Sensory Saturday

Explore, Discover, Play!

 Saturdays, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Main Branch, Lower Level

Sensory Saturdays is a hands-on, play-based program that invites young children to explore a variety of sensory stations designed to stimulate touch, sight, sound, smell, and movement. Each session features activities that support early childhood development, creativity, and social interaction, and encourages caregiver-child interaction.

Clinton's Front Door: The History of Clinton's Railroad Depots

Presented by Dave Bahnsen

 Saturday, October 18
1:00PM - 2:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.

325 11th Avenue. Not an address that comes to mind for most Clintonians. Yet, for 50 years, this address was Clinton's front door, greeting Presidents, movie stars, and the general public daily. The Chicago and North Western Railroad had a rich and colorful history forever tied to the city, and the passenger depot was its hub. Few people realize that when it was opened in 1920, only Milwaukee and Chicago had a larger payroll on the railroad. The weekly payroll of the C&NW in Clinton, even then, was larger than the monthly payroll of all the sawmills combined in their heyday. Come see and hear a presentation about the fascinating heritage and history of this building and more.

Dave Bahnsen, a native of Clinton, is a historical researcher and volunteer at the State of Iowa Historical Society library in Iowa City, Iowa, and works for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Franken Plush!

Teen Craft and Movie Lock-In
Sponsored by Clover Hills Appliance

 Friday, October 24
4:30PM - 7:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.

Teens, enjoy pizza and channel your inner mad scientist! We'll be tearing apart old stuffed animals and sewing them back together to create our very own mad monster plushies! 

Sustainability Club | Take & Sew Boomerang Bags!

 November - December 2025

The Clinton Public Library is looking for volunteers to sew Boomerang Bags at home! Boomerang Bags is a global movement to help tackle plastic pollution and to upcycle and recycle fiber to make home-sewn reusable tote bags as an alternative. These bags will then be provided to library patrons to carry their library books.

Take & Sew Kits will be available at the front desk during library hours this November & December. You will return the bags when completed. To volunteer for this project, you will need your own sewing machine and thread. If you have any questions, please call (563) 242-5355 or email the makerspace at cplmakerspace@gmail.com. 

American Mahjong Open Play

 Saturday, November 8
1:00PM - 3:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441. Age 18+.

Interested in practicing your American Mahjong skills? Join us for an open play session! Open play is for those who already know how to play. It is an opportunity to enjoy the game with other members of the community in a relaxed and friendly environment. We have 2 Mahjong sets and 8 cards, enough for 8 players. Groups are welcome to bring your own cards & sets also. 

Puzzle Exchange!

 Drop-Off: Monday, Nov. 10 - Saturday, Nov. 15
Pick-Up: Wednesday, Nov. 19 - Saturday, Nov. 22

Swap your old jigsaw puzzles for gently-used ones through the Clinton Public Library’s third-annual puzzle exchange!

Here’s how it works:

1. Bring in a gently used jigsaw puzzle —with all of its pieces, please — to the Main Branch from Monday, Nov. 10 - Saturday, Nov. 15 during open hours. Please note that the library will be closed on Tuesday, Nov. 11th.
   When you drop off your puzzle(s), you'll get a ticket to pick up a “new” puzzle — or puzzles! — the following week.
2. Present your ticket and choose a new-to-you puzzle(s) at the Main Branch from Wednesday, Nov. 19 - Saturday, Nov. 22 any time during open hours. Puzzle selection will be on a first come, first serve basis.
3. The best part: Begin your new-to-you jigsaw puzzle!

Questions? Call the Main Branch at (563) 242-8411 or email Kate at kstruble@clintonpubliclibrary.us

Fiber Friends | Weekly Craft Club

 Tuesdays, 5:00PM - 7:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Registration is encouraged, but not required.

Join us for a cozy and creative gathering of fiber arts enthusiasts! Whether you're passionate about crochet, knitting, or other fiber crafts like weaving, embroidery, or felting, this club is the perfect place to share your skills, learn new techniques, and connect with fellow makers. 

All skill levels are welcome—from beginners to seasoned crafters. Volunteer Cath Martin will be on hand to offer guidance and teach knitting techniques to those interested in learning or improving their knitting skills.

Bring your current project or start something new. Limited yarn, crochet hooks/knitting needles are provided. Other materials are not. Come stitch, chat, and be inspired! 

Storytime

 Wednesdays at 10:30AM
Main Branch, Lower Level

Storytime is offered continually, with breaks occurring in late December and August. Join us for fun, stories, songs, puppet shows, and a craft to take home!

Wiggle Time

 Tuesdays at 10:30AM
Main Branch, Lower Level

We will have songs, toys, and bubbles for you and your baby or toddler to interact! This is a great chance for kids and caregivers to socialize with each other and their peers. This program is suited for ages 0-3.

Creative Explorers

 Tuesdays at 3:30PM
Main Branch, Lower Level

Join us for an afternoon of play and learning! The Creative Explorers (formerly Afternoon Adventures) program offers a space for children to create, explore, and discover. Through fun and interactive programs, we aim to provide patrons of all abilities and stages of learning with the opportunity to learn about the world around them in a hands-on way.

Caregivers are encouraged to stay in the building and participate with their children. Children under the age of 8 are not to be left alone in the building without a caretaker at least 14 years of age.

Weekly Schedule:

• Oct 21 – Fingerprinting with the CPD!
  (Special Guests: Officer Shane Haskell and Evidence Technician Julie Cramer from the Clinton Police Department)
• Oct 28 – DIY Costumes

Vibe Out

 Fridays, 2:00PM - 4:30PM (NEW TIME!)
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Teens, join us on Fridays for anime, crafts, and snacks!

Weekly Schedule:

• Oct 17 - Ghost Portraits
• Oct 24 - No Vibe Out, join us for Franken Plush!

• Oct 31 - No Vibe Out, Happy Halloween!

All-Ages Chess Club

Where Every Move Matters!

 1st & 3rd Saturdays
2:00PM - 3:00PM (may go longer)
Main Branch, Lower Level

Welcome to the All-Ages Chess Club, a vibrant community where chess enthusiasts of all skill levels come together to share their passion for the game! Players of all ages—children, teens, adults, and seniors—can connect over the chessboard. Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned grandmaster, our club provides a friendly and inclusive environment for everyone.

LEGO Club

 2nd & 4th Saturdays
2:00PM - 3:00PM (may go longer)
Main Branch, Lower Level

Join us on 2nd and 4th Saturdays in an all-ages LEGO club. Show off your building skills, learn some tricks of the trade, complete a mini build challenge, or enjoy some open building time with buckets of bricks.

Finding My Way with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai
 Wednesday, October 22, 6PM

Bestselling Author and Education Activist

See More and Register

Courtly Intrigue and Whispers as Weapons with Historical Fiction Queen Philippa Gregory
 Wednesday, October 29, 1PM

Bestselling Author of The Other Boleyn Girl and Leading Voice in Historical Fiction

See More and Register

Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity with Award-Winning Journalist Joseph Lee​​​​​​​
 Wednesday, November 5, 1PM

Author of the Debut Memoir Nothing More of This Land

See More and Register

The Search for Truth and the Persistence of Love Across Time with Novelist Amanda Peters​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
 Thursday, November 13, 6PM

Bestselling Author and Winner of the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

See More and Register

Unlock the Secret Language of Connection with Supercommunicator Charles Duhigg​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
 Tuesday, November 18, 1PM

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist and New York Times Bestselling Author of The Power of Habit

See More and Register

#52Stories

 First Saturdays
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

On every headstone or plaque, there are two dates separated by a dash. How do you define your dash? The #52Stories genealogy project provides the inspiration you need to write down one story every week for a year by using a handwritten journal, blog, voice, or video recording. During this meeting we will chat about what we are doing with our own #52Stories project by sharing our stories & photos.

Bring Your Own Book Club

 Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Formerly Lyons Reads, this book club is relaxed and we have fun conversations about books and authors. We each read our own book and discuss it with our group.

Learn to Sew: A Beginner’s Workshop

 Four Classes, 1st Thursdays, Sept-Dec 2025
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor (Makerspace)

Registration is closed.

Let’s Dish: Potluck Club

 Fourth Saturdays
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Calling all foodies! If you have an appetite for new foods and fun conversations please join us in our monthly Let’s Dish: Potluck Club. To participate, each month you will choose and prepare a recipe that matches the theme for our potluck. Bring that dish, and serving utensils, to our potluck to share family style along with the recipe.

Make, Mend, Repair

 Second Thursdays
5:00PM - 7:00PM
Main Branch, 2nd Floor (Makerspace)

Don’t toss it—fix it! Join us for Make, Mend, Repair, a creative, community-centered workshop where you’ll learn basic repair skills to extend the life of your clothes, textiles, and small household items.

Bring something you’d like to fix—like a broken zipper, a missing button, or a broken stuffed animal or toy—or just come to learn!

Registration is encouraged, but not required; drop-ins and all ages welcome.

The Plarn Project

 Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Plarn is plastic yarn that is made from plastic shopping bags. This material is used by local volunteers to make comfortable sleeping mats for the homeless. Upcycling these plastic bags is a way to help our community and also reduce the amount of plastic going into landfills. If you are interested in donating clean plastic grocery bags & cutting them, please join us to learn more about this project.

Sustainability Club | Help Us Make Boomerang Bags!

 Third Thursdays
Main Branch, 2nd Floor

Do you like to sew? We are looking for volunteers to cut and sew Boomerang Bags, put together take-n-sew kits, and to help us eliminate the use of plastic bags in the library. Boomerang Bags is a global movement to help tackle plastic pollution and to upcycle and recycle fiber to make home-sewn reusable tote bags as an alternative. These bags will then be provided to library patrons to carry their library books.