May 2023 Newsletter
Picture of yellow flowers in front of the entrance to E.D. Locke Public Library.
 
Library Closure
Clipart image of a sign that reads "Closed for Renovations" with a yellow hard hat and orange traffic cone. Text below the sign reads "Monday, May 22nd - Monday, May 29th"
 
Due to a major renovation project for our heating/cooling system as well as a separate project affecting internet access for the entire South Central Library System, the library will be closed from Monday, May 22nd through Monday, May 29th. We plan to reopen on Tuesday, May 30th, but there will be additional service changes until work is completed.
 
As with many renovation projects, these dates are subject to change, so please stay tuned to our website and social media for the latest updates: mcfarlandlibrary.org/library-closure
 
Monday, May 22nd - Monday, May 29th
  • LIBRARY CLOSED
  • No items will be due. The outside bookdrop will remain open, but we encourage you to keep your items if possible as we will be unable to check them in until the library reopens. As a reminder, we no longer charge overdue fines for most items!
  • Holds will not expire.
  • Visit mcfarlandlibrary.org to access your account, our online catalog, and other resources: digital ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers, streaming video and music, Consumer Reports, CreativeBug, Transparent Language and more.
Tuesday, May 30th
  • Library open but no wireless internet, internet computers, catalog computers, copying/printing, self checkout, curbside pickup.
  • HVAC work may cause temperature and/or noise issues.
  • Community meeting room not available.
Wednesday, June 1st - Monday, June 5th
  • Expected return of internet and other services.
  • HVAC work may cause temperature and/or noise issues.
  • Community meeting room not available.
We appreciate your patience and flexibility after we reopen as we navigate possible disruptions. There may be delays in checking in items and processing holds as we work through the backlog from the closure.
 
McFarland Bird Festival Events
Picture of a sandhill crane from the neck up.
McFarland Bird Festival
Saturday, May 13th
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lewis Park Shelter
 
Join fellow bird lovers at the Lewis Park shelter (5012 Highland Dr) for bird watching at Lower Mud Lake and all the festival has to offer:
  • Information and activity booths
  • Guided bird walks at 9:30 and 11:00 AM
  • Prize raffle
  • Birdhouses for sale
  • Free event for all ages
Visit the festival's Facebook page for more information: @mcfarlandbirdfestival
 
Bird Fest Raffle Tickets: $5 each or 5 for $20
Support birding in McFarland by entering the Bird Fest Raffle. Prizes include handmade birdhouses, stunning bird photo prints, anti-collision window clings, and more. You don't need to be present to win!
 
  • Tickets $5 each or 5 for $20
  • Purchase at the library now through May 12 and at the McFarland Bird Festival on May 13!
  • Cash or checks made out to "Friends of McFarland Parks" accepted.
 
Picture of a bald eagle named Victor, photo credit Hoo's Woods Raptor Center.Hoo's Woods Raptors
Thursday, May 4th
6:30 - 7:30 PM
Village Municipal Center Training Room
 
Dianne Moller of the Hoo's Woods Raptor Center will be at the Municipal Center with LIVE educational birds, including an eagle!
 
Please note: For the safety of the birds and attendees, this program is for ages 6 and up, and children must be accompanied by an adult. No flash photography, tripods, or video is allowed during the program.
Bald Eagle Victor, photo by Hoo's Woods
 
Picture of a table with a plant, backpack, birding books and binoculars.Birdathon Fundraiser
Saturday, May 6th
 
Shawn Miller and Alex Arnold will once again be participating in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon to raise funds for birding backpack kits for our library. 
 
Each Birding Backpack Kit can be checked out for use by local families and will contain:
  • 1 pair of binoculars for adults
  • 1 pair of binoculars for kids
  • 1 Sibley's field guide for adults
  • 1 youth field guide from Madison Audubon
  • 1 location guide to help you explore nearby birding spots
To learn more and donate:  McFarland Bird Festival's 2023 Birdathon

Thank you in advance for your support!
 
Picture of a bird sitting on a tree branch.
Guided Bird Walks
Monday, May 8th & Wednesday, May 10th
7:00 AM
Meet at Exchange St entrance to Indian Mound Conservancy
 
Join birders Shawn Miller and Heidi Cox on an early morning walk through Indian Mound Conservancy. See which birds you can identify!
 
Upcoming Events
Blank white calendar inside an orange circle
Please visit our website or Facebook page for updates and full details on programs for all ages:  
 
Youth & Family | Teen | Adult
 
Youth & Family Highlights
Clipart image of a child marching and playing a trumpet. Streams of color are coming out of the trumpet.
Our regular storytime programming will be taking a break after the first week of May so we can get ready for our Summer Library Program!
 
Visit our website for full details: mcfarlandlibrary.org/children
 
Teen Highlights
Clipart of a teen lounging on a chair and listening to music.Our regular teen programming will be taking a break in May while we get ready for our Summer Library Program!
 
Visit our website and subscribe to our teen newsletter for full details and latest info: mcfarlandlibrary.org/teen
 
Let your ears do the reading this summer with free audiobooks through the SYNC program! Download 2 free audiobooks each week through August 2nd. Find all the details at audibookSYNC.com.
AudioFile Sync Audiobooks for Teens. April 27 - August 2! Free Audiobooks. Covers of books scheduled for April 27 - May 24 are pictured.
Adult Highlights
Picture of playing cards: 10 of spades, jack of hearts, queen of spades, king of diamonds, and ace of clubs.Bridge Club
Thursday, May 4th & 18th
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
 
Join us for a game of bridge on the first and third Thursdays of the month. All are welcome, no registration required. 
Picture of tin cans that have been decorated and hold craft supplies.Adult Craft Club
Wednesday, May 17th 6:30 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
Registration Required - Opens May 10th
 
Use a variety of crafting supplies to up-cycle tin cans into craft supply holders, vases, or anything else your creative mind can imagine. All supplies provided. Registration opens May 10th - sign up online or call the library at 608-838-9030.
Visit our website for a full list of adult programs and services: mcfarlandlibrary.org/adult-events
 
Book Clubs
Join us for book discussions! Both of our book clubs meet in the Library Community Room or you can join us virtually over Zoom. Copies of each month's title are available at the library. New readers always welcome.
 
Mystery Book Club
Book cover of "The Girls in the Garden" by Lisa Jewell.
Wednesday, May 3rd 6:30 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
 
The girls in the garden : a novel
by Lisa Jewell

When a young girl discovers her 13-year-old sister lying unconscious from an attack during a festive neighborhood party, the once-picturesque garden-square community is thrown into turmoil by the awareness that someone among them may be responsible. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Third Wife.
Book cover of Bad Axe County by John Galligan.
Next Month:
Wednesday, June 7th 6:30 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
Bad Axe County : a novel
by John Galligan

The first female sheriff in rural Bad Axe County, Wisconsin, searches for a missing girl, battles local drug dealers, and seeks the truth about the death of her parents twenty years ago, all as a winter storm rages.
Wednesday Afternoon Book Club
Book cover of "Untamed" by Glennon Doyle
Wednesday, May 10th 2:00 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
 
Untamed
by Glennon Doyle

An activist, speaker and philanthropist offers a memoir wrapped in a wake-up call that reveals how women can reclaim their true, untamed selves by breaking free of the restrictive expectations and cultural conditioning that leaves them feeling dissatisfied and lost.
Book cover of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood.
Wednesday, June 14th 2:00 PM
Library Community Meeting Room
 
All the ugly and wonderful things
by Bryn Greenwood

Growing up wary of others, the daughter of a drug dealer cares for her younger brother and finds peace in the starry night sky before forging an unusual friendship with one of her father's thugs that leads to a tragedy and perspective changes.
Reading Recommendations
Jewish American Heritage Month. Featuring Jewish American Authors and Themes. Four book covers are pictured: Morningside Heights, The Plot, The Light of the Midnight Stars, and Koshersoul.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Explore titles featuring Jewish American authors and themes with our interactive book flyer:
https://libraryaware.com/2RWZT6
 
More Reading Recommendation Resources:Cover of Booklist Reader.
  • Check out our Reading Recommendations page
  • View our Staff Picks interactive flyer
  • Sign up for NextReads newsletters
  • Browse or search NoveList Plus
  • Check out the latest issue of Booklist Reader
  • Pick up a free copy of BookPage in the library
  • View the LibraryReads monthly top ten list 
  • Request a custom Book Bundle
LibraryReads banner with text "The top ten books published this month that library staff across the country love."
Digital Library
Big Library Read May 3-17. Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho. A TIME and NPR Best Book of the Year in 2021. Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text about a daughter's search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother's schizophrenia. Libby. The library reading app.
Join the Big Library Read digital book club! Borrow Tastes Like War by Grace M. Cho on Libby with no waitlists or holds from May 3-17. 
 
Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, Tastes Like War is a hybrid text about a daughter's search through intimate and global history for the roots of her mother's schizophrenia.
 
Join the discussion and find more resources at biglibraryread.com
 
New to Libby? Get started with step by step instructions. 

Library Hours
  
Monday - Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
 
Friday - Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
 
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
 
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McFarland E.D. Locke Public Library
5920 Milwaukee St.
McFarland, Wisconsin 53558
(608) 838-9030
mcfarlandlibrary.org/