Marion County Imagination Library would like to thank the community for helping us take on this literacy challenge. When we started in early 2020, we had to cancel our kickoff event and the great things we planned to celebrate in our partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ohio. Therefore we are thrilled to be able to celebrate the five-year anniversary this year! Our registration numbers grew from 354 books being delivered the first month to 1,115 books in January of 2021. Each year we saw steady increases in numbers. The challenge was cultivating the funds to pay for the books. Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Ohio pays for 50% of the costs of delivering books, Marion Public Library comes up with the other 50%. Our Marion community comes through again. We have seen generosity from many February 2025 DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY of Marion County, celebrating 5 years! February is the month of love and the perfect month to share what there is to love in your Library. Your Library is a place: • to get connected with local and national authors • to find a huge variety of books - an unlimited supply for reading and resources • to get Internet access • to find hundreds of programs throughout the year that offer a sanctuary for learning -- for every age group • of peace and quiet • to research rolls and rolls of microfilm • to read local or national newspapers • to read popular magazines without a subscription • to schedule periodic delivery of library materials for those who cannot get to the Library • to get access to ebooks and audiobooks • to check out popular movies • to Book-a-Librarian to help you get connected digitally or take a deeper dive into research • to easily renew checkouts online or on the phone • with initiatives designed to raise readers starting at birth • simply walk through the non-fiction stacks and easily glean a treasure trove of ideas for your next adventure or project What makes you love your Library!? MarionLibrary.org DIRECTOR’S NOTE Gary Branson 4,413 Children have been impacted by the Marion County Imagination Library. 2,397 Children are currently enrolled and receiving a book each month, delivered right to their home. 103,540 Books were provided to Marion County children, empowering families to read together. 2,016 Children celebrated their fifth birthday and graduated from Marion’s Imagination Library. Marion County funds 50% and The State of Ohio matches the other 50% to pay for the books and delivery. More than $163,803 in donations and grants were secured to keep the program FREE for families. different service organizations, grant requests, church groups, and generous individuals who gave to our fund at Marion Community Foundation on a regular basis. As for your help in getting registrations -- after months and months of registration numbers hovering at 69%, in January 2025 our registrations reached 2,457. That is, 70% of all children eligible to receive books (3,535) are registered in the program!! MarionLibrary.org/ ImaginationLibrary for a 5 year overview or to register a child. Since the arrival of Imagination Library in our community:
Feb 3 Lapsit Baby Time @ 11:00am Feb 4 Fiction Book Discussion @ 6:00pm Feb 5 Living with Diabetes @ 6:00pm Feb 6 Story Time! @ 10:00am & 11:00am Teen Tabletop Time @ 3:15pm Feb 7 Enhanced Digital Literacy @ 2:00pm Feb 8 Pawtrait Perfection @ 10:30am Feb 10 Library website temporarily unavailable while upgrades are being made. Lapsit Baby Time @ 11:00am Feb 11 Books in Focus @ 3:00pm Bump to Books @ 6:00pm Feb 12 Social Security Fairness Act @ 5:30pm Feb 13 Celebrating 5 YEARS of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Marion County! Story Time! @ 10:00 Teen Tabletop Time @ 3:15pm Feb 14 Enhanced Digital Literacy @ 2:00pm Feb 15 Teen Valentine’s Escape Room @ 12:30 Feb 17 Lapsit Baby Time @ 11:00am End of Life Planning @ 5:30pm Feb 18 African American Read-In (at Marion Campus Library) @ 12:30pm Nonfiction Book Discussions @ 6:00pm Feb 19 Game Night @ 5:30pm - 6:45pm Feb 20 Story Time! @ 10:00am & 11:00am Teen Tabletop Time @ 3:15pm Feb 21 Enhanced Digital Literacy @ 2:00pm Feb 22 D&D Crafts @ 12:00pm Feb 24 ALL - Spring 2025 Class Registration Lapsit Baby Time @ 11:00am Book Discussion (Ages 11 - 14) @ 5:30pm Feb 25 Book Show & Tell @ 3:00pm Create with Kristin @ 5:30pm Feb 26 Kittens, Kittens Everywhere! @ 5:30pm Feb 27 Story Time! @ 10:00am & 11:00am Teen Tabletop Time @ 3:15pm Feb 28 Enhanced Digital Literacy @ 2:00pm AUTHOR KROSOCZKA program/book signing March 11 calendar of events https://www.MarionLibrary.org/calendar/month *ALL - Registration and a fee required Adult Child/Teen ALL Digital Lit To kick off March’s National Reading month, Let’s Read 20 will distribute Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s book - Punk Farm to all elementary and preschools in Marion County with the intention of having the book read in the classrooms on March 3 - Let’s Read 20, Marion! day. The following week, on Tuesday, March 11, Let’s Read 20 and Marion Public Library will host the author/illustrator at Marion Public Library. As an author with a full-range appeal to different ages of readers (including reluctant readers), and one who is an accomplished illustrator, he will bring a unique approach to reading, learning and connecting kids with books. He will offer a short program and sign books. As part of connecting the author with readers, copies of the book Punk Farm and, Krosoczka’s graphic novel Lunch Lady will be given out to students (while supply last) who attend the program. Punk Farm will also be the next book prepared for the book walk along the Marion Tallgrass Trail. Look for it to be in place in early March. LetsRead20.org/campaigns MarionLibrary.org/Jarrett Come talk about a graphic novel with us! For our first discussion group we will be reading All’s Faire In Middle School and talking about our favorite (and least favorite) parts of the book. This isn’t a classroom so there are no tests nor homework. Kids simply read the book and come ready to share during the discussion. This group is geared toward participants ages 11-14, with the hopes of doing a couple of more discussions as the year progresses. MarionLibrary.org/allsfaire to learn more. MIDDLE GRADE BOOK DISCUSSION kicks off for 11-14 year olds
FICTION: February 4 @ 6pm The God of the Woods by Liz Moore NONFICTION: February 18 @ 6pm Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo Find the 2025 Book Discussions List: www.MarionLibrary.org/bookdiscussions Full video on our Library YouTube channel at: https://youtu.be/BcgJjWgLU70 book discussion Stop by, pick up a book, read and join the discussion. books in focus Check out the new titles hitting our shelves within the month of February. STOP BY OUR IMAGINATION LIBRARY display to feed Hungry Caterpillar’s literacy love Marion County Imagination Library succeeds because of your donations to the Marion Community Foundation fund that pays to have all of the books sent to the children, making it FREE for all children registered. Contrary to some beliefs, Dolly does not pay for all of the books. The State of Ohio generously pays 50% of the monthly invoice, and as a community partner with the State of Ohio, Marion Public Library finds community supporters to pay the other 50%. Your donation matters to the longevity of the program in Marion County. To celebrate our 5 year success consider donating to support local literacy. MarionLibrary.org/ celebrate5 Stop by the donation display at Marion Public Library where you can help the Hungry Caterpillar feed his love for literacy. With so many exciting new releases it is hard to know where to start. Historical fiction readers check out Junie, a young girl strives for more in Civil War era Alabama, or Harlem Rhapsody, which was inspired by Jessie Redmon Fauset during the Harlem Renaissance. Romance readers will get a new one from Tia Williams and Kristina Forest. Fourth Wing fans—check out The Last One set in a magical and deadly kingdom. For fans of family saga and dramatic reads Happy Land and People of Means are sure to please. Nonfiction readers have new biographies on John Lewis, Langston Hughes, and Jennifer Jones, the first African American Rockette. Award winner Imani Perry’s new release focuses on the color blue and its role in history and culture. AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY Celebrate with a New Book Join the African American Read-in Feb 18 @Campus Library
Trextyn: Interesting characters; told in vignettes; value of human life theme; set in South Korea; character-driven; bittersweet facebook.com/mplohio instagram: @MarionPublicLib twitter: @MarionPublicLib youtube: @MarionPublicLibraryOhio linkedin: @MarionPublicLibraryOhio Marion Public Library 445 East Church Street Marion, Ohio 43302 740-387-0992 MarionLibrary.org Board of Directors Malcolm Goodman, President Phyllis Butterworth Patrick Carey Jennifer Donelson Blake Gates Dana Martin Leslie Schneider Gary Branson Executive Director Whittney: A young woman works as a nurse in Vietnam; fastpaced; spans years; hard to put down; issue-oriented #staffRA Patrick: Sci-fi mystery; fastpaced; unique narrator; post-apocalyptic; themes of human nature, science, and ethics; thought- provoking Jenna: A suicidal literary professor checks in at a seaside inn to discover she is the only guest not attending an onsite wedding; candid style; themes around new beginnings, loss, and connections; sympathetic main character https://youtu.be/NBt0yzcO_Uk Watch more extensive reviews on our YouTube channel. Coming soon! Check out a full list of books at MarionLibrary.org. Please remember you can always place a hold if the book has not arrived yet or is currently checked out. new for young readers BOOK DONATIONS ACCEPTED ALL YEAR Annual book sale scheduled for end of April Donations come in all sizes. A few books at a time or a number of boxes/bags in one large donation. Any size of donation is greatly appreciated because they are put to good use. Much, but not all, of the newer stuff is sorted through and sometimes finds a new home among the shelves in the BookMarket for shoppers to purchase at a reasonable price. Not having enough room to display all items for sale, the rest of the donations get sorted into genre or themed boxes and labeled and sent to storage for the gigantic book sale that will happen April 24, 25, 26 and 27. As always, the BookMarks are looking for volunteers to work in the BookMarket and/or during the annual sale. Go to MarionOHBookmarks.org/bookmarket to find a volunteer application or stop by the BookMarket during open hours. Nicole Historical fiction; explores Iranian culture in the 1970s; family and friendship; complex, relatable characters
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