Sign up the kids to learn seed art! On Monday, June 8, this free class will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the library’s meeting room. Jen Anfinson will teach about the vintage craft of mosaic seed art, while kids create a fun treasure box. They’ll get to take any extra seeds to plant at home.

Space is limited. Sign up by calling the library at 320-693-2483 or stopping at the front desk. For ages 5-18. Children age 7 and younger must be accompanied and assisted by an adult or teen caregiver.

Local author Jenna Gohman will hold a book signing event at the Litchfield Library on Saturday, June 6, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the meeting room. The event is free to attend, and there’s no need to sign up. Jenna will read an excerpt from her new book Saving Ubrijan and answer questions about her writing process. She will have books available for purchase, with cash or Venmo accepted, and she will sign books. Join us to celebrate a local writer!

From Amazon’s book description:

The beauty of Oflijan shattered at that moment. What will happen to me now? Lyari wondered, as she left everything she’d ever known behind…

Saving Ubrijan is a heroic fantasy in which Lyari, the chosen one, must learn to use a gift she knows nothing about, to save a world she grows to love…from those who took her past from her. All while reuniting the people of Ubrijan in hopes of finally making it a safe and peaceful place for all.

Journey with Lyari through earning the trust of her people, creating friendships with unlikely allies, and becoming who she was destined to be.

Saving Ubrijan is a book full of world exploration, with a zest likened to ‘The Sword of Shannara’ where good verses evil battle, and we go on an epic quest to save the world.

Sign the kids up for a free class at the Litchfield Library – they’ll learn to do block printing on a tote bag! This free class for kids ages 5-18 will be held in the meeting room on Thursday, June 4, at 6:00 p.m.

Meredith Semel will teach the art of block printing, and children and teens will make their own tote bag for all of their summer reading materials!

Space is limited. Call the library at 320-693-2483 or stop at the front desk to sign up. Children ages 7 and younger must be accompanied and assisted by an adult or teen caregiver throughout the class.

For the Litchfield Library’s first Kids’ Storytime of the summer, the Raptor Center will present a program for kids of all ages! On Friday, June 5, at 10:15 a.m., join us on the lawn on the south side of the library, in front of the garage. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held at the Litchfield Opera House.

Raptor Center staff will bring 3 birds of prey, including a bald eagle, perfect for the 250th anniversary of the United States! This program is free to attend, and there’s no need to sign up. Thank you to the Friends of the Litchfield Library for sponsoring this exciting program!

Absolutely no dogs are allowed at this program. Children younger than age 8 must be accompanied and directly supervised by an adult or teen caregiver at all times.

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Litchfield Library Foundation bookmark contest! Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Litchfield Library Foundation bookmark contest! Asher’s design will be featured on this year’s library bookmark, which will be handed out at the Watercade parade in July and then made available at the library for the coming year. All three winners will get a cash prize from the foundation. A display featuring the winners and finalists will be set up in the display case next to the copier room in the library through Watercade weekend.

In an effort to make registration for the very popular Adult Arts & Crafts classes more fair and less confusing, there will be a couple of new rules beginning June 1:

You may call or stop in to sign up yourself and up to one other person. If you are not registering for the class yourself, you cannot register other people. No bulk sign-ups: just yourself and, if you wish, one guest who will attend with you.

No sign-ups via social media (Messenger) or email. This has been rare, and we have directed people to call instead, but this is now official. It’s too difficult for library staff to watch that and get people in at the right time.

As always, registration opens on the 1st of the month, and we cannot take requests before that to put you on the list. If the library is closed on the 1st, registration will open on the first day the library is open after that.

These rules apply to only the Adult Arts & Crafts program that happens once a month, because of the level of demand. These rules are similar to those other local libraries have for high-demand programs.

We appreciate your understanding as we strive to make the class first come-first served, with equitable access to the program.

A sampling of April’s Adult Arts & Crafts results:

Photos of the March Adult Arts & Crafts completed projects:

Ways the Friends of the Litchfield Library helped the Litchfield Library in 2025:

• 3 local business gift certificates for winners of the Winter Reads drawing (people who read 6 books and turned in their reading log by the end) – impossible without Friends support!
• Significant supplemental financial support for children’s programs. 304 children and 46 teens participated in the summer reading program. 1,310 people participated in storytimes. 644 children got take-home craft kits. 75 people participated in children’s craft programs.
  
• Supplemental financial support for teen programs. 234 teens participated in 27 programs.
  
• Supplemental financial support for adult craft programs. 22 offered in 2025.
  
• Funded the Science Heroes program. Attendance 48.
  
• Funded new toys and a replacement children’s shopping cart
   

• Funded a new pre-lighted Christmas tree for the newspaper reading area and updated décor for the library.
  
• Funded parade books with the Litchfield Library Foundation. 1500 books given to children at the Watercade parade, with additional $581 of funding from the Litchfield Library Foundation.
  
• Funded the start of a new program: Seed Library. Used by 85 people in May, June, and August. Purchased a binder, envelopes, labels, a funnel, starter sets of seeds, and paid for shipping for free seeds from Seed Savers Exchange.
  
• Ongoing funding of the Book Page book review magazine subscription
• 3 book sales! Books to free cart in the entry, Little Free Libraries around Litchfield, and books to the jail.
     

Thank you to the Friends of the Litchfield Library! What would we do without you?!

Litchfield Library’s seed library is available for early indoor plantings! The seed library is now in a long yellow container at the front desk, holding seeds that need to be started indoors early in the spring in order to be grown in Minnesota’s short growing season. More seeds will be added over time.

You may take 4 packets per week. No library card needed. No age limit.

Have some seeds you want to donate? We’ll take them!