JMRL blog

(Check out the fine free Media!) What does “fine-free” actually mean? For JMRL, going “fine-free” means no longer charging overdue fines. Items that are over a month overdue will still be charged a replacement cost to the library card until they have been returned. JMRL will still charge for items that were checked out and […]

On May 7, Books on Tap met to discuss The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. Urrea was born in Tijuana, Mexico in 1955 and is listed as an American born overseas. His family moved to San Diego, and eventually the suburb of Clairemont. His father was killed on a trip back to […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Dylan Padilla, pr@jmrl.org, 434-979-7151 x6676David Plunkett, director@jmrl.org 434-979-7151 x 6670 JMRL Goes Fine Free July 1, 2026 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — JMRL is happy to announce that it will begin its transition into a Fine Free library system this summer, beginning July 1. This initiative marks a significant step in the Library’s ongoing […]

Central Library Brown Baggers discussed “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” by Satoshi Yagisawa on April 16th. First published in Japan in 2010, the English translation was released in 2023. Set in the real life booktown of Jimocho, outside of Tokyo,Japan, the novel follows a young woman as she relocates to live above the Morisaki bookshop, […]

It’s that time of year again when each library branch hosts their own special event to celebrate the beginning of Summer Reading and the opening of Summer Reading Registration From sidewalk chalk, lawn games, reptiles, frozen treats, and more, there’s no shortage of fun activities to get you and your family pumped for another great […]

Location: Central Library, 201 E. Market St, Charlottesville, VA The How-To Festival is FREE and open to everyone. Bring the family and tell your friends! There’s something for all ages—drop-in to workshops inside and outside the building on a range of topics from 18th Century textile spinning, navigating AI, cooking demos, book making, woodworking, movement, […]

“All of the hormones that made me want to seem approachable so I could breed are gone and replaced by hormones that are fiercely protective of my autonomy and freedom” On April 2, 2026 Books on Tap met to discuss the 2024 novel (and National Book Award Finalist) “All Fours” by Miranda July. July is […]

For March, both of Central library’s book groups read and discussed this year’s Same Page Community read, “The House of Eve” (2023) by Sadeqa Johnson.  Every year, JMRL works with the Virginia Festival of the Book and the JMRL Friends of the Library to highlight a celebrated author and distribute free copies of one of […]

“With my pencil, I wrote myself into being.” Central Library’s Brown Baggers had a lively discussion of Percival Everett’s award-winning 2024 novel “James” on February 12th.  (Everett appeared in Charlottesville at The Paramount to talk about “James” as part of the 2024 Virginia Festival of the Book.) A modern retelling of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of […]

Books on Tap met Feb. 5th to discuss “Master Slave Husband Wife: an Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom” by Ilyon Woo.  A 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner for biography, the book tells of the journey of the Crafts, an enslaved couple who disguise themselves as master and slave in 1848 to travel from Macon,Georgia to […]

Each year, kids across Virginia vote for their favorite nominee to win the Virginia Readers’ Choice (VRC) Award. This year, JMRL is focusing on the Primary category featuring ten new picture books! View the titles in JMRL’s Find It Catalog or in Libby. From these lists, you can click on each book to see its […]