Get 2023 Off to a Great Start with Free Events at RIPL

Kick Off a New Year with Free Events at the Rock Island Public Library

Whether you're looking to save money on entertainment, read more in print, audio, or digital formats, enjoy quality family time together, take free advantage of local cultural programming, or help prepare a young toddler for later success in school, the Rock Island Public Library can help you reach all of those goals in 2023!

The library reopens after the New Year's holiday break on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, with a full list of activities to take advantage of (which may of special interest to families with children who are still on winter intersession break at Rock Island schools.)

For those wanting to start 2023 with more music and culture, try the Rock Island Public Library's first "Tuneful Tuesday" on January 3, 2023. The January 3 music performance features a piano, bassoon, and cello trio from the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra, playing from noon to 1:00 pm in the Community Room of the Downtown Library, 401 19^th Street. The monthly series offers free lunchtime musical performances on the first Tuesdays of January through April. The event is open to everyone, and is made possible by sponsorship from longtime library patrons James and Carol Horstmann.

If you're planning to read more in 2023, the library has you covered. Apply for your Rock Island Library card for no-charge access to thousands of free titles, in print, audio, and electronic formats. Listen and read freely, no subscription required! You can apply or renew your card online at the library website or in person at any Rock Island Library. Digital content options available through the library also include movie, TV, and audio streaming with their Kanopy, Libby by Overdrive, Hoopla, and Freegal subscription services.

Looking to stock up your personal bookshelves in 2023? There's no better place to pick up a bargain or two than at the Rock Island Public Library's monthly book sale. The free book sale is also Tuesday, January 3, from noon to 3:00 pm in the Rock Island Southwest Branch Community Room, 9010 Ridgewood Road. Children's books, paperbacks and magazines are just 25 cents, all other items are 50 cents. Sales repeat on the first Tuesday of each month. Proceeds benefit special library projects.

Are you and the kids still on holiday break? Bring them to the Rock Island Downtown Library on Wednesday, January 4 for some quality time enjoying a film fest of classic Japanese animation. The library's Studio Ghibli Fest runs from 10:30 to 5 pm, with G and PG-rated movies starting at 10:30 am, 12:45 pm, and 3:15 pm, with snacks and activities offered between films. The lineup features three classic movies from director Hayao Miyazaki. The event is free and open to all, and you can drop in at any time during event hours.

If your resolution involves raising a young reader, you'll be off to a good start with weekly Toddler Tale Storytimes in 2023. Tuesday Toddler Tales storytimes are offered at 10:30 am on Tuesday, January 3 in the Children's Room of the Rock Island Downtown Library, and again at 11:00 am on Wednesday, January 4 in the Community Room of the Rock Island Southwest Branch Library. Both events are free. Each weekly storytime features readings of multiple stories with songs and activities to build language and early learning skills in children ages five and under. For more storytime dates, see the library calendar.

For more information about Rock Island Library events and services, call 309-732-READ (7323), visit the library website, or follow the Rock Island Library on social media.