Get started by downloading the Beanstack app, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Syracuse Public Library. Participants will then create an account, following the app’s directions, before searching for “Syracuse Public Library (IN)” to join their age groups’ reading challenge. Library staff are also available to help participants sign up, including with paper registration sheets. A library card is not required to participate in SPL’s summer reading challenge or its programs.

This year, all ages will track their reading by the minute to earn fun prizes, including the chance to win the grand prizes. Incentive and pick-a-prize pickups begin the week of June 9. Syracuse Public Library hopes to reach a community goal of 450,000 minutes read during the 2025 summer reading program.

For more information and programming details, visit the library’s summer reading webpage at https://www.syracuse.lib.in.us/summer-reading.html.

The Syracuse Public Library will host  the documentary “Free for All: The Public Library” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, in the downstairs meeting room.

Filmmakers Dawn Logsdon and Lucie Faulknor turn the cameras on America’s beloved public institution — the library — and the dramatic human stories unfolding within it.

After the film, we’ll hold a Q&A session with SPL Executive Director Kim Blaha and SPL Assistant Director Megan Daumen. Blaha will also share updates on the library's building project.

Brew City Roasting Company will provide lemonade and pastries during this special event.

In 2025, families will share one card. Teens can have their own card if they are the only child in the family. This change is to allow us to stretch the Fairfield Literacy Fund further. This program is for children, preschool through 12th grade for the 2025-2026 school year.

​To register, parents should bring proof of residency in one of the three townships. All summer library cards expire on Aug. 31. The last day to register for a card is Aug. 1.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, at the Knights of Columbus building, 414 S. Sycamore St., Syracuse, IN. Bingo will start at 6:30 p.m. Players must be 18 years or older and are encouraged to arrive early to grab a seat. Additionally, three bonanza games will be played before 6:30 p.m.

The session costs $22. A full kitchen will also be available all night, serving hamburgers or brats with chips and desserts for only $3.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring children's glue sticks or acrylic craft paint to receive chances to win door prizes!

Syracuse Public Library's seed library is now available upstairs! Each family can “check out” 10 seed packets — only 1 packet per seed variety (ex. one type of carrot). These are checkouts that you don't have to worry about returning.

Don’t have a library card? You can still “check out” seeds; we have a special library card for the seed library.

Braving the confines of an oppressive mental asylum, Elizabeth Packard defied all odds as she fought for her freedom and the rights of countless other women confined against their will. With relentless determination, she became a voice that resonated across the nation, igniting a movement for change.

The discussion occurs at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in the downstairs meeting room.

Copies of the novel are available at the Syracuse Public Library. A digital e-book and audiobook may be available on the Libby app. The e-book is also on Hoopla.

For information or to recommend a future book club pick, email Hanna at [email protected].

Set against the backdrop of modern Harlem and Renaissance glamour, “A Love Song for Ricki Wilde” is a           swoon-worthy love story of two passionate artists drawn to the  magic, romance, and opportunity of New York, and whose lives are uniquely and irreversibly linked.

The discussion occurs at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the downstairs meeting room.

Copies of the novel are available at the Syracuse Public Library. A digital e-book and audiobook may be available on the Libby app.
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For information or to recommend a future book club pick, email Emilia at [email protected].

​Embark on a romantic rendezvous with a gently used book — title unknown — from Feb. 1-28, or while supplies last. Each uniquely wrapped book is $10 and comes with hidden surprises inside. These books could also make a fabulous gift for fellow book lovers. All proceeds go to support the library.

Patrons can sign in to it with their Evergreen account at syracuse.evergreenindiana.org. ASPEN allows for better filtering of search results and will even show you what is available on the Libby and Hoopla apps.

Watch for Sarah’s videos introducing ASPEN and its features on the library’s social media accounts! (The first one is below!)