News & Updates

Nov. 13, 2025 – Murder mysteries are one of the most popular genres of books - and many put books themselves at the center of story.

Nov. 5, 2025 – November is Native American Heritage Month. We've curated a list of recently published books by and about the diverse Native peoples in the United States.

Oct. 28, 2025 – Halloween is around the corner - what better time to dive into a scary story? Horror is hot right now, and these new novels are sure to send shivers up your spine.

Oct. 21, 2025 – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Gazette asked the library to contribute a list of books for their October issue of HER Magazine.

Oct. 14, 2025 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library is made possible by our incredible staff. And we are staffed by book lovers. To celebrate the people who keep our library running, we're highlighting different staff members and books they love.

Oct. 5, 2025 – Banned Books Week is Oct. 5-11, and the library is celebrating the freedom to read! Join us as we highlight books that have inspired, challenged, and connected readers everywhere. 

Sept. 29, 2025 - The inaugural Cedar Rapids Storytelling Festival, a new event put on by local nonprofit TellersBridge and the Cedar Rapids Public Library, is coming to the Downtown Library Oct. 1-4.

Sept. 26, 2025 – The National Book Foundation has announced the National Book Award longlist of finalists, and the library has many of the books available to borrow - especially in the fiction, nonfiction, and young people's literature categories.

Sept. 18, 2025 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library is made possible by our incredible staff. And we are staffed by book lovers. To celebrate the people who keep our library running, we're highlighting different staff members and books they love.

Sept. 10, 2025 – National Hispanic American Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15, celebrates Hispanic and Latino culture and history. 

Sept. 4, 2025 – The 2025-2026 Iowa Children's Choice books have been announced, and the library has them available at both the Downtown and Ladd locations.

Aug. 28, 2025 – For absolutely no reason at all, we decided to curate a list of books this week about the life of a showgirl.

Aug. 21, 2025 – The new semester is here, and we've collected a list of picture books for kids all about heading to school.

We are making some behind-the-scenes improvements to our OverDrive system to streamline the experience and reduce confusion for users. These changes will be implemented on August 19, 2025.

What You Need to Know:

Aug. 11, 2025 – As a new semester approaches, we've curated a list of novels with a dark and magical take on the school experience.