At the Library 11/4/26

 Community Ofrenda for Dia de Muertos at the WPL

By Alison Greiner

This fall, Washington Public Library invites our community to learn about and participate in Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican tradition that honors and remembers loved ones who have passed away.

Día de Muertos celebrates the love, memories, and connections that continue long after someone is gone. Rather than focusing on sadness alone, this tradition offers an opportunity to remember the people who have touched our lives and to celebrate the ways they continue to be part of our stories.

As part of this tradition, families create an ofrenda, a special altar that welcomes and honors loved ones. Ofrendas often include photographs, flowers, candles, favorite foods, and meaningful objects that help keep memories alive.

At Washington Public Library, we are creating a community ofrenda—a shared space where we can come together to remember the people who have made a difference in our lives. We hope this display will help our community learn about this meaningful Mexican tradition while creating a space for remembrance, reflection, and connection.

Everyone in our community is welcome to participate, whether Día de Muertos is part of your own cultural tradition or you are learning about it for the first time. We especially want to honor and respect our Mexican community members and recognize the cultural significance of this tradition.

If you would like to include a loved one in our community ofrenda, please bring a photograph along with your name and a short note sharing whom you are remembering and why that person was meaningful to you. We will make a copy of your photograph for the display so you can take your original home.

Please bring your photograph and note to the library by October 27. The Day of the Dead is November 2, and we look forward to bringing these memories together in a meaningful community display.

Whether you are remembering a family member, a friend, or someone who made a lasting difference in your life, we welcome your memories here.

We hope our community ofrenda will remind us that even though the people we love may no longer be with us, the love they shared and the memories we carry continue to connect us.

We look forward to creating something meaningful together.

Every life leaves a light. Every memory deserves a place.

At the Library 10/29/26

 Mary Lou Wittmer to Present
Quietus: a Recitation

by LeAnn Kunz

The Washington Public Library is hosting a special evening with a performance by professional reciter Mary Lou Wittmer on Thursday, October 29 at 6 pm. The recitation is part of her longer performance Quietus: Death and the Regenerative Powers of Nature, exploring work by D.H. Lawrence, Edgar Allan Poe and May Swenson. This evening honors the season of autumn and the thoughts of poets who consider death and revel in the regenerative powers of nature.

Mary Lou Wittmer was born in Washington, Iowa, raised in Minnesota and received her MFA in California. She resided nearly 40 years in New York City and performed throughout her life. In recent years she concentrated on an independent poetry project, performing poems with commentary in venues within New York City, Minnesota and North Carolina.

"It is my belief that poetry truly lives when spoken. My purpose is to communicate the poem, honoring its content while giving just emphasis to its inherent music. I recite (memorize rather than read) because it allows for complete expression. My intent is to transport the audience intot he world of the poet-to perform each poem fully, encouraging a transformative experience for the audience."

The evening will be atmospheric. We will set the mood with candles surrounding the piano/reading lounge on the second level of the library. Mary will recite Edgar Allan Poe's "Ulalume" and also D.H. Lawrence's "Ship of Death". There will be commentary afterwards.

Come “bathe in [the] crystalline light” of Poe’s imagination! Perfect for the season!

At the Library 10/20/26

Quality Control at Your Washington Public Library

By Marissa Reisen

If you’ve been to the library at all in the last month, you may have noticed pops of color

adorning the books on the shelves and wondered what in the world they were for?

Now you get your answer: Quality Control!

We have a few new Pages who have joined the crew here at WPL and their main task

during their shift is to shelve all the books that have circulated. On any given day, there

can be hundreds of books returned to the library and the Pages are the main vehicle for

getting them back on the shelves. Each new Page gets a particular color of paper tabs to

use so that we know for sure when a Page is ready to “graduate” away from utilizing them.

Each day, one of the Librarians or a volunteer will walk the stacks and check for books with

the colored tabs to ensure they are placed in the correct position. If it’s in the right spot, the

tab gets pulled, but if it is incorrect, we pull the book and let the Page try again. It can be

harder than you might think, especially for some of the authors who have MANY books

and/or series, as those add levels of intricacy to the shelf layout. If you didn’t already know

this, at WPL, books in the fiction sections are shelved alphabetically by author, then

alphabetically by title UNLESS the book is part of a series. Books in a series are in

numerical order within the series title which determines their position within that author’s

repertoire. Super simple and not confusing at all, right? It may seem trivial, but it really is

one of the most important pieces of a functioning library! If the books don’t get put away

properly the next patron who wants to check it out won’t be able to find it and madness

will ensue.

We do have other checks and balances as well. Every year we inventory our collection

to ensure that we are keeping accurate records of ins and outs, and we have reports that

we run to spot check books throughout the year. All of this and more to maintain the

organization of the library so you can always find what’s in our catalog!

At the Library 10/15/26

 New STEAM kits for Kids!

By Jenisa Harris

The Washington Free Public Library is excited to introduce new STEAM kits for

children ages 6 and up! Located in the Tween Room, these hands-on activity kits

encourage kids to explore, experiment, build, and learn while having fun. STEAM

stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. These kits are

designed to spark curiosity, encourage creativity, and develop problem-solving

and critical-thinking skills. Whether kids enjoy building structures, experimenting

with circuits, or solving puzzles, there is something for everyone!

Our new STEAM kits include:

● KEVA Structures Building Planks: With 200 wooden planks, kids can design and

build towers, bridges, and other creative structures while exploring engineering

and balance.

● Brain Flakes: These colorful, interlocking discs allow kids to use their

imaginations to create endless designs, shapes, and 3D structures.

● Snap Circuits (2 Sets): Kids can explore the basics of electricity and engineering

by snapping together components to create working electronic circuits.

● Gravity Maze: This fun logic game combines marble runs with problem-solving

challenges. Kids use critical thinking to build pathways that guide a marble to its

target.

● Go Robot Mouse Activity Set: Kids can learn the basics of coding and

sequencing by programming a robot mouse to navigate through a maze.

The STEAM kits provide a great opportunity for children to learn through play,

work together, and try something new. They also encourage kids to think outside

the box and discover new interests. All STEAM kits are available for use inside the

library only and cannot be checked out. Children ages 6 and up are welcome to

enjoy these activities in the Tween Room during library hours. Stop by the

Washington Free Public Library and see what you can create, build, and discover!