June 12, 2024 (Racine, WI) — Register for library programs by calling (262) 636-9217, via the website at RacineLibrary.info or by visiting the library at 75 7th Street, Racine, Wisconsin. The library is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To view their full schedule of activities, visit RacineLibrary.info/calendar.
Closed for Juneteenth Day
The Racine Public Library building and Bookmobile will be closed Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth Day. We will reopen for our normal hours on Thursday, June 20. Social services and phone support will not be available during the closure. See our full hours at RacineLibrary.info/hours-locations.
Social Worker Out of Office June 20 – 24
Our social worker will not be available Thursday, June 20 through Monday, June 24. Bus passes will not be available on June 20. Regular social services and bus pass hours will resume on Tuesday, June 25.
Check Out a Pass to the Domes
Experience passes for the Mitchell Park Domes are now available for checkout! These passes cover entry for your whole household to visit the Domes at no charge. The pass will also give you a 10% discount in the gift shop.
To use the pass, start by placing a hold at RacineLibrary.info/catalog, by calling us at (262) 636-9217, or by stopping by a service station on your next visit. When it’s your turn to use the pass, you’ll receive a notification that your hold is ready for pickup. Once you pick the pass up, you have seven days to use it on a visit to the domes. The pass works for any day the Domes are open, including during the train and holiday shows, as well as members-only events. Please keep in mind that passes cannot be renewed, and patrons will be billed the cost of the membership if the pass is not returned within seven days.
The pass is also eligible at American Horticultural Society public gardens throughout the US, Canada, Cayman Islands and US Virgin Islands. Please call in advance to confirm if the garden you’d like to visit has any limits on accepting other gardens’ passes.
Virtual Coding Classes Begin Monday, June 17
These introductory coding classes are a great summer activity for learners grades K-12. From Monday, June 17 through Wednesday, July 31, participants will work through virtual, self-led coding courses. If anyone needs hands-on guidance, our head of digital services and innovation, Melissa Donaldson, is available at Melissa.Donaldson@RacineLibrary.info. Sign up at RacineLibrary.info/virtual-coding, and you’ll receive your participation link on June 17.
Summer Reading Program Runs June 1 – Aug. 31
Stop by the library, or log into Beanstack, for adventure-themed activities for all ages, all summer long. Whether you’re participating in a reading challenge, joining a craft, taking part in our Amazing Library Race, or something else, this summer is bound to be a blast. Find activities at RacineLibrary.info/AdventureBegins. Adventure Begins at Your Library is sponsored by the Friends of the Racine Public Library.
Summer Scares Is On: June 1 – Aug. 31
Let’s get spooky this summer. Tweens, teens, and adults are invited to explore our schedule of book groups, movie viewings and craft sessions to celebrate all things horrific. Summer Scares is sponsored by the Friends of the Racine Public Library.
All-Ages Programs
Watersheds & Water Pollutants Poster Exhibit
- When: Wednesday, May 1 through Saturday, June 29
- Where: Adult Services – 2nd Floor
- Audience: All Ages • No Registration
What we put on our land often makes its way into our rivers and lakes. This is a watershed: an area of land from which water flows into a larger body of water, carrying pollutants with it. Think about the spray on your lawn, the ice prevention methods you use, or plastics used or left outside our home. When it rains, these pollutants can end up in your drinking water. Stop into the library this May and June to learn more from Root Pike WIN’s poster exhibit.
Summer Reading Challenges: Adventure Begins at Your Library • Desafíos de lectura de verano: La aventura comienza en tu biblioteca
- When: Saturday, June 1 through Saturday, Aug. 31
- Where: Locations Vary
- Audience: All Ages • Registration Varies
Start the adventure with our summer reading challenges for a chance to win a prize! If you are interested in our adult or all-ages STEAM challenge, get started at RacineLibrary.BeanStack.com. To get started with our children’s reading challenge, stop by the youth services desk on the first floor. And to join the teen reading challenge, stop by youth services or by TeenScene by the second-floor entrance. Adventure Begins at Your Library is sponsored by the Friends of the Racine Public Library.
Racine Public Library on the Don Rosen Show
- When: Thursday, June 20 • 6:30 – 7:30 a.m. (Every two weeks)
- Where: On the radio — WRJN.com • Racine: 99.9FM & 1400AM • Kenosha: 98.1FM
- Audience: All Ages • No Registration
The library is joining Don Rosen on WRJN for the Don Rosen Show. The show will feature library teammates every other week to highlight programs and services the library offers beyond the world of books. Our schedule of appearances so far includes:
- Thursday, June 20, 6:30-7:30 a.m. – Melissa Donaldson from the Innovation Lab
- Tuesday, July 2, 7-8 a.m. – Brianna Fuentes from Interlibrary Loans
- Thursday, July 18, 7-8 a.m. – Viridiana Rocha from Adult Services and Diane Rogstad from the ADRC
- Tuesday, July 30, 6:30-7:30 a.m. – Shay King from Marketing
- Thursday, Aug. 15, 7-8 a.m. – Brianna Fuentes from Interlibrary Loans
- Tuesday, Aug. 27, 7-8 a.m. – Viridiana Rocha from Adult Services and Edward Larkin from Chess Mates
Garden with Us & How to Start a Pollinator Patch: Adventure Begins at Your Library • Huerten juntos y cómo iniciar un parche de polinizadores: La aventura comienza en tu biblioteca
- When: Friday, June 21 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (Backup in case of rain: Friday, June 28, 2024, 2:30-3:30 p.m.)
- Where: The Community Room – Adult Services, 2nd Floor & Library Drive – Outside the 1st floor entrance
- Audience: All Ages • Registration Encouraged
Be sure to dress comfortably for the weather in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Don’t forget water and sunscreen! Trowels and gloves will be provided, but feel free to bring your own gardening tools if you prefer.
From 2:30-3, we’ll start in the Community Room on the second floor of the library for a presentation from Root Pike WIN on how to keep our water supply clean, how pollinator patches support the environment, and how to start your own patch.
From 3-3:30, we’ll spend time gardening in the library’s pollinator patch, where Kristine Heuser from Root Pike WIN will teach you how to identify harmful weeds and keep your patch healthy. We’ll also assemble the library’s new hydroponics tower, which will educate library visitors on how to grow healthy plants.
The Adventure Begins Summer Reading program is sponsored by the Friends of the Racine Public Library. The hydroponics tower is sponsored by the Racine County Farm Bureau and by Donna Newgord in memory of Noel Newgord.
Kids’ Programs
Coding Classes: Coding Cadets
- When: Saturday, June 15 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (Every Thursday and Saturday through June 15)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids, Tweens & Teens • Registration Required
We’ll help you get started with a coding language of your choice—options include Scratch, Python and more. No experience is necessary; we’ll walk you through the basics of programming and troubleshooting your code.
Lapsit Storytime
- When: Monday, June 17 • 10 – 10:30 a.m. (Every Monday except July 1)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: 0-2 Years • No Registration
Introduce your child to the library through books, songs and activities with Miss Ali and Miss Carrie! This program is designed with kids two and under in mind.
Storytime Adventures with UW-Extension
- When: Monday, June 17 • 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. (One Monday a month during summer)
- Where: Youth Services – 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids & Caretakers • No Registration
Settle in for a story that will pave the way for our imaginative adventures today. Throughout the summer, we’ll be going on a bear hunt, camping with Mr. Magee, and other activities that are sure to delight.
Monday, June 17: Explore the Wild with Us — Can you spot the forest animals? Find the fox. Did you see the rabbit? How about the deer? Decorate your binoculars to help you find all the animals.
Monday, July 29: Let’s Go on a Bear Hunt — Can you make it through the obstacle course? Be careful, and don’t forget to feed the bear!
Monday, Aug. 19: Follow the Born Learning Trail — Enjoy silly stories, ABCs, rhyming and moving. Then when we’re done, settle back and watch the clouds.
Preschool & Toddler STEAM Time
- When: Monday, June 17 • 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. (First and third Monday of every month)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Preschoolers & Toddlers • No Registration
Introduce your little ones to science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) with fun and interactive activities. Explore STEAM at stations throughout the Lab dedicated to robotics, simple coding and more.
Ruff Readers
- When: Monday, June 17, Tuesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 20 • 4 – 5 p.m. (Monday through Thursday of every week through Aug. 22, except June 19 and July 4)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids K-5 • Registration Required: Call (262) 636-9217
Snuggle and pet a therapy dog while practicing your reading skills at the ear of our gentle, non-judgmental canine friends.
Tuesday Tales Storytime
- When: Tuesday, June 18 • 10 – 10:30 a.m. (Every Tuesday through July 30 except July 2)
- Where: Youth Services – 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids • No Registration
Kids are in for a great storytime! Listen to stories, sing songs, and join in some easy activities with Miss Ali and Miss Carrie.
Make Some Noise: A Musical Craft Time
- When: Tuesday, June 18 • 2 – 3 p.m.
- Where: Youth Services – 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids • No Registration
Let’s make some music together! Our craft today is to create musical instruments from around the world.
Minecraft Lounge: Installing Mods
- When: Tuesday, June 18 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids, Tweens & Teens • Registration Encouraged
Ready to spice up your Minecraft experience? Mods can help you customize the game to your heart’s content—if you wish blocks came in different shapes and sizes, or that it was easier to build large objects, or even that there were more pets, mods can take you there. We’ll teach you the basics of adding mods on Java Edition, then play the game with a modpack of your choice.
Open Gaming Lounge
- When: Saturday, June 22 • Noon – 1 p.m.
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Grades K-6 • Registration Required
Drop in for sessions of Fortnite, Rocket League, Counter Strike 2, Roblox, Overwatch and Minecraft on the Lab’s computers.
STEAM Workshops: Tinkering with Tech
- When: Saturday, June 22 • 1 – 2 p.m. (Every other Saturday)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids & Tweens • Registration Required
Let STEAM surprise you! Spend some time tinkering with a variety of robots and fun tech toys in our Innovation Lab.
LEGO Club
- When: Saturday, June 22 • 1 – 3 p.m. (Every four Saturdays)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids & Tweens • No Registration
We bring the LEGOs; you bring the imagination. Caretakers are asked to be present with any younger kids. Cleanup begins at 2:45 p.m.
Tween and Teen Programs
Summer Scares: Skeleton Glow-Up Contest
- Kits available: Saturday, June 1 through Wednesday, June 26. In TeenScene Tues-Thurs 1 – 6 p.m., at the Lake Avenue desk outside these hours.
- Reveal your skeletons: Wednesday, June 26, 3 – 4 p.m., TeenScene
- Audience: Teens • Registration Required
We’re kicking off our teen Summer Scares program with a skeleton glow-up contest! Give those basic bones some new life by creating a look for a six-inch skeleton to display to an adoring public. Your skeleton can show off any kind of design, from extremely humerus to bone-a-fide supermodel.
Coding Classes: Coding Cadets
- When: Saturday, June 15 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (Every Thursday and Saturday through June 15)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids, Tweens & Teens • Registration Required
We’ll help you get started with a coding language of your choice—options include Scratch, Python and more. No experience is necessary; we’ll walk you through the basics of programming and troubleshooting your code.
Ruff Readers
- When: Monday, June 17, Tuesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 20 • 4 – 5 p.m. (Monday through Thursday of every week through Aug. 22, except June 19 and July 4)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids K-5 • Registration Required: Call (262) 636-9217
Snuggle and pet a therapy dog while practicing your reading skills at the ear of our gentle, non-judgmental canine friends.
Minecraft Lounge: Installing Mods
- When: Tuesday, June 18 • 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids, Tweens & Teens • Registration Encouraged
Ready to spice up your Minecraft experience? Mods can help you customize the game to your heart’s content—if you wish blocks came in different shapes and sizes, or that it was easier to build large objects, or even that there were more pets, mods can take you there. We’ll teach you the basics of adding mods on Java Edition, then play the game with a modpack of your choice.
Tween Craft with Miss Keiko
- When: Friday, June 21 • 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
- Where: The Community Room – Adult Services, 2nd Floor
- Audience: Tween Students (Ages 9-12) • Registration Required. Materials are limited, so please register early to guarantee your slot.
We’ll walk you through creating your own beautiful crafts. On June 21, learn the basics of Japanese calligraphy. On July 19, create small origami boxes with a special decorative style known as “mizuhiki.”
Open Gaming Lounge
- When: Saturday, June 22 • Noon – 1 p.m.
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Grades K-6 • Registration Required
Drop in for sessions of Fortnite, Rocket League, Counter Strike 2, Roblox, Overwatch and Minecraft on the Lab’s computers.
STEAM Workshops: Tinkering with Tech
- When: Saturday, June 22 • 1 – 2 p.m. (Every other Saturday)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Kids & Tweens • Registration Required
Let STEAM surprise you! Spend some time tinkering with a variety of robots and fun tech toys in our Innovation Lab.
LEGO Club
- When: Saturday, June 22 • 1 – 3 p.m. (Every four Saturdays)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: Kids & Tweens • No Registration
We bring the LEGOs; you bring the imagination. Caretakers are asked to be present with any younger kids. Cleanup begins at 2:45 p.m.
Adult Programs
Explore Continuing Education with the Educational Opportunity Center
- When: Monday, June 17 • 3 – 5 p.m. (Third Monday of every month)
- Where: Adult Services – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Adults from Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Lake and McHenry counties • No Registration
Stop by the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC)’s table at the library for free guidance and information on how you can make continuing education work for you.
Navigating Unemployment Insurance with UMOS
- When: Tuesday, June 18 • 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Second and third Tuesdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. & fourth Tuesdays 1 to 4 p.m.)
- Where: Adult Services – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Adults • No Registration
UMOS’ Unemployment Insurance Navigator Program is here to make it easier for you to access unemployment insurance and other social services. Se habla Español.
Tech Intros: iPhone 101
- When: Thursday, June 20 • 5 – 6 p.m. (Every other Thursday except July 4)
- Where: The Innovation Lab – 2nd Floor
- Audience: Adults • Registration Required
How do I send a photo? Where do I find my emails? What’s an app? If you have questions about how to use your iPhone, bring them in (along with your phone), and we’ll help you learn your way around the device.
A-Brie to Disa-Brie
- When: Thursday, June 20 • 6 – 8 p.m. (Third Thursday of each month)
- Where: The Martin Room – Youth Services, 1st Floor
- Audience: Adults • No Registration
Do you like talking about books, movies, music, and more? Do you also like eating cheese? Tonight, we’ll discuss content you’ve enjoyed while sampling a unique cheese.
