News & Updates

CEDAR RAPIDS - February 14, 2022 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library invites the public to a free morning of poetry, storytelling, and songs with Iowa Poet Laureate Debra Marquart. 

The Cedar Rapids Public Library was honored to accept the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize during a celebration held at the American Library Association’s LibLearnX Conference in New Orleans on Jan. 30. 

The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation will celebrate five years of bringing Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to Cedar Rapids children and will mail the 300,000th free book to a Cedar Rapids child in early 2023. 

What did Cedar Rapids library patrons read, listen to and watch this year?

What did Cedar Rapids library patrons read and watch this year? While we aren't going to send you a personal "Library Wrapped" list – we don't track your data that way – we did compile the top borrows across the library in 2022.

Doug Munson, who retired in 2021 after 33 years, agreed.

“I just liked it. I like helping people find materials,” he said. “It’s the people I worked with and the patrons I met that kept me there so long. I liked everybody I worked with.”

The Metro Library Network, consisting of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion public libraries, will be updating the online catalog to the new VEGA interface on December 13, 2022.

Unleash your crafty side at the library this winter. From Crafternoons to card making to a Tiny Art Show, we have plenty of opportunities for all ages to get creative. 

Maker Space Craft Night for Teens and Adults

Cedar Rapids Public Library Awarded 2022 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, Recognizing the Public Library as a Vital Community Asset

The Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library big annual book sale is returning with a new location, moving to the Downtown Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE.  

The African American Museum of Iowa is unveiling a new exhibit, "Suspended: Systemic Oppression in Our Schools" on Friday, October 14, at the Downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library. It will be on display through the summer of 2023 in the library's third floor gallery.

Welcome to the new CRLibrary.org. We have made some changes to our website to ensure our site is more accessible for all our users. The new site has a more robust menu and new sorting systems for our digital resources, among other things.

Final cleaning and restoration work has been scheduled following a fire at the Downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library. 

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading announced it is recognizing Cedar Rapids with Pacesetter Honors for its work supporting student success during the twin crises of the derecho and COVID-19 pandemic.