The Alma Friends of the Library invite you to visit the Library on Wednesday, April 23rd between 3:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. for their third annual Open House!

The Friends group has come together to make sure this event will be memorable! This year, we are celebrating paying off the 20-year long bond starting with a special word from our Mayor, Greg Mapes, at 4 p.m. to commemorate this milestone achievement. Afterwards, the Alma Fire Department will be overseeing a ceremonial bond-burning of a replica check representing the massive contribution from our lovely and generous community that made this event possible!

This is a drop-in type event, with the bond-burning happening directly after a short speech from Greg Mapes at 4 p.m. After the ceremony, we invite you into the library for cupcakes and punch generously donated by our Alma Meijer store and encourage you to take this time to enjoy your beautiful library and to socialize with your neighbors! Craft kits will also be available to take home for the kiddos!

We want to again say a huge thank you to our Mayor and Fire Department for taking time to celebrate with us, as well as to our Alma Meijer for providing refreshments on this special day!

The Library will be CLOSED Friday, April 18th and Saturday, April 19th. Regular hours will resume Monday, April 21st at 12 p.m.

Join us after stortime on Tuesday, April 15th at 10 a.m. for an Easter Egg Hunt in the library!

It's time to get those peeps contest entries ready! We will be accepting entries from March 31st through April 7th.

Voting will take place April 8th through the 16th. The entry with the most votes in CHILDREN (0-12), TEEN (13-17) and ADULT (18+) categories will each win a $50 cash prize!

Winners will be contacted April 17th.
 

We are thrilled to announce that our newspaper digitization project is now publicly accessible!

In 2024, the Alma Public Library applied for a newspaper digitzation grant offered annually by the Clarke Historical Library at CMU, and we were incredibly fortunate and honored to have been among the 2024 grant recipients! This grant allowed us to start the process of digitizing our collection of microfilm reels containing issues of the Gratiot County Herald dating all the way back to 1889 through 1906. Through fundraising efforts thanks to our amazing community, we have been able to secure funding to continue digitizing reels containing issues through 1945! We anticipate that these reels will be available digitally by the end of the summer in 2025.

We hope to keep the momentum of this project moving to eventually create a digital archive of the Gratiot County Herald through the year 2000 that will benefit the community and maintain accessibility to the rich history of our local area. If you are interested in supporting the efforts of this project, please contact the Alma Public Library for more information!

Use the following links to access and learn about how to navigate the newspaper portal!

DigMich Newspaper Tutorial

Clarke Historical Library DigMich Newspaper Portal

Unfortunately, we are out of COVID-19 at-home test kits, but don't worry, there are other routes to get tested! The MDHHS Library partnership for At-Home Test Program has been extended, but we are not sure when our next resupply of at-home tests will be.

Until then, either scan the QR code on the left or visit https://covidtests.gov/ to order more FREE at-home test kits. If you are in urgent need of testing, scan the QR code on the right or visit the Michigan government website to find COVID-19 testing sites near you.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Stay healthy this winter!

Storytime will meet on TUESDAYS at 10 a.m.! Beginning on January 10th of the new year, there will be an additional storytime on Fridays at 1:30 p.m.!

Please keep an eye on our facebook page for cancellations

Join us for the following FREE movie! Popcorn will be served!

Friday, April 25th at 4 p.m.:

Moana 2

Disney, PG, 100 minutes

Join Miss Jessica while we learn through singing, dancing, and stories! Aimed at babies and toddlers, open to children of all ages and their caregivers.

Join us on the fourth Thursday of the month at 4pm for Teen Craft Night! We'll have a different craft each month, with all materials provided. Grades 7-12.

Join us on the fourth Tuesday of the month for a special craft day just for our middle grade friends! Totally free, all materials provided! Grades 4-6.

We are excited to introduce Storytime Take Home Craft Kits! These include supplies from various storytime crafts and are great for those who missed storytime or need a fun activity to keep your little ones entertained.

Supplies are limited, but new craft kits will be added periodically as they become available.

Join us every other Monday at 4pm for LEGO Club! We provide the LEGOs and a building prompt, all you need to bring is your creativity! After you finish your creation, it will be on display at the library until our next LEGO Club meeting!

Log into Hoopla with your library card

With Hoopla you can instantly borrow digital e-books, audiobooks, comics, movies, TV and music with your library card! 

Here's how in 3 easy steps: 

Announcing the launch of our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program!

Alma Public Library has WiFi Hotspots to check out!

What is a hotspot?

Hotspots are portable, easy-to-use devices equipped with high-speed 4G LTE technology that can connect WiFi enabled devices to the Internet anywhere there is a strong cellular signal. Up to ten devices can be connected to the hotspot at one time.

Borrowing a HotSpot

• You must be at least 18 years of age and hold a valid Alma Public Library card in good standing
• Check out is for 2 weeks (14 days) with no renewals Temporarily 4 weeks during Stage 1 curbside-only service
• Households are limited to one hotspot checkout per month (one month between checkouts)
• Hotspots are checked out first come first serve ; no holds or reserves  Call library to check out hotspots during Stage 1
• Hotspots must be returned to the circulation desk inside the library ; fees charged for hotspots returned to book drop  Call library for drop-off instructions during Stage 1

Responsibility and Fines

• The overdue fine is $5.00 per day
• Overdue hotspots will be deactivated within 24 hours of due date
• Patrons returning a hotspot more than 5 days late will forfeit use of hotspots indefinitely
• Patrons are financially responsible for loss or damage to hotspots/accompanying materials (hotspot $80.00/charger $30.00)
• Excessive data usage not permitted (e.g., moderate use of movie and music streaming)
• The library is not responsible for information accessed using this device or for personal information that is shared over the Internet. Internet content filtering is NOT provided through library-issued hotspot devices. Parents/Guardians are responsible for monitoring what their children access while using the hotspot. The library is not responsible for any computer viruses that may be transferred to user-owned devices.

Using a Hotspot

1. Charge the hotspot, if needed, before use.
2. Turn the hotspot on and wait for it to establish a connection.
3. On your WiFi enabled device, locate the hotspot device, select it, and supply the password. The hotspot device name and password are on a card inside the case.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Keep the hotspot unplugged after it is fully charged. Failure to do this could damage the battery. Do not allow the hotspot to stay in a hot car.