April 2024 Newsletter: National Library Week and More!

National Library Week and More!

Check out what’s going on at the library in this month’s newsletter.

Featured: National Library Week!

National Library Week is April 7-13, 2024! Libraries give us a green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most. Find your crew at your library’s author talks, workshops, and book clubs. Enjoy the scenic route through the stacks to find your new favorite story. Or, take a virtual detour and see all the resources your library offers online.

No matter where you find yourself on the roadmap through life’s journey—preparing for a new career, pursuing your hobbies, or raising a family—your library provides an inclusive and supportive community where everyone belongs.

Get ready to explore, become inspired, and connect with your library this National Library Week. Libraries are there for you, all the way to the finish line.

Celebration Days:

Monday, April 8: National Right to Read Day

Tuesday, April 9: National Library Workers Day

Wednesday, April 10: National Library Outreach Day

Thursday, April 11: National Take Action for Libraries Day

Friday, April 12: Books, Bites, & Bids, ELPL”s annual fundraiser!


Featured: Books, Bites, & Bids

Tickets are now available for our annual fundraiser, Books, Bites, & Bids!

Join us on Friday, April 12, from 5:30-8pm, and enjoy a silent auction, appetizers, beer & wine, live music, and more. WKAR's Jody Knol will emcee the program, and Amy Zaagman, President of the ELPL’s Board of Trustees, will also share a few words. You'll also have a chance to meet the library’s new director, Kevin King!

Proceeds from the event will support our Maker Studio. This space houses amazing maker technology like 3D printers, vinyl cutters, sewing machines, and more, all available to the public for free or low cost. The Maker Studio is also home to our popular STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) programs. Since March 2022, ELPL has facilitated over 330 STEAM related programs for over 8,800 people of all ages! Programs are always free of cost and open to the public. 

Tickets to attend are $70 per couple/family and $35 for individuals. Ticket price includes the cost of food and drink. They can be purchased via cash or check at the service desk, or through our website, here.


Featured: April Book Lists

Check out some of the curated book lists available this April:

Get Ready for the Solar Eclipse - Monday, April 8!

Solar Eclipses - An Astronomically Good Time!

Earth Day - Monday, April 22

International Mother Earth Day

National Poetry Month:

Unveiling Voices: A National Poetry Month Reading List

Jazz Appreciation Month:

All that Jazz!

All that Jazz!  - the Streaming Edition

Sexual Assault Awareness Month:

No Means No: Talking to Your Child About Consent (kids)

Beyond the Silence: A YA Fiction Booklist for Sexual Assault Awareness Month (teens)

Sexual Assault Awareness Month Display (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.

      • Practice your reading aloud skills by reading to dogs! These dogs are great listeners. Registration required.
      • Enjoy a spring ukulele concert!
      • Please join Angelo Filaccio, MBA and licensed realtor (Weichert) for a free seminar for first-time homeowners. Learn the basics of purchasing a house! 
      • Join us for our annual fundraiser! Enjoy a silent auction, appetizers, beer and wine, live music, and more. Tickets are $35 per person or $70 per family/couple, and can be purchased in person or online.
      • ELPL will have a booth in the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility on MSU's campus! We'll have a variety of interactive demonstrations & activities all about pressure.
      • Learn about the life cycles of mussels, the ecological role that they play, and what we can do to help protect these imperiled creatures. Registration required.
      • Share your original poem, favorite works by poets you admire, or even song or rap lyrics that resonate with you. Snacks provided while supplies last.
      • Join the Greater Lansing Food Bank's Garden Project at the East Lansing Public Library for a free workshop covering gardening basics on any budget. 
      • We will be using paints to create poetry with art (similar to blackout poetry, but using more colors). Registration required.
      • Join us to share stories, strategies, and a love of birds!
      • This month we’re discussing Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate (2016). 
    • We’ll be discussing A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth, by Daniel Mason.

ELPL in the News:


Up and Coming Dates:

  • Books, Bites, & Bids will be held Friday, April 12. The library will close at noon to get ready.

Catch ELPL Next Month:

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

  • Poetry Reading
  • Kids’ Music Workshop
  • And more!

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