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 Our Mission:

Be the spark that lights the way for imagination, growth, and education in our community.

The Next Chapter Podcast

The Marion Public Library’s podcast about new releases, building updates, programming and events and the occasional special guest.

MPL Drive Up & Road Construction Information

5th Avenue & 11th St Closure

Beginning Monday, April 3, the intersection of 5th Avenue and 11th Street will be closed for sewer and water main work. This closure is expected to last a week (weather depending).

To help with traffic flow, we encourage patrons to enter the library’s parking lot through the 11th Street entrance off of 6th Avenue, and exit the parking lot onto 12th Street. The 6th Avenue entrance will remain open with on-street parking available.

Drive Up Closure

Marion Public Library’s drive up lane will be closed for repairs beginning Monday, March 27. This closure will impact the drive thru book drop and holds pickup window, and are expected to be completed by Monday, April 3. The repairs will improve the functionality of our drive up lane, especially with our book drop.

During the repairs, we encourage you to use the 6th Avenue and parking lot entrance book drops to return materials. All holds will be available for pickup inside the library. Any questions regarding the closure can be directed to the library’s main line at 319-377-3412.

Women's History Month @ MPL

This March, MPL invites you to learn more about women’s history, celebrate female authors and illustrators, and explore events in your community in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Check out the following programs, partnerships, and activities we’ll have throughout the month of March.
  • March 9 – Book Talk: Women’s History Month will highlight new releases and favorite books from female authors. This program features Sue Gerth, MPL’s Readers Advisory & Collection Strategy Manager; each talk highlights different authors.  Learn more here.
  • March 22 – MPL will host a Women’s Panel comprised of local women leaders. Learn more here.
  • March 23 – Book Talk: Women’s History Month will highlight new releases and favorite books from female authors. This program features Sue Gerth, MPL’s Readers Advisory & Collection Strategy Manager; each talk highlights different authors.  Learn more here.
  • All month long – Beanstack has a variety of challenges for all ages surrounding Women’s History Month. Log your activities and reading here.

Library Catalog to Be Updated

The Metro Library Network, consisting of Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and Marion public libraries, will be updating the online catalog to the new VEGA interface on December 13, 2022. Patrons can use the VEGA version of the catalog anytime by clicking here: https://marion.na.iiivega.com/ 
VEGA is more user friendly than the current system and has some content features that the classic system does not. Some of the features VEGA has includes…
  • Integration – Content from certain digital providers such as Hoopla and Overdrive will now display in the catalog.
  • Simplified searching – Item types “roll up” together, meaning a patron can see what options are available for a title in one place versus scrolling through a list of results.
  • Readers Advisory – Staff and patrons will be able to create Showcases to highlight a selection of materials. These can be used for marketing purposes easily across platforms.
  • Higher Visibility – VEGA is written in the language of the internet—it uses linked data which helps both patrons and internet search engines find our content more easily.
Patrons who wish to use the classic version of the online catalog will be able to access it through a link in the new catalog. Library staff are available to help with questions through library chat, over the phone, or in person.

On Monday, July 4th, we will be CLOSED in observance of Independence Day.