National Library Week @ Both MRRL branches

We're celebrating National Library Week, April 19-25, 2026. And YOU'RE invited to join us in Jefferson City or Linn!  

In addition to our regular events....

At both our Cole and Osage county branches, the week features:

• Food for Fines - Every non-perishable food item = $1 for overdue fines - EXTENDED TO APRIL 30
  All food collected in Cole County will be donated to the Samaritan Center 
  All food collected in Osage County will be donated to the Good Shepherd Pantry
• Free replacement cards - Normally $1
• CHECKOUT CHALLENGE - Help us reach our goal of 10,000 checkouts during National Library Week, and both libraries will host a donut party for our patrons!
• Monday and Tuesday - Media contests and swag bag giveaways
• Monday Dress Up - Wear bright colors or neon because libraries brighten our world!
• Tuesday Dress Up - Wear the color of your favorite library genre:
  Sports-orange; Romance-red; Mystery-black; Fantasy-purple; Horror-grey; Historical-green; Sci-Fi- blue; Action/Adventure-yellow; Christian Fiction-white  (or mix and match!)
• Wednesday Dress Up - Wear a cardigan (Mr. Rogers would be pleased!)
• WEDNESDAY National (Bookmobile) Outreach Day  - Join us for storytime from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Have children's photos taken in the driver's seat of the bookmobile and also with Bookmobile Driver Jon!
• Thursday Dress Up - Wear a shirt with writing on it to encourage everyone to Keep Reading
• Friday Dress Up - Wear a MRRL shirt or wear our logo colors to Love Your Library

Special National Library Week Events at the Cole County branch in Jefferson City:

• Scavenger Hunt upstairs! - Twenty books have been hidden by their Dollar Bill, find one and redeem it for a prize at Central Bank
• SATURDAY Patron Appreciation Day in the Library Park:  MRRL celebrates our patrons in a BIG way from 11-1 with a free hotdog lunch, big games, and musical accompaniment by Those Guys.

Special National Library Week Events at the Osage County branch in Linn:

• MONDAY Popcorn for Patrons: Pop into the Osage branch for free popcorn between 12-5:30 pm.
• THURSDAY (Bookmobile) Outreach Day: The library's Bookmobile will be parked outside the Barefoot Event Center from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  Come out to bring home a selection of books, CDs, and DVDs and say hi to Jon!
• FRIDAY Family Earth Day Celebration : Time to celebrate our Earth! Join us at the library to play games, create crafts, and learn more about how to conserve energy take care of our planet. The library is serving hotdogs, chips and drinks, MU Extension is bringing activities, and Osage 4-H groups will be available for hands-on activities.