Looking for Something to Do tomorrow? Hunt for Pokemon at Moline Public Library! If you’re looking for something fun to do with the family, drop by the Moline Library’s free Pokemon Day at 1 p.m. ATTENTION POKÉMON TRAINERS AGES 4-14! Do you love all things Pokémon? Are you an avid trading card collector, PokéGo player, Nuzlocke Challenger or a huge fan of the show and games? Then join us at the Moline Library for a special Pokémon Day event! Play games, meet fellow fans of Pokémon, trade cards and craft some of your favorite Pokémon! Program runs from 1:00pm – 3:00pm, trading... Read More

Join us for a fun event for your child’s stuffed animals! (Or any special toy.  All are welcome!)  Name Tag Making: Every camper needs a nametag, so drop by any Rock Island Public Library location to make a name tag for your toy buddy. We’ll have supplies available Feb. 22-24 during library hours. Stuffed Animal Storytime and “Camper” Drop Off: Friday, Feb. 24 from 4:30 to 6pm, Watts-Midtown Branch (2715 30th Street.) Before storytime, we’ll decorate a sleeping bag for your toy/stuffed animal! Then, we’ll offer a storytime for children and their toy buddies.... Read More

Drop into the Downtown Rock Island Library Children’s Room between Feb. 1 and Feb. 11 to make Valentine cards for our homebound patrons. Supplies will be provided. Thanks to a service project by Seton School students, we have more than 200 cards so far (above photo), but let’s keep the friendship circle going! Open to any age. If you operate a care facility in Rock Island or Milan and would like us to drop off some cards, please let us know!  Read More

On Saturday, February 11, local author David Sebben presents “Sol Butler, The Greatest Athlete You’ve Never Heard Of.” The free event is at 11am at the Downtown Library. An accomplished athlete, Butler played for the Rock Island Independents football team and competed in the long jump in the 1920 Olympic games. His free presentation is free and open to all ages.  Read More

Noted historian and storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis joins the Rock Island Public library on February 8 for the first of three performances in his “History . . .  in Person!” series. Join us Wednesday, February 8 for his live performance, “Walt Whitman’s Lincoln,” at 6 pm at the Rock Island Downtown Library, 401 19th Street. Ellis recreates a program that the noted poet Whitman delivered on President Abraham Lincoln. This event is suitable for all ages, and registration is not required. Light refreshments will be provided. Please enter the library for this after-hours event via... Read More

Starting in 2023, RIPL cardholders will not be charged a daily late fine for most materials, with certain exceptions. Most traditionally-circulated materials are fine free (for example, books, DVDs, CDs, magazines.) Who Qualifies? Rock Island Public Library cardholders only. Patrons of other PrairieCat libraries will continue to be assessed for late items. What Isn’t Fine Free? Mobile hotspots, mobile streaming devices, cultural passes, and Library of Things collections. These items will incur a late fine if returned after the due date. These are scarce items with high demand. Return these... Read More

Rock Island Public Library is closed for the holidays. Remember that our online services are always open to RIPL cardholders at www.rockislandlibrary.org. We look forward to seeing you after the holiday, when we reopen on December 27.  Read More

Fall Frieze Lectures, “Ideas That Changed Everything,” with Augustana College. Celebrate our 150th year with other ideas that had big impacts on their time. Join us at 2 pm, Thursday, Nov. 10 at our Downtown Library for free presentations by Augustana College professors.The speaker schedule has changed since our last email, so please read on! Dr. Paul Olsen, of the Augustana English Department, will kick off our series on October 20 by discussing the great “truths” of American icon William Styron, best known for Sophie’s Choice. The New York Times 2006 obituary noted that the late author’s... Read More

150 years ago, Rock Island citizens were eagerly awaiting the opening of the community’s first-ever truly free library on November 25, 1872. The Library will celebrate its 150th anniversary as the first library to actually open for business in Illinois with a community birthday party on November 10. The Rock Island Library kicks off a full-year of anniversary celebrations with the free public party from about 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 10 on the second floor of the Downtown Library, 401 19th Street. The drop-in event immediately follows the final Frieze Lecture, with speeches... Read More

To kick off the 150th anniversary year of the Rock Island Public Library, the 25th annual Frieze Lecture series focuses on ideas that had a profound impact in their own times – much like the opening of the Rock Island Public Library, the first tax-supported public library to open in Illinois. The free lecture series takes place on four Thursdays at 2:00 pm, October 20, 27, November 3, and 10, in the Community Room of the Downtown Library, 401 19th Street. The 25th annual Frieze Lectures, a partnership between the Rock Island Public Library and Augustana College, will offer four faculty presentations... Read More