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Photo of a person sitting in a boat reading a book with a body of water in the background

July 2024

It’s no mystery: the Library is the place to be this summer! Whether you’re tracking down your next great read, uncovering a new skill, or on the hunt for something to satisfy all of your Summer Library Adventure requirements, all signs point to the Library.

July events

photo of three children leaning over a small swimming pool filled with turtles and aquatic animals

🎣 Fishing for Fun

Unravel the mysteries of creatures of the water at this all-ages event. Learn about fishing, practice casting, and touch live aquatic animals and plants with staff from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Genoa National Fish Hatchery.

Graphic of a treasure chest sitting on a grassy hill with a dotted line leading across the grass

🗺 Platteville Treasure Hunt

How well do you know Platteville? Explore your favorite city during Hometown Festival Week to find the top secret code words hidden in parks around town. Sign up using Beanstack or stop in to the Library to pick up a paper form.

Drawing of a tween reading a book at night in a tent that is actually a large book. A moose and bear are behind the book tent.

🌞 Summer Library Challenge

Have you discovered how fun and easy it is to sign up for the all-ages Summer Library Challenge yet? There’s still plenty of time to get started with summer activities to complete this year’s badges. If you’ve done any of these so far this summer, you’ve probably earned a badge!

  • Read a book from the new shelves

  • Went to Heritage Day at the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums

  • Planned a get-together with friends or family

  • Walked a trail around town

  • Tried a new recipe

  • Shopped at a locally owned business

  • Came to a library program

  • Asked someone for a book recommendation

Trying to map out the rest of your Summer Library Challenge? We’ve got lists online of all of the badge activities for you to peruse. Time to get reading!

image of a dragon flying menacingly over a knight on a horse, a ninja, a wizard, and a flying bird

🐉 Dungeons & Dragons

Are you ready to embark on an epic adventure? If you wish you could play D&D but don’t know where to begin or haven’t found a local group, our summer D&D adventures could be what you’re searching for! Learn the basics of playing D&D, character creation, and the West Marches campaign format at the Library’s “Session 0.” We’ll continue on with a series of weekly sessions designed to allow to you attend as many sessions as you can. All levels of experience are welcome.

Yellow crime scene tape on a black background with the words "Mystery at Magnolia Gardens"

🔎 Mystery at Magnolia Gardens

Are you a fan of true crime podcasts? Do you always figure out the killer before the book is finished? Do you wish that Platteville had an escape room game you could play? Sign up with a group of friends or on your own to try to solve the Nancy Drew “Mystery at Magnolia Gardens” using realistic evidence and documents to solve ciphers, clues, and puzzles. Gameplay is estimated at 60-90 minutes.

🧸 Oh Happy Play!

Bring your 18” doll, action figure, stuffed animal or American Girl doll for a fun crafting experience with Oh Happy Play. No toy? No problem! You can receive a doll or toy to keep and join in the fun. For ages 3-11, children 9 and under with an adult. Registration required.


Oh Happy Play is an organization based out of Dubuque devoted to closing the play gap by providing access to sustainably-sourced toys and materials that inspire creativity and imagination through independent play and meaningful peer interactions.

✂ Let’s get crafty

Unwind: We’ll make the tea, you bring the conversation and a project to work on.


Make it Midweek Solar Lanterns: Enjoy the summer sun all night long with a customized solar powered lantern made from a canning jar.

Teen activities

🕵️‍♀️ Teen Activity Days: Murder Mystery Help solve a fictional murder mystery! Complete the objectives, disprove the alibi, and close the case. We'll help you out with plenty of tips and tricks. Registration recommended. Ages 12-18.


🌺 Teen Activity Days: Henna Explore your creative side by using henna to draw fun designs on yourself. Note: Henna designs typically last on the skin for 4-7 days. Registration recommended. Ages 12-18.


💥 Monthly Teen Anime Club! Join us each month for fun, food, and fandom as we eat snacks and watch anime. Ages 12-17.

😁 Weekly drop-in fun

Stop by each Wednesday for a different fun adventure for children of all ages. Children under 9 must be with an adult.

📖 Summer storytimes

Family Storytime

Storytime is back for the summer! Bring a stuffie friend and join us for songs, stories, and friends at the Library. For young children and their grown-up.


Pop-up Storytime

Can’t make Tuesday morning storytimes? Join us for a special pop-up storytime Monday, July 8 at Legion Park. Bring a stuffie friend and a blanket.

🎬 Movie Club

Our newest discussion group is Library Movie Club. From casual moviegoers to diehard cinephiles, all are invited to check out a copy of the movie, watch it at home, and join the discussion at the Library. This month’s selection is Arrival, a science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve. The movie received eight Academy Award nominations and was selected by the American Film Institute as one of ten "Movies of the Year" for 2016.

 💻 Tech Talks

Join Library staff for a chat about a different tech-based topic each month this summer. This month's topic is Emails & Phishing: how to identify an email scam, how to unsubscribe from spam, and how to avoid social engineering. Bring your own device for an opportunity to try out new skills and ask questions. Registration recommended.

📚 Let’s talk books

Stop by the Library to pick up a copy of one of this month’s book club titles:

  • Kids Book Club is reading Minecraft: The Village by Max Brooks

  • Teen Book Club is reading Divergent by Veronica Roth

  • Adult Book Club is reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

  • Monthly Morning Book Chat is sharing their current reads

Time change! Kid’s Book Club will now start half an hour earlier at 5:30 p.m.


Location change! Teen Book Club will meet at Smith Park for June, July, and August.

The more you know…

We’re hiring!

Do you love helping people, planning events, and being surrounded by books? We're looking for a library specialist for our adult services team. The positions is $16.84/hour, 20 hours/week (includes evenings and weekends in rotation), and is eligible for leave benefits, including paid holidays, vacation, sick and personal time.

screenshot of the Library calendar of events for July 2024

📅 Introducing our new calendar

We’re excited to roll out our new events calendar and room-booking software! You might have already noticed all of the links in this newsletter taking you to a new, brighter calendar. Some of our favorite features include an easier-to-read calendar, the ability for you to add Library events to your digital calendar, and a simpler room-booking process.

⛔ Library closings

The Library will be closed on Sundays for the summer. The Library will resume Sunday hours on September 8.


The Library will be closed Thursday, July 4.