News & Updates

Oct. 21, 2025 – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Gazette asked the library to contribute a list of books for their October issue of HER Magazine.

Oct. 20, 2025 – In September 2024, the library launched a new reading challenge, 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten – and participating pre-K children have read almost 54,000 books since then.

Oct. 15, 2025 – This month, after more than 200 years in business, library book distributor Baker & Taylor announced they would close. The Cedar Rapids Public Library has utilized Baker & Taylor as a book supplier for many years.

Oct. 14, 2025 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library is made possible by our incredible staff. And we are staffed by book lovers. To celebrate the people who keep our library running, we're highlighting different staff members and books they love.

Oct. 13, 2025 – Walk into Beems Auditorium at the Downtown Library on any given Wednesday evening and you’ll encounter epic battles, mythical creatures, and magic spells.

Oct. 10, 2025 – Construction continues on the Busse Branch of the Cedar Rapids Public Library. September’s weather gave contractors another great month to complete work around the library’s property.

Oct. 8, 2025 – At Little Cupcakes Child Care, Assistant Teacher Alyssa Henry just had to pull out a stack of books for the room of one-year-olds to gather around, excited to hear a story.

Oct. 5, 2025 – Banned Books Week is Oct. 5-11, and the library is celebrating the freedom to read! Join us as we highlight books that have inspired, challenged, and connected readers everywhere. 

Sept. 29, 2025 - The inaugural Cedar Rapids Storytelling Festival, a new event put on by local nonprofit TellersBridge and the Cedar Rapids Public Library, is coming to the Downtown Library Oct. 1-4.

Sept. 26, 2025 – The National Book Foundation has announced the National Book Award longlist of finalists, and the library has many of the books available to borrow - especially in the fiction, nonfiction, and young people's literature categories.

Sept. 25, 2025 — The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation is proud to announce a transformational $3.5 million gift from the Busse Foundation, closing out the organization’s $10 million Inspiring Big Dreams capital campaign to build a new westside library.

Sept. 18, 2025 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library is made possible by our incredible staff. And we are staffed by book lovers. To celebrate the people who keep our library running, we're highlighting different staff members and books they love.

Sept. 11, 2025 – The Downtown Library Urban Plaza will receive an update this fall through a project funded by the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation. Beginning Monday, Sept.

Sept. 11, 2025 – Everyone has a story – and we need to listen to each other’s stories.

Sept. 10, 2025 – National Hispanic American Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15, celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture and history.