Marion Carnegie Library | 618-993-5935

PNG at MCL: Open Lab
2026-08-11 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-12 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-13 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-17 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-18 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-19 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-20 15:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-24 15:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago)
Work with any of our equipment & create whatever you can imagine!
Funding for Project Next Generation is provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
Ages 10-18

The Teen Lounge
2026-08-11 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-12 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-13 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-17 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-18 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-20 16:00 - 19:00
Want a chill place to hang after school? Take advantage of our YA Department to study, craft, game, or read!
We have craft supplies, board games, video games, and more for teens to enjoy and get creative with!
Ages 12-18

Back to School Story Hour
2026-08-12 10:30, 2026-08-13 10:30
Read a book about school, sing and dance and take home a fun school craft!

Playroom Playdate
2026-08-13 16:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-18 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-08-20 16:00 - 19:00
Meet up with friends and make new ones in our fun playroom!

Dreamland: The Secret History of Area 51
2026-08-13 17:30
Join us to welcome Aerospace historian Peter Merlin to talk about his book, Dreamland: The Secret History of Area 51 – the first ever scholarly history of the National Classified Test Facility at Groom Lake, Nevada.
Better known as Area 51, this top-secret installation hidden in a remote desert valley northwest of Las Vegas, has been shrouded in mystery since 1955. Decades of Cold War secrecy spawned rumors and conspiracy theories, and catapulted Area 51 into popular culture.
Now, after more than 30 years of painstaking research, Merlin cuts through the myths to reveal the true story of one of the nation’s premier flight-test and evaluation facilities, where evolving global threats are met with unprecedented technological innovations.
Peter Merlin is an aerospace historian and author of numerous books and articles. His research topics include Cold War history, space exploration, aerospace technology, human factors engineering, aviation archaeology, prehistoric cave paintings and petroglyphs, archeoastronomy, and the mysterious world of top-secret “black” projects. Merlin has appeared in more than a dozen film and television documentaries on the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and others. Before joining the Aviation Management and Flight faculty at Southern Illinois University, he spent most of his career supporting flight research and testing under contract to NASA and the US Air Force.

Tween Movie
2026-08-15 13:00, 2026-08-22 13:00
Come watch a fun tween movie!

PNG at MCL Saturday Sessions: Fashion
2026-08-15 13:00 - 16:00, 2026-08-22 13:00 - 16:00
Design and make your own clothes and accessories! Strike a pose in your new look!
Funding for Project Next Generation is provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services to the Secretary of State/Illinois State Library under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
Ages 10-18

Illinois Archaeology: The Deep Roots of the Prairie State, A Traveling Exhibit
2026-08-18 - 2026-09-26
History in Illinois didn’t begin when the first Europeans arrived 350 years ago. Euro-American communities have existed here for less than three percent of all the time people have lived in Illinois. Illinois Archaeology: The Deep Roots of the Prairie State is a quick look at where and how people have lived in Illinois for the last 12,500 years. It explores how things like conflict, climate change, and new technology altered the ways people lived. It does this by examining the archaeological evidence people left behind.
Presented by Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Opening for Illinois Archaeology: The Deep Roots of the Prairie State, A Traveling Exhibit
2026-08-18 18:00 - 19:00
Join us on the Main Floor at The Deep Roots of the Prairie State Traveling Exhibit. Williamson County Historical Society President, Sam Lattuca, will be discussing local connections related to the artifacts displayed.
History in Illinois didn’t begin when the first Europeans arrived 350 years ago. Euro-American communities have existed here for less than three percent of all the time people have lived in Illinois. Illinois Archaeology: The Deep Roots of the Prairie State is a quick look at where and how people have lived in Illinois for the last 12,500 years. It explores how things like conflict, climate change, and new technology altered the ways people lived. It does this by examining the archaeological evidence people left behind.
Presented by Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Camping Story Hour
2026-08-19 10:30, 2026-08-20 10:30
Read a book about camping, sing and dance and take home a fun camping craft!

Teen Craft Night: Calming Bottles
2026-08-19 16:00
Make a glow in the dark or glitter confetti calming bottle to help ease the stress of a new school year!

MCL Book Club
2026-08-22 10:00
We will meet in the McCoskey Room to discuss the book The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe.
Meet in the McCoskey Room.
