Mid-Continent Public Library Foundation

06/01/2026

Summer at MCPL is officially here! Sign up now at mymcpl.org/Summer

Summer at MCPL starts today and runs through August 24! With this year’s theme, Read, Score, Roar!, readers of all ages can sprint into great stories, build reading streaks, and celebrate every reading win along the way. Get more information at mymcpl.org/Summer

05/28/2026

We love to see the many ways community members stay connected through Library resources, including outdoor WiFi! Thanks to an LSTA Technology Ladder Grant, parking lot WiFi at MCPL branches will be upgraded to ensure continued access.

05/22/2026

Tune into KSHB 41 this evening for summer literacy tips from MCPL! Programs like Summer at MCPL, which help kids continue to grow their reading skills even while they're out of school, rely on support from community members like you. Help keep these programs going strong by making a gift at mymcpl.org/giving

05/18/2026

Thank you to everyone who contributed during Food for Fines! What a great way to make a difference! ❤️

A huge thank you to all our food donors who contributed during Food for Fines! 🙏 Steve from St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry collected 14 boxes of food items from customers at the Parkville Branch. Each donated item eliminated $1.50 in overdue fines. Mark your calendars—Food for Fines will return in September! 🍽️✨

05/15/2026

Many thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for supporting the Square One Small Business Center Professional Development Summit! Community members accessed resources that helped them better understand their strengths, communication styles, and growth opportunities.

05/08/2026

We are excited to share that an LSTA Technology Ladder Grant was awarded to Mid-Continent Public Library! 🎉

The grant will help MCPL replace outdated WiFi access points with new, high performance devices for branch parking lots. These access points are used frequently during and after operating hours.

The Technology Ladder Grant Program is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.

04/29/2026

So much fun was had by all at the Bloom Bash yesterday! 🌸 Hundreds of kids and their grownups joined us at the Mid-Continent Public Library Woodneath Library Center Auditorium to learn about nature and celebrate spring. Bestselling author Robin Wall Kimmerer read her children's book Bud Finds Her Gift, Jim "Mr. Stinky Feet" Cosgrove debuted a new song, and Sow Wild Natives led an interactive activity about the natural world.

Special thanks to Bridging The Gap for making Robin Wall Kimmerer's visit to KC possible, and a big thank you to our partners at Magpie Creative Reuse Collective, Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Sow Wild Natives, the Missouri Prairie Foundation, and the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary for providing lots of wonderful Bloom Bash activities!

📸: Espy's Photography

04/23/2026

We have an exciting surprise: Aimee Nezhukumatathil will teach a food writing workshop on Saturday, May 2, from 10:30am-12:00pm at the MCPL Culinary Kitchens! This will be a unique and intimate workshop, and we’re holding a drawing to give away the workshop spots. To be eligible for the drawing, you must attend the May 1 Speaker Series event and visit the Culinary Kitchens table in the Auditorium lobby to enter your name into the drawing. You may enter as either a single or a duo, but both customers in the duo must be present on May 1 to qualify for the May 2 workshop. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced at the end of the Speaker Series event on May 1. Please see the full workshop description below.

That Which Rips Your Heart with Joy: Food Writing as Provocation & Exclamation
Saturday, May 2, 10:30am-12:00pm, MCPL Culinary Kitchens - 8581 N. Green Hills Rd. Kansas City, MO 64154

What gets so often overlooked in food writing is the contagious exuberance that can happen when one takes a bite and wants to be curious about where the food came from and what it means to have a bridge for people to connect or a place to provoke and reclaim, as poet Thomas Lux once wrote, “…that which rips your heart with joy.” Join New York Times bestselling nature writer and acclaimed poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil for this unique workshop that will feature “mindful tastings” and send you off with several starts and prompts for writing about food.

To register for the May 1st Speaker Series event, please visit: https://www.mymcpl.org/events/115118/story-center-speaker-series-aimee-nezhukumatathil.

04/23/2026

We need your help to spark library joy for kids! When you make a donation to Mid-Continent Public Library, you'll support our community's youngest readers. Donate now at mymcpl.org/giving

04/21/2026

It's National Library Week, and Mid-Continent Public Library needs your help to spark joy for kids! The fundraising goal for National Library Week is in reach, but we need your help to cross the finish line.

Any gift, big or small, will make a difference for our community's youngest readers. Donate now at mymcpl.org/giving

It's National Library Week, and this year, we are celebrating the impact of library joy for kids across our community.

Through programs like Summer Reading, Reading Rocket, and 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, MCPL helps children become curious, confident readers.

Your gift in honor of National Library Week will strengthen our early literacy work in 2026. Support young readers with a gift today at mymcpl.org/giving.