Marshall-Lyon County Library

Marshall-Lyon County Library MLCL includes libraries in Marshall, Balaton, and Cottonwood, MN, in the Plum Creek Library System. Learn more at our website.

Drive-Up Window for holds pick-up available at the Marshall Library on Saturdays from 9 am to noon. Digital library materials are available through OverDrive/Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, CreativeBug, and more. Some digital services are available only for Lyon County residents. The Marshall-Lyon County Library is comprised of three libraries in Southwestern Minnesota. We have locations in Marshall, Balat

on, and Cottonwood. We are also part of the Plum Creek Regional Library System, a federated regional public library system spanning 9 SWMN counties, which participates in the Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact. MLCL collaborates with the Minneota Public Library and the Tracy Public Library to provide library services and share resources throughout Lyon County, MN. Library cards are free for almost all Minnesota residents. Your library card gives you access to books, movies, and music. Local residents can also check out puzzles, games, toys, activity kits, cake pans, video games, and more. Core Values

Service Excellence: We surprise and delight library customers by meeting and exceeding their expectations and by providing outstanding proactive customer service with a personal touch. Joy of Reading: We nurture the joy of reading in people of all ages, abilities, and cultures. Lifelong Learning: We believe lifelong learning is a basic tool for economic opportunity and personal success. Respect and Dignity: We believe each library user is unique and important, deserving to be treated with respect and courtesy. Diversity: We reach out to all members of our diverse community and work to create a welcoming and accepting environment that promotes increased understanding within our community. Intellectual Freedom: We believe that the freedom to read whatever one chooses is a basic human right and we support and defend intellectual freedom, the open exchange of ideas and information, and the confidentiality of library users. Accessibility: We strive to provide facilities, services and materials that are accessible to all and to provide them in an impartial and non-judgmental manner. Accountability: We are accountable to our community and to each other for the resources and services we provide and for our behaviors and actions. Integrity: We value honesty and fairness in all of our interactions. Responsiveness: We take pride in our responsiveness to ever-changing community needs and individual interests, tailoring and continuously improving our collections and services to meet these needs. Community: We believe that the library strengthens the community it serves by connecting people to each other, to their community, and to their hopes and dreams. Laughter: We want everyone to enjoy their library experience and library staff and visitors are encouraged to laugh often and out loud.

Heads up, parents! Our weekly storytimes will resume the week of September 21st. Baby & Toddler Storytime will still be ...
09/04/2026

Heads up, parents! Our weekly storytimes will resume the week of September 21st. Baby & Toddler Storytime will still be Mondays at 10:30 AM. Preschool Storytime will now be held on Wednesday and Thursday at 10:30 AM. Please note the new day of the week!

There will be no weekly storytime on Tuesdays or Fridays this fall. Storytime will take a break the week of Thanksgiving and in December starting the week of the 21st.

Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card! September is the perfect month to sign up for a Marshall-Lyon County...
09/03/2026

Having fun isn't hard when you have a library card! September is the perfect month to sign up for a Marshall-Lyon County Library Card if you haven't done so already. Having an MLCL card gives you access to physical books, audio books, media, puzzles, games, and more! We can also order items directly from all 26 libraries in the Plum Creek System... that's a lot of books!

If that's not enough to convince you to get a library card, we have some incentives this month to help motivate you!
--If you are already a Marshall-Lyon County Library Card Holder, bring in a friend who doesn't have a card! Both you and the new patron will get a coupon to the Friends of the Library Bookstore!
--Have you misplaced your card? Have you had your MLCL card for a long time and it looks a little worse for wear? Have you seen our cool new cards with our logo and want to upgrade? Anyone can replace their card this month for FREE in honor of Library Card Sign Up Month!
--And as always, any new library patron who signs up for a card gets a coupon to the Friends of the Library Bookstore!

So stop by the Marshall-Lyon County Library, the Balaton Library, or the Cottonwood Library to get your new library card and unlock a world of fun! If you stop by the Marshall Library, you can browse our Library Card Sign-up Display, which features a fun variety of library-related books, movies, and other items!

09/01/2026

Happy first day of school! We're very excited for this beautiful new bike path. As a similar reminder for students, please don't cut through the library parking lot; stick to the bike path or sidewalks! Bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc., must also be walked while on library sidewalks to keep those spaces safe for pedestrians.

Parents, your kids are welcome at the library after school, but please do not use the library parking lot as a pick-up location right after school lets out. Students under 8 years old must also have a responsible caregiver present while at the library.

August is nearly over, and so is the 2026 Summer Reading Program! Don't forget to log your reading and place your ticket...
08/31/2026

August is nearly over, and so is the 2026 Summer Reading Program! Don't forget to log your reading and place your tickets into the grand prize drawings of your choice. All prizes must be picked up by September 15th!

If you need help logging your reading or placing your tickets, contact the Library before we close this Friday, September 4th. We'll be closed all weekend for Labor Day, and we'll announce our grand prize winners next Tuesday, September 8th.

Thanks for reading! See you next summer, when Mysteries Await At Your Library ...

08/31/2026

NOTICE: The Balaton Library will be closed today (8/31) due to unexpected circumstances.

Send a message to learn more

08/31/2026

For those of you who have missed watching our caterpillars turn into chrysalises here at the Marshall Library, check this out!

Right now, we have about 10 chrysalis at the Marshall Library waiting to emerge. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a newly-emerged monarch or swallowtail butterfly before we release them in our courtyard.

August 31 is National Eat Outside Day! Eating outside is a great way to shake things up, enjoy nature, and soak up the e...
08/31/2026

August 31 is National Eat Outside Day! Eating outside is a great way to shake things up, enjoy nature, and soak up the end-of-summer sunshine! ☀️🌳
For classic recipes perfect for outdoor eating, try "The Outdoor Table: recipes for living and eating well" by Alanna O'Neil (641.568 O'NE).
If you enjoy hunting or fishing, you might like "The MeatEater Fish & Game Cookbook: recipes and techniques for every hunter and angler" by Steven Rinella (641.69 RIN).
If you want to really get out into nature, try "New Camp Cookbook: on the trail: easy-to-pack meals, cocktails, and snacks for your next adventure" by Emily Vikre (641.5782 VIK)
For recipes that pair perfectly with the beauty of Minnesota, try "True North Cabin Cookbook: recipes and stories from a north woods table" by Stephanie Hansen (641.5 HAN) (Available to order through Plum Creek).
To find these and other books that can help you take your meals outside, please visit our online catalog: https://catalog.marshalllyonlibrary.org/

Join us TODAY at the Marshall-Lyon County Library for an Adults-Only After Hours event! The doors will be open from 6 PM...
08/29/2026

Join us TODAY at the Marshall-Lyon County Library for an Adults-Only After Hours event! The doors will be open from 6 PM to 7 PM and the event will run until 10 PM. Leave whenever you would like, but there will be no entry or readmission after 7 PM. This is going to be an awesome event with something for everyone to enjoy, so don't miss out!

Special events and activities include:
Crafts:
- book edge painting
- pin-back buttons, magnets, & zipper pulls
- hand-sewn plushies
- paper quilling

Games:
- board games
- card games
- table hockey
- table curlling
- video games
- puzzles
- trivia (7 PM to 8 PM)
- Superfight game (8 PM to 9 PM)

- library behind-the-scenes tours (6:45 PM & 8:30 PM)
- Preservation Lab overview class (6:30 PM & 8 PM)
- snacks
- dirty sodas

Please note: we will not be serving or allowing alcohol at this event. Attendees must be adults. Thank you to the Friends of the Marshall-Lyon County for providing funding for this event!

Address

201 C Street
Marshall, MN
56258

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 8pm
Tuesday 10am - 8pm
Wednesday 10am - 8pm
Thursday 10am - 8pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(507) 537-7003

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