Where can you find an unlimited number of worlds to explore, the newest technology at your finger tips and the latest songs and movies— all for free? That's right, the library!

Unfortunately, libraries remain one of the best kept secrets of many cities. Community members are often not aware of all of the services available to them through their local library. To so many, the library starts and ends with books. Though the books offered are a wonderful resource, and are enough of a reason to get a library card, there are plenty of other reasons to love your local library.

In honor of National Library Week, here are five reasons to visit your local library:

With a generous gift from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Huntsville-Madison County Public Library was able to add to our growing workforce development offerings with a subscription to UniversalClass!

UniversalClass offers over 600 online courses - all for free and available to HMCPL card holders. With UniversalClass, you get 24/7 access, feedback from certified instructors, self-paced classes, and Continuing Education Units on select courses. 

Looking for something new for your kids to read? Look no further than a few of my personal picks of these new releases from the various categories in our Youth collections:

Picture Books

Aaron Slater, illustrator by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts

Interview with author Sherrilyn Kenyon

By Robert Freese

"I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman." – Virginia Woolf

This quote from Virginia Woolf is more commonly recognized in its iconic rephrasing, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” But why is that the case?

Simply put: Female writers were often denied the freedom of claiming their own words.

Contemporary Retellings of Fairy Tales

The tale may be old as time, but there are new ways to experience these rhymes! It is in the nature of fairy tales to be retold as time goes on. There are new lessons to teach, new messages to shape and new ways to frame these dearly beloved characters. Contemporary authors have not shied away from this challenge, continuing the longstanding tradition of retelling fairy tales by putting their own spin on classic stories.

New DVD/Streaming Release: The Hating Game

HMCPL recently received the new romantic comedy The Hating Game, based on Sally Thorne’s 2016 novel of the same name, on DVD.

The Mad Movie-A-Thon-O-Rama! February 24th: The Giant Claw

It is no secret that contemporary romance novels have received a facelift. Over the past 6 years, the romance genre has increasingly leaned away from the classic covers of sensual models and shirtless Fabio to a newer, younger look.

Literature has always consisted of Black authors. These authors helped to shape literary movements, open the door for other Black authors in their genre to be heard and they made impactful changes in the world around them. However, many are still not well known today. As we enter Black History Month, we invite you to take time to check out some of these impactful Black authors and their contemporaries.

Octavia Butler