Help us reach the Iowa City Reads Goal by Participating in the ICPL Summer Reading Program.
We're challenging you to help us read 125,000 books this summer as we celebrate our 125th anniversary. Watch the tracker increase as you log books for the Summer Reading Program! It's not too late to sign up! All ages this year have the goal of completing 10 levels of the challenge in order to win a free book before September 1!
Read a book or participate in a library program of your choice and log it to complete each level. Complete the challenge up to three more times for extra entries into the grand prize drawings and help us helping us get to our community reading goal! Pick up or print off a gamecard or keep track of your reading online at icpl.beanstack.com/reader365.
The 2021 All Iowa Reads kids book pick is “Pie in the Sky” by Remy Lai! “Pie in the Sky" is a funny and poignant chapter book/graphic novel hybrid about a boy named Jingwen, whose family moves from China to Australia. Knowing little English, struggling to fit into his new culture, and reeling from the loss of his father, Jingwen deals by making elaborate cakes in secret with his annoying little brother.
Join this exciting webinar, sponsored by the Center for the Book and the State Library of Iowa, to hear Remy Lai talk about her work, and answer your questions! Webinars with Remy will be offered on July 13, and October 21. Learn more about the virtual author visit and sign up to attend here.
Each month, we offer an evening program for the whole family to do together! July’s program is virtual and requires registration, but the August family night is outdoors and open to all! Register for the July Family Night: Pizza Making with Becky's Mindful Kitchen on July 20, at 5 p.m. Pick up an optional ingredients kit from the Library, and follow along on Zoom as Becky explains how to make pizza dough from scratch. You provide custom toppings, sauce and cheese to your family's liking.
August Family Night: Outdoor Puppet Show with Eulenspiegel Puppets is on Wednesday, August 18, at 7:30 p.m. in North Market Square Park. Eulenspiegel Puppets performs a brand new show featuring the fun adventures animals are having while humans are limiting their community contacts. Register on our calendar to participate and then join us in North Market Square Park as the sun sets for this fun puppet show featuring a sing-along and shadow puppets!
Has your family loved doing our weekly make and take Sunday Fun Day crafts or other children’s programming involving arts and crafts? You may not know that ICPL provides access to an online resource that offers tons of arts and crafts classes for kids!
Creativebug is an online source of thousands of on-trend arts and crafts classes taught by award-winning artists and experts in their fields. Designed for people of all skill levels, there is an amazing array of subjects: Art & Design, Paper Arts, Knitting & Crocheting, Sewing & Quilting, Jewelry Making, and more! You'll need to make your own Creativebug account the first time you log in, and this will include your ICPL Library card number and pin/password, plus your name and email address. Then, at the top of the home page, you'll see a search bar and some basic topics, including crafts just for kids! Explore Creativebug by going to icpl.org/creativebug.
We have moved to Phase 5a of our reopening plan to expand Library hours, removing the time limits for browsing, extending time limits for computer access, and lifting building and Bookmobile capacity restrictions. In addition to previously available services, the study and meeting rooms will be open to the public, and ICPL outreach services and programs will be offered offsite. Masks are suggested for those not yet vaccinated.
Library Director Elsworth Carman wants the public to be aware that "while our mask requirement ends July 1, we still ask that patrons be mindful of the many Library users who cannot yet be vaccinated—including children—and consider wearing a mask if not fully vaccinated. Community health is a shared responsibility, and we are so thankful for your help in keeping others safe."
If you have any other lingering questions, head to the full press release here.
