February is Library Lovers Month (among many other cool things), and we’re celebrating with programs and events all month long!
Our “Road to the Oscars” film screenings continue each Thursday this month at 6:30 p.m. This week’s offering is about the Oakland Athletics baseball team, and is up for six Academy Awards.
Next Saturday, February 11, is the Friends’ Winter Book Sale, running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is a new layout, additional lighting, and a whole lot of bargains – all we need is you!
Later in the month the library is pleased to welcome Mark Twain for an afternoon of stories. Watch this space or visit the library web site at www.greenlakelibrary.org for details in the coming weeks.
Of course, we continue to get new books and movies in every week. We hope you’ll agree, there’s a lot to love at the Caestecker Public Library.
It’s awards season, and the library is here to help you get caught up on all the winners!
The American Library Association announced its children’s literature awards on Monday morning, and I’m pleased that we have copies of them all available for you to check out. They are currently on display at the checkout desk.
The Academy Award nominees were announced Tuesday morning, and we are featuring one nominee each week in our Road to the Oscars film series. Please join us Thursday evenings from now through February 23rd at 6:30 p.m. to see what the buzz is all about. We’ll provide the popcorn. The first screening is of Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" - January 26 at 6:30.
The library is also set to participate in Digital Learning Day by offering our first “class” on downloading eBooks onto a personal e-reading device. Bring your Kindle or iPad or Nook (or whatever you own) and I will show you how to download library books onto it. The best thing? They’re free! This inaugural eBook class will be Wednesday, February 1 beginning at 2:00 p.m. It shouldn’t last more than an hour. Need more information? Give us a call at 294-3572.
If you’re like the library staff and suddenly find yourself with unexpectedly free weekends (darn those Giants!), may we suggest some books or movies to help take your mind off football?
Visiting the library’s web site – www.greenlakelibrary.org – is the best place to start. If you like paper copies of new books, you will find a list of our latest acquisitions under the “What’s New” button near the top of the page. (You will also find our latest DVDs there). If you prefer to download titles to your e-reader, the place to start is under our “Research” button. (Yes, we’re working on making that more logical, but that’s where you need to start for now.) There you will find a link to e-books and downloadable audio books.
For those who have an e-reader but would like some help getting library books onto it, we invite you to either come in for one-on-one help or to attend one of our upcoming e-reader classes. You will find the latest schedule of those on (you guessed it) the library web site, under “Library Events.” While there, you can see other events of potential interest – like our upcoming “Road to the Oscars” film screenings and the winter weekend concert series.
Did you make some new year’s resolutions? I find I’m able to stick to mine for the first week, and then I need some help. If you’re in similar circumstances, the library is here to help! Whether your goal is to learn something new, get in better shape, eat healthier, save money, or a myriad of other good causes, we have books and DVDs that can up the motivation factor. I promise I haven’t checked them all out.
January also brings thoughts of taxes (and financial aid forms for those of us with kids in college). We have IRS forms available now, and expect the state forms to begin arriving in a couple of weeks. We are also happy to help folks locate and download forms and instructions from the various tax web sites.
We hope you stop by the library during the holidays so we can give you our warmest holiday greetings in person, but in case you will be traveling or otherwise busy, please know that we appreciate your visits and support all throughout the year.
We will be closed several days this weekend to allow staff and volunteers time with their loved ones. We are open Friday, December 23 as usual (9:00 – 6:00), then closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. We reopen Tuesday morning at 9:00 for all your post-holiday reading, listening, and viewing pleasure.
We’ve had a number of people ask us why they did not receive a letter asking for donations this fall. The Caestecker Library Foundation decided that given the economic climate and the number of other local fundraising campaigns running that they would skip this year.
That’s not to say that the library doesn’t need or want donations – in fact the board of trustees is putting together a fundraising committee next month. We are always grateful for the time and treasure given by community members to keep this library a vibrant part of the greater Green Lake community. And if you wish to make a monetary donation to the library during this season of giving, we welcome you to do so. Checks to either the Friends or Foundation are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, as each organization is a registered non-profit.
We’re hosting an artist’s reception on Monday, Dec. 19th from 4-5:45 p.m. for Michelle Smick, our December Artist of the Month. If you haven’t yet, please stop in to see her work. I am constantly impressed by the talented folks we have here in Green Lake. Michelle’s animal portraits are not to be missed.
Christmas is busting out all over here at the Caestecker Public Library! Arlene and Joan set up the front window this afternoon, then helped Carol and Amy decorate the library interior. Watch for colorful, festive things to be added over the next couple of weeks – it’s great fun.
These preparations are for the very special visitor we will have on Saturday morning. Yes, it’s Breakfast With Santa time once again! For just $3/person you can enjoy pancakes (both regular and chocolate chip varieties cooked to order), applesauce, and juice, milk, or coffee. Our favorite jolly old elf arrives a bit before 8:00 to meet his friends and fans. He’ll have stories to share, and plenty of time to listen to those special requests. I hope you can join us in welcoming Santa to Green Lake.
But wait, there’s more! That morning also brings the Friends’ Christmas Cookie sale and mini book sale. The cookies are all homemade and ¾ pound boxed assortments sell for $5 each. The book sale will feature holiday and children’s items, as well as titles perfect for gift giving. I hope you will have time to stop in, browse their selections, and find something wonderful for the people on your gift list. The cookie and book sales run from 8:00 to noon.
All proceeds from the Friends’ fundraising events come back to the library in the form of programs, books, movies, magazines, and more. They embody the spirit of giving all year long, and we are eternally grateful to them. Interested in joining this special group? They always welcome new members (and I do mean welcome), and would love to hear from you. Individual annual memberships are a bargain at only $5. Ask us for details next time you’re in.
Welcome to the holidays! (And to the busiest shopping season of the year.)
After you've supported your locally-owned shops, if there are still a few items on your list that you plan to buy online, please consider making www.goodshop.com your first internet destination. The Friends of the Caestecker Library is a GoodShop registered charitable organization, and all purchases made through Goodshop will result in a donation back to the Friends.
Here's how it works: Goodshop has partnered with hundreds of online retailers to give back a percentage of sales to non-profit groups throughout the country. About two years ago the Friends registered as one of these organizations, and just this morning we received a check for $187.78, representing online searches and sales from October 2010 through September 2011. All at no additional cost to either our supporters (that would be you) or the Friends. We'd like to increase that amount for next year, to help offset cuts that have been made in the library's annual budget.
Visit www.goodshop.com to get started. Once there you will be asked to select the charity you wish to support - we'd appreciate it if you selected "Friends of Caestecker Library." Then click on your internet retailer of choice and shop as normal. There's also a GoodShop toolbar you can download that will save you the step of starting at the GoodShop website every time, if that would be more convenient for you.
Next November we will receive another donation check based on how much shopping was done by folks supporting the Friends. It comes in handy, as the friends support the library by purchasing books, movies, magazines, and newspapers as well as sponsoring programs for library users of all ages.
Thanks for all you do throughout the year to support the library. If you have any questions about this program (or anything else we're doing), please don't hesitate to contact us.
Over the past few weeks I’ve heard from a number of people asking about downloading books to read and books to listen to from the library. Yes, you can do that. Yes, we encourage you to do that. And yes, it’s free.
Whether your device of choice is a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or other electronic gizmo, there are free materials for you. And the collection is growing – the Winnefox libraries have budgeted $30,000 to make sure copies of popular books for readers of all ages are available to download. There is a small bit of free software to download onto your home computer in order to make this work, and you have to set up an account by using your library card, but from that point on you can download materials any time of the day or night. The checkout period is either a week or two, depending on title and your preference. You can place holds for e-books just like you can for paper books. And honestly, it’s pretty slick. I will always love paper books best, but am looking forward to borrowing some library e-books next time a road trip looms in my future.
Need a little help getting started? Stop by and we’ll walk you through the process. No, we aren’t experts (yet) but together we can figure out almost anything :)
We’re currently putting together our winter music series, and are actively seeking musicians who would like to perform at the library. Singers, instrumentalists, solo acts and groups – all are invited to contact us and participate in this free concert series. We (and our patrons) would love to hear from you.
We’d also like to ask a favor on behalf of the Friends of the Caestecker Library. If you plan to shop online for the holidays, please consider beginning your shopping with GoodSearch.com and GoodShop.com. Our Friends group has registered with this organization, which links to major online retailers and funnels a percentage of what you spend back to the Friends. Let me give you an example: I’m planning to order a book for my son for Christmas. I first visit GoodShop.com and select Friends of the Caestecker Library as the charity I am shopping for. From there I can link to Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Better World Books, the National Geographic Store, and many others. A percentage of my purchase will be donated to the Friends AT NO COST TO ME! It’s a quick, easy, and effective way to support the Friends. If you shop online often, there’s even a toolbar you can download so you don’t always need to start at GoodShop.com. We have more information at the library if you’re interested.
