Saturday, January 18, 2025 10:00am-12:00pm

Saturday, February 1, 2025 10:00am-12:00pm

These fun free activities are for all ages. Families are welcome. Everyone will have a chance to draw characters or scenes from the book while they share thoughts about the tales. Participants will work with pencils, and paints, and will take their pieces home. The art will be photographed and made into a compilation art video.

Saturday, February 22, 2025 10:00-12:00pm

February 22 attendees will watch the video that contains the art, and discuss the intriguing aspects. Cookies and juice will be served.

Please sign up at the library by calling (269) 782-3826 or visit the front desk.

It’s time to pop the corn! Come join us on Monday afternoons for a movie and snack.

This will be the final Matinee Monday for now. If you are interested in further activities please see the Youth Services Coordinator to discuss TAB (Teen Advisory Board) participation.

Teen Matinee Mondays are for teens 13 through 18 and meet each Monday at 3 pm in the Teen area on the second level of the library.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

Teens will be using their S.T.E.M. skills to participate in a marshmallow engineering challenge. Join us for a fun and educational activity.

This will be the final Teen Tuesday for now. If you are interested in further activities please see the Youth Services Coordinator to discuss TAB (Teen Advisory Board) participation.

Teen Tuesdays are for teens aged 13 through 18 and meet each Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the Pokagon Room on the second level of the library.

Revisit those classics from school or discover something new to expand your horizons! We meet the last Tuesday of the month in the Community Room, bringing our life experiences to the discussion.

To sign up, email Matt Weston at mweston [at] dowagiacdl [dot] org

February Book: A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro

Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson finally have a chance to start over. With all the freedom their pre-college summer program provides and no one on their tail, the only mystery they need to solve, once and for all, is what they are to each other.  

But upon their arrival at Oxford, Charlotte is immediately drawn into a new case: a series of accidents befell the theater program at Oxford last year, culminating in a young woman going missing on the night of a major performance.

The mystery has gone unsolved; the case is cold. And no one—least of all the girl’s peculiar, close-knit group of friends—is talking.

The TBR (Teen Book Review) Book Club is for teens 13-18 years old. The club features a YA (young adult) novel each month. Teens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

February Book: The Case of the Vanishing Emerald by Holly Webb

Sarah Massey, talented lead actress in Circus Sweethearts, is a mess. She should be dancing on air—but she has lost a beautiful emerald necklace. Rumor has it whoever loses the necklace will be cursed, and now everything around Miss Massey is falling apart. She turns to Maisie Hitchins and her dog, Eddie, for help. But when Maisie shows up at the London theater, things only get stranger. Maisie begins to wonder if it's really the lost emerald causing all of these problems, or if someone in the troupe is green with envy . . .

The Adventures in Bookland Book Club is for kids 6-8 years old. The club features an easy chapter book each month. Parents/kids register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

February Book: The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

I hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down, because of all the books describing the unhappy lives of the Baudelaire orphans, this might be the unhappiest yet. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are sent to work in a lumber mill, and they find disaster and misfortune lurking behind every log. The pages of this book contain such unpleasantries as a giant pincher machine, a bad casserole, a man with a cloud of smoke where his head should be, a hypnotist, a terrible accident resulting in injury, and coupons.

The Inkwell Explorers Book Club is for tweens 9-12 years old. The club features a middle-grade novel each month. Tweens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Thursday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

Children ages 8-12 are invited to join STEAM for Tweens, a new science program designed to engage young minds to think like a scientist. STEAM  for Tweens will meet at 4 pm in the Pokagon Room on the second level of the library.

St Pat’s Snake Catcher:  We’re using the legend behind the holiday for this St. Patrick’s Day activity STEAM Challenge! Legend says St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland in the 5th century, though despite popular belief, no evidence suggests snakes were ever there. Celebrated on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day honors the patron saint and Irish culture globally.  Join us for  this STEAM for Tweens activity to design tools in order to clear the snakes out of Ireland as quickly as possible.

Space is limited, so please register by March 3 by calling (269) 782-3826 or email (att: Pam) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com or fill out the form below

Fill out the form below to register for this event.

The Make & Share Cookbook Club is held on the first Thursday of the month from 5:15-6:30 pm at the Dowagiac District Library. Make a recipe from the monthly cookbook selection, then join us at the library for a recipe share & book discussion.

In January, we are cooking from Italian Snacking: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Hour of the Day by Anna Francese Gass

To reserve your spot, call the library or email (Att: Erin) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com

Little Beakers is a science program designed for kids ages 4-7 and will meet once a month to encourage scientific inquiry with the younger children.

Join us in The Pokagon Room at 11:00 on the second Saturday of the month. Please check the website’s calendar and/or Facebook page for additional Little Beakers information.

Space is limited, so please register by February 6 by calling (269) 782-3826 or email (att: Pam) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com or fill out the form below.

Please complete to register for this event.

The library Board of Trustees holds its regular meetings every 2nd Tuesday of the month, at 6:30pm. The meeting is in the Library Community Room and open to the public.

Questions or comments can be sent to Matt Weston, Library Director at mweston (at) dowagiacdl (dot) org

If you need special accommodations per ADA or for other reasons please contact the Director at the email address above before the meeting and accommodations will be arranged.

Join us for our first Sip & Share Book Club at Sister Lakes Brewing Company. In March, we will be discussing the book None of This is True by Lisa Jewell.

This event will be held at:
Sister Lakes Brewing Company
92500 CO RD 690
Dowagiac, MI 49047*

• Room opens at 6pm

• Discussion starts at 6:30pm

• Drinks and food are available for purchase, visit Sister Lakes Brewing Company for an up-to-date menu.

To register, please fill out the form below. The first 5 people to sign up will receive a complimentary copy of the March pick!** (ALL COPIES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED) Please see below on how to secure a copy using your Dowagiac District Library card.

To access the March book using Dowagiac District Library resources:

• Download the Libby or CloudLibrary using your Dowagiac District Library card for digital content

• Visit MeL.org to request an Interlibrary Loan (usually takes a week between submitting the request and receiving a call from us that it’s available to pick up)

• Or place a hold on the library copy

• Don't have a card? Visit our Get A Card page to see if you qualify for a digital card today

For further information, please call Erin at (269) 782-3826 or email erin@dowagiacdl.org

*This event is in conjunction with Sister Lakes Brewing Company, but we do ask that you ONLY contact the library for any questions you may have about it. See contact information above.

**If you are one of the first 5 to sign up, we will contact you by email on how to secure your copy.

Help raise funds for Fandom Fest 2025, and find some great items for yourself too! You can find books of all types, movies, music, video games, puzzles, board games, and much more.

The sale is being held at the Berrien County Youth Fair Office Building:

9122 US-31
Berrien Springs, MI 49103

Children ages 8-12 are invited to join STEAM for Tweens, a new science program designed to engage young minds to think like a scientist. STEAM  for Tweens will meet at 4 pm in the Pokagon Room on the second level of the library.

Paper Marbling:  Paper marbling is an artistic method in which colors floating on a liquid surface are transferred onto paper to create a marbled pattern. The art of paper marbling dates back to the 10th century where Japanese artists developed a technique called "suminagashi," which means "floating ink."

If you like science and art, then join us for this STEAM for TWEENS activity to explore the molecular structure and density differences of ink and water.

Space is limited, so please register by March 17 by calling (269) 782-3826 or email (att: Pam) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com or fill out the form below

Fill out the form below to register for this event.

Join us for Craft Night at the Library! In March, attendees will be provided with their very own 4x4 canvas, easel, and paints to create their very 'mini' works of art.

This event is just for our adult patrons, and you’ll need to RSVP to join the fun. Call (269) 782-3826, email erin@dowagiacdl.org, or fill out the form below.

Revisit those classics from school or discover something new to expand your horizons! We meet the last Tuesday of the month in the Community Room, bringing our life experiences to the discussion.

To sign up, email Matt Weston at mweston [at] dowagiacdl [dot] org

March Book: By the Time You Read This I’ll be Gone by Stephanie Kuehn

"Killers walk among us. Statistically, at least one of them knows your name..."

Beatrice Fletcher is obsessed with unsolved murders in her small town of Cabot Cove, Maine like her great-aunt Jessica, the famous mystery writer. But when her best friend Jackson goes missing, this time the mystery is personal.

Then Jackson fails to show up for a late night meet-up, and instead, Bea stumbles upon three students from the elite Broadmoor Academy: overly-friendly and slightly vicious Leisl, her aloof twin brother, Leif, and Carlos, who knows more about, well, everything than he’s letting on. They’re worldly, secretive, and big on playing games like tenace, the hush-hush Broadmoor tradition where anything or anyone can be a clue to future fame and fortune, and players will stop at nothing — including murder — to get ahead.

If Bea wants to find Jackson, she too must join the game and play to win. Everyone in Cabot Cove has secrets, and it’s up to Bea to ferret them out before it’s too late in this thrilling modern update of the classic television show.

The TBR (Teen Book Review) Book Club is for teens 13-18 years old. The club features a YA (young adult) novel each month. Teens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

March Book: I Survived the Attack of the Grizzlies, 1967 by Lauren Tarshis

No grizzly has ever killed a human in Glacier before. Melody and her family come to Glacier National Park every year, and it's always been a place where she can forget her troubles. But this year is different, and every moment in the park is a reminder of the past. Then Mel comes face-to-face with a mighty grizzly. Now her only thought is one of survival. Mel will soon be a part of one of the most tragic seasons in the history of America's national parks - a summer of terror that will forever change ideas about how grizzlies and humans can exist together in the wild.

The Adventures in Bookland Book Club is for kids 6-8 years old. The club features an easy chapter book each month. Parents/kids register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

March Book: The Austere Academy by Lemony Snicket

As the three Baudelaire orphans warily approach their new home Prufrock Preparatory School, they can't help but notice the enormous stone arch bearing the school's motto Memento Mori or "Remember you will die."

This is not a cheerful greeting and certainly marks an inauspicious beginning to a very bleak story just as we have come to expect from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, the deliciously morbid set of books that began with The Bad Beginning and only got worse.

The Inkwell Explorers Book Club is for tweens 9-12 years old. The club features a middle-grade novel each month. Tweens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Thursday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

Drop off your packages of seeds* from
Monday, March 3-Friday, March 21
to the library and you will receive a ticket.

Bring your ticket in on Saturday, March 29 from 10am-1pm and use your ticket to get new to you seeds for your garden!

This event will be taking place in the community room.

*Please bring seeds either in their original enclosed packaging or loose seeds in a closed bag labeled with it’s contents.

For more information email erin@dowagiacdl.org.

Fandom Fest is a library collaboration dedicated to bringing the fan convention experience to Southwest Michigan. Wanna know the best part about it? Admission is completely FREE!

Lake Michigan College
Grand Upton Hall at The Mendel Center
1100 Yore Ave
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Our goal is to welcome fans of all genres and ages to join us for a day of adventure and fun.

We offer various activities, ranging from guest speakers and panels, video and tabletop games, cosplay contests, mini-hobby activities, and door prizes donated from local and national companies.

Vendors will be on hand with a variety of merchandise for sale!​

Don't forget to check out the food trucks available outside the Grand Upton Hall.

Hope you'll join us!

Visit the website for more information: https://www.fanfestswmi.com/

Little Beakers is a science program designed for kids ages 4-7 and will meet once a month to encourage scientific inquiry with the younger children.

Join us in The Pokagon Room at 11:00 on the second Saturday of the month. Please check the website’s calendar and/or Facebook page for additional Little Beakers information.

Space is limited, so please register by February 6 by calling (269) 782-3826 or email (att: Pam) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com or fill out the form below.

Please complete to register for this event.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

Children ages 8-12 are invited to join STEAM for Tweens, a new science program designed to engage young minds to think like a scientist. STEAM  for Tweens will meet at 4 pm in the Pokagon Room on the second level of the library.

Color-Changing Lemonade:  Butterfly pea flowers contain a vivid blue pigment called anthocyanin. This pigment has a unique capability to act as an indicator, meaning it changes color as the pH changes. This is why you can turn your lemonade from yellow to purple to pink as you stir your butterfly tea into the drink.

 Join us for  this STEAM for Tweens activity to explore how the pH scale works.

Space is limited, so please register by April 14 by calling (269) 782-3826 or email (att: Pam) at dowagiaclibrarystaff@gmail.com or fill out the form below

Fill out the form below to register for this event.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

April Book: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

In their most daring misadventure, the Baudelaire orphans are adopted by very, very rich people, whose penthouse apartment is located mysteriously close to the place where all their misfortune began. Even though their new home in the city is fancy, and the children are clever and charming, I'm sorry to say that still, the unlucky orphans will encounter more disaster and woe.

In fact, in this sixth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, the children will experience a darkened staircase, a red herring, an auction, parsley soda, some friends in a dire situation, a secret passageway, and pinstripe suits.

The Inkwell Explorers Book Club is for tweens 9-12 years old. The club features a middle-grade novel each month. Tweens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Thursday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

April Book: Carry My Secret to Your Grave by Stephanie Kuehn

Bea Fletcher never met a cold case she didn't want to solve. So when she finds herself staying with family near Lake Paloma, she's torn. She's not thrilled to be bunking with her moody, taciturn uncle and his wife while her father's out of town, being away from Cabot Cove means less time for Bea to work on her true crime blog, visit her great-aunt Jessica, and spend time with new friends Leisl, Leif, and Carlos and the mysterious underground treasure hunting game they've been playing.

But Lake Paloma has mysteries of its own, including the unsolved drowning of Eden Vicente the year before. When Bea starts to ask questions about Eden's death, the answers lead her closer to home than she ever imagined. If she isn't careful, she could be the next girl to end up at the bottom of the lake.

The TBR (Teen Book Review) Book Club is for teens 13-18 years old. The club features a YA (young adult) novel each month. Teens register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

April Book: The Case of the Phantom Cat by Holly Webb

Twelve-year-old Maisie lives in her grandmother’s big boarding house, but now she and her dog Eddie are invited to join Maisie’s friend Alice and her high-society family on a trip to the country. It’s lovely to get away from the London smog, but there is something strange about the manor where the girls are staying. Odd noises, horrid smells, and sightings of a spectral cat keep them up at night…

Has Alice's father rented a haunted house? There must be a logical explanation, and Maisie plans to use her detecting skills to find out what it is!

The Adventures in Bookland Book Club is for kids 6-8 years old. The club features an easy chapter book each month. Parents/kids register and pick up their copy of the month’s selection at the beginning of the month and then meet and discuss the book on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information, stop by the Youth Services desk located on the second floor of the library.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.

The Dowagiac District Library offers this weekly story time each Tuesday at 10:30 am. Preschool Story Time is geared toward children 3-5 years old and will focus on developing early literacy skills and fine motor skills through listening to one or two stories and participating in fun-filled age appropriate crafts and/or learning activities.