Spooky season is upon us and we’re here for it! This October our calendar is packed with Halloween events for all ages. Join us for a month of creepy crafts, murder mysteries, and lots of haunting stories! Read more about Halloween Fun at the Library

This summer we challenged you to read one-million minutes during Tails and Tales, our animal-themed summer reading games. Even better, the Friends of the Library Foundation pledged to donate $1,000 to the Monroe County Humane Association if that goal was achieved! Not only did you smash the goal in early July, but you kept on reading for a total of 1,894,485 minutes!

In celebration of all the tales you read (and tails you read about), the Friends presented a check to the Monroe County Humane Association, supporting animals in our community! The Friends also provided generous summer reading game prizes, books, and events to readers. Read more about Tales and Tails of Summer Reading

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning Pride! Many Pride events in the United States are held in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion on June 28, 1969. Celebrations often include festivals, performances, rallies, parades, family events, film screenings, and other events. These events honor the history of the LGBTQ+ social movement and celebrate progress made by the community.

Supporting a diverse and inclusive community is at the heart of our mission to serve Monroe County. While we strive to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community all year long, June offers an opportunity to highlight the contributions of LGBTQ+ creators and to provide a safe and welcoming space. Read more about June is Pride Month

“Despite the challenges presented to all of us in 2020 and beyond, we were excited to find a way to partner again with Bloomington High School North’s internship program. While our opportunities for internships during the pandemic were greatly limited, we created a safe pathway for an internship to take place during this extraordinary time. Our values and goals support experiential learning, with a focus on lifelong learning, inclusiveness, and developing essential life skills. Here at our Library, internships aim to provide valuable career experience, teach important workplace habits, introduce students to new contacts and social connections, and hope their time spent with us is fun and fulfilling. The mutually beneficial support each internship provides to the Library and our constituents is invaluable. Some internships at the Library have brought us talented staff that are now a part of our current team. Read more about Interning at the Library

We are pleased to share that the Library is the recipient of two grants to support access to digital resources in Monroe County. The City of Bloomington Information & Technology Services Department has awarded the Library a Digital Equity Grant of $10,500, and the Wahl Family Charitable Trust has gifted the Library $5,300.

“Providing equitable access to information is one of the Library’s most important goals and is reflective of our core mission to provide opportunities to read, learn, connect and create,” said Grier Carson, Associate Director. “One of the greatest challenges posed by the current public health crisis is our inability to reach each and every Library patron when physical access to the Library carries with it a number of health considerations. These grants will help us improve upon that.” Read more about Two Grants Fund Hotspots, iPads, and Diverse Books