcome!

Enjoy dance, creative movement, songs and stories that get children thinking creatively and problem solving while having fun. Creative Movement and Dance is brimming with energy, curiosity, creativity, and fun geared towards kids aged 2-5 and but with plenty of fun to be had for caregivers and siblings. All levels of participation are welcome and we suggest caregiver interaction especially for children under 3yrs.

Dancers will learn about physical and spatial concepts by exploring the ideas through self generated movement and play. The highest priorities are having fun, learning concepts that are useful for both dance and life at large, and expanding physical and linguistic vocabularies.

Get moving with curiosity and self expression with IDC's dynamic dance artists!

READ and PLAY with your favorite baby! 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.

Do you have clothing or other fabric items that need mending? 

Volunteers from the Sewing Machine Project are offering free mending at Hawthorne Neighborhood Library every other Wednesday from noon - 2:00 pm. These helpful sewers mend clothing and can handle many other fabric-related repairs (exception: no zipper repairs).

Mending is done on the spot on a first come, first served basis. There’s no drop off or pick up, we do what we can do in the time allowed.

Drop in anytime between 12:00 - 2:00 pm!

Updated COVID-19 vaccines* at the Lakeview Library, administered by Public Health Madison & Dane County!

• Updated fall 2023 doses of Pfizer and Moderna available while supplies last. / coming soon
• Everyone 6 months and older is welcome. 6 months-17 year olds need a parent or guardian present.
• Walk-ins encouraged. Appointments are available but not required. Please visit https://publichealthmdc.com/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/vaccination-appointments to book an appointment.
• *Eligibility is limited to those with no insurance or those who have limited insurance that does not cover vaccination. Those with insurance covering vaccines should visit https://www.vaccines.gov/ to locate a clinic or provider. PHMDC cannot bill private insurance.

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. For more information, contact Cassandra at charlan@madisonpubliclibrary.org or 608-288-6150. 

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

Calling all kiddos and families! Join us for an afternoon of making! We will be joined by artist, Rita, and will be using our creative energy to make masterpieces!

Join us at Pinney Library on the first Wednesday of every month to discuss an older kids/tween graphic novel! No reservation needed. Light snacks provided.

This month we’ll be discussing Hellaween by Moss Lawton

Synopsis: "Gwen, an aspiring witch, and her two monster best friends try to have a fun-filled Halloween, but must contend with a local kid obsessed with hunting the supernatural."--Provided by publisher.

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

Love anime, or want to get into it? Join us Wednesday evenings for Meadowridge Library's anime club!

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