THE LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, APRIL 22

On the day of the closure ...

  • The Bookmobile will make all its stops.
  • Our book return drop box will be relocated to the area outside of the Olive Street entrance.

This closure will allow us to apply asphalt to our parking lot.
Prior to the closure, call 309.590.6120 or text 309.446.8398 with questions.

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Picture Book Poetry

All Day 4/1 - 4/30
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Children's Department
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
Join us in celebrating National Poetry Month by visiting the Children's Department during the month of April and creating a poem from our picture books. Browse the spines to find titles that you would like to use. Then stack them to create your poem....

Dungeons & Dragons: A Murder in Leilon

12:45pm - 4:45pm
Bloomington Public Library
Full
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Conference Room
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 1
:
A member of Leilon’s town council has been murdered, and only you can solve case and bring the killer to justice! In this program, teens will play through a D&D adventure full of twists and turns, with danger waiting around every corner of this s...

Modern-Day, 3D-Printed Lamps

6:00pm - 8:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Full
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Computer Lab
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 0
:
This is Part 2 in a 2-session program. Teens who attended Part 1 of this program will put together their lamp using a charging board, 2 LED lights, wires, a switch, and a battery. Some soldering will be needed, so teens will learn how to solder wi...

Fun Friday Story Time

10:00am - 10:30am
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Community Rm 2
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler, Everyone
Program Type: Story Time, In-Person Program
:
Join us every Friday in April for an all-ages story time in Community Room 2. We'll enjoy music, lots of movement, stories, and of course FUN! This program is perfect for children -- ages birth to 11 years -- and their caregivers.  Questions ...

Disclaimer(s)

Daycares

Due to limited space in the story time room, groups, such as daycares, interested in story times need to make arrangements by contacting Melissa Robinson by phone at 557-8960 or e-mail at melissar@bloomingtonlibrary.org.

El día de los niños/El día de los libros

4:00pm - 6:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Offsite Event
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Offsite Event
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
English Celebrate reading during El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) at Illinois Art Station (101 E. Vernon Ave., Normal, IL) with the Bloomington and Normal public libraries! Enjoy arts and crafts, snacks, ...

Memories from The Eastland Disaster

7:00pm - 8:30pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Bloomington Reads, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 43
:
This program is part of Bloomington Reads, a community reading program series which encourages people to read and talk about the same book or, in 2024, the same topic. --- Founders of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society (EDHS) will present...

"Capsized!" with Author Patricia Sutton

2:00pm - 3:30pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler, Adult, Teens, Everyone
Program Type: Bloomington Reads, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 56
:
This program is part of Bloomington Reads, a community reading program series which encourages people to read and talk about the same book or, in 2024, the same topic. --- Capsized! The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster is an engaging...

Houseplant Swap

11:00am - 12:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Outside
Age Group: Child, Adult, Teens, Everyone
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
House Plant Exchange Calling all Plant People! The popular BPL Plant Share is back and will be held on the library's patio. Plant lovers: bring plants, cuttings, and seeds to share, and take new plants home. Introduce your plant to it...

Books on Tap Book Club

7:00pm - 8:30pm
Bloomington Public Library
Register
Registration
Offsite Event
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Offsite Event
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Book Club, In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: Unlimited
:
Books on Tap Book Club The Books on Tap Book Club will meet at Lil Beaver Brewery to discuss Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto.  Contact the Help Desk at 309.590.6168 or reference@bloomingtonli...

History Reads Book Club

7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Conference Room & Online
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Book Club, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 17
:
History Reads Book Club The History Reads Book Club will meet to discuss The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore. Participants have the option to meet either in-person at Bloomington Public Library or online via Zoom.  Registrati...

"Treble Trouble": A Children's Opera!

6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Community Rm 2
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
Join us for a performance of the children’s opera “Treble Trouble”, a production of Prairie Fire Theatre and Illinois Wesleyan University! This fun-filled show is approximately 40 minutes long, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-sea...

COMPOST ... Nature’s Climate Champion!

11:00am - 12:00pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Adult, Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 176
:
--- Have you wondered about the benefits of using compost and composting food and yard waste? --- Do you live in an apartment or shared housing and think that composting is not something you can do?  --- Would you like to get started but don't...

"Ashes Under Water" with Author Michael McCarthy

7:00pm - 8:30pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Bloomington Reads, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 58
:
Bloomington Reads is a community reading program series, encouraging people to read and talk about the same book or, for 2024, the same topic. --- Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America reviews the 1915 Eas...

Music of the Great Lakes and Illinois Waterways

2:00pm - 3:30pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Child, Adult, Teens, Everyone
Program Type: Bloomington Reads, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 56
:
This program is part of Bloomington Reads, a community reading program series which encourages people to read and talk about the same book or, in 2024, the same topic. --- Musician Lee Murdock performs a boundless body of music and stories from...

English Language Conversation

5:30pm - 6:30pm
Bloomington Public Library
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Community Rm 2
Age Group: Adult, Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 38
:
English Language Conversation The English Language Conversations Group, offered in partnership with STAR Adult Literacy, is designed for adults for whom English is a second language. The group works on conversation skills with guided topics....

Fiction Book Club

7:00pm - 8:15pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Conference Room & Online
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Book Club, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: Unlimited
:
Fiction Book Club n recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, the Fiction Book Club will meet to discuss Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine. Participants have the option to meet either in-person in the Conference Room...

D&D: Rise of the Necromancer

12:45pm - 4:45pm
Bloomington Public Library
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Conference Room
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 5
:
When a strange, violent storm forces your party to hide in a cavern, you discover a nefarious plot. It’s up to you to put a stop to these plans to engulf the land in eternal darkness! In this program, teens will play through a D&D adventure full ...

Fact and Fiction with Author Jocelyn Green

2:00pm - 3:30pm
Bloomington Public Library & Online
Register
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library & Online
Room: Community Rm 2 & Online
Age Group: Adult
Program Type: Bloomington Reads, In-Person Program, Online Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 57
:
This program is part of Bloomington Reads, a community reading program series which encourages people to read and talk about the same book or, in 2024, the same topic. --- Author Jocelyn Green shares her insight into the research and writing of...

Endangered Animal Scavenger Hunt

All Day 5/28 - 7/29
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Children's Department
Age Group: Child
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
Endangered Animal Scavenger Hunt Find 15 endangered animals in our Children's Department to complete our Pete the Cat and Friends Endangered Animal Scavenger Hunt. When you're done, show your scavenger hunt sheet to a librarian at the Children’s D...

Vase Designs with CodeBlocks

6:00pm - 8:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Computer Lab
Age Group: Teens
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 10
:
Vase Designs with CodeBlocks Tinkercad Codeblocks is a software program which allows blocks of code to create designs for 3D-printing models. In this program, teens will design vases of various shapes and sizes which can be use to hold flowers, pe...

Kerfuffle's "The Conductors"

2:00pm - 3:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Community Rm 1, 2, & 3
Age Group: Child, Baby & Toddler
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
Join us for Kerfuffle's The Conductors! presented by The Connecting Routes Project and Illinois Art Station and directed by Ashley Laverty. Description: Where should we go? Who shall we visit? The conductors are on a search for treasure ...

Summer Chess Club

5:30pm - 7:30pm
Bloomington Public Library
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Children's Program Rm 1
Age Group: Child
Program Type: In-Person Program
:
Calling all knights of the square table! Come to the Children's Department for an informal chess drop-in event. All levels of chess skills are welcome! Bring a friend to play with or come to meet a new checkmate (Ha ha! We couldn't help ourselves). T...

Tales for Tails

6:00pm - 7:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Children's Department
Age Group: Child
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 8
:
This program pairs trained and certified therapy dogs with children in Grades K-5 who want to practice reading aloud. There will be 4 time slots available for kids to meet and read to a pup in the Children's Department: 6-6:10pm ...

Tales for Tails

1:00pm - 2:00pm
Bloomington Public Library
Registration
Library Branch: Bloomington Public Library
Room: Children's Department
Age Group: Child
Program Type: In-Person Program
Registration Required
Seats Remaining: 8
:
This program pairs trained and certified therapy dogs with children in Grades K-5 who want to practice reading aloud. There will be 4 time slots available for kids to meet and read to a pup in the Children's Department: 1-1:10pm ...