Happy 2018 National Library Week!

The first National Library Week was celebrated in 1958 with a theme of “Wake Up and Read!" As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of National Library Week it seems fitting that this year the theme is “Libraries Lead.”

Do you have a passion for poetry?  The 14th Annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is now open.  All contestants must be Illinois residents and 18 years of age or over. 

Winners receive the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award, and there is a cash prize for first, second, and third place.  Entry forms, eligibility requirements, and further information can be found at: http://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/center_for_the_book/.

Start writing!

Lauren C.

To celebrate Jazz as an American art form, the Smithsonian Institute has designated April as Jazz Appreciation Month. The Urbana Free Library takes pride in holding a broad and deep collection of jazz, as well as rock, pop, blues, folk, country, classical, international, and soundtrack (music and show) genres. To help you dig deeper into this extensive collection, try these specific searches:

I’ve seen a sharp increase in the sassiness of cookbooks coming through the Library.

Coming Soon- new additions to the Music Equipment Collection at The Urbana Free Library!
Place your holds now on the following new items:

From time to time, we get questions at the Reference Desk about the Library’s WiFi. The most frequent question is, does the Library provide WiFi for patrons to use? The answer is yes! But we also get asked several other questions about the WiFi at the Library. Let me answer some other questions you might have. 

Continuing your education can be hard, especially when you’re juggling work, family, and other obligations.  That’s where The Urbana Free Library comes in!  Library cardholders now have access to over 6,000 online courses in business, technology, and creative skills via the Library’s subscription to