January 2011

Story time : (Thursday morning at 10:00)

Unbirthday Party Jan. 6

Hat Day Jan 13

Let It Snow Jan. 20

Penguins Jan. 27

Groundhogs & Shadows Feb. 3

Storytime sessions start the new year with a birthday celebration for everyone. These programs are open to all preschoolers. Stories, finger plays, activities, crafts, and (frequently) snacks last about forty-five minutes. Parents are encouraged to attend and participation is quite flexible. No registration is required. Many families extend the program with an upstairs play period in the children’s room while parents socialize and select materials for checkout.

The Bookmark Society will meet January 27 at 6:30. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is the January selection. February’s selection is Joanne Fluke’s The Sugar Cookie Murder. All readers are invited to share an evening of books and food.

Community Gardening 2011 will start off with the first in a series of third Saturday programs. Planning for the coming season will be the general theme with garden catalogs available and recommendations for basic vegetable gardening. There will be an opportunity to order seed to share and to suggest varieties for the beyond-the-basics vegetable garden. January 15 at 2:00 at the library.

Recycle your cell phones, batteries, and chargers. The Delaware County Health Department and The Friends for Life Fund have a collection box at the library for safe recycling of these materials.

Winter activities : There’s more than the mall in Columbus. The Columbus Museum of Art has a grand opening on Jan. 1 for the renovated building and new Center for Creativity. (Admission is free on Sundays.) Orchid Forest at Franklin Park Conservatory will be available for a winter reprieve from Jan. 15 - Mar. 27. Marion offers The Music of Florence Hardin at OSU Marion (Jan. 20); Amateur Film Finals (Jan. 22) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Jan. 28) at the Palace, and a Bridal Extravaganza (Jan. 23) at the fairgrounds.

Inventory in progress. We’re making a list and checking it twice- or not too many times more we hope. Books get misplaced or, unfortunately, sometimes stolen. It’s a good to periodically verify just what is actually here and available. Winter is a bit slower and a good time to concentrate on indoor activities. Preparation for summer reading is regularly on the top of the list and this year we’re also working on the inventory of materials. We’ll be checking on long overdues and clearing lost items from the catalog. Inventory is also a good check on misshelved and inaccurately labeled books.

Prospects for 2011 The income provided by the library levy will ensure a full year of full service with staff, programs, and materials. Thank you Ashley Village and Oxford Township. Summer Reading will take us everywhere with One World Many Stories. We may get the carpets cleaned before flying off to all those novel destinations.

Time magazine is being donated by a patron and will be available regularly for checkout.

New DVDs Eat Pray Love, The Expendables, Toy Story 3, Handy Manny, Letters to Juliet, Ramona and Beezus, Iron Man II, Temple Grandin, The Kids Are All Right, and Salt are some of the new purchases, plus several DVD video replacements, and documentaries on The Founding Fathers, Heroes of the Bible, and Ancient African Kingdoms. We do take reserves - and suggestions. We can also borrow from other libraries though not the most recent releases. And it is all FREE.

Magazine discards are another winter housekeeping activity. Articles are available online and the library no longer needs to keep back issues. Discards are free and may be requested. Duplicate requests are usually shared. The rest are available FREE to the general public for articles, recipes and both crafts and craft materials. You, too may have a bit more time and be more interested in indoor activities at this time of year. Creative Paper Jewelry is a new addition to the collection. Collage Discovery Workshop : Beyond the Unexpected has some interesting projects.

Profile Ohio, an informative pamphlet published by the Ohio Secretary of State is available at the library. History -People - Events of interest-More

WANTED : Bottle caps and jar lids are needed for BVEE’s visiting artist project in February. Used ink cartridges help the library purchase office supplies. The BVEE food pantry needs year round donations of both food and clothing.

Garden Tours ? Christmas in Ashley was such a wonderful experience perhaps something similar could be planned for the summer. Garden tours would fit in nicely with the library’s community gardening program, possibly in conjunction with the Corn Show. Vegetable gardening, flowers, and landscaping are all possibilities. Call the library (747-2085) and talk with either Susan Bussard or Liz Barker with your suggestions - and offers to help.