Upcoming Events

Featured Events

Craft and build

After School Craft and Build

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 at 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Maybee Branch
Library Branch: Maybee Branch
Age Group: Preschool, Children, Tweens
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, General
Event Details:

Come to the library every first Tuesday of the month, October through May, for a fun activity!  We'll have an artsy project as well as a building activity or challenge.

Curious Kids' Learning Lab

Curious Kids' Learning Lab

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Area at Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Children's Area
Age Group: Preschool, Children
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Book Club, Educational
Registration Required
Event Details:

Your 4-7-year-old is invited to explore, create, and have a blast at our Curious Kids LAB! 

We’ll work on communication and reading skills, explore a STEAM topic, art experiences, and enjoy fun, hands-on extension activities. 

Flyer

Tween/Teen Craft Night

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Library at Rasey Luna Pier Branch
Library Branch: Rasey Luna Pier Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Tweens, Teens
Program Type: Arts & Crafts
Registration Required
Event Details:

If you are a tween or teen who likes to craft, join us each month for a crafting night.  Come hang out with friends, enjoy some snacks, and test your creativity with a different project each month.

Small Fries Friday

Small Fries Friday

Friday, April 10, 2026 at 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Area at Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Children's Area
Age Group: Preschool
Program Type: Educational, General, Storytime & Playgroups
Registration Required
Event Details:

Join us each week for a sampling of learning and literacy fun, specifically designed for children ages 3–6.  

Weekend Parent Child Play Group -Dundee

Weekend Parent & Child Play Group

Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 10:00am - 11:00am
Downstairs Programming Area at Dundee Branch
Library Branch: Dundee Branch
Room: Downstairs Programming Area
Age Group: Babies & Toddlers, Preschool
Program Type: Storytime & Playgroups
Event Details:

Join us for a morning of playing and socializing. We will be offering a time for young children and their caregiver to interact through play, songs, books and art. Each session will end with a gathering time.

Diamond Art

Diamond Art Painting

Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 11:00am - 12:00pm
Upstairs Library Space at Dorsch Memorial Branch
Library Branch: Dorsch Memorial Branch
Room: Upstairs Library Space
Age Group: Tweens, Teens
Program Type: Arts & Crafts
Registration Required
Event Details:

Create your own sparkling masterpiece with diamond art! Tweens/teens will us tiny, colorful “diamonds” to complete fun and easy designs.

Curious Kids' Learning Lab

Curious Kids' Learning Lab

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Area at Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Children's Area
Age Group: Preschool, Children
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Book Club, Educational
Registration Required
Event Details:

Your 4-7-year-old is invited to explore, create, and have a blast at our Curious Kids LAB! 

We’ll work on communication and reading skills, explore a STEAM topic, art experiences, and enjoy fun, hands-on extension activities. 

poster

Kid Crafternoons: Learn to Hand Sew!

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Community Room at Ida Branch
Library Branch: Ida Branch
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Children, Tweens, Teens
Program Type: Arts & Crafts
Registration Required
Event Details:

Learn the basics from a long-time hand-sewing enthusiast! Bring your own projects to work on or sew along with our step by step project with materials provided!

Program Flyer

What Is Citizen Science?

Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Room C at Bedford Branch
Library Branch: Bedford Branch
Room: Room C
Age Group: Family, Adults
Program Type: Educational, General
Registration Required
Event Details:

Science enthusiasts, this informational program is for you! Join Jess as she explains the world of citizen science, introduces the library's current citizen science kits and shares ways YOU can get involved.

Play Dough Evenings at Dundee

Play Dough & Play Dates - Evening Edition

Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Dundee Branch
Library Branch: Dundee Branch
Age Group: All Ages, Babies & Toddlers, Preschool, Children, Tweens, Teens, Family
Program Type: Arts & Crafts, Storytime & Playgroups
Event Details:

Spend the evening at the library enjoying open ended play dough play!

Filters
Age Group
Program Type

Monroe County Civil War Roundtable

7:00pm–9:00pm
Adults
Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Programming Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: History
Event Details:

Victory on the Mississippi

The Prison of Mackinac Island: The curious case of the Stanton Guard

6:00pm–7:00pm
Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

Can you imagine being imprisoned on Mackinac Island? For some today it might sound like a dream come true, but in the 1860s it was all too real for a trio of Confederate sympathizers.

Custer’s Last Stand Art Exhibit

All Day 4/17–4/24
All Ages
Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Riverside Area
Age Group: All Ages
Program Type: Educational, History
Event Details:

On the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, explore the memory of the battle through the eyes of artists.  The exhibit will feature images from the life and times of General George A. Custer.

The Last Stand in the American Imagination

5:00pm–6:00pm
Adults
Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Programming Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: History
Event Details:

Paintings of the Battle of the Little Bighorn started to come into the public space immediately after the tragedy at the Little Bighorn in June of 1876.  Initial paintings, not at all accurate, spurred the American imagination into the chaoti

A Night on the North Atlantic

5:30pm–7:30pm
Family, Adults, Seniors
Summerfield – Petersburg Branch
Waitlist
Registration Required
Library Branch: Summerfield – Petersburg Branch
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Family, Adults, Seniors
Program Type: History
Registration Required
Event Details:

The Golden Age of Travel awaits, but fortune is a fickle captain. We invite you to a dinner shrouded in history and happenstance.

Disclaimer(s)

Food Allergens

We cannot guarantee that food served at this program has not come into contact with tree nuts, soy, or other allergens. Accordingly, the library will not be liable for such harm to any individual resulting from such allergens.

Battlefield Archaeology Some New Insights into Custer’s Last Stand

6:30pm–7:30pm
Adults
Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Programming Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: History
Event Details:

150th Anniversary the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Women in the Holocaust with The Zekelman Holocaust Center

6:00pm–7:00pm
Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

The Holocaust was not a gender-neutral genocide. Women experienced the Holocaust differently and were targeted specifically was women.

MCLS Branches Closed for All Staff Day Training

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System will be closed for Staff Training.

MCLS Branches Closed for All Staff Day Training

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System will be closed for Staff Training.

The National Park Service and American History

6:00pm–7:30pm
Family, Adults
Bedford Branch
Library Branch: Bedford Branch
Room: Community Room
Age Group: Family, Adults
Program Type: General, History
Event Details:

Join us as we partner with the River Raisin National Battlefield to explore the history of the National Park Service and their involvement in the preservation and protection of American History.

Monroe County Civil War Roundtable

7:00pm–9:00pm
Adults
Ellis Library & Reference Center
Library Branch: Ellis Library & Reference Center
Room: Programming Room
Age Group: Adults
Program Type: History
Event Details:

Meanwhile South of the Border:

The French Attempt to Take Over Mexico 1862 - 1867

Liberation: Soldiers and Survivors Bear Witness with The Zekelman Holocaust Center

6:00pm–7:00pm
Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

When Allied troops encountered survivors at the Nazi concentration and death camps, they were shocked by the depth of human suffering and many were moved to help survivors in anyway they could.

Bedford Branch Library Closed

All Day
Bedford Branch
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch
Description:

The Bedford Branch Library is closed today as part of the Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System are closed in observance of Memorial Day.

Juneteenth

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System are closed in observance of Juneteenth.

Spreading Hate: Propaganda and the Holocaust

6:00pm–7:00pm
Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

Many people chose to support the Nazi regime during the Holocaust, and propaganda played a significant role in the their thinking.

Independence Day (Observed)

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System are closed in observance of Independence Day.

Independence Day

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System are closed in observance of Independence Day.

Bedford Branch Library Closed

All Day
Bedford Branch
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch
Description:

The Bedford Branch Library is closed today as part of the Independence Day weekend.

The Ritchie Boys Lecture with the Zekelman Holocaust Center

6:00pm–7:00pm
Tweens, Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Tweens, Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, General, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

The Ritchie Boys were a select group of soldiers during the WWII who trained at a secret military intelligence camp.

Michigan History Told in Shipwrecks

6:00pm–7:00pm
Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, General, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

Shipwrecks are fascinating to divers, historians and anyone with an imagination that's been near the lakes on a stormy day. Different wrecks can tell stories of courage and heroism, but also of cowardice and greed.

Life After the Holocaust with the Zekelman Holocaust Center

6:00pm–7:00pm
Tweens, Teens, Adults
South Rockwood Branch
Registration Open
Registration Required
Library Branch: South Rockwood Branch
Room: Library
Age Group: Tweens, Teens, Adults
Program Type: Educational, General, History
Registration Required
Event Details:

The effects of the Holocaust lasted long after the end of WWII. Survivors had to find ways to cope with their experiences and rebuild their lives and families.

Bedford Branch Library Closed

All Day
Bedford Branch
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch
Description:

The Bedford Branch Library is closed today as part of the Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day

All Day
All Branches
Closing
Branches:
Bedford Branch, Blue Bush Branch, Carleton Branch, Dorsch Memorial Branch, Dundee Branch, Ellis Library & Reference Center, Erie Branch, Frenchtown – Dixie Branch, Ida Branch, L.S. Navarre Branch, Maybee Branch, Newport Branch, Rasey Luna Pier Branch, Robert A. Vivian Branch, South Rockwood Branch, Summerfield – Petersburg Branch, Library in Motion: Senior Outreach, Bookmobile, Off Site, Online
Description:

All branches of the Monroe County Library System are closed in observance of Labor Day.