First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, will be at University of Iowa Libraries Gallery August 29 through September 25. This exhibit will feature a rare first folio on loan from the Folger Shakespeare Library, as well as Shakespeare-related items from the University of Iowa Libraries’ Special Collections.

This is the traveling exhibition’s only stop in Iowa. To celebrate, UI campus and community partners have partnered to plan programs that center around the famous playwright and his work.

Events hosted by the Library include Shakespeare on Film, a six-week series featuring movie adaptations of and inspired by William Shakespeare's work. The films will be screened at 7 p.m. every Thursday in Meeting Room A beginning tonight.

For the younger crowd, there's Shakespeare First Folio Sunday Fundays, 2 to 4 p.m. in the Storytime Room every Sunday in September. Teens, be sure to attend our stage-fighting workshop with Lukas Brasherfons, a master of fine arts student in dramaturgy at the University of Iowa, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, in Meeting Room A. Foodies will love Dr. Colleen E. Kennedy’s demonstration of how locally grown flowers and herbs from Shakespeare’s time were used at the Iowa City Farmers Market from 9 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 10.

For more Shakespeare-related programs and events at ICPL, visit www.icpl.org.

All eyes will be on Iowa City Sept. 24 as it hosts the Telenet UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.

Cyclocross is a very specific type of bike racing. Most of the course is off-road, with riders encountering everything from grass and dirt to mud and gravel. The World Cup is the sport’s Super Bowl.  

Want to learn more? We have programs that will teach you everything you need to know:

7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, in Meeting Room A: Documentary screening – For the Love of Mud. Produced and directed by Benedict Campbell, this documentary explores the sport of cyclocross.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, in Meeting Room A: Presentation – How to Build a Bike with University of Iowa Professor Steve McGuire. He’s the creator of the UI School of Art & Art History handmade bicycle curriculum.

7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Meeting Room A: Presentation -- What’s It All About? Jingle Cross and the Cyclo-Cross World Cup with Dr. John Meehan. Dr. Meehan is the race organizer for Iowa City’s Volkswagen Jingle Cross Cyclo-Cross, which will be held Sept. 22, 23 and 25.

And don’t forget the kick-off event Thursday, Sept. 22, at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Sponsored by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, the free celebration will feature fireworks and live music. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about the World Cup and Jingle Cross, including how and where to purchase tickets, visit jinglecrossworldcup.com

Pick up your knitting needles, hot glue gun and other crafting supplies because we start accepting donations of handmade arts and crafts for the annual Arts and Crafts Bazaar next month!

This year’s bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Proceeds from the sale support the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation to benefit Library programs and collections.

Please bring items to the Library during open hours before Thursday, Dec. 1. All items must be handmade and be delivered with an ICPL Arts and Crafts Bazaar donation form (available at the Library and online).

A patron recently shared this gem on Twitter: I personally believe that everyone in Iowa City should have a library card no excuses.

We couldn’t agree more! Click here to get yours today!