About the Library

The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) has provided free library services to the residents of central Wisconsin since 1907.

MCPL is a consolidated county library with nine locations throughout Marathon County, Wisconsin, including its Wausau headquarters and branches in Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer and Stratford.

MCPL is a member of and the resource library for the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, and it is a participant in the V-Cat consortium and the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium.

Strategic Plan

2024–2029 Strategic Plan: Dream Big with MCPL
Mission: To enrich lives by providing access to information, inspiration, and opportunities to connect.
Vision: Connecting people to endless possibilities.

Increase Awareness — Our community knows there is something for everyone at Marathon County Public Library. The library’s mission and offerings are shared through a robust, adaptable communications and marketing strategy to increase awareness and help community members see the library in their lives.
Serve as a Community Hub — Marathon County is full of possibilities. There are many natural and recreational resources, a strong network of community-based organizations, and the region is primed for economic growth. The library is a hub where resources, services, and partnerships combine to elevate Marathon County’s opportunities based on surveyed community needs.
Enhance User Experience — Library spaces across the county encourage people to gather, learn something new, connect with neighbors, and accomplish tasks. Visitors can easily find what they’re looking for and feel a sense of belonging at the library.
Support Our Staff — The knowledgeable and welcoming staff of Marathon County Public Library can grow professionally, balance their workloads, and feel supported in their work by library colleagues, the library board, and county stakeholders.

Literacy and Lifelong Learning for All Ages — We envision a world in which everyone can read, write, evaluate information and effectively apply technology to lead healthy, productive and fulfilling lives.
Emerging Technologies — We empower the people of Marathon County with the technology to connect to the world and the future.
Form Strong Partnerships — We provide opportunities to connect through partnerships with individuals, public and nonprofit agencies, community groups, educators and businesses.
Equitable Access — We provide access to a broad array of content, as well as training and assistance, to help people successfully navigate and use information.

Service is responsively delivering on our commitments to all of our internal and external customers.
Integrity is honesty, openness, and demonstrating mutual respect and trust in others.
Quality is providing public services that are reflective of “best practices” in the field.
Diversity is actively welcoming and valuing people with different perspectives and experiences.
Shared Purpose is functioning as a team to attain our organizational goals and working collaboratively with our policy makers, departments, employees and customers.
Stewardship of Our Resources is conserving the human, natural, cultural and financial resources for current and future generations.

Statistical information for the Marathon County Public Library (and all Wisconsin libraries) is available through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website: https://dpi.wi.gov/libraries/public-libraries/data-reporting/service-data