Mercer Library offers variety of online activities

MERCER, Wis. - While the Mercer Library is open, the staff continues to offer a variety of online events as they are not hosting any in-person gatherings due to social distancing concerns.

"We are trying to focus mostly on things that people can take home from the library to work on or online events," said library director Teresa Schmidt.

The library gives out craft kits twice a month. The kits are appropriate for kids, families, and even adults, Schmidt said. The latest craft project kit was released today. The kit provides materials and instructions on the art of book folding.

"This week we're going to put out a craft that is book-folding art," said Schmidt. "You take an old, discarded book and you fold the pages into a shape. We are making hedgehogs."

Schmidt said this craft is "pretty simple," but some people get really elaborate with book-folding and make "really incredible" designs.

The library has two book clubs that meet online. The evening book club will meet on April 6 at 6 p.m. to discuss the novel "Lincoln in the Bardo," by George Saunders. The daytime book club will be meeting at 1 p.m. on April 13 to discuss "My Brilliant Friend," by Elena Ferrante. Copies of the books are available at the library.

Schmidt said the two clubs have different focuses. The daytime club is good for all readers, she said. "They tend to read a little bit lighter fiction. They're not reading super fluff, but they are reading sort of general fiction," Schmidt said.

The evening book club is for people who want a more challenging read and the opportunity to think a little bit more intelligently about things that are in the news or being talked about in literature, Schmidt said.

"The evening club tends to pick titles that are a little deeper," she said. "So they pick things that are non-fiction or they pick things that are fiction but are a little more challenging reads or related to current issues that they want to discuss."

With the evening club, "Lincoln in the Bardo" tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's son who died, from about 50 or more different narrators during one night in a graveyard. Schmidt said every line or every paragraph is told by a different character so it is "very challenging" to get into.

"At first it's very difficult to wrap your brain around every line being someone else's dialog," she said.

The library has some programs scheduled for next month with the Wisconsin Bureau of Identity Protection about identity theft and home improvement contracts. The sessions will take place online.

Schmidt offers "Tech Tuesday" sessions every week by appointment to answer patrons technology questions.

The library is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Patrons over the age of 5 are required to wear a mask. The library also offers curbside services.

For more information, contact the library at 715-476-2366.