JMRL blog

Brown Baggers book club met Thursday, November 15 at noon to discuss Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell. Readers can expect to find an unhappy family of poor sharecroppers in rural Georgia, headed by main character Jeeter Lester, in this southern gothic classic. Jeeter and his wife Ada and their twelve children are “overcome by the […]

Books on Tap met at Beer Run on Thursday, November 2 to discuss Anne Tyler’s 1985 National Book Critics Circle Award winning novel The Accidental Tourist. Following a horrible tragedy, Baltimore-based travel writer Macon Leary finds his marriage to his wife Sarah (and his life) unraveling. He attempts to regroup and recover with the help […]

The Central Brown Baggers met Thursday, October 19 to discuss Lessons In Chemistry, the 2022 bestselling debut novel by Bonnie Garmus. Set in California in the 1960s, Elizabeth Zott is a lab chemist who becomes a popular TV cooking show host. Fiercely independent and an early feminist, she is determined to live life on her […]

JMRL and WriterHouse teamed up once again to offer an exciting poetry contest for adults. The contest this year was judged by a panel of judges, with finalists judged by UVA Professor Debra Nystrom. This year’s contest theme, “the importance of community,” piqued the interest of many dozens of writers, resulting in wonderful submissions and […]

Donate new books at your local JMRL branch to share the gift of reading with community members of all ages Central Library November 10 – December 10 Bring a new, unwrapped book for any age (kids, teen, adult) to Central Library. Donations will be shared with Barrett Early Learning Center, The Haven, and The Kindlewood […]

Crafting, sharing, celebrating—JMRL has you covered! Crafts, swaps, good deeds, sweet treats, and more seasonal fun at your library! We’ve rounded up all the reasons to be jolly—programs and events for kids, teens, and adults across JMRL in December. Read on for the highlights at each branch! central Library: for goodness bakes Celebrate generosity and […]

Books on Tap met on Thursday, October 5 to discuss the semi-autobiographical Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. We chose this book for Banned Books Week and learned that Evison’s Lawn Boy (for adult audiences) was conflated with Gary Paulsen’s Lawn Boy (for middle grade audiences) and Paulsen, resulting in the vilification of both authors, who […]

6th Annual JMRL Food Drive:  November 6-18, 2023 Be a hunger hero! JMRL’s 6th Annual “Food for Fines” drive takes place Nov. 6-18. To participate, bring non-perishable items such as peanut butter or cans of tuna to the Front Desk of any JMRL location during business hours, and receive $1 off overdue and late renewal fines […]

Brown Baggers book club met on Thursday, September 21 to discuss Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Having recently won the Pulitzer Prize, as well as plenty of other accolades, awards, and achievements, we were eager to discuss this book, which still maintains a hold list of almost 200 people here at JMRL, even nearly a […]

Remember the solar eclipse of 2017?  Get ready for not one but two more, occurring in the next 6 months over different parts of North America!   The first one is a partial annular eclipse on Saturday, October 14. You can find out more about this fascinating phenomenon at several programs taking place this week at […]

Books on Tap met on Thursday, September 7 to discuss Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Richly detailed, lyrical, and largely character-driven, the book manages to maintain a strong sense of place and develop a courageous, strong female character, who experiences more plot-centered action as the story progresses. Eighteen-year-old Anna tells the story of 1666, […]

The Central Library Children’s Department is hosting a costume swap so every kid can get a new costume this year!   Here’s how it works:  Participate in the swap and help keep kids’ costumes out of landfills!  Because most costumes are made from polyester and plastics and are not recyclable, each year roughly 2,000 tons of […]

Brown Baggers book club met on Thursday, August 17 to discuss Horse by Geraldine Brooks. With a mind-boggling depth of research, Brooks used fictional characters to bring this story of an enslaved groom named Jarret, a gallery owner named Martha, and contemporary professionals studying the historic horse, Lexington, truly to life. We learned so much […]

JMRL Strategic Planning Survey The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (JMRL) and the Library Board of Trustees have begun work on the Library’s next strategic plan, covering Fiscal Years 2025-2029. JMRL’s strategic plan charts a path for the Library to best meet its mission in service to the people of Albemarle, Charlottesville, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. JMRL […]

Books on Tap met August 3 at Beer Run to discuss The Gifted School (published 2019) by local resident and UVA professor Bruce W. Holsinger. One of our members has a personal connection to Professor Holsinger as she is a former student of his. For some attendees this was a re-read, as Central Library’s Brown […]