Events Calendar

*Note: this event takes place at the Lussier Community Education Center -- 55 S. Gammon Rd*

Do your cooped-up kids need a warm, free place to run and be loud? Come experience Anji Play! In this weekly award-winning program, kids lead the play while adults step back and observe with deep curiosity.  This educational approach rooted in True Play was created in Anji County in China. Madison Public Library is a pioneer in developing a library-based Anji Play model. Open to all ages. No registration required. 

Read and play with your favorite baby or toddler! 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.

Storytime for the Very Young is intended for children ages 0 to 3 years old.

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

READ and PLAY together with children ages 5 and under! Engaging with books, songs and playful experiences all help children develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and pre-reading skills. It also helps to build a lifelong love of reading. Library programs are always free. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome.

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.

Come on in and share tips or get advice! Please bring your own supplies. All skill levels welcome.

The Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

Madison Public Library will be providing free garden seeds for community members at eight locations this year! 

The library is looking for volunteers to help with 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 or contact your local library.

Registration opens two weeks before event date.

Each month, Central Library invites local social service providers to share about the different resources they offer to those in need of assistance. Hear a short, informal presentation while enjoying coffee and refreshments and connecting with others who have similar experiences. There will be plenty of time to connect 1-on-1 or in small groups with providers and ask questions about the services they provide. 

On February 11, meet with...

Madison Street Medicine

• What They Do: Assist with healthcare and housing for those experiencing housing insecurity in Madison
• How They Do It: They offer regular healthcare clinics at the Men's Shelter, the Beacon and other locations. They also do outreach and case management work to help people find housing. 

No registration is required.

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. 

The Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

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

The Madison Writing Assistance (MWA) program offers free, one-to-one writing support for community members at library branches throughout the city. Our friendly, experienced writing coaches are happy to help with writing projects across a wide range of genres, including resumes, cover letters, application essays, grant proposals, fiction writing, memoirs, and more.

Schedule an appointment online with the link below, by phone, or in person.

MWA services are made possible through generous donations from the Evjue Foundation and UW Anonymous Fund, along with administrative and program support from the UW-Madison English Department, the UW-Madison Writing Center, and our Library and neighborhood center partners.

The River Food Pantry's Munch Truck will be stopping outside Hawthorne on Tuesdays from 3:55PM - 4:25PM.

About River Food Pantry & Munch Truck

Launched in 2016, Munch(link is external) 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 any questions or comments, please contact the Munch staff at munch@riverfoodpantry.org(link sends e-mail) or (608) 661-1223.

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

Calling all kids! Work with Madison Public Library Media Production Instructor, Nate, to create a scale model of the Goodman South Madison Library! This long term project will create a large scale model of the library using floorplans of the building, then will be populated with cutout figures of everyone who visits the library or helps with the project. Kids will learn to read floorplans, take measurements, apply mathematic and engineering principals to real world scenarios, take photos, and work within a team. The finished project will be on display as an art installation at the library.  

Elementary school students and senior citizens are invited to create side-by-side in this afternoon art class taught by artist Christina T. For the months of February and March, we'll explore all of the possibilities of making with papers of all kinds. Will you fold it carefully or tear it with abandon? Will you use glue or find other ways to attach pieces together? Will you create something 2D or 3D? Try out new techniques each week and be inspired by each other! No registration required.

Join The Kids Chef, Lily Kilfoy, for a series of cooking classes for school-age kids, tweens, and their families. Participants will learn about different foods, where they come from, how to follow recipes, and how to use a variety of tools.  Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees. 

Food generously provided by Willy St. Co-op North.

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