Summer finally arrived! I had doubts for the entirety of June when it seemed we were stuck in a November-like rain and cold schedule. Now those rains have left the ground saturated for the perpetual state of humidity/corn sweat we are now in. Recently a patron reminded me that only six months ago the temperature… View more
Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City is April 2-7th at various venues around town. The festival is mixture of literature, music and film. There will be several indie recording artists performing: Mitski – whose album ‘Be the Cowboy’ has gotten great press has sold out the Englert on Friday, April 5th, and Jenny Lewis, on… View more
The Cedar Rapids Public Library invites everyone to warm up with a good book this January as part of the 2019 Winter Reading Challenge. Participants are asked to read 300 minutes between January 1 and 31 in order to win a color changing cup or campfire mug. Readers of all ages can visit CRLibrary.beanstack.org… View more
As we wrap up another wonderful year at the Cedar Rapids Public Library, we would like to express our gratitude to our patrons, our volunteers, our community partners, and our donors for their endless support. You have walked with us on our mission to serve as a beacon of literacy to those in our community… View more
Mixtapes are an effervescent, emotionally-illusive, and joyful instrument of expression. Created by yourself they are a reflection of a curated collection that has its perennial go to songs, beats and rhythms that allow someone else to feel how you do, or the opposite, for you to feel how they do. They can also be a… View more
March 7, 2018 – Cedar Rapids children can now begin to build their personal library thanks to the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL). DPIL mails more than 1 million books each month to children around the world. The free program provides one book each month mailed directly to the… View more
Since my daughter was a very little girl we’ve read books together. In the early days this was easily accomplished. Bedtime stories and cuddling on the couch with picture books brought smiles all around. As she has gotten older this has become more of a challenge. We compete with schoolwork, screen time, and activities of… View more
As a parent with a physical disability, I have always known there would be activities I could not do with my children. Anything that requires running, jumping, hopping, or kneeling and I’m left on the sidelines. This has only made me try harder to find things I can do with my family and make… View more
I think it is common for us, as human beings, to search for purpose and meaning in our time on earth. Psychologist Erik Erikson reminds us that, in the final stage of life, our task is to look back on our journey and contemplate our achievements. Those who see their lives as unproductive experience despair…. View more
Reading into Success is a local collaboration working to ensure children read proficiently by the end of third grade by leveraging the assets of the entire community. WHY DOES THIRD GRADE READING MATTER? After third grade an important shift happens in learning. The focus changes from teaching students to read to them having them read to learn…. View more
