SPREADING KNOWLEDGE: Each laundromat library throughout Eau Claire will offer a selection of children's books that can be read in the laundromat, as well as a few which can be taken home. (Submitted photo)

A partnership is helping spread library resources further into the community, giving families something to occupy their time with while they’re washing their clothes.

The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the UW-Madison Division of Extension Eau Claire County have established a number of Eau Claire Laundromat Libraries throughout the city. At seven participating laundromats, families are invited to read a number of books while they are at the location, and are also invited to select a book to take home with them. Additionally, each library also features a binder with information for parents and caregivers about early literacy and community resources that support children and families. 

Each library contains diverse, high-interest books in English, Spanish, and Hmong for children up to age 8. No check-out registration is required, and no library card is needed to use any of the literature at any location.

The goal of the outreach program is to increase access to children’s books for area families and also to promote the development of early literacy skills for children and families who visit participating local laundromats.

Partnering laundromats include:

• Laundry Express Laundromat (2655 Golf Road, Eau Claire)
• London Road Laundromat (2820 London Road, Eau Claire)
• Pinehurst Laundromat (3061 N. Hastings Way, Eau Claire)
• Risler’s Laundromat (3233 Seymour Road, Eau Claire)
• Super Wash Laundromat (2625 N. Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire)
• Super Wash Laundromat (2703 Birch St., Eau Claire)
• Vine Street Laundry (2005 Eighth St., Eau Claire)

For more information, visit ecpubliclibrary.info/kids/laundromat-libraries.

The UW-Madison Division of Extension Eau Claire County is interested in helping create Laundromat Libraries in communities outside the City of Eau Claire. If you’d like to help, learn more online here or call their office at (715) 839-4712.