Library

Lakewood Public Library is excited to host another round of virtual Meet the Author events. You can watch these programs on facebook.com/lakewoodpubliclibrary and twitter.com/lakewoodlibrary on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.   

July 15

Poet Jeff Tigchelaar shares poems from his collection "Certain Streets at an Uncertain Hour." This award-winning poet shows us that poetry can be both humorous and dramatic, and we can find inspiration in the world around us.

July 22

Join us for the real life story of a mother who started America’s first boys’ baseball league. Ruth Hanford Morhard will share her mother-in-law’s life story in "Mrs. Morhard and the Boys."  

July 29

Watch author Betty Weibel talk about her favorite places from "The Ohio Literary Trail: A Guide."  In her book, Weibel highlights our state literary sites, and shows Ohio’s role in shaping literature and culture across the world.

If you miss the premiere, the videos will also be available on the Library’s website: lakewoodpubliclibrary.org

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on library news, programs and events.  

Lakewood Public Library will feature three new virtual Meet the Author events during the month of June. You can watch these programs on facebook.com/lakewoodpubliclibrary and twitter.com/lakewoodlibrary on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. 

June 10

Raechel Anne Jolie, author of "Rust Belt Femme" shares her story of how she survived growing up in rural Ohio against a backdrop of poverty and tragedy, covering a lot of ground with vignettes of love, punk rock, gender and addiction.

June 17

Watch local author Susan Petrone talk about her latest book "The Heebie-Jeebie Girl." Set in 1977 Youngstown, the year that the city’s largest steel mill closed, eight-year-old Hope has the eerie ability to pick the winning lottery numbers. This supernatural power leads to an unfortunate crime, and Hope sets out to find the perpetrator.

June 24

Akron author David Giffels discusses "Barnstorming Ohio," an account of his travels around the state, visiting people and places to try to better understand America, and why Ohio has long been considered the bellwether state.

If you miss the premiere, the videos will also be available on the Library’s website lakewoodpubliclibrary.org

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on library news, programs and events.  

Lakewood Public Library is pleased to host "Imagining a Better World: the Artwork of Nelly Toll"  on display now through July 31 in the Main Library Second Floor Gallery. This exhibition was organized by the Massillon Museum, with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

The exhibit features the artwork of Nelly Toll, who was a young Jewish girl living in Poland during World War II.  Nelly and her mother hid from the Nazis in the home of a Catholic family for over a year. While in hiding, Nelly’s mother encouraged her to paint and write, and she created nearly sixty watercolor paintings imagining what life would be like outside of hiding.  

Nelly and her mother were the family’s only survivors and eventually immigrated to the United States in 1951. Nelly went on to become an artist, therapist, professor, and lecturer. 

In 2003, "Behind the Secret Window: A Memoir of a Hidden Childhood During World War II" was published, featuring Nelly’s artwork and journal entries.

Massillon Museum has created this traveling exhibition with a collection of high quality reproductions from Nelly’s original works. The originals are being held in the permanent collection of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Israel or with private collectors. 

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library?  We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Local Children’s Author Event – Keith Allen

For all ages

Join local author and illustrator Keith Allen virtually as he reads his children’s picture book "What a Mess: a pop-up Misadventure."

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library?  We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Local Children’s Author Event – Kimberly Soderberg

For all ages

Join local children’s illustrator Kimberly Soderberg virtually as she reads picture books she illustrated, Just Like Me, My Mask and Me, and Smile With Me.

Lakewood Public Library is excited to host four virtual Meet the Author events this May. You can watch these programs on facebook.com/lakewoodpubliclibrary and twitter.com/lakewoodlibrary every Thursday evening of the month at 7:00 p.m.  

May 6

Cleveland’s bike attorney and avid cyclist Kenneth Knabe will discuss his new book Cycling Rights: Bicycles, E-Bikes & Micro-Mobility Devices. Knabe covers bike laws for cyclists and motorists, advice on how to be safe on the road, what to do if you are involved in an accident and more.

May 13 

Brad Ricca will talk about his latest book Olive the Lionheart: Lost Love, Imperial Spies, and One Woman's Journey Into the Heart of Africa. Drawing from Olive’s own letters and accounts from her travels, Ricca tells the bold and adventurous story of Olive MacLeod, who sets out to find her missing husband Boyd Alexander.

May 20

Watch local debut novelist Dan Hanson as he discusses the first book in his new mystery series "Murder in the Cultural Gardens."  The real life Cleveland Cultural Gardens is the setting for this fictional murder mystery where a body turns up near the bust of composer Franz Liszt in the Hungarian Cultural Garden.  

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library?  We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Local Children’s Author Event – Denise Dufala

Soar through the air and swim beneath the sea with this year’s summer reading theme, “Tails and Tales.” From Monday, May 17 to Monday, August 16, children and adults can read their way through the wild world of animals at the Library. 

Get ready for some paw-some fun and scurry on over to either the Main Library or Madison Branch libraries to sign up for Summer Reading Club! Participants ages birth through twelfth grade will gather stickers and digital badges as they go, and a special reward awaits those who complete thirty books, ten hours, or thirty hours of reading by Monday, August 16.

To register for summer reading, scuttle by the Main Library or Madison Branch Summer Reading Club Desk starting Monday, May 17 or visit lakewoodpubliclibrary.beanstack.com.

Readers of all ages can participate in summer reading this year, including adults! Immerse yourself in the animal kingdom this summer and share stories with the Tails & Tales Adult Summer Reading Program. Your beach read or commute audiobook could win you a prize this summer, and participating is simple. Each time you enjoy a book, eBook, audiobook or graphic novel, log your book to be entered into our weekly prize drawing. Prizes have been donated by the Friends of Lakewood Public Library. 

For more information or to register, visit lakewoodpubliclibrary.beanstack.com

From favorite poems to workshops and author events, celebrate National Poetry Month this April with the Library.

This year Lakewood Public Library is participating in the Favorite Poem Project. Created in 1997, The Favorite Poem Project is dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry’s role in our lives. Share a sonnet, haiku or free verse with our community in an ongoing virtual open mic. Film a video of yourself reading your favorite poem. Poetry lovers of all ages are invited to participate. Share your video to our Facebook or Twitter and be sure to use the hashtag #favoritepoemproject.

Leanne Hoppe will lead two virtual poetry workshops this month. Hoppe is a local poet, writer, editor and college instructor. Each workshop will provide prompts to create your own poetry using personal myth, forty word meditation and other methods. Grab a writing utensil and a notebook and create your own poetry. Workshop videos will premiere on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. and Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.

As a high school graduate, Eliese Colette Goldbach felt destined for the convent and life in a religious order. Instead, the 29-year-old found herself wearing a hard hat, operating a crane, and driving a forklift. As one of the few females in a male-dominated workplace, the ArcelorMittal Cleveland mill was certainly no convent.

The promise of a high-earning paycheck brought her to the unlikely vocation as a steel worker. Like most Cleveland natives, she had passed by the orange flame of the steelyard for years without a second thought. It wasn’t until she was inside the mill that she realized the world it represented. What outsiders saw as a sign of pollution symbolized a booming business and a healthy economy to those inside the mill walls.

Named one of the best books of 2020 by NPR, "Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit" tells Goldbach’s story from the belly of the mill. With the contentious 2016 election as a backdrop, her memoir reflects on her life as a young liberal female amongst her blue-collar conservative counterparts. But according to Goldbach, “There was no division so great that it could eclipse the unity that had been forged in the light of the mill’s orange flame.”

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library? We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Woke Book Club

For students in sixth through twelfth grade

In this bimonthly book club for teens, inspired by the Read Woke book challenge created by Cicely Lewis, we will read and respectfully discuss books selected to inspire change, embrace diversity, and promote inclusivity. Each month will focus on a different topic and you will choose which book(s) you would like to read from a diverse list of titles. Registration is required and you will receive a Zoom link upon registration.

Are you all Zoomed out? Then try two of these reading programs for kids.

Help your child get ready for kindergarten by trying out our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Children, age birth to starting kindergarten, can register online or in-person and will receive a folder, bookmark and their first reading log. Read together and record your progress online at home or by bringing in completed logs to the Main Library or Madison branch to receive rewards and acquire a new reading log.

Children in Kindergarten through eighth grade can join the Library Explorers Badge Quest program by registering online. Participants will read their way through the Children’s and Youth Services collection and earn badges by completing the readings and activities covering juvenile and teen fiction, nonfiction, biographies, graphic novels, and more. Complete twelve of the seventeen badges to complete the program and receive a Lakewood Public Library drawstring book bag, a new book, and a bookmark.

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library?  We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Woke Book Club

For students in sixth through twelfth grade

In this bimonthly book club for teens, inspired by the Read Woke book challenge created by Cicely Lewis, we will read and respectfully discuss books selected to inspire change, embrace diversity, and promote inclusivity. Each month will focus on a different topic and you will choose which book(s) you would like to read from a diverse list of titles. Registration is required and you will receive a Zoom link upon registration.

Lakewood Public Library is still here to serve you safely whether you are looking for entertainment or education. Although services look a little different these days, we are open and ready to serve our community. 

The Madison Branch has relocated to a temporary space while the branch is being renovated. Library materials and services are now available at 13427 Madison Avenue, Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Main Library is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. When visiting the library face coverings must be worn at all times.

Virtual programming for all ages is now underway. Families can enjoy a monthly themed storytime together using Tumblebooks. Elementary students in Kindergarten through Third Grade can join the Mercy Watson Virtual Book Club and teens in Ninth through Twelfth Grade can join the Woke Book Club. 

For adults, virtual local author events are posted on the Library’s Facebook page and past presentations are available at youtube.com/lakewoodpubliclibrary. 

Although public desktop computers remain unavailable, the Library has purchased Chromebook laptops to assist patrons with getting online. All library patrons can check out a Chromebook for in-library use. 

Children/Youth Events at Lakewood Public Library

Library Pen Pal

For children three years old through sixth grade

Do you miss the Library? We miss you too! Write a letter to a Library staff member telling us about anything from the last book you read to your favorite animal or even include a drawing. A staff member will read your letter and write you back.

Send your letter to:

Children’s and Youth Services

Lakewood Public Library

15425 Detroit Avenue

Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Virtual Mercy Watson Book Club

For students in kindergarten through third grade

Have you ever heard of Mercy Watson? Written by award winning author Kate DiCamillo, Mercy Watson is a six-book series of short early reader chapter books chronicling the adventures of the titular character, who just happens to be a pig. Each week we will discuss a different book in the series via Zoom. Registration is required and you will receive a Zoom link upon registration.

Main Library Homework Room and Madison Branch
Monday-Friday, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Students in Kindergarten through Eighth Grade who need a little extra help with homework or just want a safe place to work can come to the Library for Homework Help. Get assistance and use the Library’s resources in a clean and quiet place free of distractions.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than two months since Lakewood Public Library opened its doors again for in-person services. The Library is committed to offering patrons with a variety of library services, while focusing on ensuring safety for our patrons and staff.

The Library continues to quarantine returned materials for a minimum of four days. During this time, items will still show as checked out to your library account. After the quarantine period, all items are checked in as of the day they were returned, so no overdue fees are accrued.

With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting learning, students who are engaged in online or distance learning can take advantage of the Library’s proctoring service. Visit lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/proctoring for more information or to request an appointment, and a Library staff member will contact you to schedule your proctored exam.

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Lakewood Public Library is now offering in-person services at both Main Library and Madison Branch, as of Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The Library’s Administration and Board of Trustees have closely monitored the Coronavirus crisis and are following all of the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, the Governor’s Office, as well as the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. The Library has also utilized the Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 consulting to establish best practices to safely resume operations.

For the time being, Lakewood Public Library Main Library and Madison Branch will be open with the reduced hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The Library plans to slowly reinstate evening and weekend hours over time. 

Patrons can browse all library collections while visiting the Library. The Study Rooms, Librainium, Computer Connections and public computers in the Technology Center at the Main Library and the Fedor Center at the Madison Branch will be unavailable until further notice. These areas will eventually reopen.

Since closing to the public in March, Lakewood Public Library staff have been maintaining phone and online reference, as well as closely monitoring and planning for the library’s eventual reopening. While a date to reopen the Library buildings has not been determined, a number of safety measures have been established and the Library is fully prepared to serve the community safely.

On May 4th, the Library resumed drive-up window service at Main Library, and started curbside service at Madison Branch, so that patrons could begin borrowing library materials again. In order to safely circulate items, library staff have their temperature checked daily, wear masks and gloves, and maintain a rigorous cleaning schedule. The Library asks that patrons return all items in the exterior book returns, so that the items can be quarantined for 72 hours before being checked in and put back into circulation, in accordance with a study conducted by the Institute of Library and Museum Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Library is also adhering to University Hospitals’ Healthy Restart Playbook, the Cleveland Clinic’s Getting Back to Work Safely and the State’s Responsible RestartOhio guidelines.

When the Library reopens to the public, face coverings will be required for all patrons and staff. The Library installed cashier guards at all public service desks, reconfigured seating to allow for social distancing and also placed hand sanitizer throughout the Library. Work stations and public areas are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Public computers will not be available to patrons when the Library first reopens, and when they are made available, patrons will be limited to one hour a day.

Monday, May 25, 2020 to Monday, August 10, 2020

Even though Lakewood Public Library’s brick and mortar buildings are currently closed to the public there are still many resources available. Patrons can take advantage of the Library’s digital resources from home with their library cards. The Library offers many different online resources to support student learning, and to help pass the time at home.

If you don’t already have a library card, call the Main Library at (216) 226-8275, ext. 130 or Madison Branch at (216) 228-7428 Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to sign up for a library card.

Available from home: 

• eBooks, audiobooks and magazines using the OverDrive/Libby app.

• eBooks, audiobooks, movies, TV shows, music and graphic novels through Hoopla.

• Free online learning at Lynda.com.

• Online arts and crafts, including patterns and templates on the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center.

• Genealogy resources like Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest, African American Heritage and Fold3 Military Records.

• Language learning resources like Rosetta Stone, Mango Languages and Transparent Language Online.

For Youth

Dungeons & Dragons Roundtable
For students in seventh through twelfth grade.
Join us for a round of Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game in which you will develop your own heroic character in a collaborative story with other players to embark on various quests to slay monsters, explore dungeons, find treasure and vanquish evil. Beginners and veterans alike are welcome. Registration required.
Sunday, March 8, 2020, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Illustration Creation 
For students in kindergarten through first grade.
A six-week program featuring an art project each week based on a children’s book. Registration required.
Thursdays, March 12, 2020; March 19, 2020; April 2, 2020; April 9, 2020; April 16, 2020 and April 23, 2020 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Whatever the season, the Friends of Lakewood Public Library are always working hard to move, sort and organize the thousands of generous donations pouring in from the community, making sure the next sale will be even greater than the last. 

The hardworking crew has done it again, with a whole new supply of books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, puzzles and record albums waiting for you at the Friends’ Spring Book Sale on Saturday, March 14, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Would you like to get an early start on the bargains? The Members-Only Preview Sale will be on Thursday, March 12, 2020 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. To attend the special sale, memberships can be purchased at the door for as little as three dollars.

Proceeds support Lakewood Public Library’s acclaimed programming, including free lectures, concerts, films, youth programs and the library van, which delivers books to classrooms and homebound readers.

Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
College Now Greater Cleveland FAFSA Workshop
Main Library Learning Lab
Presented by College Now Greater Cleveland and Lakewood High School. College Now Greater Cleveland is the College Access program available at Lakewood High School. Pam Sandoval is a College Now Greater Cleveland Adviser available to help parents of senior students and students with the financial aid process. Join College Now for a hands-on FAFSA workshop. To register, call (216) 226-8275, ext. 127.

Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (98 minutes)
Imagine Your Story
Film: "The Princess Bride" (1987)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Main Library Auditorium
While home sick, a young boy listens as his grandfather reads the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate named Westley (Cary Elwes). When Westley’s true love Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) is kidnapped by a ghastly gang and forced into betrothal with the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), this classic tale takes an adventurous turn. Join us this season to Imagine Your Story with films that draw upon fairy tales, folklore, fantasy and mythology.

Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Imagine Your Story
Performance—WordStage Literary Concerts presents: A Mythological Competition
Main Library Auditorium
Before Hollywood, before Elizabethan drama, before even Roman theater, were the Ancient Greek tragedy competitions. In this literary concert, the judge is a formidable woman: the Muse of Tragedy, Melpomene. The competitors are the greatest of the Tragedians: Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Their attempts at outperforming each other and acerbic comments made by Melpomene offer a drama in and of itself designed to entertain and inform audiences.

At 29-years-old, Eliese Colette Goldbach never expected to be wearing a hard hat, operating a crane, or driving a forklift. In fact, working at the ArcelorMittal Cleveland mill was never part of the plan. As a high school graduate, she was destined for the convent and life in a religious order.

Her youthful faith took a blow when she was sexually assaulted in college and soon after diagnosed with bipolar disorder. With a dose of the rust belt resolve that runs deeply in Cleveland, Goldbach looked for a new career path. The promise of a high-earning paycheck brought her to the unlikely vocation as a steel worker.

Like most Cleveland natives, she had passed by the orange flame of the steelyard for years without a second thought. It wasn’t until she was inside the belly of the mill that she that realized the world it represented. What outsiders saw as a sign of pollution symbolized a booming business and a healthy economy to those inside the mill walls.

With the contentious 2016 election as a backdrop, her memoir reflects on her life inside and outside of the mill. As a young liberal female in a male-dominated industry, her ideology was vastly different from her blue-collar conservative counterparts. But according to Goldbach, “There was no division so great that it could eclipse the unity that had been forged in the light of the mill’s orange flame.”

Family Music & More – Silly Fun with Magic Bob
For the whole family
Children and their families are invited to join in the fun as Magic Bob executes dazzling illusions and clever sleight of hand tricks. Free and open to public.
Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Lakewood LEGO® League
For youth in kindergarten through fifth grade (caregivers welcome)
Use Lakewood Public Library’s collection of Lego® Bricks and your own imagination to create fabulous new structures and designs each month. No registration, but numbered tickets will be given out first-come, first-served.
Sunday, February 23, 2020, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

In ancient Greece, tragedy competitions were a popular cultural event held in an amphitheater in front of fifteen thousand spectators. Lakewood Public Library will host its own tragedy competition when WordStage takes the stage on March 8, 2020.

As part of the Library’s Imagine Your Story series of programs, WordStage presents their very own mythological competition. In this literary concert, the judge is a formidable woman: the Muse of Tragedy, Melpomene. Melpomene will judge a mythological competition where the competitors are the greatest of the Tragedians: Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Their attempts at outperforming each other and the acerbic comments made by Melpomene offer a drama in and of itself designed to entertain and inform audiences of all ages.

WordStage performs literary concerts throughout Ohio. WordStage’s mythological competition performance takes place on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium. Admission is free and open to all ages.

The idea of music performed by a reed quintet is relatively new. In 1985, five Dutch high school musicians formed Calafax, launching the first reed quintet and pioneering a new genre in classical music. Initially, Calafax had to arrange all of their own music, but once the reed quintet gained popularity, musicians began composing and arranging music for them.

Now, Cleveland has its own reed quintet: Ekklésia Reed Quintet (ERQ). A chamber music ensemble comprised of oboist Stefanie Cohn, clarinetist Emilio Rosario, saxophonist Thomas Lempner, bass clarinetist Travis Hogue-Smith, and bassoonist Philip Kish, ERQ offers a unique musical sound. Though strongly influenced by classical music, ERQ also explores world music, jazz, and improvisation.

As part of its mission, ERQ seeks to inspire young wind players and to encourage the commissioning of new works for reed quintet by Northeast Ohio composers.

Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Meet the Author
"Conditioning Your Mind To Fuel Creativity"
Book by Jennifer Yaros
Main Library Auditorium 
Jennifer Yaros shatters preconceived notions about what creativity is and means. She explains it is not a talent only some people are born with and instead is an innate skill everyone possesses. Practice is the only way to nurture and grow it. Through a series of unique and divergent learning activities, you’ll learn how to prepare your body, thinking and ego to be more creative. Books will be available for sale and signing at this event.

Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Booked for Murder Book Club
Main Library Meeting Room 
If you share a passion for mystery, join the group each month to discuss your favorites and selections made by group members. Tonight we will discuss "Blood on Snow" by Jo Nesbo and "The Thief" by Fuminori Nakamura. 

Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (116 minutes) 
Lakewood Public Cinema
"Arrival" (2016)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Main Library Auditorium
Aliens have landed on Earth in twelve different locations. Language professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) joins a US Army team at one of the locations in Montana. Her job is to try to learn the aliens’ language and enable communication with them. The important question: are the aliens friend or foe? Other nations begin to view them as a threat, making it a race against time for Banks and her team, as war with the aliens could erupt at any moment.

Are you interested in learning another language but aren’t sure where to start? Perhaps you’ve been working on learning a language and need some additional practice and resources. Looking to refresh a language you learned but haven’t used in a while? Lakewood Public Library offers a number of language-learning resources to assist with any language-learning journey.

Accessible anywhere with an Internet-enabled smartphone, tablet or computer, Lakewood Public Library offers three language-learning resources: Rosetta Stone Library Solution, Mango Languages and Transparent Language Online. Each resource offers a robust learning experience that includes the ability to listen and speak, allowing learners to evaluate their pronunciation. Further information about these resources will be available at information sessions taking place on Sundays, March 8, 2020, May 3, 2020 and July 5, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.  in the Main Library Learning Lab.

Witness a fascinating display of tricks and illusions and be dazzled by this versatile performer when Lakewood Public Library presents Silly Fun with Magic Bob. Children and their families are invited to join in the fun as Magic Bob executes dazzling illusions and clever sleight of hand tricks. Classic magic fills this child-friendly presentation that will be a delight for all ages.

These mystical maneuvers will take place at the Lakewood Public Library on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library First Floor Multipurpose Room, which is located in Children’s and Youth Services. This show is free and open to the public and no registration is required. Enjoy an entertaining program of comedy magic that will keep you laughing while amazing you with a trunk of unbelievable feats. You might even see a rabbit pulled out of a hat!

Live theater provides a unique experience for both performers and audience. Great Lakes Theater has been educating young people in the magic of live theater since 1990, when they began presenting annual touring productions in venues throughout northeast Ohio.

Lakewood Public Library is proud to present GLT’s offering for 2020, “Sherlock Holmes Meets the Bully of Baker Street,” on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the Main Library Auditorium. Designed for elementary and middle school audiences, this original play by David Hansen is inspired by characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Four actors will bring humor, logic and song to the stage in this fifty-minute performance, fully staged with sets, costumes and music.

The play begins on the eve of the coronation of King Edward in 1901. Sherlock Holmes meets an orphan and becomes involved in solving the mystery of a stolen painting and rooting out corruption in the Shaxper Asylum for Fatherless Girls. The acerbic personality and deductive reasoning skills of Sherlock Holmes are on full display, but instead of Watson, Holmes is accompanied by Vicky, the orphan who tried to pick his pocket. Hansen chose to create an original story rather than adapt an existing one in order to introduce a female narrator and make the play acceptable for a young audience.

Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (158 minutes) 
Lakewood Public Cinema
Film Series—Sam Fuller: Audacious Auteur: "The Big Red One" (1980)
Directed by Samuel Fuller 
Presented by Terry Meehan
Main Library Auditorium
This film follows the World War II exploits of the US First Infantry Division in Africa and Europe, including landings in Sicily and Omaha Beach. The grunt’s-eye view screenplay written by Sam Fuller stems from his experience filming the liberation of the Falkenau concentration camp. Terry Meehan concludes his series Sam Fuller: Audacious Auteur, introducing each film with an original video followed by audience reaction and a lively discussion.

Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday with the Friends
Women in History – Susan B. Anthony
Main Library Auditorium
Champion of temperance, abolition and the rights of labor and equal pay, Susan B. Anthony became one of the most visible leaders of the women’s suffrage movement. Anthony paved the way for the historical Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which passed fourteen years after her death. Women In History is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the education of all people through the dramatic re-creation of the lives of notable women in US history.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.
Documentary: "Somewhere to Be" (2018)
Directed by Peter Odabashian
Presented by Lakewood Division of Aging 
Main Library Auditorium 
Somewhere to Be is an eye-opening look behind the doors of a Greenwich Village senior center, where every New Yorker over sixty is welcome to come to the Center On The Square and take an Italian class, have some lunch, write a poem, paint a picture, or make a friend. Using a mix of verité and interviews, this documentary explores the human need to be with others. Joining us to discuss the film will be a representative of the Lakewood Division of Aging. 

Spring inches ever closer, which means there is a bouquet of art programs at the Lakewood Public Library for students to choose from. Take a break and come on down to the Lakewood Public Library for some creative inspiration.

Illustration Creation: a picture book art program for students in kindergarten through first grade. This six week program will feature a different children’s book illustrator each class and culminates with an art show on April 30, 2020. Thursdays, March 12, 2020; March 19, 2020; April 2, 2020; April 9, 2020; April 16, 2020 and April 23, 2020 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Strokes of Genius: a six-week program for students in second through fourth grade. Art activities and stories open up the world of art and culminates with an art show on April 21, 2020. Space is limited. Registration is required. Tuesdays, March 3, 2020; March 17, 2020; March 31, 2020; April 7, 2020 and April 14, 2020 from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose and Activity Rooms.

Art Explosion: for students in fifth through eighth grade. Learn about different artists in this six-week program, then experiment with and create your own style to display at the culminating art show on Monday, April 6, 2020. Mondays, March 2, 2020 to March 30, 2020 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Tail Waggin’ Tutors

For school-age children
Bone up on your reading skills by reading to a dog. Drop in for a one-to-one session with one of our dogs and owners that have been certified through Therapy Dogs International.
Saturday, February 8, 2020, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Sew Your Own Library Tote 
For anyone age 8 and up
Create your own unique and stylish tote bag in this hands-on, no experience necessary craft program. Registration required.
Saturday, February 8, 2020, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. in the Main Library Homework Room.

One of the darkest evenings in American history played out at Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865. The brutal plot designed to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln for ransom turned into a murder, with John Wilkes Booth at the center of the nation’s heartbreak, but not acting alone. His small group of co-conspirators believed the slaying would boost the Confederate cause in a Civil War that, for them, was not over, in spite of Lee’s official surrender five days earlier. 

The Lakewood Historical Society welcomes Mel Maurer as he presents the complete story of Lincoln’s assassination with details of its planning, completion and aftermath at Lakewood Public Library on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Main Library Auditorium.

The mission of the Lakewood Historical Society is to enhance the quality of life in Lakewood by offering educational programs for all ages; providing stewardship of artifacts and buildings; and advocating for our historic community. 

Art is appreciated for all sorts of reasons. It has the power to change us and to inspire our hearts. More than just a painting on a wall, art can be the music you hear or a sculpture you feel. Students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade are invited to experience the arts at the Lakewood Public Library in this after-school program with a variety of activities. These include listening to a story, personalizing a poem, completing a coloring project and making a unique heart-filled creation. The Inspire Your Heart with Art program will take place on Friday, January 31, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room. Register online at lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/youth or call (216) 226-8275, ext. 140.

The lifework of Susan B. Anthony changed the world. Born in 1820, she fought furiously for the rights of African Americans and women due to her conviction that all people are created equal -- a radical thought for a culture mired in slavery and oppression. 

Women in History is proud to present a dramatic re-creation of the famous suffragette on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. as part of our Sunday With The Friends program at Lakewood Public Library. 

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting American women the right to vote. Because of her impassioned activism, the legislation came to be known as the “Susan B. Anthony Amendment.” 

Anthony is just one of sixty-four notable women currently portrayed by the actresses of Women in History. From Sojourner Truth to Joan Rivers, great care is taken to accurately depict the personality, dress and life story of each remarkable subject and has led to the program's award-winning reputation.

Women in History’s presentation of Susan B. Anthony will be held in the Main Lower Level Auditorium at 15425 Detroit Avenue.

Not everyone wants to identify as a feminist. Some people think it’s too radical, too exclusionary or no longer necessary. But what about a singing feminist? Around the world, groups of women gather to celebrate music and feminism in choral groups belonging to the Sister Singers Network. Windsong is Cleveland’s own feminist chorus, which last year celebrated its fortieth anniversary.

You can hear Windsong perform on Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room. This intergenerational group of women and non-binary individuals will perform songs from a wide variety of cultures, songwriters and time periods.

Started in 1979 as the Cleveland Women’s Chorus, the group officially became Windsong in 1996. There were lean years with only a handful of members, but currently the chorus has almost fifty singers. As a non-audition choir, the group embraces people of all levels of experience with music and includes both singing and non-singing participants. They have performed around the country at the Sister Singers festivals held every four years, at area churches, the State Theater, Holiday CircleFest and Cleveland Pride festivals. Dedicated to promoting feminism, social change and accessibility in the arts, Windsong seeks out ADA-compliant venues and offers an ASL interpreter at major concerts.

Thursday, January 23, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Great Decisions in Libraries
Decoding U.S.-China Trade
Presentation by Paul Schroeder, PhD
Main Library Multipurpose Room
The United States still uses centuries-old numbers to measure trade. This antiquated system mangles understanding of the US-China trade relationship, shrinking America’s true economic size, while swelling China’s. After a brief video, Paul Schroeder, professor at Case Western Reserve University, will lead a discussion and help to answer the complex questions surrounding US-China trade relations. Readings will be available one week in advance.

Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (96 minutes) 
Lakewood Public Cinema
"Caramel" (2007)
Directed by Nadine Labaki
Main Library Auditorium
A beauty salon in Beirut is a safe haven for five women in this Lebanese romantic comedy. Shop owner Layale (Nadine Labaki) consults her employees about a problematic affair, stylist Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) struggles with her attraction to a female client, and seamstress Rose (Sihame Haddad) abandons her own ambitions to care for her family. In their familiar salon, the women search for answers to questions of life, love and happiness.

Sunday, January 26, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday with the Friends
Mike and Mary
Main Library Auditorium
Mike and Mary are a jazz and pop duo specializing in the music of the Great American Songbook. Vocalist Mary Osburn has a background in musical theater and delights in rediscovering songs from long-ago Broadway shows and sharing them with new audiences. Mike Elkins is an accomplished pianist who writes all of the duo’s arrangements and plays in a number of area bands. Together, the two perform in a delightful and interactive cabaret style.

Lakewood LEGO® League

For youth in kindergarten through fifth grade (caregivers welcome)
Use Lakewood Public Library’s collection of Lego® Bricks and your own imagination to create fabulous new structures and designs each month. No registration, but numbered tickets will be given out first-come, first-served.
Sunday, January 26, 2020, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
For students in kindergarten through first grade
Experience the arts in this after-school program with a variety of activities including listening to a story, personalizing a poem, completing a coloring project and making your own unique heart-filled creation. Come celebrate art and how it touches your heart! Registration required.
Friday, January 31, 2020, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Music Therapy & More℠
For you and your birth – 6-year-old child
For families with children struggling in an area of development. This program, led by a board-certified music therapist, teaches families how to use music to improve their child's behavior and motor, communication and social skills. Siblings (age birth to six-years-old) may attend, but must register separately. Music Therapy & More℠ is supported by a grant from the Community West Foundation and is presented in partnership with Connecting for Kids. Registration is required. Register online at connectingforkids.org/register, email info@connectingforkids.org or call (440) 570-5908.
Saturday, February 1, 2020, 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. in the Main Library Toddler’s Story Room.

Thursday, January 9, 2020 at 7:00 p.m.
Nonfiction Book Club
Main Library Meeting Room
Come and join the conversation with our newest book club. There are sure to be serious and thought-provoking discussions about many subjects inspired by these nonfiction works. Tonight we will discuss "This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto" by Suketu Mehta. 

Saturday, January 11, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. (91 minutes) 
Lakewood Public Cinema
Film Series—Sam Fuller: Audacious Auteur: "The Naked Kiss" (1964)
Directed by Samuel Fuller 
Presented by Terry Meehan 
Main Library Auditorium
Kelly (Constance Towers) is a prostitute troubled by a traumatic experience. She resolves to give up her transient lifestyle and big-city pimp. She leaves her past behind and finds solace in the small town of Grantville, but this small town proves to be just as sordid as a big city. Terry Meehan continues his series Sam Fuller: Audacious Auteur, introducing each film with an original video followed by audience reaction and a lively discussion.

For some children, being off from school on January 20, 2020, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, means sleeping late, playing video games, and watching television. The Lakewood Public Library is offering a meaningful alternative. Your child can still catch some extra shut-eye, however from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. they can take part in a program that will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through stories, songs, and a craft. As part of the MLK Day of Service, participants will create cards which will be distributed to local nursing home residents. This artistic endeavor will brighten the day of a senior citizen and provide your child with a chance to serve others. The cards will be delivered to a local nursing home by a library staff member at a later date. Each child will also be given the opportunity to make a take-home booklet about the life of Dr. King. There is no need to register in advance. All school-age children are invited to participate in this program which will take place in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Do you believe in magic? The Lakewood Public Library invites children and their families to The Magical World of Bill Gang on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. With a repertoire of numerous mystical maneuvers, this program will puzzle and entertain. Try to figure out Bill Gang’s secrets as he performs fascinating tricks and enchanting illusions. Children and parents alike will watch in amazement as magical events take place. Family fun and giggles will fill the evening. This interactive magic program will make you a believer. Families will enjoy this free show in the Main Library Multipurpose Room. You might even see a rabbit pulled out of a hat!

Do your New Year’s Resolutions include learning more about your family history? If so, Lakewood Public Library is the place to be.

On Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Edward Bolte will discuss using obituaries as a genealogical research tool in his presentation, The Changing Face and Future of Obituaries. President of the Western Reserve Historical Society Genealogical Committee, Mr. Bolte has conducted family history research for more than forty years.

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. Deborah A. Abbott, PhD returns with her popular genealogy workshop. Dr. Abbott shows fifteen students how to research their ancestors and how to use the in-Library resource, Ancestry Library Edition. Registration is required. To register, call (216) 226-8275, ext. 127. But you don’t have to wait for a workshop. Ancestry Library Edition is free for everyone to use every day at the Library.

Other online genealogical resources can be accessed from the library or from your home via the Library’s website. African American Heritage offers a comprehensive mix of resources specifically pertaining to African Americans. Fold3® Library Edition collects historical military records, including stories, photos, and personal documents. HeritageQuest® Online collects genealogical and historical sources from more than sixty countries, with coverage dating back to the 1700s.

Both “Data Mining the Deceased” and The Changing Face and Future of Obituaries take place in the Main Library Auditorium. Dr. Abbott’s genealogy workshop will be held in the Main Library Second Floor Learning Lab.

Be future-friendly and make a New Year’s resolution to upcycle. Start by bringing your children to Lakewood Public Library for some upcycling fun! We will show your kids how to repurpose old unwanted clothing and keep them busy over winter break. Students in third through eighth grade are invited to join us for Upcycling: From Rags to Riches on Monday, December 30, 2019 from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library First Floor Multipurpose Room.

What’s upcycling? Upcycling turns old things into something new - which is basically magic! It’s taking an item that is no longer wanted or needed and giving it new life as something useful or creative. Children will learn how to transform old clothing into new treasures. Turn an old t-shirt into a strand necklace, infinity scarf or tote bag. Rework an old sweater into a slouch beanie with matching mittens to keep warm during the cold winter months. Participants learn more about the upcycling movement and then use their imagination to create unique wearable art.

No experience is necessary to participate in this program. Some materials are provided but registrants must bring an old t-shirt and/or sweater which will be cut up for upcycling projects.

Space is limited for this creative program and registration is required so sign up your children today. To register, stop by the Children’s & Youth Services desk at the Main Library, call (216) 226-8275, ext. 140 or visit www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org, select the Youth tab and Programs for School-Age Students, then scroll down to the event and click on Read More.

A battered door hanging by an overburdened hinge; hopeless stairways no longer going anywhere anyone needs to go; a hobbled desk where decisions were once made in an office reclaimed by earth and sky – these are the remains of the forsaken buildings of Cleveland.

Jeffrey Stroup has documented these haunts before they inevitably disappear in “Abandoned Cleveland.”  The talented photographer will visit Lakewood Public Library on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss his adventures in urban decay. 

Stroup and his camera have taken on the crumbling -- or non-existent – floors, the rotted ceilings and the rusting framework of disintegrating monoliths that stand like tombstones throughout our city.

So skip the ride on Lolly the Trolley and join us for Jeffery Stroup’s visual tour of Cleveland’s forgotten places. This special Meet The Author program will be held in the Main Lower Level Auditorium. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
Meet the Author
"A Brave Face: Two Cultures, Two Families, and the Iraqi Girl Who Bound Them Together"
Book by Barbara Marlowe and Teeba Furat Marlowe
Main Library Auditorium
"A Brave Face" is the story of a woman who moved mountains to provide medical care for an Iraqi girl badly burned during a roadside attack. Barbara Marlowe’s determination to fight for her future daughter highlights the way love can reach across both cultures and continents. Marlowe overcame many obstacles to bring Teeba to the US for medical treatment—and to ultimately offer her a home. Books will be available for sale and signing at this event.

Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. (86 minutes) 
Lakewood Public Cinema
"Crossfire" (1947)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Presented by Barbara Steffek-Hill 
Main Library Auditorium
When a Jewish war veteran is found beaten to death, clues lead police captain Finlay (Robert Young) to unlikely suspects: a group of demobilized soldiers. The gang includes Monty (Robert Ryan) and Mitch (George Cooper). As the accused scrape together alibis, Finlay investigates the incident as a hate crime and is determined to find the real killer. Barbara Steffek-Hill presents a series of classic and contemporary films from her personal favorites.

A well-written and well-told story has the power to stand the test of time. In the Greek tradition, the ancient poetic epic "The Odyssey" by Homer remains the second-oldest surviving work of Western literature. Filled with tales of bravery, war, and tragedy, "The Odyssey" is a story of ancient mythology that has captivated audiences throughout the ages.

Homer’s epic is given a fresh perspective in Madeline Miller’s New York Times bestselling novel "Circe." The most infamous female figure in "The Odyssey" is reimagined and retold as Miller explores the life of the legendary sorceress best known for turning Odysseus’s sailors into swine.

Discuss "Circe" alongside selections from Emily Wilson’s translation of "The Odyssey" with Barbara Parr, an instructor with Case Western Reserve University’s Laura and Alvin Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. This four-week discussion will begin on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room and continue on January 15, 2020, January 22, 2020, and January 29, 2020.

The Siegal Lifelong Learning Program connects the academic world and Northeast Ohio's wider community through innovative and engaging programming. Adults of all ages pursue their love of learning by participating in courses and lectures with internationally renowned scholars and local experts who share their cutting-edge research and current topics of interest. Instructor Barbara Parr received a BS from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Masters of Education from Cleveland State University. After retiring from teaching English and literature at Rocky River High School, Barbara now leads discussions throughout Greater Cleveland. 

Art Connection
For students in kindergarten through fifth grade
Art activities let you express your view of the world. Create your own unique piece of art to take home and show off to family and friends. Registration is required.
Monday, December 23, 2019, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Lakewood LEGO® League
For youth in kindergarten through fifth grade (caregivers welcome)
Use Lakewood Public Library’s collection of Lego® Bricks and your own imagination to create fabulous new structures and designs each month. No registration, but numbered tickets will be given out first-come, first-served.
Sunday, December 29, 2019, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Upcycling – From Rags to Riches
For students in third through eighth grade
Transform old clothing into new treasures by turning an old t-shirt into strand necklaces, infinity scarves or a tote bag. Discover more about upcycling and then use your imagination to create your own work of art. Some materials will be provided, but students are required to bring an old t-shirt and sweater to use for upcycling projects. Registration required.
Monday, December 30, 2019, 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Barbara Marlowe is a determined woman. In 2006, a photo of an Iraqi girl in The Plain Dealer affected her so much she reached across the world, overcoming the obstacles of bureaucracy, time, distance and culture to help a severely burned child achieve a new life.

Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
Friends’ Preview Book Sale
Main Library Friends’ Book Sale Room
There is a special members-only preview book sale on Thursday, December 5, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Memberships may be purchased at the door for as little as $3.00. The preview sale is not a bag sale.

Happily Ever Crafter

For students in sixth through twelfth grade

Beginners and pros, come create clever crafts with everyday materials! Registration required.

Sunday, December 8, 2019, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Main Library Activity Room.

Space is the Place: Star Clocks

For students in third through fifth grade

Explore the world before clocks, when people determined what the time was without them. Using simple materials, participants will construct their very own star clock, also known as a nocturnal, and discover how it can be used to map the changing of time by utilizing the stars as their guide. Registration required.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Main Library Multipurpose Room.

Nicole Hennessy writes with a passion. As a journalist and poet, she has written for many local and national publications, co-founded the bimonthly art and literary magazine “Miser,” published the nonfiction book “Black Rabbit” and belongs to a community of poets actively creating and sharing their work in Cleveland.

In the 1930s, folks tapped their toes to hits from the Great American Songbook with their families gathered around the living room radio. Now we keep the beat with handheld smartphones, but favorites like Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” or George Gershwin’s, “ S’ Wonderful” have never left our playlists.

The Holiday season is upon us, and there is so much to love about this festive time of year. 

For most of us, Lake Erie is a broad expanse of beautiful water, a recreational highlight of life in Lakewood. But Lake Erie was once a bustling commercial water highway and below its surface lie hundreds of shipwrecks, abandoned in the murky depths of the lake. One of these wrecks is the Dundee, a wooden schooner that went down in a storm that swept over Lake Erie in September of 1900.

Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7:00 p.m.
Meet the Author
"Monsoon Postcards: Indian Ocean Journeys"
Book by David H. Mould
Main Library Auditorium
In the sequel to "Postcards from Stanland: Journeys in Central Asia," historian and journalist David Mould traverses the Indian Ocean—from Madagascar through India and Bangladesh to Indonesia. It’s an unpredictable journey, and along the way he meets journalists, professors, students, aid workers, cab drivers and slum-dwellers. Mould has traveled widely in Asia and southern Africa. Books will be available for sale and signing at this event.

Lakewood LEGO® League

The fall session of Strokes of Genius at the Lakewood Public Library came to a close in November as participating second, third, and fourth graders proudly showcased their talent at an Art Show for family and friends.