Dimming the Lights for Ohio-Born Broadway Star Gavin Creel (1976-2024)
Megawatt performer Gavin Creel leapt from Ohio to Broadway but never discarded his midwestern decency.
Easy and Fun DIY Ideas for a Spook-tacular Halloween
There are so many fun crafty ideas for spooky holiday DIY fun - here are some great places to start.
Out, Brief Candle: 15 Singular James Earl Jones Stage Performances
Some of the late James Earl Jones's greatest accomplishments as an actor were in performances nobody will ever see again.
Small Business Partner Spotlight: The Arts Commission – Recognizing Talent, Fostering a Vibrant Community
"The Arts Commission’s emphasis is, as far as I can tell, on fostering Toledo as a healthy and vibrant art community, and the most important element of that community is its people. I appreciate the Arts Commission’s robust investment in people."
Small Business Partner Spotlight: Accelerate Your Creative Endeavors – Apply for Funding Via The Arts Commission
The Accelerator Grant is The Arts Commission’s competitive program offering financial support for local artists. Eligible categories of support include equipment and supply support, which attracted one local photographer to apply…
Tinker, Build, Make, Create!
Find fun STEM and making activities for kids in these project-filled books!
Small Business Partner Spotlight: The Arts Commission’s Grant Opportunities Provide Safety Net For Local Creatives
Obtaining grants to for-profit businesses can be extremely competitive and hard to come by. However, for working artists, one local organization is making a major difference and that’s The Arts Commission.
10 Books for Reading the Stars
Yes. This is, in fact, a sign to check out some of these books about astrology.
10 Books to Get You Started with Making and Using a Junk Journal
Make a junk journal and get creative!
20 Purrfect Titles for National Hug Your Cat Day
After dodging that grouchy skibbety-pap from a formerly napping feline friend, what better way to celebrate National Hug Your Cat Day than with a fun book?
From Midnight to Mourning: 25 Dark Books for Goths
World Goth Day is May 22nd, which means we're in for some super fun summer reading/viewing/listening! Re-dye your fading darks and unearth your bleakest makeup, dark times lie ahead.
10 Books Celebrating 35 Years of Game Boy
A long time ago people played handheld video games on a gray device the size of a small brick and the games weren't even in color.
Remembering Faith Ringgold, Groundbreaking Artist and Classic Picture Book Creator
Everyone's read "Tar Beach," but not everyone knows that its writer and illustrator Faith Ringgold was also a formidable visual artist who did things with quilts your sewing circle never dreamed of.
Transform Your Midwest Yard into a Breathtaking Oasis with Natural and Prairie Garden Techniques
Forget mowing! Plant a prairie garden to replace wasteful grass and benefit local wildlife.
Why Aren’t You Drawing a Bird Right Now? These Books Will Help
April 8th is Draw a Bird Day! Stock up on some of these great books to inspire your best avian art.
Pitch-Perfect Picks: Best Books on Baseball to Celebrate Opening Day
Just in time for Opening Day in Major League Baseball, here are some of the best books on the old (and new!) ballgame.
65 Years Ago, “A Raisin in the Sun” Changed American Theatre
Sixty-five years ago this month, Lorraine Hansberry’s pivotal play A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway, and it’s exerted a gravitational pull on American culture ever since.
Remembering Edward Bond, Scandalous Playwright
The playwright Edward Bond wasn't famous, exactly. But he was a little infamous, which was probably good enough for him.
Level Up Your Role-Playing: Essential Books for Games Masters
Check out these fantastic books to make your best-ever RPG campaigns. Games night will never be the same!
Cooking and Storytelling Unite: Discover the Most Entertaining Cookbooks on the Shelves
The Library has so many cookbooks it can be hard to keep up! We have so much more than the usual famous chefs and social media empire offerings.
Spark Your Imagination on National LEGO Day
National LEGO Day is the perfect time to put your imagination to work, and the following books (along with one exceptional film) can help put you in the right mindset.
20 Hockey Books for Kids
It's Hockey Night in Toledo as we welcome the Walleye back to the ice. Before enjoying a little family fun at the Huntington Center, be sure to share a few great hockey books with the young skaters and readers in your life.
5 Books to Help You Knit Socks – The Possibly (Im)perfect Last Minute Holiday Gift
Early Christmas morning / Sneaky as can be / I creep across the carpet / And I peek under the tree / Pick out a gift from Mom to me / And bring it to my ear / Give it a little shimmy shake and what do I hear? / Socks / This is the worst gift I ever got / It doesn't beep or buzz or bop or rattle in the box / Hey, why'd you waste the paper on a lousy pair of socks? - J.D. McPherson, 'Socks'
10 Ice Skating Stories for Kids
Lace up your skates and take to the ice with these ten great stories for young skaters.
10 Craft and DIY Books to Help You Stay Warm this Winter
Winter is approaching quickly, prepare yourself by making some cozy clothes, a warm blanket, and more.
Game Books to Play Indoors All Winter
Winter is coming! In the deep, dark, cold months, stave off winter boredom with these titles that get you playing all kinds of tabletop games.
Amazing Aviators
It's National Aviation Month. Check out these interesting reads.
Expand and Improve Your Model Railroad System With These 10 Books
There's no better time to explore model railroading than during model train month!
Exploring Birds All Year Round!
Take a look at these suggestions on birds and birding as a great way to explore outdoors in the colder months ahead!
9 Books Celebrating the Great Outdoors for Nature Lovers
These books are best experienced outside.
Going to Toledo Comic Arts Festival on Saturday November 4? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
The first ever Toledo Comic Arts Festival is happening (Th) Nov. 2 (online) and (Sa) Nov. 4, 2023 at Main Library. Here's everything you need to know before you go.
Six Tons of Sand and a Dream: Remembering Playwright Tina Howe
Tina Howe was a playwright, which is to say, she wasn't a household name. But she was a beloved and respected artist whose body of work resonates through the careers of any number of artists that you've definitely heard of.
10 Books To Interest Your Inner Artist On National Photography Day
Satisfy your inner artist or art enthusiast with these books for National Photography Day.
10 Titles for National Get Outdoors Day
June 10th is National Get Outdoors Day, and we've foraged for 10 titles with activities and adventures to get you across the threshold.
15 Tony Award Winners
This Sunday night is the 76th Tony Awards, the biggest night in American theater. Or at least the biggest night in a certain fourteen-square-block section of American theater.
3 Knowledge-Packed FilmToledo Classes for Aspiring Actors and Filmmakers
FilmToledo and the Library present a series of classes aimed at making you a better actor and filmmaker. Also recommended for people who just want to improve their communication skills or get better at making videos on their phone.
5 Books to Remind You to Stop Reading and Go Ride a Bike
Don't read these books while on a bicycle.
10 Great Books for Wine (and Grape) Enthusiasts
These books are Dionysus-approved.
History of Crayons
Crayons have been around for a long time! Here are some great titles featuring crayons and their history.
5 Photography Books to Help You Capture the Moment
Take all the pictures.
On International Museum Day, Visit One of the Toledo Area’s Fine Museums
Some of the world's finest museums are closer than you think!
It’s Funny Because it’s (Sam) Gross: The New Yorker’s Most Unruly Cartooning Genius
Until he died this month, cartoonist Sam Gross was the master of making you laugh at things you felt bad about laughing at.
10 Books to Get Kids Excited About Birding
Have an aspiring young birder? Here are some books to get them excited about birding!
The Final Snappy Answer of Cartoonist Al Jaffee (1921-2023)
For decades, cartoonist Al Jaffee was one of the most consistent fixtures among Mad Magazine's "Usual Gang of Idiots" with his sardonic and cutting observations about modern life. But he's inked his last fold-in.
What Are You Drawing for Draw a Bird Day? These 10 Books Will Help You…Draw a Bird
It’s officially Draw a Bird Day. Celebrate by busting out a pencil and paper and doodling your favorite bird—artistic skill is optional!
5 Happy Little Items To Check Out Before You Watch the Movie Paint
A few DVDs and books to put you in the right mindset before going to see Paint, a movie inspired by Bob Ross.
Get Ready to Grow, Lucas County!
We'd love to see how things are growing! Tag @ToledoLibrary and show us your plant friends.
Celebrate National Poetry Month with 13 Poetry Books Selected by the Lucas County Poet Laureate
April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate by writing your own poem or reading some of these picks from Jonie McIntire, Lucas County's Poety Laureate!
10 Books to Inspire Your Next Craft
Celebrate National Crafting Month by refining your skills or picking up a new hobby.
5 Books About Tetris, Possibly the Greatest Video Game of All Time
Like after good round of Tetris, you'll close your eyes at night and see a series of falling blocks while you fall asleep after reading this.
5 Books to Improve Your Floral Design and Arrangement Skills
Celebrate National Floral Design Day with books and bouquets.
10 Books to Help You Be Kind
Celebrate kindness and paying it forward.
Help Feed Our Feathered Friends for National Bird Feeding Month
Each February we celebrate the magic birds bring to our yards during National Bird Feeding Month.
5 Ways to Get to Know Poet Charles Simic
The poet Charles Simic achieved nearly every distinction an American poet can hope for. It's not too late to find out why.
Get Creative with These 5 Books Sure to Inspire You
Read or use these 5 books to jump back into your creative flow or inspire a new project!
15 Books on Mending and Upcycling for Sustainable Fashion
Mending and upcycling clothes is a great way to contribute to sustainable fashion. Here are some books with great ideas to make beautiful new creations out of second-hand or old, worn clothes and home goods…
8 Books to Help You Make Comics
Your one-stop-shop to get you started making your first comic or graphic novel. Writing, storyboarding, drawing, and publishing!
C is for Cookie: Baking and Decorating Ideas to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
Om Nom Nom Nom. Let’s bake some cookies!
Best Books to Give as Gifts: Nonfiction Titles
A selection of nonfiction titles that will make great gifts.
DIY Cards and Gifts for Any Occasion
A selection of books for DIY gift and card ideas.
Good Grief! 10 Books to Read for Charles M. Schulz’s 100th Birthday
Security blankets. Great Pumpkins. Pulled-away footballs. If "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz hadn't been born 100 years ago, we'd have 10% fewer metaphors.
5 Books to Read for Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Indigenous People's Day.
10 Books to Read When Visiting the Library’s 45,000 Quilt Exhibit
The 45,000 Quilt is a work of art which brings together the vision of 60 immigrant justice activists and artists from 12 states and Oaxaca, Mexico.
10 Fun and Quirky Comics for D&D Nerds
Whether you're a TTRPG veteran, looking forward to your first campaign, or Stranger Things just has you curious, these comic and manga series are sure to get you ready for adventure.
10 Books To Get You Through the End of the Baseball Season
Baseball is in the home stretch. Whether your team is about to win a pennant or already eliminated from contention, here are book picks to keep you company through the end of the season.
9 Best Tim Sale Comics
Celebrate the late Tim Sale with some of his greatest comics.
Local History Resources at Main Library and a Prominent Toledo Dog
The Toledo Library proudly displays three paintings featuring the customary topic of renowned Toledoan artist, Edmund Henry Osthaus. Get the inside story of the painting of “Laddie,” displayed in the Local History Department.
Bird is the Word
It's the Biggest Week in American Birding!
Comics and Graphic Novels for Latinx Cultural Heritage Month
Check out these comics by some of our favorite Latinx creators!
Find Your Happy
Titles feature multi-faceted mindfulness.
Photography at Your Library
Do you appreciate good photography? Do you enjoy taking photos with your phone or camera? The Library can help you pursue those interests!
Children’s Library & Teen Recommends – Summer 2021
Youth Services Librarians love to read, too! Check out what your favorite Children’s and Teen Librarians at Main Library are reading, whether it be a picture book about penguins, a middle grade adventure in a treehouse, vampires in Louisiana, or a time-traveling phone booth!
Small, but Mighty FUN!
Cards are super-portable and can make for great games and magic tricks to boost the fun factor on a rainy day.
Reduce Waste Through Sustainable Living Practices
Explore ways to reduce waste, repurpose, reuse, and adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Get Creative Through Crafty Repurposing
Explore ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and upcycle everyday materials to create something extraordinary.
The Great Outdoors
Resources and ideas for having a great summer close to home.
Books for Collage 101 (and 200)
Collage is a low-cost and easy mode of self-expression that anyone can make.
Grow Your Own Food at Home
Creating a kitchen garden is not only a fun hobby, but can provide your home with fresh produce all year long.
Learn about Birds
In the spring, warblers, a tiny, colorful classification of songbirds, fly through our area on their journey of thousands of miles between Central and South America, and the Caribbean, on their way to Northern North America.
Fantasy and Adventure Comics for Kids
For readers looking for a little escapism, here are some awesome fantasy and adventure comics.
You Grow, Green!
Need a way to brighten your home this winter? Get some houseplants! Studies have shown that keeping houseplants have many benefits. Among them are improving your mood, reducing fatigue, and boosting healing and pain tolerance. They also improve air quality, releasing oxygen and moisture. Here are some titles that will help you start going green.
A Happiness Reading List
Here are a few books that may help you keep a lookout for the small moments, practices, and words in life to lift spirits and find the wonder in the world around us.
Great Ideas for Teachers and Parents: Resources for Teaching Grades K-8
Calling all teachers (professional AND/OR parental)! We’ve gathered the most recent teaching support materials in print to help get everyone through learning at home. Nature Play Workshop for Families A Year of Forest School:
5 Books to Inspire Your Spring Home Decor Refresh
If the changing seasons have you ready to change up the decor in your home, read on for a selection of books that provide tips as well as inspiration to get you started.
Plan and Plant a Bee-Friendly Garden
Learn how to create a beautiful flower garden that will attract bees, butterflies and birds.
5 Powerful Poems to Read for Women’s History Month
Women have a way with words. They deal with a lot. Yes, I know - that's the understatement of the century. So, it's no surprise that poetry by women speaks to us all. It's filled
The Human-Nature Connection
The Library and Metroparks are great community resources that enrich the quality of life in the communities in which they serve.
Knitting a Few Good Yarns: Themed Cozy Mysteries
Love to crochet, embroider, knit, sew or weave? Then you'll love these great cozy mysteries.
Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas
The best gifts are the ones we make ourselves. Here are some ideas to get you started....
Handmade Gift Ideas for People Who Love Crocheting, Knitting and Stitching
Crochet, knit and sew heartfelt gifts year-round.
Handy Handmade Gifts
Crafty projects to help inspire your creative spirit. Have fun designing and creating unique gifts year-round.
Ideas for Making Artsy Handmade Gifts
Create artsy, personalized gifts for your family and friends all year-round.
Feeling Crafty?
Summer is a great time to craftily relax and enjoy ourselves.
5 Day Summer Itinerary for Toledo, Ohio
Are you visiting Toledo, Ohio this summer and wonder what to do and where to go? Or, are you a native Toledoan looking for something different? Check out these unique ideas for this summer!
Yakking in a Pond
A celebration of the sport of kayaking and the trials of married life.
Small-Space Gardening
Small-Space Gardening is an activity everyone can enjoy with just a little creativity! With specialized small-space garden kits available commercially at local home stores for do-it-yourselfers, this can be done in even the smallest spaces with some ingenuity.
Youth Art Month: It All Starts With a Simple Box of Crayons
March is Youth Art Month at your Library! Make time to get unplugged and immersed in some family art time.
Never Too Early To Think Spring!
Think spring gardens, warm sunshine, blossoms, sprouts, and gentle breezes.
Organizing Your Life: Home Edition
Clear out the clutter, tidy up, and get organized!
Just Point the Camera and Shoot!
A small collection of people that shaped how cameras are used in everyday situations on the streets of some of the largest cites.
Podcasts: What are They and Why Should I Care?
What’s a podcast and why do my friends keep talking about them? Read on to find out how to jump onto the most informative bandwagon around.
Book, Humbug!
The new movie The Man Who Invented Christmas purports to tell all about Charles Dickens and his most famous creation. But there's more to it than that.
A Salute to Christmas Novelty Songs
Holiday novelty songs are so fun.
Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids and Teens
If you're looking to give the gift of reading this holiday season, take a look at this year's recommendations for kids and teens - compiled by our expert Librarians at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library!
What’s Really In Your Beauty Products (and How to Make Your Own)?
Try your hand at making your own beauty and spa products.
Sports Roundup
Do you have a favorite sport or are you one of those sports-in-general fans? One thing’s for sure, if you’re not playing it, or watching it, there’s always something to be learned from sports books and movies.
New Year, New You
No resolutions necessary! You can always work on improving (fill in the lifestyle issue of your choice); it just takes a bit of time and baby steps in the right direction. Here are some titles that will help.
Super Mario Run
Libraries aren't just for book reports and never ending education. Super Mario Run launched December 15th on iOS and the Library happens to already have an event scheduled for this March with Nintendo of America.
Winter Crafts for Children and Teens
Keep busy with these wintry crafts!
Makerspace Your Holidays
Putting a unique touch on the holidays just got easier thanks to your Library! Here are a few quick ideas to inspire you using some of our Makerspace equipment and programs!
DIY Holiday Gifts
Learn how to create personalized gifts for family and friends this holiday season and beyond.
Building Community Around Pokemon Go
It's been almost five months since Pokemon Go officially launched in the US. A lot has changed since then, both good and bad. It's fun to reflect back and see what's been accomplished in a short amount of time.
Holy 50 Years, Batman!
Sanger Branch is celebrating 50 years of Batman in film with a special showing of the 1966 Batman movie, the movie that started it all.
The Wrong Side of Magic
I found a charming magic in a new book, a magic that leaps off the page with humor and heart in Janette Rallison’s latest novel The Wrong Side of Magic.
DIY Lava Lamps
At the West Toledo Branch Library, we like to do what we call "pop up programs." Each week we do a different activity. So far, our favorite is the Bubbly Lava Lamps.
Make U Mobile Art Labs – Creativity At Work
From Printmaking to Painting and Sculpture. Make U Mobile Art Labs inspire creative expression at your local library.
DIY Home Improvement Projects Are Within Reach, With A Little Help From The Library
Don’t shy away from home improvement projects! They may seem tricky, but with a little help from the library, you can do it yourself!
Variety Makes Creativity
At the Kent Branch Library, we do our children's programs a bit different from most other branches. We allow any age 0-18, we do not have registration, and children come in late and leave early. So, when the Make U Mobile Art Labs were offered to Kent, I knew it would be interesting.
Bristlebots Program
Fun with bristlebots.
Getting Crafty with Make U Mobile Art Labs
As we mark the half way point in our grant funded Mobile Art Labs, we are pleased to share that the reception we have received has been great! Kids and parents alike have been very responsive to the goals of the Curiosity Creates Grant, and most importantly, everyone is having a lot of fun!
Libraries are a great place to think creatively
Get lost in a fantasy world through a book, breathe new life into a community organization in your local library’s meeting space, or explore the digital world of a computer game. The Library has a new opportunity to offer creative exploration to its patrons through Make U: Mobile Art Labs with programs in drawing, painting, printmaking, installation art, 3D sculpture and digital photography.
2016’s Color(s) of the Year
It’s that time of year again–Pantone has announced their Color of the Year for 2016! This year’s selection is especially exciting because for the first time, Pantone selected not one, but two shades: Rose Quartz, a warm and subtle pink, and Serenity, a cool and serene blue.
