An Open Letter to the Monroe County Community from Library Director Grier Carson

To our patrons, neighbors, and friends throughout Monroe County:

On behalf of the Monroe County Public Library, its staff, and its Board of Trustees, I want to draw your attention to a development of great significance to MCPL and to libraries across the country.

Slash Subscriptions in 2025

With so many entertainment platforms, it’s easy to stack subscriptions and blow your budget. We’re here to help you save your hard earned cash! Put away your credit card, pull out your library card, and try some of our Library services.

Instead of Netflix, plan your movie nights with Kanopy, a high-quality video streaming service with over 30,000 films. Don’t miss Kanopy’s monthly themed collections as well!

Book Club Favorites from 2024

Book Club Favorites from 2024

Our book clubs had a banner year in 2024. From new book clubs starting (Other Worlds and The Short Attention Span Book Club) to old favorites (Books Plus and Books on Tap), we've celebrated new authors and books, new reading experiences, and more. We asked our book club leaders to share what some of the favorite books their clubs read last year!

Cozy Sci-Fi You'll Love This Winter Season

I don’t know about you, but as the weather turns chilly and the leaves start to fall, all I want is to curl up under a blanket with some hot tea and read a cozy, feel-good book. If you’re looking for authors to make you “feel the feels” this winter season, look no further than Becky Chambers. I discovered Becky Chambers recently and, for the first time in years, can say I have a favorite author. 

An Introduction to Gentle Fiction

All About Genres

If you stop by any MCPL location and ask for our help finding a book, one of the first things we’ll probably ask you is what kind of genres you like to read. For some people, that question is easy, and for others, it’s a little more complicated. So, read on for a list of common genres, as well as some new ones that have cropped up over the years! This post will be the first in a brand-new series.

Our Favorite Reads in 2024 So Far

There are two truths about working in a library that are equally true: we love to read around here and we never read as much (or as quickly) as we want! Sometimes, our favorite reads are books that are months, years, or decades old, but we've just discovered them. Sometimes, we read a current best-seller and fall in love with it. Either way, we wanted to share some of our staff's favorite reads they've encountered in 2024 so far. Have your favorites made this list?

 

Nine Tips to Break Your Reading Slump

It happens to all of us at one time or another, your Library staff included! No matter how much you love to read, or how invested in a series or author you may be, there comes a time when nothing is appealing to you. You start and stop the same book over and over. You check out materials and return them because they just aren’t keeping your attention. You find yourself staring at the shelves without really knowing what you’re looking for, but the last few books you’ve tried just aren’t working out.

Celebrate Intellectual Freedom and the Right to Read

Illustration in a comic book style with four panels with colored in animals and black and white backgrounds. A squirrel reading a book with the Library bear statues, a dog in front of the Bookmobile, a pig routing in a garden at Ellettsville, and an opossum hanging from a tree outside of Southwest.

National Library Week
April 6–12, 2025

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. Right now, intellectual freedom and the right to read are in jeopardy due to organized attempts of censorship across the country.

…Ready for it? Extend Your Own Eras Tour with These Taylor Swift-Inspired Ideas

Taylor Swift The Eras Tour (mcpl's version)

Her Eras Tour broke worldwide record ticket sales, and more recently, her documentary broke the box office. That’s right; we’re talking about the pop culture phenomenon herself, Taylor Swift. Lately, it seems like you can’t look at a single screen without seeing Taylor’s face. And until she makes her way to Indianapolis in fall of 2024, screens are all local Taylor fans are going to get. Luckily, she’s been all over the news with her record-breaking album sales and sold-out arena tours.

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