You did it! The community-wide reading goal of 200,000 minutes was met on Saturday, June 13, just 13 days into the summer reading games! Congrats to Hoosier Hills Food Bank, who will receive a $2,000 check from the Friends of the Library.

Since then, you’ve far surpassed this goal and have made it all the way to 539,745 minutes, as of Monday morning, June 29! In fact, the Library now has a new goal for summer reading––1 million minutes! 

Should this goal be met, some staff members have pledged personal donations totaling $1,525 to various community organizations of their choice. The organizations these staff members have selected include: Read more about New Summer Reading Goal: 1 Million Minutes

Each year the Friends of the Library invites Library employees to submit their enterprising ideas for consideration of a Pioneer Grant. Projects must be innovative and beneficial to the community and lead the way to a knowledgeable, inclusive, and engaged community empowered by the Library. This year two projects were awarded grants.

Adventure Backpacks

Community Engagement Librarians Jen Hoffman and Morning Wilder, and Edwin Fallwell, a Senior Information Assistant, proposed a collection of Adventure Backpacks. In their proposal, the team noted that the backpacks would “facilitate an interactive exploration of nature, the outdoors, and local park and trail systems.”

Adventures Backpacks contain several useful items for your outdoor adventure including identification guides (flowers, trees, birds), and outdoor tools (binoculars, compass, multi-tool, flashlight). Read more about Pioneer Grants Fund Adventure Backpacks and Dyslexia-Friendly Library Projects

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 coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped Library staff from doing what they love––creating engaging and educational programs for the community! In April, the Library’s programs and services moved online. Programs are shared regularly through YouTube, Zoom, and the Library website. Here are five of the Library’s most popular virtual programs from April and May! Which ones have you enjoyed? Read more about Top Five Virtual Events

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.