Madison Public Library

Terrence Adeyanju is a visual artist, muralist, and designer currently based in Madison, WI. His works are inspired by existentialism, identity, and our cosmic connection to nature. On Friday and Saturday, you'll get to see three pieces that Terrence created specially for the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park grand opening!

The title of this new exhibition, New Growth, came to him after reflecting on his journey with art over the past year. Through an intentional hiatus from making art, his relationships with space, stillness, and connection were transformed. This exhibition honors the fruits harvested during that quiet season. It serves as a reminder of how deeply we mirror the natural world, drawing strength from the times we must rest and grow in the darkness of the soil.

So many wonderful artists will be contributing their visions to the Imagination Center Library, in particular, and we're grateful to the work of The Bubbler at Madison Public Library for their relationship-building, facilitation, and devotion to the arts in Madison. Come see Terrence's new work during the grand opening this weekend, Sept 25 - 26!

If you're planning to have a day full of literary excitement this Saturday, September 26, of course you'll want to start the day at the grand opening of the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park!

From 10am - 4pm, we'll be celebrating with a schedule of activities that includes Tacos el Cucuy and Atwood Creamery food trucks (10am - 1pm), live music from Forward! Marching Band and Mariachi Corcel de Madison, self-guided tours, art exhibitions and interactive art opportunities, and so much more.

You could stay all day! But if you decide to just drop in, we suggest visiting the Monroe Street Festival and picking up discount books during the Monroe Street Library League book sale or heading over to the Friends of Alicia Ashman Library book sale. Both sales will include gently used books, CDs, and other library materials for just $1 or $2 - all proceeds go back to supporting Madison Public Library.

Are you looking for a storytime that celebrates the Latinx community? Join bilingual author Samira Alvarez for a four-part bilingual storytime series this fall! The first session is September 19 from 10-11am at Lakeview Library, where participants will explore themes like empathy, respect, belonging, and the importance of making others feel seen. Children will also take part in a fun rock painting activity.

Then, don't miss the special event on Sat., October 3, a space to celebrate bilingual storytelling and live music inspired by Samira's new book "Un Lugar Llamado Música". She will be joined by Jorge, a Paraguayan musician, singing in Guarani!

Come and celebrate Latinx/Hispanic stories, language, culture, and community with us!

All events are in English and Spanish. No need to register.

Save the date for Sat., October 10 at Sequoya Library! October 10 is World Bird Migration Day and we're hosting an event where you can put your crafting skills to use in order to help birds have a safer migration.

As birds migrate to their wintering grounds, one of the obstacles they face along the way is window collisions. During this event, you'll learn about incredible birds making epic journeys and things we can do to reduce the threat of birds flying into windows. From there, attendees will be given fabric birds to decorate and those creations will be sent to the artist Holly Greenberg from Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene, who is creating an educational art exhibit representing the 10,000 dead birds found by Chicago Bird Collision Monitors in 2023 after the birds hit windows.

For every bird completed at the event, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance and SOS Save Our Songbirds will donate $5 to Dane County Humane Society's Wildlife Center to help them care for injured birds.

Registration is open now - sign up to participate online at madpl.org/worldbirdday

This event is made possible thanks to the incredible partners involved, including SOS Save Our Songbirds, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, and the .

A year ago, we received a special request from O'Keeffe Middle School's librarian: "I am writing because I have a lot of students who are obsessed with the book Curlfriends by Sharee Miller. I have a group that would love to meet the author."

Their request went to Hawthorne Library's youth librarian, who passed it along to the Wisconsin Book Festival. Although all of the school visits for 2025 had already been arranged, book festival director Jane Rotonda set the wheels in motion to bring Sharee Miller to O'Keefe for those students.

Yesterday, it all came together! 150 6th, 7th, and 8th graders got the chance to meet and hear from Miller, she shared a little about her childhood and growing up in St. Thomas! Students also learned how to make a graphic novel fit all the words and images she wants on each page, saw her make art and draw her characters in real time, and received a free copy of Curlfriends thanks to the Madison Public Library Foundation.

We're so happy to be able to make these connections happen and work with the Wisconsin Book Festival to bring literary magic to middle schoolers!

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Latix Community Engagement Team from the City of Madison, Wisconsin Government with a multigenerational screening of Encanto!

Bring the whole family to the new Imagination Center Library on Friday, October 2, from 5:30-7:30pm and travel with us to the magical mountains of Colombia to meet the Madrigal Family. We'll have snacks and celebrate Colombian culture, family, and the magic of being yourself. All ages are welcome; no registration required.

Rating: PG | Musical/Comedy | 99 minutes

The world of Minecraft is waiting and you don't have to play alone!

Goodman South Madison Library will begin its biweekly Minecraft sessions for the fall on September 18 where kids ages 8 and up can build, explore, create, and hang out with other players. No creepers invited (just kidding, we can't promise that).

Let's build together on September 18 from 4-5pm.

At the end of last week we had a final review for furniture, ensuring that all of the pieces we ordered had arrived and were placed in their correct spots within the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. We're so thankful for the incredible design eye of InteriorLOGIC for their work in helping us curate so many cozy, colorful, and vibrant spaces throughout the library and park pavilion.

When you visit the Imagination Center Library, the "Walk in the Park" design theme will be evident, with earth tones, blues, and greens everywhere, grass-inspired carpet, and furniture that invites you to take a seat and stay awhile, while also serving multiple purposes (providing charging, delivering park views, combining writing and resting).

We also have to thank our internal facilities team who lent their expertise in library spaces to the work, sharing insight into what furniture, flooring, and wall treatments would look good, but also wear well over time. We hope you enjoy this sneak peek before the grand opening!