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Library News and Events

Quick View of February Happenings:




For details of each event, please scroll further down the page.
  • Winter Reading Program. For youths.
  • Wundrous Readers Society. For youths, all ages welcome. Each Thursday at 4:00 PM.
  • Friday Night Reels. For adults. Each Friday at 6 PM.
  • Recycle, Repurpose, Restyle. With Mary Mulari. February 12 at 3:30.
  • Summoned: Frances Perkins and the General Welfare. February 12 at 5:30 PM. A film and discussion produced by Mick Couette. 
  • Fast Friends. Presented by the Library Friends of Cook County. February 15 at 11 AM.
  • President's Day--The library will be closed. Monday, February 17.
  • The Pink Unicorn. Presented by Illusion Theatre. February 18 at 1 PM.

 

Fast Friends--Back by popular demand!

Brought to you by Library Friends of Cook County
Saturday, February 15 from 11 AM - 1 PM

Fast Friends is a casual and upbeat social gathering for adults in a welcoming environment -- your public library.

Fast Friends is based on the speed dating format with conversation topics provided. Participants are given 7 minutes to chat with one other person and then rotate seats to chat with the next person. This provides participants the opportunity to meet and connect with other members of the community. Refreshments provided.

Please come. We would like to meet you!



Thank you to the Library Friends of Cook County for sponsoring this program and building a sense of community belonging throughout our county.

Library Closed: President's Day

Monday, February 17


 

Illusion theater presents: The Pink unicorn

Tuesday, February 18 at 1 PM.



Illusion’s THE PINK UNICORN by Edie Elise Forier is an award-winning solo work performed by award-winning actress Kate Guentzel as a Christian widow (“Trisha”) who must choose sides in her small town after her teenage daughter announces she is “gender queer” and starts a chapter of the Gay Straight Alliance at the high school.

It’s the story of a mom standing up to become an advocate for her daughter against all odds. With sharp wit and humor, this compelling story explores what it means to be a parent and a community in these changing times.
 

FRIDAY NIGHT REELS FOR FEBRUARY 21ST




The 2020 Friday Night Reels film series continues Friday, February 21st at 6 PM with the movie Kusama Infinity.



Kusama Infinity explores artist Yayoi Kusama's journey from a conservative upbringing in Japan to her brush with fame in America during the 1960s (where she rivaled Andy Warhol for press attention) and concludes with the international fame she has finally achieved within the art world.

The films selected for this series are intended to appeal to adult audiences and may not be suitable for young viewers. We thank the Library Friends of Cook County for their generous and continued support in providing this program.
 

WINTER READING PROGRAM BEGINS january 6

The Grand Marais Library’s Winter Reading Program is coming! From January 6 through February 28, 2020, kids of all ages can choose a way to track their reading and earn free prizes:
  • Sticker page: Designed for the littlest readers (ages zero to six). Earn a sticker for each day you read or listen to books (with your grown-up or on your own). You can also get a sticker from staff every time you visit the library. When the sticker page is full (12 stickers), turn it in for a free prize book!
  • Activity log: The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure of reading logs. Pick from a list of reading-related activities or set your own goals. Color in a circle for each completed activity. When the log is full or any time after March 1st, turn it in for a free prize book!
  • Timed reading challenge: Cross off a book for every 20 minutes of reading (or listening to books). After 700 minutes read or any time after March 1st, turn it in for a free prize book!
  • Book title log: The classic reading log. Write down titles of the books you’re reading. When the log is full or any time after March 1st, turn it in for a free prize book!
  • Tacos for Teens: Age ten and up. Teens/tweens can take a punch card with a variety of reading-related activities. Each time you complete one, tell a library staff member about it to get your card punched. Six punches earns you a coupon for a free taco from Hungry Hippie Tacos. Each card has 16 activities, so you can earn up to 2 tacos!
For school-aged kids, the Wundrous Readers Society meets every Thursday, 4:00-5:00 p.m. for hot cocoa, doodling, and reading aloud. We’re currently re-visiting Jessica Townsend’s Nevermoor series in anticipation of the release of the third book in March 2020.
 

Friday night reels film series

Fridays at 6 PM at the library



This winter, join neighbors after hours at the library to view thought-provoking films each Friday night January 3 through March 6 . Here's the schedule:
  • January 3: Blade Runner, Director's Cut
  • January 10: Ulysses & Mona
  • January 17: The Public
  • Januaury 24: Fighting with My Family
  • January 31: BlackKklansman
  • February 7: Amazing Grace
  • February 14: Juliet Naked
  • February 21: Kusama Infinity
  • February 28: The Professor
  • March 6: Stay Human
The films selected for this series are intended to appeal to adult audiences and may not be suitable for young viewers. We thank the Library Friends of Cook County for their generous and continued support in providing this program.


library unveils health portal


You may have noticed a new button in the jewel bar near the top of our homepage. The red cross symbol labeled “Health Topics” (scroll left or right if it doesn’t immediately appear) gives you access to reliable, research-based, #NOTFAKENEWS resources on a variety of health topics.
 
The resources presented on this new web page offer various ways to look at health information, from general overviews, to in-depth coverage of specific health concerns, to information about specific medications and ways to identify an unknown pill by its appearance. Also included are resources for lactating women, AIDS information, household products and their contents, and more. Issues of pain management, substance addiction, treatment and cure are also covered. There is even a section devoted to healthy recipes.
 

GMPL accepts grant from LFCC


Grand Marais Public Library thanks the Library Friends of Cook County for their generosity in funding our Film Movement Membership, Film Series Support, and funding for speakers, who provide free presentations open to all members of our community.

The Friends organization is a valuable resource for our county's schools and libraries. To learn more about the organization and the grants they recently awarded, read here.

Readers' comments welcome

Did you love your latest read? Tell the next reader! 



Grand Marais Public Library is helping readers share their reading experience with others. A slip of paper inside the cover of a book invites readers to leave a brief comment for the next person who may pick up that book. Notes should be anonymous, and may include things that give subsequent readers feedback about your reading experience.

 
If you find a Grand Marais book that does not contain a slip, request one at the front desk. This effort supports goals in our 2018 strategic plan to build a sense of community and belonging.


 

WUndrous Readers Society

Thursdays, 4PM - 5PM



Youths, join the Wundrous Readers Society! We meet on Thursdays from 4-5pm for hot cocoa (in official Wundrous Readers Society mugs), doodling, and reading aloud! The books are geared toward ages 9-12 and all ages are welcome. We review the plot at the start of every gathering, so you'll be ready to jump into the story each week even if you've missed a night.
 

Highway 61 construction project


Watch this video for a detailed explanation of the construction phasing, staging and traffic control to impact Grand Marais over the next couple of years.



Coming soon: "Project Status" link. 

mail-a-book program for county residents

Listen to this short WTIP audio clip

County folks, we know it can be difficult to return books to Grand Marais Public Library on time. Did you know you can borrow paperback books and other materials from the Arrowhead Library System via u.s. mail free of charge?

The items come to your mailbox; you return them through your mailbox. The same is true for city residents in assisted living. ALS Executive Director Jim Weikum joins Tracy Benson on WTIP to explain:


 

online tech help videos

Try these!


Over 40 Tech Support videos offer short, straight-forward instructions on a variety of topics, including:

  • Copy and paste
  • Make a phone call from your GMAIL account--for free.
  • Attach a file to your email
  • Crop your photos

Library gets a New strategic plan, mission, tagline

Winter 2017



With much help from the community, the Grand Marais Public Library completed a strategic planning process this year that will guide our actions for the next five years.

Our new mission is:
The Grand Marais Public Library increases knowledge, inspires creativity, removes barriers, and builds community across Cook County.

Our tagline is:
EXPLORE.  LEARN.  CREATE.  CONNECT.

Our priority goals are:
  1. The community will increase understanding and appreciation of the full range of human diversity.
  2. The community will have increased knowledge and utilization of library resources and programs throughout the county.
  3. People will enjoy a comfortable environment that gives them a sense of community belonging.
  4. Young children will develop a love of reading and improve their literacy.
We invite you to review the Strategic Plan for more information.

The library gets 5 stars 11 years in a row

Grand Marais Public Library is pleased to announce it has once again achieved a 5 star ranking in the annual Library Journal Star Libraries standings. Last year, when Grand Marais was ranked a 5 star library for 10 years running, it was one of only 13 libraries in the nation to do so  Visit the Library Journal website to read more.