Accessibility, civil discourse, inclusiveness, integrity, intellectual freedom, lifelong learning, literacy, respect, safety, service, and stewardship.

These values are all central to the Library’s mission to strengthen the Monroe County community and enrich lives by providing equitable access to information and opportunities to read, learn, connect, and create. From new programs and collections to new branches, these core values guide the way.

The Library reaffirms its commitment to these core values in a new ongoing blog series, Finding Value. Tune in as Library staff review books and movies that highlight Library values here on the blog. Read more about "Finding Value" Review Series

A Note from the Director

Recent events of racism and physical violence against Blacks across our country are both frightening and abhorrent. Monroe County Public Library mourns the lost lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many more. 

As a trusted community institution, we stand in solidarity with the American Library Association (ALA), the Black Caucus of the ALA, and with Monroe County residents who are susceptible to acts of prejudice, threats of violence, and even death based solely on their race or ethnicity. We condemn the systemic and systematic social injustices endured by Black people and people of color and we stand against racism and injustice.

We must all affirm that Black Lives Matter and understand that “all lives matter” is not an appropriate response. We must acknowledge systemic racism and the role that we all play in it––in our homes, our workplaces, and our community organizations. Read more about Black Lives Matter

The Summer Reading Games are here! Between now and August 1, you can register on Beanstack and play online. There's an app too! Read for fun and complete activities to earn badges and tickets for prize drawings. Activities like this origami bear!

Check out these instructions and follow along with the video to create your own origami bear. After you've made your bear, hang it in your window for others to see. When you go for a walk, look for bears in other people's windows too. How many bears can you find on your bear hunt? Read more about Going on an Origami Bear Hunt!

by Craig J. Clark

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (Frederick Wiseman, 2017)

Got a lot of time to fill? Then Frederick Wiseman is your man. Over a career stretching back more than half a century – from 1967’s Titicut Follies (filmed at the Massachusetts State Prison for the Criminally Insane) to 2018’s Monrovia, Indiana (filmed after Wiseman’s visit to Indiana University in 2017) – Wiseman has directed dozens of fly-on-the-wall documentaries on all manner of communities and institutions, both public and private. Of those, a whopping 42 are streaming on Kanopy and the majority have a running time of at least two hours, with a handful clocking in at more than three. Read more about Reviews: Ex Libris & After Midnight

Do you love puzzles, magic, or testing your wits against a terrifying foe bent on your destruction? Join the Library for its first-ever digital escape room!

This short, self-guided interactive game of Harry Potter-themed puzzles, duels, and codes is set during book seven of the Harry Potter series. See if you can escape the Snatchers and get your intel to Potterwatch in time for the next broadcast.

You can complete this escape room as a group or as an individual. You can compete against friends (or enemies) and try it multiple times. This escape room is intended for adults and teens, but children are more than welcome to test their mettle. Just make sure you have fun!

Enter the escape room.