Grand Island Public Library to Celebrate National Library Week
Grand Island, Neb. — The Grand Island Public Library’s mission is to inspire and strengthen the community by connecting people with information, ideas and experiences. That effort among many other features of the library will be on full display for National Library Week.
The weeklong celebration runs from Sunday, April 6 through Saturday, April 12. This year’s theme is “Drawn to the Library” with Award-winning author and illustrator Raina Telgemeier and cartoonist and comic theorist Scott McCloud selected as Honorary Chairs of National Library Week 2025.
Telgemeier and McCloud have partnered to create a one-of-a-kind graphic novel, The Cartoonists Club https://goraina.com/blog/2024/6/23/announcing-the-cartoonists-club, coming from Scholastic’s Graphix imprint on April 1, 2025.Their book tells the story of Makayla, who is bursting with ideas but doesn’t know how to make them into a story. We also learn about Howard, who loves to draw, but struggles to come up with ideas. These two new friends, shy Lynda and inventive Art, come together to form The Cartoonists Club.
Their beloved school librarian helps them discover the magic of comics, imagination and their own storytelling powers. The result is a book where friendship is a work of art. Interest in the Grand Island Public Library ranges from young families stopping in for play and story time, to patrons sketching out their next creative project in a Makerspace, to seniors seeking tech help.
Libraries of all kinds help us connect the dots from one part of our journey to the next. You can chart your next literary adventure by browsing the stacks or joining a book club. Let an author color your imagination at an in-person talk, trace your history with your library’s genealogy resources or even explore your inner fitness.
“There are a lot of opportunities for everyone in our diverse community to find a reason they can be drawn to the library and our Library Foundation too,” Grand Island Public Library Director Celine Swan said. “You can make your mark and get involved with our library by volunteering or donating to the Foundation that supports the library.”
The Grand Island Public Library will also be hosting a social media contest, prompting its patrons to take to their favorite app to detail how the library has had an impact on their lives. Hard-copy/paper options for the contest are being made available as well. At the end of the contest, three winners will be drawn to receive prizes.
Below is a detailed schedule of events for National Library Week in Grand Island:
* Monday, April 7: Volunteer Day
* A day to thank the awesome volunteers who serve GIPL and the community
* Tuesday, April 8: Outreach Day
* A day to thank the volunteers who provide outreach to the community
* Wednesday, April 9: Special Preschool StoryTime
* Ms. Brenda will begin reading at 10:30 a.m.
* Thursday, April 10: Patron Appreciation Day
* A day to thank those who visit our library on a regular basis
* Friday, April 11: Staff Appreciation Day
* For those who help bring our library programs to life – a day of thanks
* Saturday, April 12: Craft Retreat
* The retreat will be in the Makerspace from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Adults can bring in their crafts from home and work on them. ByGone Book Club for adults will also start at 11:30 a.m. The featured book is “New Deal: The Federal Writers’ Project in the Cornhusker State” by Marilyn Irvin Holt. This discussion will be led by Michelle Setlik of the Hall County Historical Society