Programs & Events
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Click on an event to learn more & register! Color Guide:
Kids (0-3) | PreK (3-5) | Kids (0-5) | Kids (K-6th) | Teen (12-18) | Family | Adult/General | Makerspace | Online | Closings
SPECIAL EVENTS
No Pressure Book Club
April's theme: Cozy Mystery
Click HERE to view this month's recommended reads!
Wednesday, May 6 | 5 - 6PM | 2nd Floor
Join us for a no pressure book club! Each month, we'll curate a selection of books from a specific genre; you can pick a book from our list or choose your own! Read the book and join us on the first Wednesday of the next month to discuss your thoughts with others. Can’t make the meeting? No worries! We’ll share our selections on social media, where you can share any thoughts you had while reading or about the genre as a whole.
BookTok Bingo
Wednesday, April 8 | Doors open at 6pm - Bingo starts at 7pm | Copper Mill (2750 S 27th St)
Grab your friends and join us to play BookTok bingo at the Copper Mill! Bingo winners will get to pick a popular book to take home with them.
Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441. Bingo cards are $5 each with a limit of four cards per person. Cash or check at event check in is required to play. All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Library.
The Friends of the Clinton Public Library is a nonprofit advocacy organization which supports the Library. Volunteer members advocate, educate, and raise funds on behalf of the Library, its patrons, and the community. The Friends have a used book store, located at the Lyons Branch. Donations are welcome.
Book It! Teen Craft and Movie Lock-In
Friday, April 17 | 4:30 - 6PM | 2nd Floor
Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.
Pizza rolls and painting, oh my! This month, we’re taking old bookends and giving them a fresh look. Paint a set to take home or to be used here at the library!
Let's Make Seed Bombs!
Tuesday, April 21 | 5:30 - 6:30PM | 2nd Floor
Registration encouraged; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.
To celebrate Earth Day this month, we wanted to share an awesome DIY project to help spread springtime cheer. We’re going to be making seed bombs! These bombs will be packed with wildflower seeds that are native to Iowa and are beneficial to pollinators and butterflies.
Earth Day & the Food System
Wednesday, April 22 | 11:30AM - 12:30PM | 2nd Floor
Registration encouraged; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.
Join us for a webinar by Annalise Vanvranken as she discusses “Earth Day & the Food System”. Learn how our food system impacts our environment and helpful tips to make more sustainable food choices.
To join the webinar from home: Webinar Registration - Zoom
Wellness on Wednesdays webinars with Family & Community Health Sciences-Rutgers Cooperative Extension, focuses on topics related to food, nutrition & healthy lifestyles.
Let's Learn American Mahjong!
Wednesday, April 22 | 4:30 - 6:30PM | 2nd Floor
Registration is required; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441 to sign up for an upcoming class.
Come join us for a beginner-friendly, two-hour workshop and learn to play American Mahjongg! You will learn the basics of how this game is played with Clinton native, Lori Kennedy. This is a very welcoming space for total beginners—no experience necessary, just bring your curiosity and a willingness to learn.
Upcycled Spring Wreath Craft
Wednesday, April 22 | 5 - 6:30PM | 2nd Floor
Registration is not required, but you can still sign up; click HERE or call (563) 242-8441.
The Franciscan Peace Center has partnered with the Clinton Public Library to host an upcycle program to celebrate Earth Day. Participants will be encouraged to bring used sweaters or other cloth to be used to be wrapped around a wreath form while we use other upcycled materials to create spring wreaths.
This event is free and open to the public and is guaranteed to be a fun, creative, community-building event. If you have any questions about how you can participate, or if you have craft items that you’d like to donate, contact Marsha Thrall at mthrall@clintonfranciscans.com.
PASSIVE PROGRAMS
Tiny Art Show 2026
Thank you for being a part of the Clinton Public Library’s third annual Tiny Art Show! Individuals ages 5 and up of all artistic abilities were encouraged to participate. We invited artists to create their paintings with one of the following themes in mind:
1) America’s 250th Birthday Celebration 2) Stained Glass 3) Community is . . . 4) My Perfect Day
Tiny Art Show on Display at Clinton Community College's Library | Thursday, April 2 - Thursday, April 23
Clinton Community College Address: 1000 Lincoln Blvd, Clinton, IA 52732
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Artwork Pick-Up | Thursday, April 30 - Thursday, May 7
Pick up your artwork at the library.
Take & Sew Kits: Boomerang Bags
Sustainability Club: Living Well with CPL!
Always Available at the Main Desk
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. 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.
OPEN HOURS
Memory Lab Hours
Tuesdays & Fridays | 2 - 4PM | 2nd Floor
Preserve your personal history by digitizing cherished items in our Memory Lab. Training is one-on-one,
personalized guidance just for you. Turn your keepsakes into digital treasures and make sure your memories
last a lifetime! Memory Lab hours are subject to change, based on staff availability. To make sure a time is
available for you, please schedule an appointment by calling (563) 242-5355.
In April, learn about our Plustek large format flatbed scanner!
Thank you to the Clinton County Development Association and the Friends of the Library for funding this equipment.
Makerspace Hours
Tuesdays 1 - 4:30PM; Thursdays 3:30 - 7:30PM; or by appointment | 2nd Floor (Makerspace)
Makerspace hours are subject to change, based on staff availability. To make sure a time is available for you, or to make an appointment, please call (563) 242-8441 or email cplmakerspace@gmail.com. Click HERE to learn more about the Makerspace!
IowaWORKS Career Services
Select Thursdays | 9AM - 5PM | Main Floor
IowaWORKS services include Resume Assistance, Registered Apprenticeship, Virtual Workshops, and other service referrals for educational and unemployment insurance needs. Please call ahead for Soft Skills Training and Mock Interviewing Skills.
WEEKLY
Fiber Friends
Weekly Craft Club
Tuesdays, 5 - 7PM | 2nd Floor
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. Bring your current project or start something new. Limited yarn, crochet hooks/knitting needles are provided. Come stitch, chat, and be inspired!
Sensory Saturday
Explore, Discover, Play!
Saturdays, 10AM - 12PM | 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.
Wiggle Time
Tuesdays at 10:30AM | 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.
Storytime
Wednesdays at 10:30AM | 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!
Creative Explorers
Tuesdays at 3:30PM | 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:
- Mar 31 – Animals
- Apr 7 – Robotic Hand
- Apr 14 – Rain in a Jar
- Apr 21 – Soil Layers
- Apr 28 – Disappearing Ink
Teen Hangout
A Space for Teens!
Most Fridays, 2 - 4:30PM | 2nd Floor
Join us at the library Friday afternoons - play games, do homework, read a book, make art, make a craft, or just hangout. Oh, and enjoy some snacks!
FREQUENT
The following programs may occur several times a month. For more information, please view our calendar or call (563) 242-8441.
All-Ages Chess Club
Where Every Move Matters!
1st & 3rd Saturdays | 2 - 3PM (may go longer) | 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 - 3PM (may go longer) | 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.
Virtual Author Talks
Library Speakers Consortium
Click HERE to view more information, register for upcoming events, or view past recordings.
On a Mission: The History of US Women Astronauts with Smithsonian Curator Emerita Valerie Neal
Thursday, April 2, 1PM
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
On Writing Action-Packed and Suspenseful Spycraft with Brad Taylor
Tuesday, April 14, 6PM
Former Special Forces and New York Times Bestselling Author of the Pike Logan Series
How Exploration, Uncertainty, and Risk Help Us Find Meaning with Author Alex Hutchinson
Thursday, April 16, 1PM
New York Times Bestselling Author of Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance
Bittersweet: Exploring the Five Tastes of Dessert with Thalia Ho
Thursday, April 23, 6PM
Award-Winning Blogger and Author of Wild Sweetness
On Writing Beloved Characters and Powerful Portrayals of Resilience in Virtual Conversation with Jason Reynolds
Thursday, April 30, 6PM
Award-Winning and New York Times Bestselling Author
MONTHLY
The following programs meet once a month. For more information, please view our calendar or call (563) 242-8441.
#52Stories
1st Saturdays | 10:30AM - 12PM | 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.
Lunch & Learn: 250th Memories Roadshow
2nd Saturdays | 1 - 2PM | 2nd Floor
You are invited to join us for the first Lunch & Learn 250th Memories Roadshow at the Clinton Public Library. Bring an object, document, photograph or other historical material that holds special meaning to you. Share the memory attached to that item as we take turns presenting. The library will photograph these items and create a photo display of 250 memories (or more!) in celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026.
Registration is encouraged. Please note: You will need to sign a release if you wish to participate in the photo display.
Bring Your Own Book Club
3rd Saturdays | 1:30 - 2:30PM (may go longer) | 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.
Let’s Dish: Potluck Club
4th Saturdays | 1 - 2PM | 2nd Floor
Food lovers, this one’s for you! Join us each month for Let’s Dish: Potluck Club, where great recipes and great conversations come together. Each month features a new theme—simply choose a recipe that fits, prepare it at home, and bring your dish (along with serving utensils) to share family‑style.
Learn to Sew: A Beginner’s Workshop
Four-Part Workshop, Spring & Fall | 1st Thursdays | 5 - 7PM | 2nd Floor (Makerspace)
Registration is closed for the January-April 2026 series. Catch the next series in the fall!
Always wanted to learn how to sew but didn’t know where to start? Join us for a hands-on Learn-to-Sew class designed just for beginners! In this friendly, no-pressure workshop, you’ll get comfortable with the basics of both hand and machine sewing.
Make, Mend, Repair
2nd Thursdays | 5 - 7PM | 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.
Sustainability Club | Help Us Make Boomerang Bags
3rd Thursdays | 5 - 6PM | 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.