Mercer County Library Blog

Here are some of the events and programs from around the Mercer County Library System for the month of July. For a complete list of events at your local branch, visit the MCLS Events Calendar . July Marks America's 250th and Keeps Summer Reading Going This July, MCLS branches celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence with film screenings, history talks, a jazz concert, and patriotic crafts. The 2026 Summer Reading Program: Unearth a Story continues all month, with the discovery of dinosaurs, fossils, archaeology, and ancient cultures. Join us for storytimes, author visits, book clubs, escape rooms, magic shows, and hands-on activities for all ages throughout the month. For Kids America 250 Birthday Bash Thursday, July 2, 3:00 pm Hickory Corner Branch America 250 Patriotic Suncatcher Thursday, July 2, 3:30 pm Ewing Branch Digging for Dinos Wednesday, July 8, 6:30 pm Robbinsville Branch Lenape Pottery Friday, July 10, 1:30 pm Ewing Branch Disney Sing-Along wi...

What's Happening at MCLS: May 2026 Here are some of the events and programs from around the Mercer County Library System for the month of May. For a complete list of events at your local branch, visit the MCLS Events Calendar . This May, MCLS branches are filled with programming celebrating Mother's Day, Star Wars Day, the 250th anniversary of American independence, Mental Health Awareness and Meditation Month, and Asian American, and Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Join us for crafts, storytimes, meditation workshops, history talks, cultural celebrations, and more throughout the month. For Kids Mother's Day Planting: Spider Plants Saturday, May 2, 3:00 pm West Windsor Branch Mother's Day Craft for Toddlers Monday, May 4, 3:00 pm Ewing Branch Crafternoon: Mother's Day Cards Monday, May 4, 4:00 pm Tuesday, May 5, 4:00 pm Hopewell Branch Mother's Day Craft for School Age Monday, May 4, 4:15 pm Ewing Branch Star Wars Jedi Trai...

Happy Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month! Did you know that the origin of AANHPI Heritage Month dates to 1977? This is when a joint resolution was passed by Congress designating a seven-day period beginning May 4 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to recognize the history and contributions of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. President Jimmy Carter signed it into law in 1978. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush expanded the week-long celebration to a month-long celebration. Then in 1992, the official designation of May as Asian/Pacific Islander Month was signed into law. The month of May was chosen to honor two important events: 1) the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant in the United States on May 7, 1843, and 2) the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869. Later in 2021, President Joe Biden changed the name to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to recognize and include the many divers...

Eid Mubarak! On Saturday, March 14 th , we celebrated Eid al-Fitr at the Hightstown Branch with crafts, decorations, and snacks. This was our third year doing the program and the most successful one yet. It’s always wonderful to see everything come together after working so hard to create a program that will be enjoyable for both people who are familiar with the holiday, and those who are not. Growing up in New Jersey with no close relatives and few families that my parents knew well, Eid was always hit or miss. We would go to prayer in the morning, my sister and I would put mehndi (henna art) on each other, and we would eat seviyan (a pudding made with thin pasta). The rest of the day was not spent doing much. Occasionally, we would be invited to lunch or dinner at someone’s house, which for kids was more boring than being home and watching TV. We did not really decorate the house, except for putting up Christmas lights outside when Ramadan started. However, my parents would sometime...

Every February you will see more red and pink, and possibly even smell chocolate in the air. Valentine’s Day must be approaching! While in modern times we associate the holiday with candy and gifts for loved ones, it actually has roots in early Roman times. Lupercalia was a Roman festival held on February 15, celebrating fertility and health. The holiday is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, and as such honors two people with that name, Valentine of Rome (died in 269) and Valentine of Terni (died in 273). Details are vague, but both were martyred and subsequently made Saints. One or both might have married lovers after an emperor’s ban, resulting in their beheadings, or attempted to convert the emperor (unsuccessfully) to Christianity. Both were buried along the Via Flaminia, a Roman road, albeit in different locations. While it had its romantic origins in Lupercalia, love didn’t re-enter the holiday until 1382 when Chaucer wrote “Parliament of Fowls.” This work names St. Valentine’...

For some of us, Halloween is more than just a singular holiday or even a season. It’s a lifestyle. I, for one, start wishing my friends a Happy Halloween on September 1 st . But my love for all things creepy and spooky stays with me the whole year. Be it at the beginning of the school year (like Scream ) or on Halloween (like the franchise of the same name), fall seems to be the default season for horror media, which is understandable. The vibes are right. Everyone’s already in a spooky mood in anticipation of Halloween; and TV channels play scary movies throughout the entire month of October. Horror is most accessible in the fall: it’s almost unavoidable. But, if you’re like me, you want that heart-pounding, spine-tingling feeling all the time. Here’s my theory: horror can be seasonal. Not seasonal in the sense that it’s only relevant around Halloween, but in how certain subgenres fit into certain seasons. Allow me to explain. It is impossible for me to talk about horror of any kin...

Here we are in the month of December, also known as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”! Or is it the most exhausting and busiest time of the year? And now I have the nerve to ask you to add one more thing to your to do list. WAIT! Before you reject my suggestion, please hear me out. It is time for the Winter Reading Program which runs December 15th to January 24th. We try to make participating both fun and easy and what better way to spend the cold winter months then curled up with a good book?!  To participate, stop into any Mercer County Library Branch and pick up a Winter Reading Bingo Card or visit our website to print one . Do five activities in a row – up, down, across, or diagonal to complete a bingo card. Then return the bingo card to your local branch where kids and teens will automatically receive a prize and adults will be entered into a raffle for a prize. Each branch may also have additional incentives to keep you reading! As the mom of adult children, I can tell ...