January 28, 2020

On Monday, January 27, 2020, the American Library Association announced the winners of the Youth Media Awards. These outstanding materials are selected by committees of librarians and other literature or media experts. They are meant to guide parents, librarians and educators towards quality works for children. Some of the Youth Media Awards you may recognize: the John Newbery Medal, which recognizes the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children; the Caldecott Award, which is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children; and the Printz Award, which is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American...

Books Children Awards Youth Media Awards

January 27, 2020

Our U.S. Constitution requires that every 10 years, we complete a basic outline of who we are as a country: How many people live here The number of men and women and seniors and toddlers The nationalities and racial backgrounds of our residents …and more. Since we’re starting a new decade, a new census count will be conducted in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and 5 U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (You’re not alone if you’re not familiar with the Northern Mariana Islands… I had to look them up, too — they’re just north of Guam in the Pacific Ocean and they look lovely.) The 2020 census...

Census Community Government Information

January 15, 2020

If you stopped by the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) last summer, you may have seen someone dropping off purple knit or crocheted hats and wondered what it was all about. For the past few years, MCPL has partnered with CLICK for Babies, an organization for the prevention of child abuse, with the purple hats used to highlight the dangers of Shaken Baby Syndrome. In the first few months of life, all babies go through a period of increased crying, usually starting around two weeks of age, peaking in the second month and waning during the third and fourth months. CLICK for Babies uses the color purple to help parents remember that this crying lasts for a limited period of time and that it can come and go....

Community

January 11, 2020

With the new year comes tax time! We’ve already had many requests for tax forms at our library locations but the forms have still not arrived. In general, most tax forms arrive between the third week of January and the first week of February. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notifies the library of shipping dates; this year our tax forms will be shipped beginning on January 21. It may take several weeks to receive all the forms we have requested however, in the past, our forms have arrived together. In the meantime, there some important things to remember: January 27 is the first day that the IRS will accept tax returns. This is also the first day that online fillable forms will be available. All employers...

Taxes Resources

January 10, 2020

All nine Marathon County Public Library locations, as well as most other County agencies and offices, will be closed on Monday, January 20 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) so that employees can attend the County's third annual Martin Luther King Jr. "Day On." Like in past years, this MLK Day won’t be a day off for library staff and other county employees. Instead, the county has put together a  “day on” inservice so that county employees can attend various different educational programs based around the ideals promoted by Dr. King, including acceptance and equality, non-violence and combating racism and poverty. Highlights of this year's event include Mennonite Bishop Enos Martin, who will talk about the...

Community Library Staff

January 9, 2020

Curious about what your friends and neighbors might be reading? Or which books are trending nationally? Check out the following books from the New York Times Best Sellers list! Have you read any of these books already? Let us know what you thought in the "Comments" section below! Happy reading! Please note: These are popular items that may not be immediately available. It is likely you will need to use the "Request" option in the Library Catalog (V-Cat) to add yourself to the waiting list. Do not be discouraged by long waiting lists for books; MCPL usually has enough copies in circulation to keep wait times reasonable.  Also: All of the following books are...

Reading Recommendations Books

January 8, 2020

Pretend play is an important part of your child’s development. It encourages imagination and creativity and fosters social and emotional development, and playing with your child helps build language and communication skills as well as strengthening your bond with your child. Children learn by observing, imagining, and doing. Visit the Early Literacy Center at MCPL Wausau in January and February explore in our doctor’s and dentist’s offices and allow your child to decide who they want to pretend to be. Doctor? Dentist? Patient? Hygienist? Nurse? Receptionist? Encourage your child and play along! Ask at the children’s desk if you’d like to borrow the appointment and check-up kits! In...

Children Early Literacy Library

December 31, 2019

With only a few hours remaining in 2019, another year is about to come to a close. Before we are thrust into a new year and a new decade, staff members at the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) are taking a look back on the books they read over the past 12 months and selecting their favorites. This year’s list features 26 books that MCPL employees say were their favorite of the year (along with a few runners-up). This diverse list includes adult fiction and nonfiction, youth nonfiction, best-sellers, and titles by both well-known and up-and-coming authors. In addition to our own picks, we’d also like to know – what was your favorite book that you read this year? Let us know in the comments. Of...

Library Books

December 31, 2019

Due to an unexpected power outage, the library's Wausau Headquarters is closed all day today.   All other MCPL locations will be open today, closing by 5pm due to the New Years Eve holiday hours. 

Wausau Headquarters

December 19, 2019

With the holiday season upon us, I would like to share some exciting news for our library users around the county. You may have noticed that we are currently on hold with our interior upgrades, and there is now a plan for the county’s facilities team to complete the roof repairs in the spring. The repairs were attempted last year, but unanticipated structural issues prevented the completion of those repairs. Currently, Marathon County is looking at renewing the project in the spring, after which the interior enhancements will proceed. Also, I am pleased to report that the library’s board has formed a task force to review MCPL’s library system membership. Currently, we are members of the Wisconsin Valley...

Facility Improvement Director's Report Newsletter Library Board