Events Calendar

Closed for community youth group workshop.

Join artist Amy Mietzel for hands-on art activities inspired by picture books! We'll start by doing a read-aloud of the book - then create art using unique materials and fun supplies. Additional books that fit the theme will also be available for caregivers and youth to read together and check-out. For ages 2-5. Siblings & groups welcome.

Jan: Lunch by Denise Fleming (mixed media mouse)

Feb: L is for Love by Atinuke (stamps & printing)

April: Stick by Irene Dickson (simple flag)

May: Lola and the Bees by Anna McQuinn (bee hand puppet)

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.

Find help navigating application processes and filling out forms required for housing, immigration, food, health, and other community support services.

In partnership with the City of Madison and Madison Public Library, the African Center for Community Development provides in-person assistance. Examples include: 

• Disability
• Employment
• Housing
• Passport
• Social security
• Unemployment
• WIC

For questions about the program or to schedule an appointment, please call the 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 cannot fill out applications on your behalf or assess program eligibility.
 

Join us for a casual playdate for babies ages birth to 18 months and their caregivers. This neighborhood event will include play materials, books, and early literacy resources. Siblings are welcome and registration is not required.

February is American Heart Month – a time to focus on cardiovascular health. Did you know that the American Red Cross checks your blood pressure and pulse before every blood donation? Get to know your numbers while helping patients in need this month! Download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to learn more and make an appointment.

All who come to give Jan. 27-Feb. 28, 2025, will receive a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. For details, visit RedCrossBlood.org/Flurry.

The Red Cross encourages donors to answer screening questions on the day of their donation through Rapid Pass: redcrossblood.org/RapidPass

Blood drives take place at Sequoya Library on the second Thursday of each month.

¡Acompáñenos!  Los miembros del Grupo de Conversación en Español de University League ofrecen este programa de conversación gratis para adultos con nivel intermedio o avanzado, del segundo jueves del mes, en la biblioteca Sequoya.  Los principiantes que quieran escuchar el idioma, serán bien recibidos.

Este evento tambien se realizará virtualmente a través de Zoom. Más información sobre este programa se le enviará por correo electrónico cuando se registre. Zoom es una plataforma de video gratuita, y puede mirar en un navegador, a través de la aplicación móvil gratuita para ios o android, o llamar para participar solo por voz.

Come join us! Members of the University League's Spanish Conversation Interest Group host this free monthly conversation for adults with intermediate to advanced level Spanish skills on the second Thursday each month (Oct. 12, 2023 - August 8, 2024). Beginners who want to listen to the language are also invited.

This event will also be hosted virtually through Zoom; more information will be emailed to you upon registration. Zoom is a free video platform, and you can watch on a browser, through the free mobile app for ios or android, or call in to participate by voice only.

My Cousin Vinny

Directed by Jonathan Lynn.  Performances by Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Fred Gwynne.  Twentieth Century Fox, 1992.  119 min.  Rated R.  Comedy / Legal Drama

Two carefree pals (Ralph Macchio and Mitchell Whitfield) traveling through Alabama are mistakenly arrested, and charged with murder. Fortunately, one of them has a cousin who's a lawyer - Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci, Lethal Weapon 3, Home Alone), a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. Vinny's never been in court - or in Alabama - and when he arrives with his leather-clad girlfriend (Marisa Tomei in her Oscar® winning Supporting Actress performance), to try his first case, it's a real shock - for him and the Deep South.

The Munch Mobile Lunch Van will make a stop at Lakeview Library on Thursdays. All people in and around the library can get a free lunch.

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

Ready to color your way through winter with a rainbow of art projects? Join us for Warm Creativity on Cold Afternoons with Bernie & Zuzu! Returning for a mini-winter season, Bernie is back in the Pinney Library Studio from 3:30-5:30 every Thursday in Feb. and every Tuesday in March with drop-in art making projects for grown-ups, teens, and kiddos. Different surprise projects and medium(s) will be featured each week to help you add some color play to your winter day.

No registration necessary, drop-in and get creative with your friends and neighbors of all ages.

About Bernie & Zuzu:

At bernie & zuzu, we design unique, one-of-a-kind goods with bold, bright color and exuberant patterns that inspire playfulness, creativity and joy. bernie & zuzu is named for Bernie Witzack, founder and artist, and her brilliant and extraordinary cat zuzu (bios below). bernie & zuzu is run out of a studio in the Madison Enterprise Center at 100 S. Baldwin Street in Madison, Wisconsin. We screen print at Polka Press, Madison’s local printmaking collective.

Bios:

Zuzu was adopted by Bernie when she was a wee little kitten. Her favorite napping place as a kitten was a hiking boot. She has an MBA from Harvard and is a social media expert. When she’s not working as the CEO, CFO and COO of bernie & zuzu, you can find her napping in her bed in Bernie’s closet, or at the top of her cat tree. Zuzu is nineteen years young. She really, really loves watermelon.

I [Bernie] grew up in a small town south of Madison, in a home where my dad’s paintings lined the walls and my mom’s quilts covered the beds. I staged my first art show at age 9, lining my wood-paneled dining room with drawings and charging my parents’ friends a dollar a drawing. I took all the art classes I could in high school, studied Studio Art at Beloit College and earned an MFA in Fine Art from the University of Michigan. In grad school, I focused on drawing and painting, working in an improvisational and materials-based process. I never feel more connected and alive than when I am creating art. My hope is that the joy I feel when creating comes through in bernie & zuzu’s goods and inspires tiny moments of happiness, joy and wonder in our fans.

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.

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

Play Minecraft in both creative and survival worlds! Ability to fully use both a computer keyboard and a computer mouse required. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

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.

Kids, teens, and their caregivers are invited to cook with Chef Lily at Hawthorne Library! Participants will prepare and enjoy a wide variety of recipes, while learning about meal planning, following recipes, and using kitchen gadgets and tools. The finished meal will be shared among those who cooked as well as other customers at Hawthorne Library.

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

Navigate this new world as Season2 comes to a close and second 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 Thurday evenings at Meadowridge Library. 

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.

Gathers most Thursday evenings! Middle and high school students can meet other aspiring authors, bounce ideas off one another, share their stories, and feel the creativity flow! Writing club is led by local author Carole Madrzak.

Join Chef Paul to explore the unlimited choices of plant-based meals. 

Limited space; registration is required. Click the sign up link below or contact Lakeview Library at (608) 246-4547 to register. Registration opens two weeks prior to program date.

Presented in partnership with Willy Street Co-Op.

About the Presenter

Paul grew up in Taiwan surrounded by fresh hanging foods in the market, but he didn’t have an appreciation for Taiwanese or Chinese ingredients until attending culinary school in Chicago where he developed a love for cooking. After serving in many kitchens over the years, he wanted to share the skills he learned with others which led him to teach. He says about teaching, "Cooking and sharing what I have learned is my passion. Teaching a cooking class gives me a chance to share my knowledge about the differences and uniquenesses of foods that people overlook. I want to show people how to be respectful, creative, and economical about food. To feel delighted when they learn an easy cooking technique using just a couple of simple fresh ingredients. The food is the real star, we are just the facilitators."