February 2026 Happenings

February is for lovers!

Stop by to color something delightful for your Valentine. While here, write what you love about our library on a heart for Library Lovers’ Month. Can’t pick just one thing to love about the library? Visit on Saturday, February 7 for Take Your Child to the Library Day to learn about services like borrowable phonics games, new rotating dramatic play sets, and our growing collection of Read-Aloud books that read to you!

What programs would you love to have at the library? Take a quick minute to complete this survey to let us know what you would like to see this year.

Holiday Hours
February 16 – closed all day

Learn more about each event by visiting bit.ly/DansvilleLibraryCalendar.

January 2026 Happenings

Whether you’re welcoming the new year with open arms or a wary side-eye, we hope you’ll welcome it with us! The date may have changed, but we’re still warm, resourceful, and occasionally surprising.

When you come by the library this month, be sure to welcome our new library clerk, Shelby!

Holiday Hours
January 1 – closed all day
January 19 – closed all day

You can learn more about each of our events by visiting bit.ly/DansvilleLibraryCalendar.

 

December 2025 Happenings

Another year is wrapping up, but we’re still going strong! Here are some of the things you could do if you stop in to the Dansville Public Library this December.

Holiday Hours
December 24 – closed all day
December 25 – closed all day
December 31 – closing early at 5p
January 1 – closed all day

You can learn more about each of our events by visiting bit.ly/DansvilleLibraryCalendar.

Rally ‘Round the Valley Coloring Contest

Calling all artists! Dansville Public Library has organized a (nearly) all-ages coloring contest in honor of the balloons! 

Coloring aficionados ages 4yo to 100yo+ are welcome to compete for top talent in our 6 age categories (4yo-6yo, 7yo-9yo, 10yo-12yo, 13yo-25yo, 26yo-49yo, 50yo+). The winner in each category will receive a gift certificate to a local business. Winners will be selected by local art experts and announced during Rally weekend.

  • Artists can pick up a coloring sheet in person at the Library, or download it here.
  • All entries must be returned to the Library by 1p on August 16 to be considered.
  • All entries will be displayed in the Library windows from August 16 through Rally wknd.

     

Are YOU ready for Summer Reading?

Have you already signed up for this year’s Summer Reading program, or are you interested in signing up, but you’re not sure what to expect? Learn more here, or stop by to talk to Library staff!

Registration/Sign-ups
Anyone can register online or in person until June 21. Our Summer Reading is all-ages, and we encourage parents and grandparents to participate with their littles! If you’re an adult flying solo, that’s okay too! Seriously– everyone is welcome to join us in some Summer Reading fun.

When to attend
We welcome everyone to join us on June 21 from 10a-12p to launch this year’s Summer Reading. In addition to picking up their program materials (tracker and swag), there will be program-themed activities to enjoy (& beat the heat!). If you can’t make it, however, you can pick up your materials from Library staff anytime after June 21.

After the launch, it’s up to you when you want to participate in on-site activities. The program is designed so that you can do it all at your pace and on your time if you’d like, or you can take advantage of the many events we have planned throughout the summer. For example, we’ll have weekly multi-activity storytime sessions on most Tuesdays (10a-10:30a for Tiny Tots, 10:30a-11:15a for Toddlers, & 11:30a-12:15p for Youth), but we’ll also have evening programs like Masked Karaoke for teens and paint-pour portraits for youth.

To stay up-to-date, be sure to visit our online calendar frequently, and follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

Rewards
Everyone wins for participating in Summer Reading at DPL. There are special weekly prizes for the under-5yo kids, a different set of weekly prizes for 6yo-12yo (and teens who elect weekly prizes) who meet their weekly goals, and drawing tickets for adults (and teens who elect drawing tickets). You can see more about how it works by clicking here.

Don’t miss out: join us today!

Youth Kite Showcase

UPDATE 05/13/25 @ 4:50p: Due to potential rain and storm conditions, we will postpone the showcase until Thursday, May 15 at 6:00p.

The Library is hosting a special Youth Kite Showcase for this year’s Dogwood Festival! In a callback to earlier years in Dansville, young patrons are invited to build their own kites and fly them at Babcock Park for the chance to earn glory and an award.

Kite flyers must complete an entry form prior to the showcase. They will be available at the Library from May 1-May 12, or on the youth football field at Babcock on May 13 from 5:00p-6:00p.

Please be sure to read the complete showcase guidelines prior to entering. If you have any questions, please contact the Youth Coordinator, Megan Clement.

Whether you do it for fame or glory, be sure to do it for fun!

Dogwood Week Coloring Contest

The Library is sponsoring a coloring contest for youth up through age 18!

  • Coloring sheets can be downloaded from this post, picked up at the Library, or picked up from any of the DCS Main Offices.
  • They are available May 1 through May 14, and must be returned to DPL in person by 8:00p on May 14.
  • Awards will be presented on the Library lawn at 4:45p on May 17 before the parade.
  • Be sure to read the full contest rules to understand the entry categories and awards. Please contact the Youth Coordinator, Megan Clement, if you have any questions.

 

 

DPL Wraps Up Bi-Sesqui-Centennial Celebrations

 

Dansville Public Library recently wrapped up its 100 Years in 100 Days celebration of its bi-sesqui-centennial anniversaries with two public events: a commemorative oak tree planting, and an evening Night in the Stacks speakeasy party. Below you can find the program from the tree planting, links to the speeches/remarks from the event, and images from both the tree planting and speakeasy.

We would like to recognize and thank the awesome community businesses who partnered with us to make these events so memorable.

For pictures of the Commemorative Tree Planting, click here.
For pictures of the Night in the Stacks Speakeasy, click here.

Smithsonian poster exhibit at DPL

Dansville Public Library to Present Smithsonian Poster Exhibit/
Public
Program Encouraging Dialogue on Positive Social Change

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful
committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead (1901-1978), anthropologist

As the world has become more interconnected, it is more important than ever to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has partnered with the educational organization Facing History and Ourselves to dramatically increase access to the themes and content presented in its national initiative “Choosing to Participate” with poster exhibition designed to encourage dialogue, engagement, respect, and participation in classrooms and communities.

The posters will be on view at Dansville Public Library’s Shepard Foyer from October 1 through November 5.

Developed for middle school and high school students, the posters are intended to inspire people of all ages to create positive social change. The posters present the experiences of individuals and communities, explore the impact of cultural differences, and encourage viewers to consider the consequences of everyday choices—to discover how “little things are big”—and to make a difference in their own communities.

These graphically compelling colorful posters are being distributed at no cost to schools, libraries, museums, and community organizations through partnerships including Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the American Library Association.

Founded in 1976, Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational and professional development nonprofit organization whose mission is to engage students of diverse backgrounds in an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. By studying the historical development of the Holocaust and other examples of genocide, students make the essential connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives. For more information, visit www.facinghistory.org.

SITES has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C., for more than 70 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science, and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play. For exhibition descriptions and tour schedules, visit www.sites.si.edu.

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The Choosing to Participate poster exhibition at the Dansville Public Library was made possible through the support of the Dansville Women’s Civic Club.