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You are invited to participate in the MPL's annual Gingerbread House Challenge. Entries will be chosen by the public at the Holiday Open House on December 3.

Starting November 10, submissions can be brought to the User Services desk to be entered into the Challenge. All submissions must be accompanied by a completed and signed entry form. A separate entry form must be completed for each gingerbread house.

Who Can Enter?

Anyone -- children, teens and adults. Individuals or families. Only ONE gingerbread house per person or may be submitted. The library is not responsible for any damage to the gingerbread houses before, during, or after the Holiday Open House event. All structures must be mounted on a hard, unbending base. No larger than 1 square foot. The library reserves the right to photograph all entries. Entry must be appropriate for audiences of all ages. All submissions should be picked up on 12/3 or by closing 12/8. Remaining submissions not picked up will be disposed of.

What are the prizes?

  • Best Overall: $50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
  • Best Traditional: $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
  • Best Nontraditional: $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
  • Most Creative: $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card

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Black Life in America

The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media.  This collection offers “suggested searches” to guide patrons and students to pertinent topics from social justice, politics, arts, literature, key people, etc.

Proquest Black Freedom Struggle

ProQuest invites you to explore this website which focuses on Black Freedom, featuring select primary source documents that are related to critical people and events in African American history.

Find these databases and more at https://www.messengerpl.org/online-databases


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Summer is here! Stop by the library to pick up Summer Challenge reading trackers for everyone in your family. 

Online and paper options are available for all ages. For kids and teens, log into Beanstack or download the Beanstack Tracker app to earn badges, prizes, and virtual tickets for the Grand Prize Drawings. Adults, turn in your reading logs at the Help Desk or submit them online.

The LAST DAY to turn in reading and activities either in-person or online is July 31! Grand Prize Drawing winners will be contacted in early August.

Grand Prize Drawings

  • 2023 Award-Winning Book Packages (kids and teens)
  • Family Museum Membership (kids)
  • Nintendo Switch Prize Package (teens)
  • Morten Arboretum Prize Package (adults)
  • Gift Card Prize Package (adults)
  • Birding Prize Package (adults)

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March 25 - April 30
Where will your adventure begin?Make time this spring for a Library Road Trip! Plan your visits to our neighboring libraries to see the sites and explore their unique offerings. Pick up a library passport at the MPL Help Desk or any participating library. Visit each library to collect a souvenir for visiting (while supplies last) and a stamp on your passport.
 
Collect as many stamps as you can, then turn in your passport at your home library for entry into a drawing for an awesome prize basket offered by your home library!
• 1-5 stamps = 1 ticket• 6-10 stamps = 2 tickets• 11-15 stamps = 3 tickets• 16-17 stamps = 4 tickets

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Get in Your Element this September—sign up for a library card! From borrowing books, e-books, and museum passes to getting homework help, learning new skills, or attending story time, a library card helps you do more of what you enjoy. Get a library card and dive into a new hobby. Use your library card to spark your creativity. A library card is your most important school supply—it’s elemental, really—and everyone should have one!


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Download the new SWAN Libraries App to your smartphone or tablet. Once you login with your library card barcode and PIN, you can access the SWAN Library Catalog and your account.Click here for more details, screen shots, video tutorials, and how-to's about using the SWAN Library app.  

 




Online Resources

    eMedia Library digital books     NoveList Plus