Library News & Programs

​Summer Reading registration will begin on May 27.

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Summer Reading will kick off on June 4 at 2:00PM with a visit from Wild Times Exotics, who will teach us all about some very cool small exotic animals, like skinks, tarantulas, tortoises, and pythons! **Registration required.**

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Track your reading this summer to earn prizes! 

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When you sign up, pick up an event calendar for all the details on the fun things you can do at the library this summer! We have fun activities for kids, teens, and adults!

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Go to the Summer Reading Page HERE.

Craft + Afternoon = Crafternoon

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Every Tuesday, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. ​

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Bring your portable craft projects to the library on Tuesday afternoons from 1-3p.m. and socialize while you work!

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We will provide coffee, tea, and hot cocoa to participants.

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Share your expertise, tips, and tricks with other crafters!

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Download Flyer

​Story hours are aimed towards toddlers but all ages are welcome. We typically read 2-3 books, do an activity/song, and make a simple craft.

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Story hours are the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 11am.

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Upcoming Story Hours:

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No story hour in May as we prep for Summer Reading!

Regular story hour will start up again in the fall.

Get creative at the library with Legos and crafts!

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Lego Club is the 1st Wednesday each month from 3-4 PM and Craft Club is the 2nd Wednesday each month from 3-4 PM.

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May will be our final Lego and Craft Clubs. Registration for next year will start in August or September, around the start of the new school year.​​​

Meetings will be the last Wednesday of every month from 3-4 p.m. To join, just come to a meeting.

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Upcoming meetings:

April 30

May 28

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As a member of TAB you will:

1) Attend monthly meetings

2) Help plan and host library events (specifically teen events) 

3) Have input into which books and movies the library purchases

4) Earn volunteer/ community service hours

STEELEVILLE AREA PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRICT received the Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.​ 

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If you missed our community discussions but you are interested intaking part in the conversation, please click the "Go To Grant Info Page" button and take our survey.

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Our new automatic door openers have been installed! Come check them out!

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Grant Info Page​

1000 books before kindergarten encourages families to read with their children and develops a love of reading while children are young! Reading with our children helps improve imagination, creativity, vocabulary and promotes family time! ​Children birth-5 can participate.

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Sign up at the library, log each book read, and for each 100 milestone children get to pick out a prize and put their picture on the achievement wall & in the newspaper!

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1000 Books Before Kindergarten Page

Statement from the Illinois Heartland Library System:

"In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at further downsizing federal agencies. One of those targeted is the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the organization responsible for administering crucial grants to state and local libraries. Later that month, the entire IMLS staff was placed on administrative leave for up to 90 days, forcing a pause on all of the agency's grant activities—including the disbursal of already-granted FY2025 funds.​"

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Statement from the Illinois State Library & Illinois Library Association:

"Of the $180 million that the IMLS’s Grants to States Program provides to state libraries, the Illinois State Library received $5.7 million in the fiscal year 2025 – the sixth highest amount of any state. These funds help sustain the operations of all public, school, academic and special libraries and provide essential program funding in targeted areas, particularly underserved areas of the state."        

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Read the letter from Illinois State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias HERE.   

Read the full statement from the ILA HERE.

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Statement from the American Library Association:

"From technology classes for jobseekers to services for people with disabilities, from library delivery for older Americans to summer reading programs for families, IMLS funding makes a real, concrete difference in the lives of Americans every day. The president’s executive order puts all of those services at risk."     Read More HERE.

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Click here to learn more about how IMLS impacts your local library and how the budget cuts will affect libraries.

The GED/HSE program is Monday-Thursday at the library.​ Call 965-9732 and ask for Kim Knop to sign up now or get more information!​

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We also have free ESL tutoring sessions led by Ruth Rowley. Call the library for more details.

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Classes and tutoring are provided by the Monroe Randolph Regional Office of Education (ROE45).

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We asked our staff and library board members about the best books they read in the last few years, and compiled a list of recommendations for you.​ Have a recommendation for us or other patrons? Click HERE to view recommendations.

Using the SHARE Mobile Library, you can manage your accounts, keep track of checkouts and due dates, and renew items from your mobile device! Search for books, DVDs, video games, audiobooks, e-books, and more. Find it now in the Apple App store or Google Play Store. ​

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And don't forget about CloudLibrary, your spot to find ebooks and audiobooks right from your phone or tablet! Cloud Library can also be found in the Apple App store or Google Play Store.