Events Calendar

Games often incorporate lots of opportunities to read! Do you have some tabletop games at home that you're ready to pass along to someone else?  Is your game cupboard bare and you want to fill it?  Do you just want to come to the library to play games on a Saturday? Come to Game Day! There will be a few games provided by the library and a table where you can bring any games you want to swap or discover a new-to-you game to try. We'll have tables set up for game play, so bring a friend (or four!) and spend some time drinking something warm and cozy and playing games together!

Are you a kid who loves LEGOs? Do you enjoy engineering and designing LEGO creations?  If that is you - come join us for LEGO Club! The library will provide lots of LEGOs, and you provide the imagination. No registration required. LEGOs will have to stay at the library, so bring a camera to capture your creations.

Madison Public Library is partnering with the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department to provide a collection of native Wisconsin plant seeds this winter. The native plant seeds have been collected by Dane County Parks volunteers. Native Wisconsin plant seeds are best sown in the fall and left to overwinter.

Now the library is looking for volunteers to help with the hard part: packaging the seeds so library patrons can take them home! If you would like to donate your time and effort to this project, please register below starting November 30, two weeks before the event.

Why native plants?

“Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soils, are drought tolerant, disease resistant, and have deep root systems that help infiltrate rain water. Once established, native plants are aesthetically pleasing and require little watering, fertilizing and mowing. They also provide important ecosystem services such as improved water quality and habitat and food for local wildlife, including numerous pollinator species.” (Dane County Land & Water Resources Department)

Interested in helping to pay it forward and collect native plant seeds? Visit https://www.danecountyparks.com/volunteer to learn more.

Intermediate Students: Practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing English with the Literacy Network.

Fall 2024 classes are September 21 - December 14, Saturdays, 10 am - 12 pm (no class November 30), in-person at Goodman South, Madison Public Library. This class is free for students 18 years old and up living permanently in Dane County. A class for beginner students will be held at Literacy Network at the same time.

For more information and to sign up, please call Bex Fabrizio at Literacy Network at (608) 268-6425 or email her at bex@litnetwork.org(link sends e-mail).

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Practica hablar, escuchar, leer, y escribir en inglés con Literacy Network. ¡Los estudiantes de nivel intermedio son bienvenidos! Las clases para el semestre de ontono son del 21 de septiembre al 14 de diciembre (no hay clase el 30 de noviembre) en persona en la Biblioteca Goodman South, 2222 Park St Dane Street, Madison WI 53715. Estas clases son gratuitas para adultos (18 años y mayores) que vivan en Dane County. ¡Los estudiantes de nivel principiante son bienvenidos en la otra clase en Literacy Network (en el frente de la biblioteca) en el horario mismo!

Beginner Students: Practice speaking, reading, and writing English with the Literacy Network.

Fall 2024 classes are September 21 - December 14, Saturdays, 10 am - 12 pm (no class November 30), in-person at the Literacy Network (701 Dane St, Madison, WI 53713). This class is free for students 18 years old and up living in Dane County. A class for intermediate students will be held at the Goodman South Public Library at the same time.

For more information and to sign up, please call Bex Fabrizio at Literacy Network at (608) 268-6425 or email her at bex@litnetwork.org.

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Practica hablar, leer, y escribir en inglés con Literacy Network. ¡Los estudiantes de nivel principiante son bienvenidos! Las clases para el semestre de verano son del 1 de junio al 17 de agosto ADD: (no class November 30) en persona en Literacy Network, 701 Dane Street, Madison WI 53715. Estas clases son gratuitas para adultos (18 años y mayores) que vivan en Dane County. ¡Los estudiantes de nivel intermedio son bienvenidos en la otra clase en Biblioteca Goodman South Madison (en el frente de Literacy Network) en el horario mismo!

Join us at the library for an exciting new project.

Today is making holiday cards.

Funding is provided by the Monroe Street Library League.

All ages welcome.  Children under the age of 7 should have a grown up helper.

Come enjoy Chinese storytime and art play with Tingting!

Each storytime will be presented in Mandarin. Intended for children aged 3-7 years. All are welcome!

The December theme is Big Snow

Bring your little one (ages birth-5) to sing, dance, explore instruments, and play! Teacher Junko Yamauchi Stewart will lead these fun music & movement activities for families to do together. 

Join us this Saturday from 10:30-12:30 in the youth services programming room at Central Library for hands-on art and craft projects inspired by this week's Overture Center's Kids in the Rotunda performance  (free performances happening at the Overture Center across the street at 9:30am & 1:00pm). All ages welcome with fun projects accessible to every level. Don't forget your library card to browse awesome books and materials about art, music, dance, and fun while you're here! 

Children ages 7 and under should be accompanied by a grown up. 

The Munch Mobile Lunch Van will make a stop at Lakeview Library on Saturdays this fall.  All people in and around the library can get a free lunch between 12:00 and 12:20pm.

Many native seeds must break their dormancy via a process called cold, moist stratification. If you want to improve the chances of having transplantable seedlings in the spring, join WI Master Naturalist Alex Singer to watch a brief demonstration of making a mini-greenhouse using a transparent plastic jug or other deep plastic container with lid, followed by a hands-on demonstration of the same with Q&A.

Please bring your own container if you’d like to try your hand and take it home planted with native seeds that will be available through Lakeview Library's native seed library. Tools and soil will be provided, as will some additional native seeds from the presenter's own native yard.

Space is limited; registration is required for this event. Please use the sign up link below or call (608) 246-4547 to register. Registration opens two weeks prior to program date.

About the Presenter

​Alex Singer has worked with Madison library staff to build upon the vegetable seed library project, most active in the spring, to include native plant seeds, which are most often best sowed/started in the fall. Having transformed his suburban yard into a Homegrown National Park over the past decade or so by replacing the majority of turf grass with native forbs and grasses, he works to spread the news and the plant diversity via such projects as well as giving away his yard's bounty, inviting groups to tour his yard, and giving talks on native plant propagation and their importance, as well as working toward the loosening of Madison's Natural Landscape ordinance.

Join Unidas por Hilos for monthly workshops where a member will teach participants how to prepare a traditional meal, share personal memories associated with the dish, and embroider the recipe on cloth from the tablecloths used during the meals. 

Unidas por Hilos is a community of Latina immigrants, living in Dane county, Wisconsin, who create textile art and community. Their group provides a safe and inclusive space where Latinas connect with each other and share their experiences as immigrants living in the United States.  Through their textile art, they not only showcase their cultural heritage, but also share their stories, struggles, and triumphs. Their group is a testament to the power of community and the resilience of immigrant communities. Although they come from different countries and backgrounds, they are united by their love of art making and shared experiences as immigrants. 

This is a FREE workshop.

Registration is required to participate.