News and Information

National Poetry Month Contest Winners 2023

National Poetry Month Contest Winners 2023Congratulations to this year's winners of the Monroe County Library System's National Poetry month poetry contest!Adult Category An Honest MarkFor G.E., calligrapher By Joel Lipman There’s a place to startanything- dot, slash, line, stroke,script shaped out of slurry, fiber, ink,5,000 letters, 20,000 scrapes of a pen. Pleasures consume us,invented meaningsleaning over a kitchen tablelaughing at the nib’s behavior,that erratic slip or nicked danceof cosmic black spatteringstars across the...

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Teen Summer Reading 2023

Teen Summer Reading 2023Teen! You're invited to work All Together Now at your library and participate in a Teen Summer Reading program. Running June 20, 2023 - August 31, 2023!How it Works:Grab an entry slip Read three books or six graphic novels to fill out an entry slip. Slips can be picked up at any branch of the Monroe County Library System, or downloaded here. Once your slip is complete, redeem it at a branch to receive a scratch off prize ticket Receive a scratch off prize ticket! Every entry slip you turn in will give you a...

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National Poetry Month Contest 2023

National Poetry Month Contest 2023The Monroe County Library System is celebrating National Poetry month with a poetry contest! Submit an original poem by turning it in at your local branch, or via email to jennifer.saul@monroe.lib.mi.us. Please make sure you have your name, age, and contact information on the page with the poem.Submissions Accepted April 1, 2023 - April 30, 2023Guidelines: Poems may be rhyming or non-rhyming Poems must be no longer than one typed page Include your name, phone number, age, and email on the entry...

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Ellis Youth Maker’s Mart 2023

Ellis Youth Maker's Mart 2023Call for Artists and Crafters! Looking for young artists and crafters (Kindergarten - Grade 12) to display and sell their handmade creations.Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm At the Ellis Library & Reference Center, 3700 South Custer Road, Monroe, MIParticipation Guidelines: Applicants must be students (Kindergarten-Grade 12). Artists and crafters under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult All Makers will be provided a 6 ft table and two chairs. Please furnish your own table...

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Memorial Concert for Bill Reiser

Memorial Concert for Bill ReiserPianist Mark "Mr. B" Braun returns to the beautiful Ellis riverside expansion for a blues and boogie-woogie concert celebrating the memory of friend, colleague, and blues aficionado, Bill Reiser. Inspirational storyteller and gifted blues musician, Reverend Robert B. Jones will also share his music and memories of Bill. A longstanding giant in the Monroe County Library System, Bill offered leadership and management at the Ellis Library & Reference Center until his passing in December of 2021....

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Directions Credit Union Donation

Directions Credit Union Donates Summer Reading Prize Books to Library  Posted June 14, 2022 The Monroe County Library System is pleased to recognize a generous $3,000 donation from Directions Credit Union to purchase summer reading prize books. “At Directions, our mission to improve the quality of life for our entire community aligns seamlessly with the Monroe County Library System’s goals. We are excited to support educational opportunities, like summer reading programs, in the regions we serve,” said Barry Shaner, President and...

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Teen Summer Reading 2022

Teen Summer Reading 2022Teen! Discover an Ocean of Possibilities at your library and participate in a Teen Summer Reading program. Running June 21, 2022 - August 31, 2022!How it Works:Grab an entry slip Read three books or six graphic novels to fill out an entry slip. Slips can be picked up at any branch of the Monroe County Library System, or downloaded here. Once your slip is complete, redeem it at a branch to receive a scratch off prize ticket Receive a scratch off prize ticket! Every entry slip you turn in will give you a...

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Adult Summer Reading 2022

Adult Summer Reading 2022Why let kids have all the fun? This summer, discover an Ocean of Possibilities at your library and participate in an Adult Summer Reading program.Participating branches:Bedford Branch Library's Summer Reading for Adults Running June 21 to August 21, 2022 Complete a reading card & turn it in for a chance to win a prize in our weekly drawing. Mark off a bubble for every 30 minutes spent reading or listening to an audiobook. Three bubbles can also be marked off for every library program attended. Each...

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National Poetry Month Contest Winners 2022

National Poetry Month Contest Winners 2022Congratulations to this year's winners of the Monroe County Library System's National Poetry month poetry contest!Adult Category The Holes You Left Behind by Wendy Kennedy The holes keep surprising me-Negative spaces still framing lost shapesIn a picture I never abandoned;Layered slashes of color still showing through,Drawing eye from foreground to horizon,Casting cool shadows in theBurning noontime of now. I thought your silence would be emptyBut I keep hearing you in tacit measures...

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Mask Guidelines May 2022

Updated Mask Guidelines - May 2022Posted May 6, 2022 When Visiting Our Branches Mask use will be recommended should Monroe County's COVID-19 Community Level reach High, as determined by the CDC. Click to see Monroe County's current community level.Library Branches are Open Libraries are open for patrons to browse collections and use the computers. Curbside service remains an option for those who prefer a touchless library experience. Keeping the Community Safe Throughout the Monroe County Library System, enhanced safety protocols...

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