Rainier City Library

08/31/2026

🍎📚 September at the Rainier City Library! 📚✏️

A new month is here, and September is extra special because it’s Library Card Sign-Up Month!

📚 DON’T HAVE A LIBRARY CARD YET? THIS IS YOUR MONTH!

Anyone who signs up for a new Rainier City Library card during the month of September will be entered into a drawing to win a $20 Columbia Bakehouse gift card! 🎉🥐

A library card opens the door to books, eBooks, audiobooks, and so much more—and it’s FREE!

We also have some wonderful things happening this month:

✉️ September 1–8 — World Letter Writing Day
Stop by the library to write a letter to a veteran! We’ll provide the writing supplies, and the completed letters will be collected and distributed in partnership with Mr. Demko at Rainier High School.

✍️ September 12, 12:00–1:00 PM — Local Author W. Scott Jorgensen
Join us for a presentation and book signing with local author W. Scott Jorgensen!

📱 September 18 — Read an E-Book Day
A great time to discover the digital reading options available through your library.

🎟️ FREE Library Passes for September
This month’s destinations are:
🎃 The Maze at the Pumpkin Patch — Sauvie Island
🏛️ Portland Chinatown Museum — Portland

Take a look at our September calendar, mark your favorites, and come see us!

08/30/2026

📚⚡ Happy Birthday, Mary Shelley! ⚡📚

Today we celebrate the birthday of Mary Shelley, born August 30, 1797.

Best known as the author of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, Shelley created one of the most enduring stories in literary history—and she was only a young woman when she began writing it.

The idea for Frankenstein famously took shape during the summer of 1816, when 19 year old Mary was staying near Lake Geneva with Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and others. After the group challenged one another to write ghost stories, Mary imagined the terrifying scene of a scientist bringing life to something he had created.

Frankenstein was first published anonymously in 1818 and has since inspired generations of novels, films, plays, and discussions about science, ambition, responsibility, and what it means to be human.

📖 Did You Know?
• Mary Shelley was the daughter of pioneering writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft and political philosopher William Godwin.
• She wrote far more than Frankenstein, including novels such as The Last Man, Valperga, and Lodore.
• Frankenstein is frequently discussed as an important early work in the development of science fiction.
• The creature in Shelley’s novel is never actually named “Frankenstein”—that is the surname of his creator, Victor Frankenstein.

More than 200 years later, Mary Shelley’s work continues to be read, studied, adapted, and debated around the world.

🎂 Happy Birthday to a writer whose imagination changed literature forever.

Have you read the original Frankenstein? ⚡📖

08/29/2026

📚✨ Today is We Love Memoirs Day! ✨📚

There’s something special about reading a true story told by the person who lived it.

Memoirs give us the chance to step into someone else’s life—to experience their triumphs, struggles, adventures, humor, heartbreak, and history through their own words.

And if memoirs are your favorite, we have plenty to choose from at the Rainier City Library!

From famous figures and entertainers to extraordinary stories from everyday lives, our shelves are filled with fascinating true stories. You might recognize a few favorites in our collection, including Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, and Riding in Cars with Boys by Beverly Donofrio.

📖 Stop by, browse our memoirs and biographies, and take home someone’s story today.

What is the best memoir you’ve ever read? Drop your recommendation in the comments—we’re always looking for another great read! ❤️📚

08/25/2026

📚💛 Remembering Dolly Parton 💛📚

Today, we join people around the world in mourning the passing of Dolly Parton—an extraordinary entertainer, philanthropist, and lifelong champion of literacy.

Earlier this year, we shared information about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and today we would like to recognize the remarkable woman and deeply personal story behind the program.

Dolly’s own father, Robert Lee Parton, was a hardworking and intelligent man who never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. Dolly believed his struggles with literacy prevented him from fulfilling some of his dreams, and his experience inspired her to create the Imagination Library in 1995.

What began as a program for children in her home county in Tennessee grew into an international effort that now provides millions of free, age-appropriate books each month to children from birth to age five.

Dolly once shared that before her father passed away, he told her the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing she had ever done. She said those words meant more to her than she could express.

For someone who gave the world so much through her music, Dolly Parton also gave generations of children something incredibly precious: the opportunity to grow up surrounded by books.

Her voice will be missed, but every child who opens one of those books carries a small piece of her legacy forward. 📖💛

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library continues to be available in our community. Stop by the library or visit online to see if your family is eligible and how to sign up!

📌 How to Sign Up:

1️⃣ Visit: imaginationlibrary.com
2️⃣ Click “Check Availability”
3️⃣ Enter your address to see if the program is offered in your area
4️⃣ Complete the quick online registration

📬 Books will begin arriving in the mail in about 6–10 weeks

Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and the millions of people whose lives she touched.

Thank you, Dolly, for believing that every child deserves the chance to dream. 🌈📚

08/24/2026

📱📚 Your Library Goes Wherever You Go with Libby! 📚📱

Did you know your library card gives you access to eBooks and audiobooks right from your phone, tablet, or other compatible device?

With the Libby app, you can browse your library’s digital collection, borrow titles, place holds, and enjoy your next great read without ever leaving home.

Libby is perfect for:
🎧 Audiobooks for your commute or road trip
📖 eBooks for reading on the go
🏠 Borrowing books from the comfort of home
🌙 Finding your next read when the library is closed
💰 Enjoying digital books at no additional cost with your library card

Already have a library card? Download Libby, follow the prompts to connect to your library, and start exploring!

Not a library member yet? Stop by the Rainier City Library and ask us about getting a library card.

📚 Your next book may be only a few taps away!

08/14/2026

📚🌹 Happy Birthday, Danielle Steel! 🌹📚

Today we celebrate the birthday of Danielle Steel, born August 14, 1947!

With a writing career spanning more than five decades, Steel is best known for sweeping novels about family, love, loss, resilience, and starting over, with stories that have captivated generations of readers.

📖 Some of her well-known titles include The Promise, The Ring, Palomino, The Ghost, Safe Harbour, and The House.

✨ Fun Fact: Danielle Steel is an extraordinarily prolific writer. She has published well over 100 novels, and many of her books have become international bestsellers and been adapted for television and film.

08/11/2026

08/11/2026

👥 Public Library Board Meeting today at 12:00 noon in City Hall

08/10/2026

📚🔥 Happy Birthday, Suzanne Collins! 🔥📚

Today we celebrate the birthday of Suzanne Collins, born August 10, 1962!

Most readers know Collins as the author who introduced us to Katniss Everdeen and the world of The Hunger Games, but did you know her writing career began in children’s television?

🐻 Before the districts of Panem, Collins wrote stories for the beloved animated series Little Bear! She also worked on children’s programs including Clarissa Explains It All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, Oswald, and Clifford’s Puppy Days.

📖 She later made the leap to books with The Underland Chronicles, beginning with Gregor the Overlander, before publishing The Hunger Games in 2008.

Her books include:
🔥 The Hunger Games
🔥 Catching Fire
🔥 Mockingjay
🐍 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
🌅 Sunrise on the Reaping
🐀 The Underland Chronicles

From gentle children’s television to one of the most famous dystopian series in modern literature, Suzanne Collins has certainly shown an incredible range as a storyteller!

08/07/2026

Friendly reminder that last Summer Reading trackers are due tomorrow. Here are just a few of the fun things we did this year — planted an herb garden, started a free seed library, made a community craft garden, and watched scraps turn to compost in a jar. Thank you to all who participated, especially our OSU (Oregon) Master Gardener Program volunteers!