The MCPL Blog
MCPL locations close due to snowstorm
February 12, 2019
Due to the winter storm hitting central Wisconsin today, February 12, the Marathon County Public Library will close its Wausau Headquarters and all of its branch libraries at 5 p.m. As previously announced, the Stratford Branch will be closed the entire day today. This means that today's Facebook Fundamentals - Part 2 class and the meeting of the Hatley Book Club will also be canceled. Weather permitting, MCPL will resume its normal hours and reopen tomorrow, February 13. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at our Wausau headquarters. Thank you!
MCPL Stratford closed today due to weather
February 12, 2019
Due to challenges created by the weather, the Marathon County Public Library - Stratford Branch is closed today, February 12, 2019. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at our Wausau headquarters. Thank you!
Winter Storm Causes MCPL Locations to Close Early
February 7, 2019
Due to the winter storm hitting central Wisconsin today, February 7, the Marathon County Public Library will close its Wausau Headquarters and all seven of its branch libraries at 5 p.m. The Hatley Branch will close one hour earlier, at 4 p.m. The Friends of the Marathon County Public Library Book Sale, originally scheduled for tonight from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., has also been canceled. The sale will continue as planned on February 8, 9 and 10. In addition to the book sale, tonight's monthly meeting of Pokémon Club at MCPL Wausau, the Needle Arts event at MCPL Wausau, and the DIY Decoupage Jar event scheduled at our Hatley Branch have also been canceled. Weather permitting, MCPL will resume its normal business...
Local High School Yearbooks Needed!
February 6, 2019
Are you a local high school graduate who wouldn't mind parting with your high school yearbook? Or are you helping a family member de-clutter and have some yearbooks to get rid of? The Marathon County Public Library might want them! MCPL’s Wausau Headquarters houses a large collection of local high school yearbooks, including the Wausau East (formerly Wausau High School) Wahiscan, Wausau West Aurora, Newman High School Cardinal (formerly The Red Hat), the D.C. Everest Everette, and Faith Christian Academy annual. In addition, our Marathon City Branch has a limited collection of the Marathon High School Fleetfoot, and our Mosinee Branch also recently acquired a small collection of the Mosinee High School Chief...
Wisconsin's Digital Library needs your input!
February 5, 2019
To those of our patrons who download e-books and audiobooks from Wisconsin's Digital Library (OverDrive / Libby): Please take a few minutes to complete the survey available at the following link: www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019patronsurvey. Your input will help the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) – the organization that maintains the digital library – as they continue to grow and develop this 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 February 28, 2019.We thank you in advance for your time and feedback!
MCPL Hatley closed until noon due to weather
February 4, 2019
UPDATE: MCPL Hatley is now open for the rest of the day (through 6pm). Thank you! Posted earlier: Due to challenges created by the icy weather, the Marathon County Public Library - Hatley Branch is closed today, February 4, 2019. We may re-open this location later today as conditions allow; stay tuned for further updates. This closing only affects our Hatley branch; all other MCPL locations remain open according to our regular hours of operation, and it is anticipated that the Hatley branch will re-open tomorrow, February 5, as usual. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at our Wausau headquarters. Thank you!
2019 Youth Media Award Winners
January 31, 2019
The American Library Association has announced its 2019 youth media award winners earlier this week! These awards celebrate the most outstanding and high quality materials for children and teens. They are selected by committees of librarians and other literature or media experts and are meant to guide parents, librarians and educators towards quality works for children. Check out the latest winners from MCPL. For a full list of all award winners, visit the ALA website. The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature was awarded to Merci Suárez...
Lead Librarian Closes a Chapter at Marathon County Public Library
January 29, 2019
Even after more than 40 years of public service as a Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) employee, Sharyn Heili still feels as though she has more to give:
“I have to have a purpose and to feel like I’m making a difference. People, especially kids, need someone to believe in them, and I feel like that’s part of my purpose on this Earth.”Heili recently retired after working for the library in Wausau for 44 years. In the 8 years prior to her retirement, she was the lead children’s librarian. She also worked in reference and started her career with the library driving its bookmobile throughout Marathon County. Growing up in Two Rivers,...
An interview with local author Cindy Meyering
January 28, 2019
On January 9 and January 12, local author Cindy Meyering visited the Marathon County Public Library’s Marathon City Branch to talk about, and read from, her new book I’m There for You. Meyering lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Mark. She is a retired teacher, but continues to enjoy time in the classroom by substitute teaching. I’m There for You is her first novel for children. It was self-published through AuthorHouse and was a winner in MCPL’s Community Writing Competition last year. The following interview took place during the author’s visit to the Marathon City Branch Library on January 9th, 2019, and was conducted by Branch Assistant Elizabeth Lutz. Elizabeth Lutz: Did this...
Wisconsin's Digital Library exceeds 5 million checkouts!
January 25, 2019
Have you used the Overdrive or Libby apps in the last year? If you have, then you were one of the millions of people who checked out items in 2018, when these two apps had a record year for checkouts and downloads! Overdrive has reported that, nationwide, about 274 million e-books and audiobooks were checked out via Overdrive and Libby last year. 185 million of those checkouts were for e-books, while 88 million were audiobooks. 43,000 libraries across the U.S. are part of the Overdrive and Libby systems, thus proving their is a strong demand for digital content. Wisconsin's Digital Library (the system that the Marathon County Public Library and its patrons have access to) did spectacularly well, with over 5...