Whitefish Community Library

The Library will remain open during tile replacement in the foyer and hallway – but we expect a certain amount of noise and dust, especially on Tuesday, March 19, and Tuesday, March 26 when we expect the bulk of the demolition to take place.

All scheduled programs will occur, but the Community Room will not be available for any new reservations until March 30th. The book drop will be open throughout.

March 19-22 – Hallway phase: Library restrooms will be closed during tile replacement in the hallway.

March 26-29 – Foyer phase: Entry to the Library will be through the door to the left of the main entry during tile replacement there.

Due to the nature of construction work, these dates could change! Don’t hesitate to call for updates – 406-862-9914.

Read more about tile replacement….

HeritageQuest is a little bit under the radar – meaning you have to scroll down this webpage just a bit until you see the red clickable logo on the right: ProQuest / HeritageQuest. Clicking on the button gets you to a fascinating collection of genealogy resources: Census records, City Directories, U.S. Indian Census Rolls, Mortality Schedules, Agricultural and Industrial Schedules, and U.S. Freedman’s Bank Records, 1861-1875.

It’s easy to get started (or go down a wormhole) – here’s what the front page looks like, with a simplified family history search. All you need is a library card!

We’ll be hosting Humanities Montana’s “Montana Reads, Montana Writes” presenter Tami Haaland on Monday, February 26th in the Library’s community room at 6 pm.

The program, called “Local Literary Culture,” will explore the challenges of building and sustaining writing groups and literary programs.” Haaland, a Professor of English at MSU Billings and Montana’s Poet Laureate from 2013 to 2015, told us to tell attendees to bring a sample of their work, and questions about writing, revision, and inspiration.

More about our presenter….

Please join us as we embark on our first Winter Writers Series! Kicking off the series on February 16th at 6 p.m. in the Library’s Heckathorn Community Room is Montana’s 10th Poet Laureate, Mark Gibbons.

Gibbons’ program, “Place Poetry: My Montana State of Mind” is one of Humanities Montana’s “Montana Reads, Montana Writes” programs. In it, Gibbons shares his and others’ poetry to enliven a discussion about place, poetry, and living in Montana.

Want to know more about this series? Check it out on our Winter Writers Series page. You’ll find links there to all the writers coming to the Library through April. Programs are sponsored by Humanities Montana and the Whitefish Library Association.

Whitefish Community Library continues to host virtual programs from the Montana Library Network in 2024. Virtual programs are available to view on Zoom; participants join neighbors from throughout Montana.

Our second virtual offering is Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 p.m., and highlights the story of Montana’s organic agriculture movement and the pulse crop revolution from one of the farmers at the center of the story: David Oien, Founding Farmer of Timeless Seeds in Ulm. Moderating the conversation will be Liz Carlisle, author of the books Lentil Underground, Grain by Grain (with Bob Quinn), and Healing Grounds.

Register at LENTIL UNDERGROUND.

Hello! We’re shoveling out the steps from the parking lot and thinking about what fun it will be to be open tomorrow (Thursday, Jan. 18) after a blizzard!

Library staff are coming from in-town only, so we’ll be safe and ready to help you at 10 a.m. as usual.

Note that a glacier is alive and well on the south sidewalk of the Library building where pedestrians access the main entrance from the parking lot steps. We have done a lot of chopping on it and sanded it and put a big cone on it. Our recommendation is that you use the sidewalk ramp by the bench to access the main entrance.

Whitefish Community Library continues to host virtual programs from the Montana Library Network in 2024. Virtual programs are available to view on Zoom; participants join viewers from throughout the state.

First up is A Taste of Indigenous Foods on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 6:30 p.m., featuring Mariah Gladstone, developer of Indigikitchen, an online cooking platform with the intent to revitalize and re-imagine Native foods.

The program is a practical one, with Mariah demonstrating one of her original recipes, and showcasing other indigenous foods that can easily be used in your own kitchen.

To find out more about Mariah Gladstone and Indigikitchen, and to register for A Taste of Indigenous Foods, go to WCL’s Events page.

Pictured: Mariah Gladstone of Indigikitchen.