Mercer County Library Blog

Here are some of the events and programs from around the Mercer County Library System for the month of December. For a complete list of events at your local branch, visit the MCLS Events Calendar . This December, MCLS branches are filled with festive programming celebrating holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the New Year. Join us for visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, gingerbread house decorating, holiday craft sessions, and winter science activities throughout the month. For Kids Sensory Science: Winter Monday, December 1, 11:00 am Lawrence Headquarters Branch Hickory Holiday Party Thursday, December 4, 10:30 am Hickory Corner Branch Ornament Making for the Free Little Library of Things Thursday, December 4, 3:30 pm Lawrence Headquarters Branch A Visit with Santa Saturday, December 6, 10:30 am Saturday, December 6, 1:30 pm Robbinsville Branch Slime Time Grinch Slime Saturday, December 6, 2:00 pm Lawrence Headquarters Branch Holiday Slime Saturday, December 6,...

When I was a freshman in high school, one of my friends created a manga club and asked all of her friends if they would consider going to it. I had never read manga before, but decided to give it a shot because my friend was so enthusiastic about it. Some recommendations she gave me remain some of my favorites to this day. (In case you were wondering, she suggested Death Note , Yu-Gi-Oh , and Fairy Tail . All still great choices to read.) I didn’t have much time for extracurricular reading while in college, but now that I’ve been working at MCLS, I’ve had time to pick up manga again, and some of the series that have come out are amazing! I have probably over a dozen series I’d love to recommend; here are some that are available at the Mercer County Library System: Firstly, I’d like to suggest Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK). It’s a blend of urban fantasy, supernatural horror, and action-adventure. We follow Japanese high school student Yuji Itadori as he is dragged into jujutsu society, a hidd...

The Hickory Corner Branch puzzle table is popular. The Community Jigsaw Puzzle is visited on a regular basis by patrons of all ages who take some time to unwind while building friendships with one another. While patrons bring the puzzle pieces together, the puzzle pieces conversely bring the patrons together. As autumn begins winding down and the crisp winter air takes hold, now is a good time to try something fresh and new to keep the winter blues at bay. Below is a selection of fun indoor hobbies along with programming available throughout the Mercer County Library System. Start one at home or come to the library and enjoy a new hobby with others in the community. Winning American Mah Jongg Strategies: A Guide for the Novice Player 795.34 SAN 2012 "Discusses strategies for playing mah jongg, covering the use of defensive tools, finding the best hand, and reading exposures, and explains the differences between Chinese and American mah jongg." Colorful graphics and straight...

What do you think of when you think of STEM? Homemade erupting volcanoes? Building with a modern-day erector set? STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In recent years, STEM has become a very big focus in the library world. What STEM encompasses grows every year as technology expands. With your Mercer County Library System card, you are able to access a multitude of STEM-based online resources. One such resource is Fiero Code . If your child wants to learn more about coding, Fiero Code is a great choice. They offer self-paced courses that are labeled by skill level and there are games that make coding fun to learn for children. The challenges offered are good ways to practice and reinforce what was taught in the courses. In addition, Fiero Code lets its users design their own games, websites and other creative outlets. And it’s not only for kids – Fiero Code also offers courses for different careers. MCLS has a wide variety of STEM based materials availabl...

For those of you who have been following my journey as a Mercer County Library System Blog contributor, you surely remember some of my previous submissions, like the thrilling and action packed Solo Boardgames and 2017’s hit There’s No I in Team: Introducing the Cooperative Board Game . And if that’s the case, after reading this article’s title you are once again on the edge of your seat. Or maybe that’s not the case. Honestly, it probably isn’t. Anyway, I’m here to talk about games again. This time to shine light on National Game and Puzzle Week and how the Mercer County Library System takes that idea and celebrates it year-round. National Game and Puzzle Week is an annual event, starting on November 20 th this year and continuing through November 26 th , that celebrates all games and puzzles. From Chutes and Ladders to Warhammer 40k to mah jongg, and not forgetting jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, and crosswords, National Game and Puzzle Week does not discriminate when it comes to games a...

Growing up, I always looked forward to Thanksgiving. The thrill and excitement of seeing my family and spending time with them would keep me up at night with anticipation. It was always hard to focus at school the day before Thanksgiving because I knew, as soon as those bells rang to dismiss us for the day, my mom would pick my sister and me up, and we would be on our way to my Grandma's. We would literally drive over a river and through the woods to get to her house. And once you stepped inside the house, you were greeted with loving hugs and warm wishes from my Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Once all of the greetings were done, we were put to work. In my family, we did a lot of the Thanksgiving prep work the day before the big feast. It was during this time of dicing/peeling vegetables, tearing apart the stall bread, or prepping the pies that it was time for everyone to catch up with one another. The kitchen would be filled with conversations, jokes, and laughter. It was ...

Here are some of the events and programs from around the Mercer County Library System for the month of November. For a complete list of events at your local branch, visit the MCLS Events Calendar . November Celebrates Gratitude and Heritage This November, MCLS branches are offering Thanksgiving-themed crafts and storytimes, along with Native American Heritage Month programming. Programs include turkey crafts, gratitude baking, explorations of Lenape heritage, and Indigenous literature celebrations. For Kids Turkey in Disguise Storytime Saturday, November 1, 11:00 am Lawrence Branch Lego Challenge: Thanksgiving Dinner! Monday, November 10, 6:30 pm West Windsor Branch Thanksgiving Storytime Friday, November 14, 10:00 am Hollowbrook Branch Story & Snacks: Turkeys Friday, November 14, 10:30 am Hickory Corner Branch Make a Thanksgiving Paper Circuit Card Saturday, November 15, 2:30 pm Robbinsville Branch Native American Lenni-Lenape Crafts & Stories Saturday, Nov...

A vinyl record is more than merely a recording of music. It’s a cultural artifact. Listening to records on vinyl is more than a stream of ones and zeros; the vinyl disc has a physicality that other music formats lack. For me, listening to a vinyl record on a turntable is not just a way to pass the time. When I buy a new vinyl record and place it on the turntable for the first time, hearing the warm analog sound from the speakers makes discovering new music almost an event. And the cover art brings you further into the groove while you’re listening to the music. Can anyone imagine Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band having the same generation-defining impact if it had been just audio files you downloaded from a streaming service? Looking through the vast bins of used records at the Record Exchange in Princeton and other stores which specialized in vinyl records - as well as the vinyl record collection at my local public library - was one of my favorite pastimes as a teenager. When C...

I’ve been travelling recently. Seeing parts of the United States I’ve never been to and visiting new countries is something I had always wanted to do, and I’m grateful that I’ve been able to realize that dream. Like the protagonist in many of the stories we’ve read, I’ve learned that you need to leave and return before you realize that what you were looking for was in front of you all this time. The Mercer County Library System offers a great selection of museum passes that are all local and full of opportunities for you to learn. Here is a list of our current offerings as we move into 2026. If you want to do some research on opportunities beyond the library’s museum passes, feel free to explore the travel section at your local branch. Our Mid-Atlantic Region can be found in section 917.4! Most passes that we offer are digital and can be sent directly to your email, so you don’t even need to worry about picking them up and dropping them off: Academy of Natural Sciences Admits two a...

Throughout the year, we like to share essays by members of our Teen Advisory Board (TAB). TAB members help with programming, suggest books for purchase, and create the quarterly TAB Zine. This month Sharon Vasudevan writes about the library’s role in her life. Being a senior in high school, it's come to a point where I need to sit back, relax, and reflect on my life. As I embark on a new chapter of life in college, I want to take a moment to remember specific aspects of my childhood that shaped me into who I am today. What first comes to mind, you may ask? The answer is obvious: The Mercer County Library System. Since I was seven years old, my dad would bring me and my two brothers to the library at least twice a month. As soon as I entered this book haven, I immediately ran to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, my hands caressing the delicate pages of Dog Days and feeling the elation of getting to read this book…again! On our way to the checkout, I’d pass tables full of crayons ...