May 18, 2021

All nine Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) locations will reopen to the public on June 1, 2021. The reopening date was approved by the MCPL Board of Trustees during their monthly meeting on May 17. Starting June 1, all MCPL locations will also return to their pre-pandemic hours of operation, which include a mixture of daytime and evening hours, Monday through Saturday. For a list of hours by location, click here. In addition to in-person browsing and checkout, drive thru service will continue to be offered in Wausau and Marathon City, and limited curbside pickup hours will be offered in Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford. Curbside pickup hours vary by location, so call...

COVID-19 Libraries Library Board Library Branches On-Site Services Wausau Headquarters

April 20, 2021

At its April 2021 meeting, the Library Board decided to maintain the "limited re-opening" status of the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL), based on recommendations from the Marathon County Health Department. "This past week [...] reinforced COVID-19 has not gone away, having 154 new cases reported and seeing an uptick in cases over the past two weeks. This is the most cases we’ve seen since late January-early February. The climb in cases can be contributed to people growing tired and resuming behaviors that increase their risk for exposure along with the arrival of variants of the virus that spread more easily. [...] To get us “out of the woods” calls upon everyone to continue the practices...

COVID-19 Library Board Library Branches

April 20, 2021

It’s probably fair to say that we’ve all had enough of the COVID-19 pandemic. We here at the Marathon County Public Library are certainly looking forward to reopening our doors and getting back to that thing we enjoy doing so much - serving you, the public. That said, we are not quite out of the woods just yet.  After conferring with the Marathon County Health Department and the MCPL Board of Trustees, I am delighted to offer a tentative schedule for our next stage of reopening. On Monday, April 19, our board agreed to target Tuesday, June 1 as the tentative date we intend to reopen to the public. If we are able to meet that goal when factoring in local infection rates and...

Adults Community COVID-19 Director's Report Libraries Library Board Library Branches Wausau Headquarters

January 27, 2021

On January 25, the Marathon County Public Library Board of Trustees voted to approve a motion for the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) to join the South Central Library System (SCLS). The 4-3 vote was preceded by a year-long analysis by the Library System Task Force, which was formed in January 2020 to thoroughly examine the cost and benefits of joining SCLS. In December 2020, the Task Force’s final recommendation was that MCPL join SCLS. “I appreciate all of the hard work completed by our Task Force during the past year,” said Marathon County Public Library Director Ralph Illick. “I am excited about the possibility of joining the South Central Library System and collaborating with our friends at the...

Community Libraries Library Board Library Branches

November 24, 2020

Marathon County officials and municipal officials within the county recently embarked on a plan to boost the strength of wireless internet available at all Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) locations. Currently, Wi-Fi is left on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at all 8 MCPL branches, and is available from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the Wausau Headquarters, as well as from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Prior to a decision made by the MCPL Board in May 2019, the library turned off its Wi-Fi when the building was closed. The change was made in an attempt to provide residents — especially those in rural areas who have poor internet service —  with...

Community COVID-19 Director's Report Facility Improvement IT Updates Library Board On-Site Services Technology

June 16, 2020

After being closed for the past three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all nine Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) locations will reopen on Monday, June 22, with limited services. This includes locations in Wausau, Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer and Stratford. MCPL’s limited reopening on June 22 will be the first phase in a multi-step reopening plan that will unfold throughout the coming months. During this phase, library locations will be open by appointment only, and with limited hours (see a list of location hours here). At MCPL’s Wausau Headquarters, the public may call the reference desk at 715-261-7230 to schedule an appointment for computer use. A...

COVID-19 Libraries Library Board Library Branches

May 19, 2020

In order to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and its impact on members of the community and our staff, the Marathon County Public Library’s headquarters in Wausau and its branches throughout the county will remain closed to the public through June 15, 2020. We will continue to provide important library services such as contact-free curbside pickup, free Wi-Fi outside of our buildings, online programming and reference phone calls and emails. In addition, due dates and fines are suspended during this time. We are working with county officials, statewide library leadership, and our library system on developing a multi-phase reopening plan that prioritizes public health. We will be...

Community COVID-19 Director's Report Government Information Health Resources Library Board Library Branches

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...

Facility Improvement Director's Report Newsletter Library Board

November 21, 2019

In an effort to provide more consistency and uniformity across its 9 locations, the Marathon County Public Library will change its hours of operation starting January 12, 2020, to include a balance of morning, afternoon and evening hours. The library’s Board of Trustees in October 2019 unanimously approved the changes, which were based on factors such as hourly circulation and door counts, staffing and safety issues, public and staff surveys, and comparisons with other libraries in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States. See below for a full breakdown of the hours by location, but here are a few key things to keep in mind if you’re wondering about your next trip to the library after January 12...

Library Branches Facility Improvement Events Library Board

January 22, 2018

Visit www.mcpl.us/about/board for future library board meetings.

Library Board

August 15, 2017

I hope that all of our readers have enjoyed this pleasant, temperate summer season. We have seen a lot of changes at MCPL, and I would like to share some news about more changes you will see in the near future.  To begin, we have been using the new Wausau Community Room on the second floor of our Wausau Headquarters, and the public loves it! There is easy access via stairs or elevator, and the reviews have been very positive. If you have the need for a meeting of your nonprofit group or club, please consider using this meeting room for your next gathering of twenty or more people. Remember that all meetings at the library must be open to the public. Next, I am deeply saddened to announce that our...

Director's Report Friends Of The Library Library Branches Meeting Rooms Facility Improvement Library Board

April 19, 2017

Staff of the Marathon County Public Library celebrated the opening of their newly-completed Wausau Community Room on April 5. Located on the second floor of the library's Wausau Headquarters, the community room was built to allow for easier patron access and to replace the library's third floor meeting room. Library Director Ralph Illick cut the ceremonius ribbon at the unveiling, which was organized by the Wausau Region Chamber of Commerce and was attended by library staff, Marathon County Administrator Brad Karger, employees of the Wisconsin Valley Library Service, members of the Marathon County Board and library board, members of the MCPL Foundation, volunteers from the Friends of Marathon...

Libraries Community Facility Improvement Library Board

April 4, 2014

Responding to patron demand and other factors, the Marathon County Public Library Board of Trustees recently increased operating hours at four MCPL locations. The Board in March approved additional weekend hours at the Wausau Headquarters and Hatley, Marathon and Rothschild branches. The changes mean the locations’ winter hours are now in effect year-round, and include:   Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed Sunday at the three branches (previously closed all weekend). Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Wausau Headquarters (previously open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday). An increase from four hours to 20 hours of operation at MCPL locations on...

Libraries Newsletter Government Information Library Board Facility Improvement