Meet the Cedar Rapids Public Library staff This week we’re introducing Patron Services Specialist Sampurna Ghosh, as part of our series on the employees who make the Library great. Sampurna started at the Library in September 2019, and primarily works downtown. What does your job typically include? I like to think of my role as… View more
People often perceive library summer reading programs as aimed at children, but the staff of the Cedar Rapids Public Library want patrons of all ages to get excited about reading, not just in the summer but year round. So we wanted to share some July new book releases for adults that we hope will get… View more
Meet the Cedar Rapids Public Library staff This week we’re introducing Patron Services Specialist Elysha Holley, who goes by Lysh, as part of our series on the employees who make the Library great. Lysh started at the Cedar Rapids Public Library in July 2018 and primarily works Downtown. What does your job typically include? I… View more
Serving at the Cedar Rapids Public Library for the summer through AmeriCorps, you’ll see these three Summer Reading Corps members at outreach events at area parks with the Mobile Technology Lab, and they’ll be helping out with the Summer Dare Reading Program and other Library events and programs. Katie Struckman-Johnson, from Vermillion, South Dakota, graduated… View more
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir by Akwaeke EmeziPublished June 8, 2021. Biography. The New York Times-bestselling author of “The Death of Vivek Oji” penned this memoir through letters, exploring their life from their childhood in Nigeria to their path to success as an author, all the while diving into spiritual and artistic explorations of… View more
Cedar Rapids fifth grader Reese Olalde is a published author, and she’s loving it. “I’ve always wanted to write a book,” she said. “I’ve been making a lot of stories at home. I really like how I can be creative with them.” She’s one of four students from Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary who… View more
When Carl Rush gathered in a room with teens at the Linn County Juvenile Detention Center to discuss books recently, he was encouraged by what he heard. “I read a lot. I read like every night before I go to sleep,” one of the teenagers said. The teen went on to describe one of his… View more
The Mobile Technology Lab is rolling to a Cedar Rapids park near you this summer, and this is not your average library outreach. Instead of a traditional bookmobile, the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s new van is fully loaded with all kinds of technology, from laptops to 3D printers to Ozobots – tiny robots designed to… View more
When the pandemic forced the closure of in-person events last summer, the programming team at the Library had to quickly pivot. They had a summer’s worth of camps planned for teens and kids, and suddenly, they couldn’t hold them as planned. “We were really committed to not canceling those camps,” Programming Manager Kevin Delecki said. … View more
Along with soup, salads and sandwiches, they have ramped up the breakfast choices, including a biscuit sandwich, with a maple biscuit, bacon, egg, and cheddar, and a breakfast bowl featuring greens topped with roasted vegetables, cheese, and a fried egg, among other dishes like avocado toast and quiche. “We have lots of ideas,” Steines said…. View more