Crafts & Classes • A virtual poetry reading on April 8 with at least 10 Wisconsin poets sharing work collected in the new Wisconsin Fellowship of Poetry book “Sheltering with Poems: Community and Connection During COVID.” Click here to learn more about it. Registration is required, and a link is included on the MCPL page. • All month (or while they last) at all 9 MCPL locations, pick up a Grab and Go project to create pasta sculptures and mosaics at home. Just add some glue and you’ll be surprised with what you can create! Free of charge. Registration to pick up a kit required at all locations except Wausau. • Our monthly Little Treasures craft for adults and teens is a colorful beaded wrap bracelet that would make a nice accessory for yourself or a gift for someone else. Also free and available while they last, so call ahead to schedule a pickup at the 8 branches, please. • Two (identical) gardening classes with Extension Marathon County on April 8 and April 15 on direct sowing and transplanting. These monthly classes are a huge help if you have a garden or thinking about starting one. Registration required. • Professor Brett Barker of UWSP at Wausau is leading a virtual Civil War book club through the Marathon County Historical Society. The group’s next meeting will be April 29. Keep an eye on the MCPL events page or the MCHS calendar of events for upcoming History Chats and History Speaks programs from the Historical Society, too! • Have you watched our virtual story times recently? Take another look with your children or kids you care for. We’ve made a few improvements to our video skills to make some fun videos you can watch anytime! Here’s one example and the schedule for Tuesday story times. • Our book clubs are still meeting virtually, but we have an eye on the summer and we’re hoping we can get together safely outdoors for some literary gatherings. Building Improvements Over the past year, while MCPL Wausau was first closed to the public and later open solely for computer use, we’ve taken advantage of the time to make some changes and improvements to the library. First up was new carpet and windows throughout the building. But the current renovations are a bit more substantial… When patrons are once again able browse through our shelves, they’ll find we changed floors for some of the collections. Also, a majority of the 30-plus public computers will be moved to the first floor so patrons who just need to check email or their social media accounts or print documents can do so quickly and efficiently. Use of the remaining computers on the second floor will be limited to reference purposes such as research or the writing of reports, as well as job applications and creating resumes. Another change that will likely be immediately noticeable is new furniture! We’re replacing tables and chairs and adding new workstations on both the first and second floor where patrons can easily plug in their own devices and tap into wi-fi for their own needs. New furniture also is in the works for our MCPL branch locations, too. Hours & Accessibility May Be Expanding… All MCPL locations will continue with limited operations through at least mid-April, when the Board of Trustees will make another determination whether to expand hours of operation at the 9 locations and/or expand in-person access to our libraries. MCPL’s administration continues to work closely with the Marathon County Health Department on the timing of expanded hours of operation and service. We look forward to a return of normal, but we always want to make sure all MCPL locations function in the safest way possible for our patrons and staff. We also look forward to the day when the public can see all the great things we’ve been doing to update our libraries, and we think you’ll like what you see — when you’re able to safely see it! Thank you for continuing to support your local libraries!

April Activities (& Changes Happening Inside) at Marathon County Public Libraries (MCPL)

Read on for an update on MCPL’s April classes and crafts (like virtual poetry readings and bracelet kits), and learn a bit about some of the renovations taking place to give the libraries a fresh new look. For example, pictured above is one of the new workstations at the MCPL-Wausau Headquarters that offers a place to charge devices as you work.(Click the title for details…)

Marathon County to Boost Public Library Wi-Fi Signal With CARES Act Funding

With limited access to the libraries and an increasing need for internet access due to the pandemic, Marathon County will use federal funding to increase the strength of its Wi-Fi signals, which will result in faster download and upload speeds for patrons using their own devices while parked outside area libraries when they are closed. (Click the title for details…)

The Many Ways That Marathon County Works to Keep YOU Safe & Secure

County Administrator Brad Karger reflects on the back-to-back August shootings and how local staff and officials are working to ensure public safety in Marathon County.

Learn about suicide prevention measures, veteran supports, active shooter training for government employees, cybersecurity updates, a specially trained crisis response team, onsite school-based trauma therapists, and more in the full article. (Click the title for details…)

Re-vote Solidifies Declaration of June as “Pride Month” in Marathon County :: Learn Its Impact, Implications, & Next Steps

County Administrator Brad Karger explains the June Pride resolution, as well as the July reconsideration vote.

The most significant takeaway? The majority of Supervisors still voted to declare June as Pride Month in Marathon County, thus educational sessions and assessments with regard to the County’s fair treatment of all residents and employees will go on as directed in the resolution that passed in June, and June will remain “Pride Month” in Marathon County. (Click the title for details…)

More Access to Justice :: Volunteer-Based Civil Court Mediation Program Expands

Wisconsin Judicare’s program works with the Marathon County court system to provide FREE mediation services (by trained volunteers) to citizens in a variety of civil cases, helping to free up our already overloaded courts.

Marathon County’s mediation program has already had national recognition in a Harvard Law & Policy Review article, and the success of the program in its first year has led to a planned expansion to mediate over 400 cases in its second year.

Learn more about the financial, emotional, and other benefits of this community program — and how to register for an upcoming volunteer mediator training session — in the full article. (Click the title for details…)

Guiding Our Economic Future by Enhancing High-Speed, Broadband Internet Access in Rural Marathon County

Our existing broadband access is bad for business in Marathon County. Not all businesses and residents in Marathon County have access to reliable, high-speed internet — and that puts us at a disadvantage attracting businesses and recruiting talented people to live and work here.

Area farmers and rural teachers find it especially hard to do their jobs without reliable wireless internet. Marathon County Government was tasked with hiring a consulting firm that specializes in assisting communities with broadband expansion to help us create an action plan. Read on to learn more about this project and what’s being done to help area farmers and teachers in the meantime. (Click the title for details…)

Another Public Library FREEBIE :: Computer Use & Wi-Fi

Get the lowdown on the ins & outs of using computers, printers, and Wi-Fi at Marathon County Public Libraries.

Plus, get a peek at the library’s special programming for families over the HOLIDAY BREAK. You won’t want to miss Family Film Friday, the New Year’s Eve Toddler Dance Party, The Magic of Dr. Seuss by Magic Bob, and much more! (Click the title for details…)