Events Calendar

Play is how children learn & explore! Enjoy some open-ended play time in the program room. It is a flexible space for children (5 & under) and their  families to come and go as they like. Books on the play theme of the day will also be available.

Colors & Shapes

Monday, January 27, 10:00 am

Clay Play

Monday, February 24, 10:00 am

Water Play

Monday, April 28, 10:00 am

Growing Voices Music Class is an interactive class for caregivers and their children, birth-age 5, to play, learn, and bond with music. Join a music therapist as we sing, play instruments, dance, and have fun together!

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 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. 

Come for a short storytime filled with rhymes, songs and bounces designed  especially for little ones. Then stay to play and connect with other babies and caregivers.

Recommended ages birth - 18 months, but all are welcome.

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.

Join us to READ and Play together. When children engage with books, songs, and play, they develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and pre-reading skills which helps to build a lifelong love of reading. 

This program is geared toward children under age 5. All older and younger siblings as well as childcare groups are welcome to join.

Library programs are always free.

If you've ever wondered if yoga was right for you, join Instructor Sarah Dimick of Zen Ed at on Mondays from 12:00p.m.-12:45p.m. at Alicia Ashman library in this safe and accessible yoga for all ages and all bodies. Attend one or attend them all; no experience needed. Poses are done on the chair or while standing, so no need to get on the ground. Chair yoga is a great way to relieve stress, soothe sore muscles, and find greater ease of movement.

Dates: 1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/3, 3/17, 3/31, 4/14, 4/28 

Space is limited and registration is required. Registration for ALL chair yoga sessions will open at December 30 at 10:00AM.

About the presenter

Sarah Dimick is a licensed school psychologist and certified children's, adult, and senior yoga instructor, with extensive experience leading various levels of movement classes. She is also co-owner of Zen Ed, a women-owned wellness and education business.

Need help updating a resume or cover letter, applying for jobs online, or brushing up on basic computer skills? Sign up for a one-hour one-on-one appointment by stopping into the Central Library or calling the reference desk at 608-266-6350.

Mindfulness is the art of paying attention, of listening to your heart. Rather than worrying about the future or ruminating about the past, mindfulness can help you enjoy life more fully, effectively, and peacefully. Join us when you can to learn simple mindfulness and meditation techniques that can be incorporated into your everyday routine to reduce your stress and increase your well-being. Typically, each session will begin with a brief check-in, followed by a guided sitting meditation. Then Gloria will share reflections on some aspect of mindfulness. The group will discuss the topic and ask any questions about the practice. We will end with another sitting meditation. Experience in mindfulness or meditation is not necessary. This program is being offered both in-person and online through Zoom. If you would like to join by Zoom, please register below. Registration is not necessary for in-person attendance.

This program is part of the Live Well @ Your Library​ initiative.

During the dark winter months, we are always searching for more light. Drop in anytime between 1:00 and 5:00 to learn how to make several different kinds of paper (or other materials) stars to add some brightness to your home. Then, check out some books about stars and light to take home for some cozy reading. Ages 5 to adult, all are welcome!

The River Food Pantry's Munch Truck will be stopping outside Goodman South on Mondays from 1:35PM - 1:55PM.

About River Food Pantry & Munch Mobile Meals

Launched in 2016, Munch is our mobile meals program that delivers free healthy meals to children and adults in over a dozen low-income neighborhoods throughout Madison. Each meal contains a sandwich or main menu item, a fruit or vegetable, a grain, a treat, and a drink. Everyone is welcome to take home a free meal. No registration or ID is required.

Neighborhoods served by Munch have large populations of children eligible for free school lunch. To bridge the gap that exists when school lunch is not available, Munch operates up to 6 days per week, Monday–Saturday, any time school cafeterias are closed (including breaks and periods of remote learning).

For alternative day, times and locations, see the website here: https://www.riverfoodpantry.org/services/munch/

For additional questions or comments, please contact the Munch staff at munch@riverfoodpantry.org or (608) 661-1223.

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 3 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. It does not support 8 or 16mm reel-to-reel film or audio tape.

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.

In partnership with the City of Madison and Madison Public Library, the African Center for Community Development provides in-person assistance* to help offset housing costs by assisting residents with applications for services, jobs, and other financial benefits.
We provide help for people navigating application processes and filling out forms required for housing, immigration, food, health, and other community support services. For questions about the program, please call African Center at (608) 957-5623 or (608) 294-0066.

*Neither The African Center for Community Development nor Madison Public Library can provide legal assistance or advice.  We are not able to fill out applications on your behalf, or assess program eligibility. 

Join us on Monday afternoon for library fun--you never know what might happen!

Projects especially chosen for the school-age crowd; all ages welcome with adult help.

Navigate this new world as Season 2 comes to a close. A new threat looms over the horizon will our heroes be brave enough to stop what comes? Will they be wise enough to solve the mystery? How many fart jokes can I squeak in?? Find out in A Ballad of Interesting Events. This campaign is geared towards middle and high school age youth and takes place on Monday afternoons at Meadowridge Library. 

Read aloud to a furry friend from Alliance of Therapy Dogs at Lakeview Library. Bring a favorite book or try a new one from our collection. First come, first served.

Play Minecraft in both creative and survival worlds! Gaming devices will be provided and participants will take turns so that everybody can get their turn to create and explore! Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Drop-in and play games on the library's iPads, MacBooks, and Nintendo Switch. Minecraft, Roblox, Mario Kart, & more! There is a limited number of devices, so participants will take turns as needed. Regular attendees can choose to participant in Gamer BINGO and earn prizes!

Family and friend groups are encouraged to attend and play together. 

Youth 8 years and younger must bring an adult, or attentive older sibling, with them.

Come sew with us!

Simply Stitched is Sequoya Library's adult sewing group for sewists of all skill levels. Bring your own sewing machine and other supplies. Drop in to work on any sewing project you have, and to share tips and advice.

If you would like to use one of the library's sewing machines, you can reserve one by registering for this program. Registration begins two weeks before the session. Register below, or by speaking to a library staff member in person or by phone at (608) 266-6385.

(If you are bringing your own machine or a project that does not require a machine, you do not need to register.)

Find all sessions of Simply Stitched here!

Are you struggling to carve out time to write that novel, screenplay, or other work of fiction you've always been meaning to write? Are you battling writer's block? Are you looking for people to read what you've written and provide feedback? Try Pen Pals, an all-experience-levels-welcome group for fiction writers and fiction writer hopefuls!

Once a week, bring in a laptop or notebook and surround yourself with other writers striving toward similar goals. The first hour will be dedicated to organizing feedback-swaps, discussing our projects, and collectively brainstorming solutions to story problems. The remaining hour is just for writing! Pen Pals is captained by local fanfiction author Linea Kemsley, who will provide baked goods and warm beverages every week to help promote that perfect cozy writing atmosphere.