September 2026 Newsletter

This month: Discounts at Local Businesses, New E2 Box, and One Grand Read!

Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! To celebrate, we’re sharing giveaways and discounts at local businesses! 

Discounts: 

Show your East Lansing Public Library card to participating businesses for a discount at check-out! Valid for in-person purchases only, unless otherwise specified. Check out the list below for more details:

• Biggby (Lake Lansing & Abbott): $1 off any drink
• Capital City Sweets: 10% off your order
• Carousel Consignments: 15% off normal-priced purchases
• Constellation Cat Cafe: 10% discount on merch, cafe beverages, and cat room visits (call to schedule with discount)
• Dave's Hot Chicken: 10% off your order
• Flesh Adornments Piercing Studio: 10% off
• Fueld: 20% off your order
• H Tea Cafe: 20% off your order
• Launch Lansing: free jump passes
• Mahabir Wellness: 20% off natural skincare treatments, 20% off first-time body contours, and a complimentary mini mental health consultation.
• Peculiar Coffee Co: $1 off any drink
• PKSA (Professional Karate Schools of America) East Lansing: free two-week karate trial (email to schedule)
• Sacred Wisdom LLC Massage & Healing Arts Space: $10 off any service with Heather (use code Library when booking online)
• Urban Roots Salon: $5 off cuts and $10 off chemical services
• Wild Birds Unlimited (East Lansing): $10 off a $50 purchase

Giveaways:

Stop by the front desk of the library for a free prize! When you show, renew, or sign up for an ELPL library card, you can get a sticker, a yard sign, and a prize from our treasure chest! 

You can also enter into our raffle drawing for a grand prize!

Learn more about Library Card Sign-Up Month here:

One Grand Read

Join us for One Grand Read, the community reading program uniting the Greater Lansing Area in pursuit of good books! This year’s selection is There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib. 

Hanif Abrurraqib is a genre-defying poet, essayist, cultural critic and memoirist. Interspersed with reflections on the Columbus, Ohio basketball scene, Abdurraqib has crafted a remarkable love letter: to his father’s bald head, to his neighborhood, to a beloved teacher, to the art of looking cool, to the joy of Black children, to a city that doesn’t always love him back, and of course, to basketball and its legendary players. He also writes candidly of being unhoused, of encounters with the police, of the complexities of religion, and of what it means to succeed. Told in magnificent poetic prose, this eloquently meandering and conversational masterpiece is for anyone who has ever loved a people or a place.

This fall, One Grand Read will feature a series of free community programs inspired by the book’s themes to connect the community through conversation. ELPL will share a kids’ movie day, a book club discussion, a memoir writing workshop, and more! Our friends at CADL will also be hosting some stellar events, including visits from Zeke the Wonder Dog and a history talk. 

The program will culminate in a special visit from Hanif Abdurraqib on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 2pm, offering attendees the opportunity to hear directly from the author! Free tickets are now available through Eventbrite; reserve your spot today!

You can check out the book from ELPL, CADL, or MSU Libraries, or purchase it from participating bookstores. Happy reading!

Learn more about One Grand Read.

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Calling all little ones and their caregivers! School is back in session, which means it’s time to start off the year strong with 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, a nationwide initiative to promote reading to newborns, infants, and toddlers, and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading. Exciting changes are coming to the program! Here are the highlights:

📚You can now track your reading online using Beanstack! Go to elpl.beanstack.org or download the app to get started. This is the same platform we use for our summer reading program, making it easier than ever to keep your reading progress all in one place!

📚 We're also updating our prizes! Your kiddo will earn a sticker for every 100 books they read. At 500 books, each reader will earn a small stuffed reading buddy to encourage them. At 1,000 books, each reader will receive a backpack with crayons, markers, activity sheets, and a book to help them start kindergarten strong!

📚 We'll have a dance party for kids ages 0-5 on Saturday, September 12, from 10:30am-12:30pm to celebrate the newly revamped program! Learn about the changes to the program, sign up, and celebrate previous program finishers. 

The 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program is here to help your child build pre-literacy skills and get ready to read before starting school! Reading together will help them build a strong vocabulary, build background knowledge about all kinds of people, places, and things, and learn to love books. 

1,000 books may sound like a lot, but if you read just one book a day, you’ll meet your goal in less than three years, or read three books a day to reach your goal in under one year! This fun, free program is an easy way to help you start your child on the path to becoming a great reader.

E2 Box

We have a new Empathy and Equity (E2) Box! The new E2 Box replaces an older model, and features more space and better weather-proofing. It was built by Judah Merryman from Eagle Scout Troop 293 as his service project, with financial support from the Friends of the East Lansing Public Library. 

Help us celebrate by filling the box! This anonymously accessible pantry operates on the “take what you need, leave what you can” model. We need donations of non-perishable food, small clothing items like socks or gloves, and hygiene items. Donations are always welcomed, and can be dropped off in the designated bin inside the library’s lobby. Library staff and volunteers sort donations and regularly restock the E2 Box, ensuring quality, freshness, and consistent availability of resources. 

September Reading Recommendations

Looking for your next great read? Check out some of our recommended reading lists for September:

• Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Picture Books (kids)
• Books with Sazón! (adults)
• Books for Suicide Prevention Month (teens and adults)
• Happy Birthday Mary Shelley (adults)
• National Comic Book Day (all ages)
• Apple of My Eye! (kids)
• Cozy Fantasy (all ages)
• 2026 Award Winning Books (adults)

Featured: Upcoming Programs

Library programs are free and open to the public; you don’t even need a library card! Unless otherwise noted, no registration is required.

• Senior Open House (adults): Wednesday, September 9, 10:30-11:30am 
  • Curious about what programs and services the library offers that are beneficial to older adults? Come join us for an informal open house in the library’s cafe. Coffee and pastries will be provided. 
• 1000 Books Dance Party (ages 0-5): Saturday, September 12, 10:30-12:30pm 
  • Come sign up for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and celebrate previous finishers! Learn more about the program and enjoy a fun dance party.
• One Grand Read Book Group (adults): Monday, September 14, 7-8pm 
  • Join us for a discussion of this year’s One Grand Read selection: There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraquib, genre defying poet, essayist, cultural critic and memoirist.
• Kids Crafternoon: Friendship Bracelets! (ages 10 and up): Saturday, September 19, 1-2pm 
  • Join us for our first Kids Crafternoon making friendship bracelets! Registration required. 
• One Grand Read: Kids Movie Day: Sunday, September 20, 2-4pm 
  • Help us celebrate basketball’s central part of our One Grand Read events with a fun family movie day with crafts!
• Chinese Mahjong Meetup (adults): Tuesday, September 22, 6-8pm 
  • Join us for a Chinese Mahjong Meetup to learn about the origins and history of Mahjong and how it’s spread throughout the world, and practice basic strategies with fellow participants. No prior experience required, and mahjong sets will be provided!
• Internet Basics (adults): Thursday, September 24, 10-11:30am 
  • Join us for a beginner-friendly workshop where you’ll learn key internet terms, how to use web browsers,search engines, and navigate websites with confidence. Registration is required. 
• One Grand Read Main Event (all ages): Sunday, September 27, 2pm 
  • Join us at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center to enjoy an afternoon with author Hanif Abdurraqib.
• Homeownership Education (adults): September 29 and 30, 6-8pm  
  • This in-person homeownership seminar from MSU Extension will provide you with valuable information about the home buying process. Earn an education certificate that can be used to receive down payment assistance. Registration required.
• Teen Cooking Lab - Pringles Tasting (teens): Wednesday, September 30, 3:30-4:30pm 
  • Experiment with food through tastings, activities, and recipes! Today we’ll be tasting different flavors of Pringles.
• Savvy Caregiver Workshop (adults): Wednesday, September 30, 1-3pm 
  • Are you caring for someone with Dementia or memory loss? Attend a 6-week workshop to help! This workshop is open to current, non-professional caregivers of people with dementia who cannot live in a 24/7 care facility.
  • Registration Required: Call Tri-County Office on Aging at 517-887-1465 or email histedc@tcoa.org
• Sci-Fi Book Club - Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (adults): Saturday, October 3, 2-4pm 
  • Join us for a very out of this world Sci-Fi book club at the MSU Library! This two-hour event will begin with a special behind-the scenes tour of the MSU Library, and then we will gather to discuss The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Registration required.
• Truth or Fiction - A Writer's Dilemma (adults): Saturday, October 3, 10:30-11:30am 
  • Join us for an author talk with local author Renee Ozburn! She will be discussing her new book Unwanted Significance. 
• Teen Cooking Lab - Creepy Crawlies (adults): Wednesday, October 7, 3:30-4:30pm  
  • Experiment with food through tastings, activities, and recipes! Today, we'll create creepy crawlies out of candy and desserts!
• Teen Escape Room - Zombie Apocalypse (teens): Saturday, October 10 
  • Can you find the cure for the zombie apocalypse in time…before you turn into a zombie, too? Register for one session. 
  • Session 1: 11am-12pm 
  • Session 2: 12-1pm
• Tabletop Gaming - Making History (adults): Saturday, October 10, 3-5pm 
  • Join library staff for a fun afternoon of tabletop gaming! We will be playing Making History, published by CMU press. Players can expect to leave with a deeper appreciation of how historians craft narratives & how their personal biases may influence how they themselves then interact with those narratives. Registration required.
• Medicare Seminar (adults): Tuesday, October 13, 2-3pm 
  • Join us for a beginner-friendly ABCs of Medicare workshop covering Parts A-D, enrollment windows, dental benefits, and how to avoid common mistakes. Free and open to the public. 

Spotlight: Back To School

Back to school is in full swing! To help people transition from summer back to the classroom, we have a full list of resources perfect for students and educators to check out. Tackle the new school year with confidence with these resources available to you at elpl.org.

Academic Search Complete is designed for academic institutions. Includes peer-reviewed full text resources.

Applied Science and Technology Source contains broad coverage of research and development within the applied sciences and computing disciplines.

Art and Architecture Source covers fine, decorative, and commercial arts. Also covers architecture and architectural design. Includes periodicals published in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Dutch.

Associates Programs Source contains articles on topics often taught in community colleges. Topics include: accounting, agriculture, child care, cosmetology, cooking, food service, forestry, graphic arts, hospitality management, interior design, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and welding.

Biography Reference Center has more than 450,000 biographies.

Britannica Fundamentals are perfect for Pre K-2nd grade. Play and read to learn letters, numbers, shapes, and more.

Career Preparation from LearningExpress Library allows you to explore a variety of careers including allied health, law enforcement, and nursing. Includes preparation for occupation exams including civil service, commercial driver’s license, cosmetology, teaching and more. 

College Success Skills from LearningExpress contains tools to help students become comfortable navigating campus, courses, and their school-life balance. Learn about organizational strategies, classroom success skills, information literacy skills and more.

ERIC: Educational Resources Information Center has an index of journal articles, books, theses, curriculum, conference papers, standards, and guidelines on a wide range of education topics. Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education.

Explora for Educators allows educators to cross-search professional resources for educators.

History Reference Center includes documents, photos, maps, film, and video from leading history journals. Also includes biographies of historical figures 

Points of View Reference Center: Presents multiple sides of over 400 issues.

Humanities Source covers literary, scholarly, and creative thought. Ideal for students, researchers, and educators interested in the humanities. 

LearningExpress Library has test preparation for the ACT, ASVAB, GED, GRE, SAT, U.S. Citizenship, and more.

LinkedIn Learning is the online platform to learn about business, software, technology, and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals.

Sustainability Update:

• ELPL expanded their recycling efforts in the month of August and staff now have the option to recycle styrofoam.
• The first annual Clothing Swap was held in August! Community members were invited to bring in gently used clothing items and swap them for new items. This was a great way to reduce consumption and give clothing a second life.
• The library hosted a Greener Cleaners DIY Workshop in which participants learned about non-toxic household cleaners and got to make 3 recipes themselves!
• Our Adult Services Librarian, Mindy Rietkerk and Experience Team Leader, Liz Kish were interviewed by East Lansing Info about ELPL’s sustainability work. Keep scrolling to read the full article!

ELPL in the News:

• WILX: Celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month with the East Lansing Public Library
• ELi: Promoting Sustainability at the Library and Beyond

Catch ELPL Next Month:

Be on the lookout for more excitement in October! ELPL will be sharing featured reading lists, book displays, and programs throughout the month. Some of the library programs will include:

• Medicare Seminar
• Poetry Workshop
• Teen Escape Room
• Pumpkin Painting
• And more!

For more information, visit the library’s website or follow ELPL on social media!