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Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning
Register Today!
Browse our Spring 2025 Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning offerings. Subjects include art, business, technology, health, financial literacy, and more. Review the courses and register today!
MPL Comic Con
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
May 31, 10 AM – 3 PM
Calling all heroes, villains, and pop culture fans! Join us for an action-packed day with over 50 local vendors, free comics, gaming and cosplay contests, food trucks, and more! Don’t miss our special guest star Chris Parnell—aka Cyril from Archer and Jerry from Rick and Morty—signing autographs and hosting a Q&A straight from the multiverse! Registration is now OPEN for our cosplay contest and gaming tournament!
Summer Camps 2025
Register Today!
The Memphis Public Libraries’ 2025 summer camps offer a dynamic array of free, STEAM-focused programs designed for teens. Participants can engage in hands-on experiences such as robotics, filmmaking, and music production, fostering creativity and skill development throughout the summer.
Community Health Fair
North Library
May 29, 8 AM – 2 PM
We’re here to empower our community with vital health resources and inspire healthier living! Enjoy a wide range of services from Baptist Mammogram, Tri-State Mobile, Vitalant Blood Drive Mobile, YMCA, Smiles, Shelby County Health Department, and many more!
Let Me Tell You About Cossitt: A Teen’s Perspective
Cossitt Library
Jun 2, 1 PM – 4 PM
Casting call to all teens, 13-18! We’re in need of an enthusiastic group ready to put on a show. Whether you have experience in the theatrical arts or have never sung or acted before, all are welcome as we go back in time and tell a part of Memphis’ history with a modern flair. This 6-week teen-only production will be directed by award-winning local performer and director Keia Johnson. This will culminate in a community performance for all to come and see in Cossitt’s Performance Space.
Juneteenth Fest
Cordova Library
Jun 14, 11 AM – 3 PM
Please join us for the fourth annual Juneteenth Fest at Cordova Library! Come support local Memphis businesses selling food, drinks, accessories, home decor, and other fun merchandise. We’ll also have a Juneteenth-themed children’s storytime, a quilt-making lesson, local Memphis dancers, writers, poetry performances, an African drumline, and a blood drive!
Sankofa African Diaspora Festival
Cossitt Library
June 14, 11 AM – 5 PM
Celebrating the rich culture, lived experiences, and creative expression of African descended communities. Join us for an afternoon of performance, dance, art, vendors, readings, and much more in recognition of Black Music Month and Juneteenth commemoration.
Japanese Culture Club
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Jun. 14, 10:30 AM – 12 PM
Join us for MPL’s Japanese Culture Club! This monthly meeting will be dedicated to the appreciation of Japanese culture. The club will focus on immersing attendees in Japanese customs and traditions as well as popular culture in a fun and engaging environment.
MPL Unbound
A Publication of the Memphis Library Foundation
Welcome to the first issue of MPL UNBOUND, the quarterly magazine for Memphis Public Libraries. This magazine expands on the library’s mission to meet the public where they are and put the library in their hands. We believe this is one of a kind for any U.S. public library system. Pick up a print copy at any branch or read the digital version online!
Activate Your 901 Pass as a Library Card
Do you have a 901 Pass card and would like to use it to access the Memphis Public Libraries? Check here on how we can activate that for you!
MPL Repair Cafe Volunteers Needed
We are excited to announce that Memphis Public Library will be hosting regular Repair Days in 2025 in partnership with the international Repair Café organization! If you have special skills and would like to volunteer for this effort, let us know here!
Seed Library and Colorcopia
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
3rd Tuesdays, 1-2 PM
Join The Dixon Garden and Gallery’s Shawna White for a monthly arts class inspired by the ever changing seasons. In these nature themed arts classes, all you need to bring is your creativity for a great time while having great conversation. All supplies provided; all skill levels welcome!
Creative Aging Programs
Talented professional artists and musicians play, perform and teach at locations where seniors live and gather. Musical performances and hands-on arts workshops reach diverse audiences, improving participants’ cognitive vitality and emotional well-being, and making arts access a reality.
Gardening Programs with Booker T. Leigh
Make your garden the best yet with Memphis Public Libraries gardening programs, hosted by Booker T. Leigh, happening all over the city!
Upcoming Events
View our full calendar of events!
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Tue., May. 20, 3:00 pm
North Library
Tue., May. 20, 4:30 pm
Cherokee Library
Tue., May. 20, 4:30 pm
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Tue., May. 20, 5:00 pm
Cherokee Library
Tue., May. 20, 4:30 pm
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Tue., May. 20, 5:00 pm
East Shelby Library
Wed., May. 21, 4:30 pm
Cherokee Library
Thu., May. 22, 4:30 pm
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Fri., May. 23, 11:00 am
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Tue., May. 20, 3:00 pm
North Library
Tue., May. 20, 4:30 pm
Cherokee Library
Tue., May. 20, 4:30 pm
Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Tue., May. 20, 5:00 pm
Keep up with Memphis Public Libraries!
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Best Sellers and Other Suggestions
Library Updates
Whitehaven News: Discover Read Grand Reopening!
The Grand reopening of the Whitehaven Library’s Discover Read area was a great success! First-grade students of Robert R Church…
DIG Memphis News: Clayborn Temple Fire
From Wayne Dowdy, Manager of the Library’s History Department: “Clayborn Temple is one of the most significant sites in the…
In the News: “Memphis woman marched with MLK—now her story to be spotlighted at Bookstock”
News Channel 3 – Live at 9 – April 7, 2025 – Wang-Ying Glasgow from Memphis Public Libraries and participating…
In the News: ‘I was scared because they were killing Black folks for less’: 65 years later, Memphis students honored for library protest
Action News 5 – March 19, 2025 – “The next time you check out a book at your local library,…
Popular Resources
Start your genealogical journey today!
Have a question you need answered? Or a suggestion for the collection? Start Here!
Are you missing the ability to browse our shelves for books for your children? Use Book Bundles and we’ll pick out a bundle of books for your child!
Search the local newspaper all the way back to 1847.
Check out our online Digital Archives and explore Memphis history through photos and more!
Check out E-books and E-AudioBooks through Libby by OverDrive! You can visit the new Libby site or visit the original OverDrive site.
Memphis Public Libraries lends non-traditional items, too! You can try before you buy, discover a new hobby, or borrow a device you’ll only need to use once. Kits include Camping, Karaoke, Yard Games, Outdoor Movies, and Nature Exploration.
If you are looking for help, or want to provide someone with help, just dial 2-1-1 to reach the community information and referral resources of LINC, the Library Information Center at the Memphis Public Library.
Our magazine collection has moved to Libby! Check out our collection of current and popular magazines.
Streaming current local music for free. Local musicians: Submit a sample for inclusion.
The New York Times digital subscription is available at home!
Details on the extended Tax Assistance.
Gale Presents: Udemy is an online learning platform for adults who want to improve work-related skills or further develop a personal interest.
We now offer access to Value Line, a single, cost-effective research package covering multiple asset classes that can transform an average investor into an extremely profitable one.
