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AAALibrary News and Events
INTRODUCTION TO BALKAN MUSIC
Featuring Orkestar Bez ImeFriday, March 24 at 10:30 AM
Free and open to the public!

This Introduction to Balkan Music is brought to you by the North Shore Music Association and is presented at the Grand Marais Public Library.
Odd rhythms, exotic scales, unusual singing, oh my! In this whirlwind musical tour of the Balkan Peninsula, award-winning Orkestar Bez Ime (“band without a name” in Bulgarian) presents an interactive performance of the vibrant folk music from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and others. Highlighting the Romany (“Gypsy”) people of the region, OBI discusses how migration, history, surrounding cultures, and the land’s features have influenced Balkan music and dance over the ages.
Orkestar Bez Ime, meaning “orchestra without a name” in Bulgarian, was formed in 2002 to recreate the sounds of the village with a presentation as festive as the music itself. Focusing on Eastern Europe and music of the Rom (“Gypsy”) people, OBI’s repertoire reaches from Albania to Ukraine, with plenty of stops in between. Orkestar Bez Ime is a winner of the 2011-2012 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music and a recipient of a 2012 Minnesota Emerging Composers Award from the American Composers Forum. (https://orkestarbezime.com/)
This program is brought to you by the North Shore Music Association with generous support from NSMA's Business Event Sponsors: Grand Marais Hotel Company, Grand Marais State Bank, and North Shore Federal Credit Union. It's also made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
We offer self-service printing, photocopying, scanning
Grand Marais Public Library provides the public self-service access to a photocopier, printer, and scanner for small scale jobs.- Scanning to your own flashdrive: FREE
- Black and white copies: 20¢ per side
- Color copies: 80¢ per side
Library Board of Trustees' meeting
The Library Board of Trustees meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5 PM. The meetings, held at City Hall Council Chambers, are open to the public. Please join us!
- Thursday, March 23
- Thursday, April 27
- Thursday, May 25
- Thursday, June 22
- Thursday, July 27
- Thursday, August 24
- Thursday, Sept 28
- Thursday, October 26
- Due to holidays, November and December meeting dates will be scheduled for a different time and/or day.
creative bug resources
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Do you have an ALS library card and Internet acess? Great! You now have unlimited access to more than 1,000 award-winning arts and crafts video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists.
There are creative projects for every occasion with downloadable patterns, templates, and recipes. The easy-to-navigate website features classes on topics in art and design, sewing, paperwork, holidays and parties, knitting and crochet, quilting, jewelry, and more! Browse by skill difficulty levels, quick or multi-part classes, specialty techniques, or those video tutorials best suited for children.
state parks passes at your library
June 14 2021 through June 30, 2022
Through a partnership with the DNR, the library will be circulating two free 7-day vehicle parking passes to visit Minnesota's state parks. A library card is not required for participation. Starting June 14, we will begin accepting reservations for the passes and will book them through August 31, 2021. Additional months will open as the current one ends.
The purpose of this program is to make state parks even more accessible to the public by eliminating the entrance fee. Passes are funded by the DNR’s Parks and Trails Legacy Amendment dollars. Folks who try the program will be encouraged to complete a survey. The data are needed to support the program’s continuation. For more information about Minnesota’s parks, visit mndnr.gov.
WOWBRARY email service
A welcoming way to see the newest additions to our collection
WOWbrary is a weekly email showcasing Grand Marais Public Library's newest books, audiobooks, movies, and magazines.
With WOWbrary, you can browse our latest arrivals from home or wherever you have Internet access. You'll learn about bestsellers, cookbooks, mysteries, science books, travel guides, histories, children's titles, health books, science fiction, and more. Read a summary of each title and screen consumer reviews. With links to our catalog, it's easy to place holds on the titles that capture your imagination.
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:
strategic plan, mission, tagline
Our 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:
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The community will increase understanding and appreciation of the full range of human diversity.
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The community will have increased knowledge and utilization of library resources and programs throughout the county.
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People will enjoy a comfortable environment that gives them a sense of community belonging.
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Young children will develop a love of reading and improve their literacy.
We invite you to review the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan for more information.