November 23, 2022

There are some questions that seem to come up regularly at the library, and one of the most common inquires we get is, “Is there a notary here?” The answer to that question used to be “no,” but since September 2021, the Marathon County Public Library has offered notary services at its Wausau Headquarters and it’s a resource that has been incredibly popular.   After years of patron inquiries and requests, Adult Services Librarian Julie K. took the steps needed to become a certified Wisconsin Notary Public. Notary services are offered on a walk-in basis, and fluctuate slightly based on her work schedule and availability. The service is offered to the public for free, whereas many banks and...

Adults On-Site Services Wausau Headquarters

November 16, 2022

Recently, the Marathon County Public Library added a few new books to its children's collection that may look a little different to the average reader. These books use the Open Dyslexic typeface, which was specially-developed for dyslexic readers! In Open Dyslexic typeface, letters are bottom-heavy to indicate direction. In addition, letters and words are spaced differently than most typical fonts and the text is printed on paper that reduces glare. These books can be found under the call number 371.9144 in children’s non-fiction at MCPL. Although the books are fiction, they are shelved in non-fiction, much like the collections in Braille (411) and folklore and fairy tales (398). You can also request a book...

Books Children Early Literacy Learning Reading Recommendations

November 6, 2022

November is a great time to celebrate picture books; days are shorter and more time is spent indoors, which means more time for reading! Not only that, but the Children's Book Council (CBC) officially designated November as Picture Book month! If you're looking for some new books to read with your kids (maybe you want to reach your next 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten goal?, here are three picture books that I personally think are amazing!      

Authors Awards Books Children Early Literacy Learning Reading Recommendations

October 22, 2022

Voting is one of the most important ways we can have our voices heard at the government level. But sometimes, campaign season can be overwhelming and you are left wondering who to vote for, or where to vote.   The Marathon County Public Library is here to help! We subscribe to and keep copies of many of the local newspapers, so if you are interested in reading about the candidates and issues, that's a great place to start! Just ask one of our staff members and we’ll be happy to find articles for you to help you understand the issues, the candidates’ positions, and decide who to vote for.   In addition, the website MyVote.wi.gov has tons of information about how you can register to vote, request an absentee...

Adults Magazines and Newspapers Online Resources

October 18, 2022

Do you check out e-books or audiobooks from Wisconsin's Digital Library (OverDrive / Libby)? If so, please take a few minutes to complete the survey available at the following link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/wplcpatronsurvey2022 Your input will help the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) improve this online collection of e-books, audiobooks and other digital materials for Wisconsin library patrons.  This survey is performed annually, will take an average of 10-15 minutes to complete, and is available through November 4, 2022. Thank you for your feedback!

E-books Online Resources Wisconsin's Digital Library

October 17, 2022

The week of Oct. 16-22, 2022 is marked by the American Library Association as “National Friends of Libraries Week,” and our staff would like to express our gratitude to our own Friends of Marathon County Public Library group for all the work they do! You might know our Friends from their monthly book sales for members, or quarterly sales for the general public. That work alone is a big undertaking, as they spend hours each week sifting through stacks and stacks of donations and items removed from our library collection. All of those items are then reorganized by type and genres on the shelves in the Friends' sale room at MCPL Wausau. It’s a tall order, made taller by the fact that they also volunteer during...

Adults Book Sale Books Community Events Friends Of The Library

September 10, 2022

September is World Kid Lit Month! What is that, exactly? It's an annual month-long initiative that promotes children's literature from around the world, with an emphasis on reading books from other countries, especially those that have been translated into English from other languages. By reading some of these stories, young readers can see the world from a global perspective, learn about other cultures or maybe even become interested in learning a foreign language! This month, use the library to find some great translated books! A few recommendations are listed below. Find even more on this list that we created. We also have many bilingual books available in Spanish and English, Hmong and English, and more...

Authors Books Children Early Literacy Reading Recommendations Teens Tweens

September 8, 2022

On August 29, MCPL’s Spencer Branch hosted a special event at the LuCille Tack Center for the Arts in Spencer with Chris Tucker, a Long Island, New York native who was working as an air traffic controller on the morning of September 11, 2001. This event had originally been planned to happen in 2020 but was delayed due to COVID. After more than two years, it was a delight to finally see it come to fruition. For those that weren’t able to attend, we’ve included a brief summary below. Tucker started his presentation by explaining what an air traffic controller’s job is, and what they watch for on their screen. He included visuals depicting exactly what an air traffic controller’s screen looks like on most days,...

Adults Community Events History Library Branches

September 6, 2022

Over the summer, we at the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) have been working on getting our collection of local high school yearbooks uploaded to the Central Wisconsin Digitization Project website. With help from Andi Coffin and WiLS, the first batch of yearbooks is now up on the website and available for viewing here. Our team began with our oldest yearbooks from Wausau High School, scanning and uploading almost all of the yearbooks from Wausau High School and Wausau East High School through the year 2000. When browsing, you may notice a few missing yearbooks - that's because we don't own a copy and no one has donated their copy to us to add to our collection. If you'd like to help us complete our...

Adults Community Genealogy History Online Resources Volunteering

September 1, 2022

The following is a selection of books written by authors featured in the 2022 Central Wisconsin Book Festival (CWBF)!   From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, this year's CWBF will be a great opportunity for members of the community to hear from notable writers with diverse backgrounds.  Check out the following items before or after the festival to explore their creations. (Please note: Not all items are available from the library catalog at this time. Some won't be released until later this fall.)

Authors Books Catalogs and Collections Central Wisconsin Book Festival E-books Events Graphic Novels Poetry Reading Recommendations