We invite you to spend a day visiting local libraries – find out what is special about each and what they have to offer to you and your family. This is an event for all ages – all you need is a love of libraries and a way to get from place to place.

The challenge is to visit as many libraries as you can and take a picture of yourself with a designated item in each library – it’s a 21st century scavenger hunt! Post your pics and tag the libraries #mlncrawl2022. Each library will have handouts and giveaways – show your pictures to a librarian (or if you don’t have a camera, just tell a librarian you’re on the crawl) and receive a PRIZE! Download your "passport" with all of the relevant information. Full list of participating libraries on the event listing.

Feeding ecology is the relationship between the environment, evolutionary processes, and the feeding behavior of different organisms. For this lecture, we’ll discuss where birds feed, the adaptations birds have that facilitate feeding, and how and when birds feed. Bill Gette will explain the different categories of birds (e.g., carnivores, insectivores, fructivores); discuss the wide variety of physical adaptations for feeding (e.g., foot structure, wing shape, bill shape); discuss the acute senses of birds (e.g., sight, hearing, smell), and review the many ways birds feed. Did you ever wonder how birds see at night? Did you know that some species of birds, the specialists, eat only one thing? Did you know that some species of birds use tools to feed? Bill will discuss these interesting topics and many more.

What do we see when we watch reality television? In this exciting discussion, the sociologist and TV-lover Danielle J. Lindemann takes a long, hard look in the “funhouse mirror” of this genre. From the first episodes of The Real World to countless rose ceremonies to the White House, reality TV has not just remade our entertainment and cultural landscape (which it undeniably has). Reality TV, Lindemann argues, uniquely reflects our everyday experiences and social topography back to us. Applying scholarly research―including studies of inequality, culture, and deviance―to specific shows, Lindemann layers insights with social theory, humor, pop cultural references, and anecdotes from her own life to show us who we really are.

Monday, August 15 | 7:00pm

Virtual

Join us for a virtual talk and Q&A with Ryka Aoki in celebration of the paperback release of her novel, Light from Uncommon Stars! Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Wednesday, August 17 | 7:00pm

Living Room

Visit the Living Room to see the banners of notable women figures throughout history and join us for a reception in celebration of the exhibit.

Thursday, August 18 | 7:00pm

Large Meeting Room

Want to try an instrument that is fun and easy to play? Join Julie Stepanek as she shows the fundamentals of ukulele playing. No experience necessary. Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of hers. Space is limited. Registration required. Ages 12 to adult.