ROCK SPRINGS With the cold and snowy weather, nothing sounds better than curling up with a good book, and the Sweetwater County Library System has a great incentive to do so: prizes!

The library systems Winter Reading Challenge runs from Jan. 1-Jan. 31. Sweetwater County residents of all ages are encouraged to sign up, read books and ebooks, or listen to audiobooks, and record their reading minutes throughout the month. Those who reach the 600-minute benchmark will receive a finishing prize of a tote bag. Children who reach the 600-minute mark will also receive a book along with their bag. Additional small prize incentives will also be offered for patrons as they work to reach their 600 minutes.

This year we are encouraging patrons to log their minutes online through the Beanstack app, said Assistant Library Director Lindsey Travis. Those who log their minutes online will also be eligible to enter into our prize basket drawings for every hour spent reading.

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For those who dont want to record their reading online, paper logs are available at the libraries, Though recording minutes through the app is preferable because you will be eligible to win additional prizes, and it will help the library potentially win prizes, Travis said.

Beanstack has partnered with Penguin Random House publishing to support Winter Reading Challenges across the country. Top-performing libraries and schools will earn prizes and awards, including author visits and new books. We would love to see Sweetwater County be in the running for some of these cool prizes, Travis said.

Signing up for the Winter Reading Challenge is simple. Visit the librarys website at sweetwaterlibraries.com and click on Read More under the winter reading banner. The link will take you to the Beanstack app so you can sign up. Patrons who signed up for the Summer Reading Challenge through Beanstack last summer will not need to make a new account the app will simply prompt you to join the new challenge.

Two prize baskets will be offered for all ages: a Penguin Encounter basket that includes admission for 2 adults and 2 children to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Utah and 4 tickets to the aquariums Penguin Encounter; and a Stay-and-Play basket that includes gift cards to WyoMovies, Escape 307, the Green River Recreation Center, and 307 Roadhouse.

Part of the mission of the Sweetwater County Library System is encouraging a lifelong joy of reading and learning, the Winter Reading Challenge helps us fulfill this mission, Travis said. The program also promotes literacy the prizes just make it more awesome.

Photo caption: Children who complete the librarys Winter Reading Challenge will win a tote bag, their choice of an activity and a book. Prizes are available for adults as well.

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Read to Win Prizes Through the Library's Winter Reading Challenge - SweetwaterNOW.com

Area affected by beg bugs that was recently closed off at the Des Plaines Public Library.

The Des Plaines Public Librarys recent mishandling of showing one of its trustees the door without providing him decent notification, is not the only problem the facility is facing.

Sometime in September bed bugs were discovered inside the four-story building. About two months later, more of the tiny blood sucking insects were spotted on a different floor of the library prompting a call to a pest control company to do what it can get rid of the nasty problem.

A short time after the library was closed at its regular 5 p.m. time on Saturday, Nov. 23, employees of Orkin swooped in and sprayed sections of the facility. The bill to perform the work was $22,500.

Library Executive Director Jo Bonnell said bed bugs were spotted on two library chairs. The first infestation occurred on the buildings fourth floor and the more serious problem happened on the third floor. How big of an area was infected by the bugs is uncertain. Chairs or other furniture where the insects were believed to have lived were covered with plastic bags and the area cordoned off to prevent public use. A posted sign said, This area is temporarily closed while we make some improvements for you.

When Bonnell was asked whether the bug problem is over, she replied, I dont have any magical powers. What we do is identify the problem. We have an agreement with Orkin to come in and perform pest control every month. Bonnell also explained that library security and maintenance employees are trained to spot the insect problem.

Every day a member of the staff checks the premises for bugs, she added. Were on top of it. We do respond immediately and comprehensively.

Other library officials have told us that getting rid of bed bugs permanently is hard to do. Due to their lasting power and small size they can be tough to spot.

Bed bug sightings in public libraries is not unheard of. Usually, lots of people enter and exit facilities on a continuous basis oftentimes six or seven times a week. The critters have been known to hitch a ride on someones clothing, for example.

According to the American Library Association, there are six steps of bed bug introduction, that include identifying bugs or bug damage, quarantine, inspection and treatment. The insects can be found almost anywhere, including within books, furniture, in small crevices, on bookshelves, and in book drops.

When one of the infected Des Plaines Library chairs was discovered, we were told it was taken outside the library away from patrons. However, a check later on the chair revealed that someone took it.

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Off The Record: Des Plaines Library Pays $22,500 To Take Care Of Bed Bug Problem - Journal & Topics Newspapers Online

Staff Report Published 12:47 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2020 | Updated 12:48 p.m. ET Jan. 1, 2020

COSHOCTON - As a new decade dawns, some notable individuals of Coshocton County takea look back at the last 10 years where the city and county has been, where it is at and where it is going. Elected officials, school superintendents and local agency directors share their memories, thoughts and comments.

Tiffany Swigert(Photo: Submitted)

In reflecting on the last 10 years in Coshocton, it would be a lie if we didnt acknowledge some of the hardshipswe faced. Losing significant industry in a community of our size is never easy, it is actually quite difficult. We have, however, learned valuable lessons from that adversity and we are well on our way to becoming a resilient community. The 2008 recession took its toll on Coshocton as it did other small towns across America. What defines us is the fact that we refuse to stay in that place of trauma. Coshocton is very focused on progressing in every area to ensure that we continue to provide opportunity to the members of our great community.

For years, driving out South Second Street by the empty former GE site was a constant reminder of the loss of Industry. Now, a motorist will see a sign that states Wileys Organic Technologies is the new owner.The expansions of Coshocton Grain and McWane Ductile is visible within a short distance from that same area. There is no shortage of jobs in Coshocton County and its surrounding areas. If you are wanting to work, there is a job in Coshocton for you. This is a stark contrast from the historical unemployment rates that followed the 2008 recession.

The heart of Coshocton, our Main Street, is taking on a different appearance as new businesses are opening their doors. Our Town Coshocton announced that we have 80-plus businesses on Main Street.ITM has undergone a major transformation as it invested in Coshocton. The purchase and renovation of 341 Main St.is its new home. The former Civic Center is now bustling with 85 employees. Multiple Main Street buildings have been acquired by excellent community partners that are dedicated to bring new life back to these old structures.

The former General Electric site, outlined in orange, was a primary site for business development identified by the Coshocton Port Authority in the past decade. The recent purchase of the land by Organic Technologies is hoped to see that development take place.(Photo: Submitted by Coshocton Port Authority)

Some of the brightest people I know are working daily with each other to create new and exciting space, programs and goals for Coshocton County. I have had the privilege of meeting some of the most determined students in our community and my hope for our future generations is higher than ever. We also have tremendous knowledge and leadership in our generations before us, it is more important than ever that we connect these brilliant minds and encourage a common focus for Coshocton growth.

A crane lifts a crucible after it was filled with melted iron at McWane Ductile in Coshocton. The expansion of the company over the past 10 years is viewed as a success by the Coshocton Port Authority. Just this past year, the company added a second shift and increased its employee numbers to nearly 500.(Photo: Chris Crook/Tribune)

There is a spirit of collaboration in our community currently that is contagious. Many of our local organizations and agencies are working with each other on projects that will be beneficial for years to come. Our local businesses, our civic organizations and local foundations are the most charitable with their time, talent and treasure. I believe that we have this fight in us right now that is undeniable and we are absolutely determined to continue the positive momentum into 2020.

The Coshocton Public Library System continued to evolve over the last decade to remain relevant in todays world.While remaining true to the early public library mission of repository for preservation of information, the modern library continues to embrace traditional philosophy of access to all while being a neutral space for interaction.

Jennifer Austin(Photo: File)

Over the last decade, the library circulated more than 3.76 millionitems. This includes digital resources that were expanded upon. Additions included growth of Ohio Digital Library, launching: Hoopla, Chilton Library, Fold3, Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center, Home Improvement Reference Center, Lynda from LinkedIn, Transparent Language Onlineand a YouTube Channel that focuses on navigating library digital resources. For descriptions of databases, please visit the librarys website at coshoctonlibrary.org.

A 0.5-mill, five-year levy for library operations was passed Nov.7, 2017. The passage of the levy brought extended hours of operation (open an additional 16 hours a week), additional print and audiovisual materials (more than14,000 volumes added), new digital content as explained aboveand growth of programming by 20 percent. The community was asked to consider the levy after state funding was cut by nearly 20 percentin 2009 and was not restored.

Youth services coordinator Cyndi Shutt shows She Smith (left), 8, and Isaiah Kaspar, 8, an example of a stained glass piece she made during Adventure 101's stained glass program at the Coshocton Public Library. The Adventure 101 program for youth was one of many new activities and events added to the library system over the past decade.(Photo: Sara C. Tobias/Tribune)

Nearly 2 million patrons visited the library between 2010 and today. The majority of these visits were made by those physically visiting brick-and-mortar locations, although those visiting digital platforms are on the rise. Patrons now have the option of applying for an eCard through the librarys website. An eCard gives non-card holders access to the librarys digital resources without needing to visit the library to obtain a card.

A new Bookmobile was purchased in 2017 to replace the existing 21-year-old bus. Prior to 2009, the library was able to put money into the Bookmobile Replacement Fund. Without community support, the new Bookmobile would not have been possible. Nearly half of the total cost was raised through grants from local foundations and businessesand through private donations. Since arrival, the new Bookmobile has made 1,768 stops, orapproximately 50 stops a month.

A digital technology educator was added to library staff following the passage of the levy. The position was created after identifying the need to have a staff member address the digital divide. Megan Staron-Baughman joined library staff from the teaching profession. Teaching digital literacy and the skills that are required to be digitally literate are the primary focus of the position. One-on-one appointments are available for those seeking technology assistance.

The Coshocton Public Library System added a new Bookmobile in 2017 as part of its expansion and continuation of services in the past decade.(Photo: Chris Crook/Tribune)

The librarys newsletter, Connections, became available in a digital format. Patrons may view the digital newsletter on the librarys websiteor request a copy be sent to their email inbox. All new library card applicants are asked if they would like to receive the digital version. Print copies are still available in the library.

The Board of Trustees of the Coshocton Public Library appointed me to the position of director following Eric Taggarts resignation to become director at Rodman Public Library in Alliance. Ihad been serving as assistant director prior to being named director in January 2018.

As always, community needs will continue to be evaluated for potential expanded services in future decades. The library will continue to evolve based on community needs, while remaining true to the foundation of public libraries.

The past decade for the River View Local School District has been a time of change.

Dalton Summers(Photo: Tribune file photo)

We began the decade with the changing of leadership at the superintendent level after the 14-year tenure of Kyle Kanuckel. We are ending the decade with the departure of two school board members, Dan Hothem serving 27 years and Brent Porteus serving 31 years. River Views record of longevity in leadership positions has been a contributing factor to its success through its history.

In the past 10 years, we have seen multiple, significant changes to the expectations, accountability measures and mandates applied to all public schools. Some view these changes as signs of positive examples of moving forward and others have held them in lessor regard.Nevertheless, there have been many adjustments made, policies changed or added and even traditional styles and strategies altered in order to comply and succeed with all that has been altered.

Our district report card measures have changed multiple times in the past 10 years. The state tests we use to measure student achievement, growth and competence have been expanded and/or eliminated every other year. The rise in school choice options like open enrollment, home school opportunities, charter schools and electronic schools has changed much of our focus, making the traditional school district become more of an option than a requirement. College Credit Plus options have given students more avenues to pursue what was once opportunities for a smaller percentage of students.

Adalynn Kyly, left, Brie Craycraft, Brooklyn D'Ostroph and Trae Darr work in a first-grade classroom at Warsaw Elementary School earlier this year.(Photo: Chris Crook/Tribune)

All of these changes, while mostly creating better opportunities, more accountability and potentially greater outcomes, have also come with greater financial challenges, more unpredictable enrollments, increased costs and less direct funding. Our greatest challenge of the decade has come at the end with the devaluation and closing of our local AEP Power Plant. This will decrease our revenue more than10 percentand has put us, as a community, in a position forced to make difficult decisions for our future decades to come.

The positive view when reflecting over the last decade is that through all the changes, increased mandates, financial challenges and ever-changing success targets, we have continued to provide a quality education for the students of River View Local Schools. We have graduated 1,775 students in the past 10 years. This is our ultimate goal and will continue to be our objective in the future.

On behalf of the River View Local School District, we thank the community for everything over the past 10 years and wish everyone health and prosperity over the next decade as well.

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How far have we come? Locals in business, education, library services reflect on the past decade - Coshocton Tribune

They'd just finished setting up projectors to create a replica of the planetarium Thomas Jefferson had envisioned spanning the University of Virginia's Rotunda dome when Neal Curtis and Sam Lemley stopped. They looked at each other. And they decided they had to come up with a plan - immediately.

They walked into the school's Alderman Library and promised they wouldn't leave that night until they had found a way to save the old card catalogue.

So began a plan that would bring together a community of book lovers, 22,000 pounds' worth of cards and one rubber ducky.

The card catalogue was slated to be discarded during a massive library renovation. Small wonder: It hadn't been updated in two decades, it sat mostly unused, and it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to save. The catalogue is physically massive, with 4 million cards. (Four dump trucks' worth, an administrator calculated.)

But Curtis and Lemley are graduate students, researching and writing dissertations about 17th- and 18th-century literature. They had used the card catalogue extensively in a project documenting the books in the school's first library, the Rotunda. Jefferson designed the university so a library - rather than a chapel or seminary - was at its heart.

A fire in the Rotunda in 1895 left many books in ashes. Curtis, Lemley and other UVA researchers wanted to re-create a record of the volumes deemed essential in the university's founding years, and learn how the collection had been rebuilt, often through books donated by local families.

The cards sometimes included information that the school's digital records did not - typed or handwritten notes on the back detailing the books' provenance. One of the first drawers Curtis pulled out yielded a surprising find: A book about botany from the original library had been signed by one of the school's instrumental founders. And then Curtis found that the book still existed, in a special collections library at UVA - but with no record of it in the digital system.

It wasn't just the ties to Jeffersonian times that inspired them. UVA's card catalogue spanned 50 years, from the 1930s to the late 1980s. Those were tumultuous times for the nation and the university, with World War II and the civil rights movement, female and black students changing the school.

When books are permanently removed from the library, they're deleted from the digital catalogue. But the card catalogue provides "an accurate, preserved-in-amber view of what the library was in the 20th century," and what interested scholars, Lemley said.

Faculty members and others lobbied to save the catalogue. But with limited space for new books, 65 large wooden cabinets were clearly impractical. Library leaders are already on a tight schedule before work to remove asbestos begins in January. The renovation needs are sweeping - and urgent. "It's a building full of paper and students with no fire suppression," said John Unsworth, the university librarian. He laughed and added, "Except the asbestos."

It would cost the public university about $750,000 to scan the cards for a digital record, Unsworth said.

So Lemley and Curtis got to work. At Alderman late that night, they measured and calculated. They schemed and refined. And by noon the next day, they had a proposal that included the cubic feet it would take to store the contents of the cabinets, the cost per box to ship and store them, and a plan that could transport 4,000 drawers' worth of cards, in precise order, out of the library, by this coming Tuesday. Money to underwrite the effort - Unsworth pegs the cost at $75,000 - would come mainly from donors. And the labor for this gargantuan task would come from volunteers.

The card catalogue system was designed to bring order to chaos, said Peter Devereaux, the author of a book about card catalogues. The idea originated during the French Revolution, by using playing cards to catalogue libraries seized from churches and aristocrats.

By the mid-19th century, it was common for books to be catalogued on cards, said Devereaux, a writer-editor at the Library of Congress Publishing Office.

But with a surge in book publishing at the turn of the 20th century, the growing size of card catalogues was becoming a problem. The death knell came in the 1960s, with the beginnings of machine-readable data. In the 1970s, many larger libraries switched to computers and over the years, Devereaux said, a lot of card catalogues "ended up in the dumpster."

Now, people can find books swiftly, and digital catalogues are easily updated. Yet even among those who acknowledge the advantages, there are some, like Page Nelson, who worked in libraries at UVA and Harvard University, who are wistful.

"It's deadly to sit at a computer all day. It can be soul-destroying," Nelson said. But thumbing through cards in search of books is "like playing a musical instrument."

As a junior cataloger at UVA in the 1980s, it took three weeks of training to learn the layers of organization necessary, Nelson said.

Most of his time was spent working at a desk, but every Thursday afternoon, he and his colleagues would go out with 6-inch-tall stacks of cards to file them in drawers. It might sound tedious, he said, but he remembers it affectionately.

"It was a marvelous opportunity to chat with people you didn't chat with normally, flirt, have charming conversations."

Not everyone felt the charms, he acknowledged.

"There was a chap that didn't seem perfectly happy in the work," even as his co-workers admired how quickly he was able to file the cards. Then one day his assigned cards were found in a trash can. "He was," Nelson said, "the fastest filer."

UVA President Emeritus John Casteen, who is an English department faculty member, worked in Alderman as a student in the 1960s, so he knew information was written on the backs of cards. He remembered finding tomes from Jefferson's library shelved on open stacks, some getting checked out, with their historical importance unrecognized.

When he learned of the students' preservation plan, he and his wife offered financial support, triggering other gifts.

With the blessing of university leaders, volunteers - including undergraduates, professors and at least one senior administrator - began moving the cards from drawers into boxes, following a complex but orderly system. In their detailed seven-page workflow plan, Lemley and Curtis drew maps of the cabinets - which are no longer in alphabetical order - and diagrams.

"If I didn't start out with one, I definitely have an affinity for card catalogues now," Curtis said, laughing. "I don't know if it's real or forced because I have to convince myself I love these things after spending so many hours with them." By late December, he and Lemley had spent about 200 hours on the library's fifth floor, where books had been moved out for the renovation, leaving empty shelves for the boxes being filled with cards. Two-thirds done.

The scale is staggering, Lemley said; if they stacked the cards in a single pile, it would stretch more than a mile high.

Occasionally, there's a surprise. There was an electrical fuse left in one drawer. A nail clipper in another. And in the midst of a row of cards, as though marking a book, one rubber ducky.

Unsworth's surprise: "The practicality of graduate students." They took the administration's concerns seriously and came up with a viable solution, he said. "Their devotion to the cause is inspiring."

Late at night, they're packing those cards. "It feels like we're doing something important," Curtis said. "And we do have a deadline - a very real deadline. The end is near."

In the end, 798 boxes will be trucked to off-campus storage. Eventually, they will be bar-coded and housed in part of the library system so researchers can request a box, and thumb through the cards.

One wooden cabinet will stand in the new entryway to Alderman, Unsworth said, with cards chosen by Curtis and Lemley.

They already have another plan, Curtis said, inspired by Nelson and his lyrical descriptions of the cards ("every one a cuneiform clay tablet"): Over the next few months, they want to record more interviews with past catalogers and filers. They'll create an oral history of the card catalogue.

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Coalition of book lovers rushes to save University of Virginia's 4 million-card catalogue - Richmond.com

Did you know that we have more than 29,000 items in our collection and access to thousands more through our library consortium? Here are 10 more fun facts about your Ruby Sisson library: 1. In 2019, more than 71,000 people used the librarys services. 2. We offer a multitude of free programs for all ages throughout the year. In fact, in 2019, we organized nearly 450 different programs for our patrons and visitors. 3. Our English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are offered every Tuesday at 5 p.m. and every Friday at noon. 4. Pagosa Adult Learning Services, or PALS, can help you with high school equivalency, GED, college prep and more. 5. We have 15 computers available for use by patrons and visitors. Our computers were used more than 14,000 times this year. 6. We have two specialty bilingual early learning stations for our youngest patrons and visitors. 7. We offer 34 online resources which can be accessed at any time, 24/7. 8. We are blessed with amazing volunteers who help keep the library running smoothly for you. 9. We provide many business resources including free Wi-Fi, computers, notary public and study carrels plus faxing, scanning and printing. 10. Our amazing library staff are here to help you with all of your library needs. Save the date for a new after-school club Starting next Friday, Jan. 10, a new after-school club for first- through fifth-graders will take place from 1:45 to 3:30 p.m. on the second, third and fourth Friday of every month. Participants will engage in literature-based science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.) learning activities and work up to an exhibition on the first Friday following each three-week session. Registration is required by calling us at 264-2209 or dropping by the library. Avalanche awareness today Today, Thursday, Jan. 2, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Mark Mueller returns with a free avalanche awareness presentation that might save your life since avalanches are the deadliest natural hazard in Colorado. Mueller is an avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. No registration is required. Teen advisory board today Today, Thursday, Jan. 2, the teen advisory board meets from 4 to 5 p.m. Sixth- through 12th-graders are invited to bring your fun and innovative ideas to help us plan teen programs. Share an idea to pick out a free book. All-ages gaming tomorrow Join us tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 3, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. for a free all-ages gaming session where you can enjoy video gaming on Wii and Xbox 360 Kinect with your friends and family. LGBTQ youth group Monday A support group to help LGBTQ youth and young adults from age 16 to in their 20s deal with social stigma, bullying, violence, hate crimes and discrimination convenes the first Monday of every month from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Under the leadership of Ana M. Sancho Sama, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, the purpose is to provide a safe and confidential place to share experiences, ask questions and talk about how to cope in this challenging world. If you have questions, her number is 264-1986. Home-school social hour Stop by next Tuesday, Jan. 7, from 1 to 2 p.m. for a chance to visit with fellow home-school families, discuss curriculum and learning opportunities and look through resources while the kids participate in crafts and other activities. Josie, your early literacy librarian, is eager to collect ideas on how to serve home-school families in our community and get your feedback on the value of these sessions. Tween gaming Free gaming for those in the fourth through eighth grades is Monday, Jan. 6, from 4 to 5 p.m. Enjoy Xbox 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks. Teen gaming Free teen gaming happens on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for teens in the sixth through 12th grades. Enjoy Xbox 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks. Teen role-playing The free role-playing game for seventh- through 12th-graders takes place next Wednesday, Jan. 8, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Use your imagination to go on adventures and battle monsters. You can join this group any time. ESL classes twice a week Free ESL classes take place on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. The classes are led by two highly experienced teachers Joyce Holdread for the intermediate/advanced group and Ellynn Ragone for beginners. No registration is required. Las clases son dos veces por semana Las clases gratuitas de ingls como segundo idioma (ESL) ocurren los martes de 5-7 p.m. y los viernes de 12-2 p.m. Las clases son dirigidas por dos instructoras altamente experimentadas Joyce Holdread ensea al grupo intermedio/avanzado y Ellen Ragone ensea a los principiantes. No es necesario registrarse. Adult education Our free PALS accelerated GED course takes place Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 7 p.m. Come to your library to get help from Mark with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more. Family storytimes Every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. and Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., join us for great stories, fun songs, toddler-friendly crafts and plenty of reasons to get up and move. Note the new time for Saturdays. Both storytimes are open to babies, toddlers and youngsters of all ages to make it easier for parents to attend with their children depending on their busy schedules rather than the age of their little ones. These free sessions are an excellent way for kids to have fun while building the skills they need to become independent readers. Activities calendars To be sure you dont miss any of the free activities available to you and your families at your library, we encourage you to pick up a copy of the events calendar each month. There are three versions kids, tweens/teens and adults. We look forward to seeing you at your library. Se habla espanol. How-to and self-help How Not to Diet by Dr. Michael Greger discusses the latest research on the leading causes of and remedies for obesity. The CBD Handbook contains more than 75 recipes and tips on how to get the most out of your CBD oil of choice. Beer Hiking Colorado is a guide to 50 craft breweries and amazing hikes in our state. The revised and expanded second edition of What To Eat During Cancer Treatment by Jeanne Besser and Barbara L. Grant with the American Cancer Society offers more than 120 simple recipes to help you cope with eating-related side effects. The revised and updated fourth edition of Solo Guitar Playing 1 by Frederick M. Noad is a complete course of instruction in the techniques of guitar performance. Early learning books Lets Play by Jeff A. Johnson and Denita Dinger provides 39 child-led, open-ended play adventures. The Outdoor Toddler Activity Book by Krissy Bonning-Gould takes your youngster outside for more than a hundred fun learning activities. Game On! by Linda J. Armstrong is a collection of more than 300 screen-free, traditional games and activities with a variety of fun themes. Do-It-Yourself Early Learning by Jeff A. and Tasha A. Johnson gives you ideas for easy and fun activities and toys from everyday home center materials. Other nonfiction Free, Melania by Kate Bennett is the unauthorized biography of the First Lady. Migrating to Prison by Csar Cuauhtmoc and Garcia Hernndez documents the increasing use of detention to regulate immigration. Your Personal Horoscope 2020 by Joseph Polansky is a month-by-month forecast for every sign. Books on CD Double Crossfire by Anthony J. Tata follows a killing spree aimed at getting a presidential hopeful elected. The Seven Longest Yards by Chris and Emily Norton is an inspiring love story and memoir after a quadriplegic walked across his graduation stage with his fiance by his side. Large print Beating Around the Bush by M.C. Beaton is an Agatha Raisin mystery. Other novels Under Occupation by Alan Furst is a spy novel telling of anti-Nazi espionage efforts. DVDs Game of Thrones is the complete eighth season. Falling Skies is the complete first season. Two Falling Skies DVDs carry the complete second and third seasons. Though None Go With Me starts Cheryl Ladd and is based on the bestselling book about a woman whose faith is tested. The Natural is a sports film starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close and Kim Basinger. Big Sonia is a documentary about a woman who revisits her past as a refugee and witness to genocide. The Snow Walker is a tale of survival after a plane crash. Downloadable e-books Current New York Times bestseller downloadable e-books are being added regularly to our free 3M Cloud Library. Access them by clicking on the 3M Cloud Library icon on the home page of our website. While there, browse through a multitude of other adult, juvenile and childrens books, both bestsellers and classics in many genres. Downloadable films For your viewing pleasure, we offer IndieFlix, a free streaming movie service that gives you unlimited access to more than 7,500 award-winning and popular independent shorts, feature films and documentaries from more than 50 countries on your device, PC or Mac, with no apps needed. Access IndieFlix through the Downloadable Content icon on the librarys website. Use Quick Pick, the discovery tool that lets you sample movies like you would music. Thanks to our donors For their generous monetary donations, we are grateful to Rick and Lynne Stinchfield, David Bouquet, Rice Reavis and Deb Morton. For books and materials this week, we thank our anonymous donors. Quotable quote Thought for the new year: Always have enough time in your life to do something that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous. That has more of an effect on economic well-being than any other single factor. Paul Hawken, American environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist. Website For more information on library books, services and programs and to reserve books, e-books, CDs and DVDs from the comfort of your home please visit our website at pagosalibrary.org.

Follow these topics: Library, Library News, Lifestyle, Top Stories

By Carole Howard, Library News

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Fun facts about your library as we start the new year - Pagosa Springs Sun

Members of the Friends of the Cody Library recently festooned the library for the holidays.

Then, with the help of our building and grounds crew, they will take it all away again. FOCL always supports the library in a myriad of ways.

Volunteers staff the FOCL bookstore and regularly stock the shelves with gently used donated books.

Funds raised in the bookstore are dedicated to meeting the unfunded needs of the library. Programming costs, especially Summer Reading performers, are underwritten by FOCL. The organization has purchased shelving in every department of the library except for the reference section. The large print book nook was made possible by FOCL.

The bookstore offers DVDs, CD audiobooks and music CDs for only $1 each. Hard cover books in good condition and that are newer than 2011 sell for $2. Fiction and nonfiction books published in 2005 or later cost $1. Paperbacks cost 50 cents and childrens books are the real bargain for one quarter of a dollar.

Childrens librarian Holly Baker says library staff has been celebrating annual appreciation dinners with the members for many years. The Friends of the Cody Library could never be thanked enough. Baker said. Their tireless work and dedication means library staff is able to go above and beyond in service to our patrons. Cody kids greatly benefit from their generosity year-round. Most recently, this included Christmas gifts they purchased for hundreds of students.

I am thankful beyond words for these amazing volunteers. They make the Cody Library great.

Former reference librarian Nicholle Gerharter has accepted the Cody library manager position. Her new duties begin Jan. 1.

The Pointe Caf is due to open shortly after the first of the year.

From the reference librarian

Supporting continuing education and lifelong learning is a key value of your public library. While people once took correspondence courses via the mail, more and more students are taking classes online. Sometimes, those online classes require students to take tests in a neutral location and under observation.

We offer that proctoring service for no charge. For more information, stop by or contact Nicholle Gerharter, (307) 527-1880 or at ngerharter@parkcountylibrary.org.

Library programs are free and open to the public.

Artist Marie Shirley-Jones lunch and learn talk, noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15. Shirley-Jones is a retired art teacher from Red Lodge, Mont. Her fiber art panel depicting Plains Indian women was featured at the library in December. Participants are welcome to bring a lunch.

The first meeting of the Reading the West book club will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28. Blizzard 1949 by Roy Alleman will be discussed. The next book, Black 14: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Wyoming Football by Ryan Thorburn will be available for the Feb. 25 discussion.

Leap Into Your Library, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, is a celebration of community arts including speakers, childrens activities and authors produced by the Park County Library Foundation free for all ages.

Board games on Tuesdays.

Homeschool hour, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Homework hour, 4-5 p.m. Thursdays. No computer gaming during this quiet time.

Learn to play chess, 3:30-5 p.m. Fridays, Jan. 3, 10 and 24.

Movie afternoon, 2:30-4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17.

Wits and Wisdom - a place especially for seniors, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Did you get a new device for Christmas? Bring it in and learn about its abilities.

Cards, anyone? 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays and Fridays.

Computer and phone help, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Knitting, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Thursdays.

Computer help, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday.

In the childrens library

CRC Playgroup for ages 18-36 months with parent or caregiver, 10-11 a.m., Friday, Jan. 17.

Cardinals and Winter Wildlife art class with Mrs. Bacon, limited to 20 artists in grades K-5, 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23.

Read to a Dog, for readers of all ages proven to improve fluency. Book a 15 minute session with a good listener, 3:45-4:45 p.m. Tuesdays.

Sleepy Time stories for the whole family, come for the best new books and stay for milk and cookies, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6.

Toddler Time for ages 1-4, with parent or caregiver, 10-10:20 a.m. Mondays.

Story Time for all ages, stories based on a theme accompanied by games, songs and craft projects, 10-10:45 a.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Homeschool hour, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Crafternoons, with Take or Make craft kits, snacks, games and books. Enjoy a screen-free afternoon, 3-8 p.m. Thursdays.

Excerpt from:
Friends of the Cody Library gift their time - Cody Enterprise

The John and Judy Gay Public Library will be temporarily closed for construction starting Jan. 6, according to the city. (courtesy city of McKinney)

The library will reopen Jan. 13 with limited offerings through early February.

During this time, the library will be undergoing work towards an expansion that will add more than 15,000 square feet onto the existing 20,437-square-foot building. This includes additional teen, adult and toddler areas as well as two multipurpose rooms, over 3,000 square feet of outdoor program space, and 148 additional parking spaces.

Right now, everything is still on schedule, McKinney Director of Libraries Spencer Smith said.

The expansion project began in April and is expected to be complete by May.

We anticipate our opening celebration at the end of May [or the] first week of June, Smith said in an email.

The rest is here:
John and Judy Gay Library to temporarily close during expansion work - Community Impact Newspaper

Details Published: 01 January 2020 Written by Melissa Hartman - Staff Writer/melissah@latc.com

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier

Friends of the Library volunteers congregate outside the 330-square-foot portable theyve been using to sort books since they were displaced from the Hillview Community Center by construction there. The portable is located beside the Hillview Soccer Field in the Los Altos Library parking lot.

The Los Altos City Council last month granted the ad hoc committee charged with finding space for Friends of the Library of Los Altos more time to come up with a solution that will allow the nonprofit group to continue operations while the new community center is under construction.

Friends whose volunteers sort, store and sponsor used-book sales to raise funds for the libraries worked out of 1,000 square feet of classroom space at Hillview Community Center for 44 years, before the center was razed in October to make way for the new Los Altos Community Center, expected to be completed in December.

City officials informed Friends of the Library in 2018 that there would be no space for the group at the new center.

The ad hoc committee comprising two city staff members, two council members, librarian Marlene Iwamoto, two Friends representatives and a representative of the Los Altos History Museum found a short-term solution for the nonprofit group, which contributes approximately $150,000 annually in books and gifts to the Los Altos main and Woodland Branch libraries.

Friends volunteers and board members proposed two sheds on approximately 500 square feet of land at the Los Altos Civic Center between the police station and the History Museum, but city staff, led by City Manager Chris Jordan, recommended that Friends be allowed to place only one portable approximately 330 square feet in size near the Hillview Soccer Field. After the Los Altos City Council approved Jordans proposal, Friends appealed to the Santa Clara County Library District, which operates the Los Altos Library, for extra storage and sorting space. County administrators approved the temporary setup.

City officials asked the ad hoc committee to return to the council by the end of 2019 with a long-term solution for Friends, a group that has been around for more than 60 years. Since July, the committee has met five times and failed to reach a consensus. Councilwoman Jeannie Bruins wondered why.

Mayor Jan Pepper and Councilwoman Lynette Lee Eng, who both serve on the ad hoc committee, differed in their opinions on the state of the committees progress.

Lee Eng said the committee agreed that Friends could change its business model by considering space that is not at the civic center for a new, permanent location. Pepper took issue with Lee Engs assertion, denying all members shared that perspective and noting that Friends members have consistently lamented that moving from the civic center campus would require overhauling the way the group operates.

A major part of the discussion, Pepper said, centered on how to fairly assign space at the civic center given competing interests, as well as how to encourage the entities represented on the committee to continue to do good work.

Or how to pick our favorite child? Bruins summarized, acknowledging that Friends request for civic center space conflicted with the museums interest in placing a garage with glass doors to showcase three historical cars.

Pepper and Lee Eng represented two opposing camps on the committee, according to a committee member affiliated with Friends who asked not to be named. He told the Town Crier that Pepper favored a committee vote on a recommendation, but Lee Eng was nervous that her plan to advise Friends to change its business model would not garner a majority vote and therefore would not win.

To put that in the context of winning, whos winning in (this situation)? he said.

To break the impasse, Pepper requested that the committee make a chart outlining the Friends operation: preprocessing, pricing and sorting, warehousing and sales. Red lines with arrows showed the tasks Friends believed would be difficult to complete offsite, such as transporting books from the Woodland Branch to the donation closet approximately 5,000 books are received a week, the unidentified Friends member said. The majority of Friends volunteers are retired, and many active members are seniors. Moving operations across town would necessitate hiring employees and purchasing a truck to haul materials from location to location costs that, including preparation of the new site, could add up to $450,000.

Friends has money, the committee member said, but if the group were hit with such fees, it would not be able to contribute to the library at all, which would mean no funding for speakers, workshops and stocking the best-seller shelves.

We offered many times to have them come on over, well show you what we do, but no (staff or council) ever picked us up on that, he said.

At the ad hoc committees December meeting, members debated four options: two on-site spots (leaving Friends where it is near the soccer field or placing a portable on the Los Altos Youth Center patio) and two off-site spots (Rosita Park or the Woodland Branch).

Suzanne Epstein, director of the Friends executive board, is looking ahead at finding a permanent home for the organization, but she cant help but look back at decisions made last year in preparation for Hillviews closure.

She alleged that Jordan and his staff asked Friends not to request classroom space in the new community center, assuring members that space would be allocated somewhere else on the civic center campus. In an effort to be supportive, Friends didnt challenge Jordans plan, Epstein said, but members began to worry when they heard nothing from him and meetings with his office were postponed.

A few months before the center was demolished, Jordan met with Friends and told members that after more than four decades at the civic center, they were out of luck.

When reached by the Town Crier, Jordan said he never made Friends any promises.

That argument aside, Friends is struggling in its current space. The portable is not heated most volunteers wear gloves to protect them from the winter cold and its crowded. The allotted space inside the main library is also small, and losing that space would mean approximately $1,500 less in ongoing book-sale revenue each week, according to Friends members.

By doing all this, its kind of creating kind of ill feelings amongst some people working there, Epstein said of Friends volunteers. We are driving away some really dedicated people.

A handful of longtime Friends volunteers have already walked away, Epstein said, feeling betrayed by the city for not providing on-site space like every other city in Santa Clara County. Jordan contested that, noting that the Friends of the Saratoga Libraries is housed in a different building (the Saratoga Historical Park, a six-minute drive from the main library).

The ad hoc committee is slated to meet again Jan. 17, but Friends has scheduled its own meeting Jan. 8 in the Orchard Room of the main library, open to all, to solicit feedback on how to prepare for relocation, whether off-site or on the civic center campus.

I believe we could make it work off-site, but it would not be nearly as enjoyable, said Margaret Brooks, president of the Friends executive board. Its a hell of a lot more work for a lot less money.

In advance of the meeting, Friends sent the Town Crier an embargoed letter that will go out to members Thursday weighing the pros and cons of courses of action to take if the council votes to place the group off-site. The possibilities range from accepting the new location, investing in facilities and equipment, and continuing operations by hiring employees to transport books to transferring all funds to the Los Altos Library Endowment and terminating the Friends.

We are doing preparatory work to (determine) if we fold, if we try to have a smaller operation or what, Epstein said. Theres a serious question of, Wow, is this the end of the Friends of the Library?

Friends members formed a communications team to help educate members and encourage an informed dialogue. All hope is not lost, Brooks said.

To weigh in on the Friends options for relocation, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Read more here:
Won't you be my neighbor?: Friends of the Library asks to stay at civic center after committee fails to agree on long-term plan - Los Altos Town Crier

As the holidays roll on in a wave of winter cheer, family gatherings and financial drain, the library is a great place to escape. Cozying up with the latest Lee Child books under one of the Moscow Public Librarys picturesque windows can help you forget about the burnt turkey and your mother-in-laws critique. Armed with the adventures of Jack Reacher, you can bring the calm of the library home with you.

Here at the Moscow Public Library, you can take home more than just a few paperbacks (although books are great). With our Curiosity Collection, patrons can check out anything from a portable sewing machine to a working telescope.

The Curiosity Collection includes three categories: Voyager Kits, Maker Kits, and Itty Bitty Brain Boxes. Voyager Kits are for patrons of all ages who want to learn a new skill or improve on an old one. Maker Kits focus on technology, art and science. Itty Bitty Brain Boxes are for our youngest patrons and their families to learn about new worlds through interactive books, toys and games.

During the holidays, these hands-on, librarian-curated kits are a perfect way to vanish from family visitors or include them in the fun. Hey, you might even learn how to not burn turkey and bond with your mother-in-law. (Results may vary.)

Checking out a kit from the Curiosity Collection is as simple as bringing your library card to the front desk or requesting a kit online with your Valnet account. The kits may not always be on display, but they are available for checkout.

Turn the tables on grandma and knit her a sweater this year. Learn to crochet, knit, use a yarn swift, card-weave or sew by borrowing a crafty Voyager Kit. Each kit includes a how-to booklet and the tools youll need to get started including yarn, knitting needles or crochet hooks, fabrics, threads and a mini, portable sewing machine to bring anywhere the holidays may take you.

In case indoor crafts arent your thing, outdoor Voyager Kits might be a better fit. Check out one of the librarys two telescopes one for beginners and children and the other for adults and experienced kids. For a daytime outdoor activity, you can borrow our bird-watching kit, complete with youth and adult binoculars, a backpack, and a birdwatching guide. Pretend its not winter and take home a bicycle repair kit or a HappyLight to fight off the winter blues with light therapy.

If youre the entertainer of the family, Check out our Learn to Juggle Kit or our How to Play Ukulele or Piano Kit. For a last-minute gift, grab our Learn to Make Cookies Kit everyone loves cookies, right? The kit includes rolling pins, cookie cutters, measuring cups and a cookbook (ingredients not included, sorry).

The library has three different Rokus with limited content for children, teens and adults. If TV is too old school, try our Virtual Reality Kits. Download the VR app, slide your smartphone into the headset, and encounter dinosaurs, outer space and speedy roller coasters firsthand. Supposing you need WiFi to download the VR app, we even have mobile hotspots for check out.

Virtual reality and mobile hotspots are cool, but wouldnt you like to build your own technology? Our Maker Kits give kids and adults the opportunity to create something entirely new. The library offers LittleBits Kits and Arduino Kits that let patrons experiment with easy-to-use hardware and software for tasks as simple as turning on a light or as complex as building a digital device.

Take home our Raspberry Pi, a credit-card sized computer that plugs into a monitor or TV and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. Beginning engineers can check out a 3-D printer pen or one of our Ozobot Kits, which includes a little robot that follows hand drawn lines.

For our smallest patrons and their families, our new Itty Bitty Brain Boxes are the perfect post-holiday adventure. With themes like dinosaurs, underwater and outer space, these kits include puzzles and building blocks to accompany the tales within.

This holiday season and beyond, take home a Curiosity Collection Kit and create your own stories.

Rosemary Anderson is a member of the Moscow Library Circulation Department.

Read more:
At the Library: Get curious: Latah County Library offers more than just books to all ages - Moscow-Pullman Daily News

By SHERYL HART

Williamsburg Area

Public Library

Did you know the library has a large selection of paperbacks of many genres?

Sometimes there are occasions when we all need reading material for vacations, doctor's appointments, dining alone, etc. This is when a paperback fills the bill.

Sometimes we look through the stacks of the library and can't find the title or the author we are in the mood to read. Check out the paperback section. Just maybe what is needed is in that section.

This paperback section is like a kaleidoscope of titles, rotating in and out, changing periodically as we receive donations.

For those who like romance novels, inspirational romance novels they are here. For those like mysteries, both the cozies and the suspense, there are plenty to choose from.

Historical series, westerns, Amish stories, classical fiction, spy thrillers also fill these shelves.

You will find your favorite authors such as Patterson, Roberts, Steel, Child, Brunstetter, Macomber and we even have a series of Shakespeare's plays.

You might also find an author you have not heard of or read previously. It is not possible for a library to purchase every work of every author, so here is where the lesser-knowns might pop up for a change of pace. If you want to read more of that author, we can request other titles from our inter-library loan program.

How do these books get here? Why do the titles rotate? We get most of our paperbacks as donations from patrons. They rotate because the shelf space is limited and paperbacks show wear somewhat quickly. Here is where patrons are our best source. If you pick up a paperback for a quick read, or have read through a series and are looking for somewhere to re-home your copies, we will take them. We just ask that the books be in good condition, from smoke-free, mold-free environments.

So, next time you stop by the library, look over our paperback section. You may take as many as you wish and keep them for a month. They do not go through our regular checkout system.

As a local store advertises, "You won't find everything, but you might find anything!"

Originally posted here:
Books to Borrow Williamsburg Library Recommends - Morrisons Cove Herald