Madison Public Library — National Library Week

Madison Public Library is marking National Library Week from Saturday, April 19, through Friday, April 25, with events online and across all nine library locations in the city. (cityofmadison.com) The 2026 theme is “Find Your Joy,” and the library says residents can join programs, activities, and exhibits at the Central Library and neighborhood branches throughout Madison. (madisonpubliclibrary.org) The week is organized around daily observances, starting with Share Your Story on Sunday, April 19, followed by Right to Read Day on Monday, April 20, National Library Workers Day on Tuesday, April 21, National Library Outreach Day on Wednesday, April 22, Take Action for Libraries Day on Thursday, April 23, Discover the Value of the Library on Friday, April 24, and a closing celebration on Saturday, April 25. (cityofmadison.com) Madison Public Library is tying the week to its regular role as a citywide service network. The system says it draws more than 1.3 million annual visitors across nine locations each year and has served Madison for 150 years. (cityofmadison.com) The library is also using the week to make a case for services that go beyond books. Its public events page lists free programming that includes storytimes, author talks, job-skills training, mending sessions, chess clubs, writing help, and film screenings at branches around the city. (madisonpubliclibrary.org) On Sunday’s Share Your Story kickoff, the library is asking people to visit one of its nine locations or the Dream Bus and fill out postcards about how library collections, spaces, and services affect their lives. Remote participants can also use an online Library Value Calculator and submit a form about why the library matters to them. (madisonpubliclibrary.org) National Library Week is a nationwide observance sponsored by the American Library Association and has been held since 1958. The American Library Association lists the 2026 observance on the same April 19–25 schedule Madison is following. (ala.org) For Madison residents, the week runs as both a celebration and a signpost to the library’s spring calendar: the system’s event listings show programs continuing at Central, Alicia Ashman, Goodman South, Hawthorne, Lakeview, Meadowridge, and other branches as the week begins. (madisonpubliclibrary.org)