Category Archives: Uncategorized

01/17/2019

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Library creates foundation to lead fundraising for enhanced collections, programs, services, facilities
Your library is taking a major step forward in our fundraising efforts by creating a foundation with the mission to raise moneys for information resources, programs, services and facilities.  In September we applied to the IRS for approval of the foundation as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with that application currently pending. 

The foundation will be led by a volunteer board composed of Pagosa citizens and will be supported by individual donors and community partners.

“The foundation will provide critical support to the library by enhancing our programs and services that nurture literacy, the imagination and lifelong learning, and by expanding the library’s collections,” said Meg Wempe, library director.  “We are excited because we know that working together the foundation and library can have a greater positive impact on the children and adults of our community.”

For more details about the new foundation, please watch for an article by Cindi Galabota, your library’s development officer, in next week’s SUN.

Library closingYour library will be closed on Monday, January 21 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

Book drop at City Market
Just a reminder that we have a book drop at City Market.  As you face the front door of the grocery store, you’ll find it tucked behind the fifth post on the left, between the wood storage and propane tanks. Contents are being picked up three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and we’re delighted to say it’s being used. 

Two special requests to make this new service work for everyone:  First, please put your Nooks in the media side of the box so they are not damaged by heavy books.  Second, the book drop is not for donations.  They need to be brought to the library, as some people donate a lot and that will fill the box faster than it is emptied, not allowing people to return their library materials. 

Activities calendars available
To be sure you don’t 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.

All-ages gaming tomorrow
Join us tomorrow, Friday, January 18 from 2-3:15 p.m. for a free all-ages gaming session where you can enjoy video gaming on Wii and X-box 360 Kinect with your friends and family.

Teen gaming
Free teen gaming happens on Tuesdays from 4–5:30 p.m. for teens in the 7th-12th grades.  Enjoy X-box 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks. 

DIY for adults
At this month’s free DIY event on Wednesday, January 23 from 1-2 p.m. you’ll make a goat’s milk and honey soap that’s so easy it can be made in just 10 minutes – and it boasts lots of skin benefits.  No registration required.

Teen role-playing
The free role-playing game for 7th-12th graders takes place Wednesday, January 23  from 4-5:30 p.m.    Use your imagination to go on adventures and battle monsters.  You can join this group any time.

Computer classes
Join us for free sessions from 1-2 p.m. on alternating Thursdays to learn a useful technology skill or application.  Today, January 17, is Microsoft Word Resumes when you will discover how to create a professional looking resume.  January 31 is Saving and Finding Files when you learn how your computer is organized, including files and folders.  No registration required. 

Adult education
Our free PALS (Pagosa Adult Learning Services) takes place on  Mondays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., plus Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 – 7 p.m.  Come to your library to get help from Mark with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.   

Free tech sessions
Drop in with your technology questions on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-noon and Thursdays from 2-4 p.m.   

Family storytimes
Every Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. and Saturday from 9:30-10 a.m., join us for free great stories, fun songs and plenty of reasons to get up and move.  This is an excellent way for kids of all ages to have fun while building the skills they need to become independent readers.  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.

DVDs
“The Cowboys” is a western starring John Wayne.  “Lorna Doone” is a film adapted from the classic book.  “Yoga Journal’s Yoga” guides you through five practice sessions designed to follow the cycles of the Earth from sunrise to sunset.  “For Izzy” is a documentary-style romance featuring an addicted photojournalist and an autistic woman.  “Unbroken: Path to Redemption” is the follow-on true story of the hero of the film based on Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book.

Mysteries, thrillers and suspense
“In a House of Lies” by Ian Rankin is an Inspector Rebus story of a cold case involving a missing private investigator.  “Verses of the Dead” by Preston & Child is an FBI special agent Pendergast mystery.

Other novels
“The Deal of a Lifetime” by Fredrik Blackman is a novella about a father and son meeting for the first time in years. 

Travel books
“Field Guide to the Rocky Mountain States” is a National Audubon Society guide to the geology, wildlife, stars, plants, weather and ecology in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado.   “Journeys of a Lifetime” is a National Geographic guide to 500 of the world’s greatest trips with photos and maps.  “2019 Good Sam Guide Series” is a travel savings guide for the RV and outdoor enthusiast.

How-to and self-help
“How to be an American” by author and illustrator Silvia Hidalgo is a field guide to citizenship that reviews the information about how our government works that you may have learned in school but have forgotten.  “Your Income Tax 2019” is the J.K. Lasser guide to preparing your 2018 tax return.  “Keto Instant Pot” by Maria Emmerich offers more than 130 low-carb recipes for your electric pressure cooker or slow cooker.  “The Complete Ketogenic Diet for Beginners” by Amy Ramos is a guide to living the Keto lifestyle. 

CDs
“None of my Business” by satirist P.J. O’Rourke explains money, banking, debt, equity, assets, liabilities, and why he’s not rich and neither are you.

Programmed Nooks
We have nine free Nooks and three free tablets programmed for your e-reading pleasure.  The eight adult content e-readers contain either fiction or nonfiction bestsellers.  The four youth e-readers contain books for children, juniors and young adults. 

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 children’s 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 library’s website.  Use “Quick Pick,” the discovery tool that lets you sample movies like you would music.

Thanks to our donors
For books and materials this week, we thank Chuck Jordan and our anonymous donors.  We also are grateful to four out-of-state donors.  Patricia Howard and Donald Logan from Vancouver, Canada made a generous monetary gift in honor of Bob and Carole Howard.  We also received a generous contribution from Becky and Brian Savage from Fort Worth, Texas.

Quotable Quote
“When we’re faced with a story, we are wired as a species to respond.  To act.  We need to be invited into the lives of others…. Stories remain our best teachers of empathy.” – Khaled Hosseini, Afghan-born American novelist (“The Kite Runner” and “Sea Prayer”).  

1/10/2019

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New book explores value of books and libraries to our lives
If you are reading this Library News column, you probably love libraries and admire librarians.  If yes, you no doubt will enjoy “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean, which garnered rave reviews and spent weeks on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. 

The book opens with the 1986 fire that burned down the Los Angeles Central Library.  Nobody died, but 50 firefighters were injured and more than a million books were damaged. The fire didn’t make much news at the time – maybe in part because that same week a nuclear reactor melted down in Chernobyl and sent the stock market crashing.  Even after arson was suspected, and a suspect identified, the fire never attracted the public’s imagination. It was just one of the many senseless, regrettable things that happened, was briefly noted, and then more or less forgotten.

Orlean uses this fire and the 145-year history of the Los Angeles library system as a backdrop to deftly explore the purpose and value of libraries in the U.S. and around the world.  Her storytelling skills make the people involved and even the buildings themselves come to life. In fact, this book follows three threads – the whodunit relating to the fire, the L.A. library system history and the broader evolution of libraries in our lives.

Here are a few excerpts to give you a sense of her book:

  • “Volunteers…formed a human chain, passing the books hand over hand from one person to the next, through the smoky building and out the door.  It was as if, in this urgent moment, the people of Los Angeles formed a living library.  They created, for that short time, a system to protect and pass along shared knowledge, to save what we know for each other, which is what libraries do every day.”
  • “The publicness of the public library is an increasingly rare commodity.  It becomes harder all the time to think of places that welcome everyone and don’t charge any money for that warm embrace.”
  • “Books are a sort of cultural DNA, the code for who, as a society, we are, and what we know.  All the wonders and failures, all the champions and villains, all the legends and ideas and revelations of a culture last forever in its books.”
  • “Even though the Internet and electronic media wouldn’t appear for decades, you can sense, even in the 1960s, that librarians knew traditional book lending would not always be the institution’s chief purpose…. Libraries were increasingly moving in the direction of functioning as information centers as well as being repositories of book collections.”
  • “Libraries are old-fashioned, but they are growing more popular with people under 30.  This younger generation uses libraries in greater numbers than older Americans do, and even though they grew up in a streaming, digital world, almost two thirds of them believe that there is important material in libraries that is not available on the Internet.”

“The Library Book” is in our collection and available for your reading pleasure.

Activities calendars available
To be sure you don’t 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.

Legal clinic tomorrow
Friday, January 11 from 2-3 p.m. is a free legal clinic for parties who have no attorney will take place via computer link.  Volunteer attorneys will answer questions, help fill out forms, and explain the process and procedure for legal issues in the areas of family law, civil litigation, property tax, probate law, collections, appeals, landlord-tenant law, veterans benefits and civil protection orders.  Please check in at the registration desk.  You will be helped on a first come, first served basis.  This clinic takes place the second Friday of every month. 

All-ages movie tomorrow
Join us Friday, January 11 from 2-3:30 p.m. to enjoy a free G-rated movie with your friends and family.  Our contract does not allow us to name the film in the media, but you can find the name in the activities calendars.

LEGO Club on Saturday
Kids aged 6 – 12 are invited to bring your imaginations – LEGOs are provided – on Saturday, January 12 from 11 a.m. – noon for the free LEGO Club.

Board games
Monday, January 14 fourth-12th graders are invited to play a variety of board and tabletop games in this free session from 4-5:30 p.m.

Teen gaming
Free teen gaming happens on Tuesdays from 4–5:30 p.m. for teens in the 7th-12th grades.  Enjoy X-box 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks. 

Teen writers group
Join us Wednesday, January 16 from 4-5 p.m. for our free teen writers meeting for seventh-12 graders.  This group’s interests include stories, poetry, graphic novels and fan fiction. 

Computer classes
Join us for free sessions from 1-2 p.m. on alternating Thursdays to learn a useful technology skill or application.  January 17 is Microsoft Word Resumes when you will discover how to create a professional looking resume.  January 31 is Saving and Finding Files when you learn how your computer is organized, including files and folders.  No registration required. 

Adult education
Our free PALS (Pagosa Adult Learning Services) takes place on  Mondays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., plus Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 – 7 p.m.  Come to your library to get help from Mark with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.   

Free tech sessions
Drop in with your technology questions on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-noon and Thursdays from 2-4 p.m.   

Family storytimes
Every Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. and Saturday from 9:30-10 a.m., join us for free great stories, fun songs and plenty of reasons to get up and move.  This is an excellent way for kids of all ages to have fun while building the skills they need to become independent readers.  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.

Nonfiction
“Love for Imperfect Things” by Zen Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim advises how to accept yourself in or5der to be at peace with the world around you.  “How Schools Work” by Arne Duncan is an inside account of the failures and success from one of the nation’s longest serving Secretaries of Education.  “The Minimalist Home” by Joshua Becker is a room-by-room guide to a decluttered, refocused life in any sized house or apartment.  “Snowman” by Bob Eckstein is a history of this iconic winter symbol with 200 illustrations and photos.  “The 100 Best Stocks to Buy in 2019” by Peter Sander and Scott Bobo features new information on investing in a volatile market.  “CBD Oil” by Gretchen Lidicker explores this nonintoxicating compound found in cannabis.  “Ten Grapes to Know” by master sommelier Catherine Fallis is a guide to 375 wines with tasting notes.  “Frommer’s EasyGuide to Alaskan Cruises and Ports of Call” is a guide book.

Large print
“The Trading Post and Other Frontier Stories” contains 14 original stories of historical American fiction.  “One If By Land” by Ethan J. Wolfe is book four of the Regulator Series.  “Castle Butte” by John D. Nesbitt is a coming of age story where boys become men.

DVDs
“The Story of God” with Morgan Freeman is season one.  We have four LEGO movies – “NEXO Knights Book of Monsters season two,” plus three in the Friends series – “Friends are Forever,” “Always Together” and “Friends Together Again.”

CDs
“Them” by U.S. Senator Ben Sasse explores the hatred in our country and how to overcome it for the good of everyone.  “Of Blood and Bone” by Nora Roberts is a tale of terror and magic in a post-apocalyptic landscape.   

Programmed Nooks
We have nine free Nooks and three free tablets programmed for your e-reading pleasure.  The eight adult content e-readers contain either fiction or nonfiction bestsellers.  The four youth e-readers contain books for children, juniors and young adults. 

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 children’s 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 library’s website.  Use “Quick Pick,” the discovery tool that lets you sample movies like you would music.

Thanks to our donors
For books and materials this week, we thank Benny Lohman and our anonymous donors.  For their generous monetary gifts, we are grateful to Constance D’Angelis and to Cindi and Scott Galabota.

Quotable Quote
“All people kissing 60 have a deep well of experience to offer others.  Volunteer your talents, especially at schools.  If you’re a baker, bring your baking skills.  If you’re a dressmaker, bring your sewing skills.  If you garden, plant a vegetable garden and work with the teachers on sustainability.  It’s too easy to sit back and look at screens.  Get sweaty.  We can never say we’ve done enough.” – Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress and author.Website

                              


1/3/2019

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New book explores dangers of foodborne illness and offers practical advice to deal with germs

News of food recalls and concerns about whether or not you can eat romaine lettuce can be worrisome.  After all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) predict that 17 percent of us will come down with a foodborne illness this year.

Now a new book in your library’s collection called “Did You Just Eat That?” by two scientists named Paul Dawson and Brian Sheldon looks at a wide variety of germ dangers facing us every day, and offers practical advice on how to deal with them, given that bacteria are an unavoidable part of life. 

Some of the issues the authors address are humorous.  Some are deadly serious (pun intended).  All are timely and informative.

This book can be read on two levels.  There’s a multitude of research and scientific information for those who are interested in such detail.  Most readers will want to take in at least some of it because, as the authors say, the better you understand the microbial world, the more you will profit from this book.  Or you can just skip to the results.  Here’s a sampling of the findings:

  • In a recent study, 21 percent of movie theatres and 51 percent of restaurants had surfaces judged to be highly contaminated.  Other major reservoirs of bacteria you deal with every day are  cell phones, TV remotes, salt and pepper shakers, toothbrushes, computer keyboards and bathtubs/whirlpools.
  • The five-second rule is a dangerous myth.  When food comes in contact with a contaminated surface like your floor, bacteria are transferred almost immediately.  Think about this: Eating food off any floor is like eating off a surface where people and pets have walked for days – or longer.
  • Eating out can be risky.  Menus carry bacteria from many sources, from staff to other diners, although paper menus are safer than laminated ones.  More than 60 percent of foodborne illnesses come from food prepared at a restaurant or deli, and 10 percent more were from a catering or banquet facility.
  • Blowing out birthday candles can be hazardous because droplets from the respiratory tract and mouth are expelled onto the cake. 
  • Sharing food is a good way to pass on germs, popcorn being a prime example.                
  • A good hand-washing regime is one of the best ways to protect yourself.  Best way to wash your hands is to follow the ServSafe protocol:  Rinse with warm water, lather with soap for 20 seconds, rinse with warm water for another 10 seconds.  Follow with alcohol-based hand sanitizer for best results, and use a lot of it.  It’s safer to dry your hands with disposable paper towel than air blowers.                  

For further food safety tips, the book also includes detailed to-do lists relating to shopping, food storage, food preparation, cooking techniques, handling leftovers and more.

If all this makes you wonder how we deal with the inevitable germs on library books, we use a natural cleaner called Citra-solv – or Goo Gone for very sticky or harder to remove messes – to clean the covers of books as they are returned.

In an additional effort to lower the spread of germs, we also wipe each computer mouse and keyboard down with an antibacterial wipe. During this time of year, when there are more illnesses around, we do it daily. During the summer, it is done every other day. If a patron ever mentions that he/she has been sick, we make sure to wipe down anything that they are returning or any computers that they use. 

If you are ill and want to ask a friend or family member to pick up your items, you can either send the person with your library card, or call us to add the person’s name to your account as being able to pick things up for you.  For everyone’s account security, we don’t check things out without one of these criteria being met. 

Here’s to a healthy and safe 2019 for us all!

Activities calendars available

To be sure you don’t 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.

Teen advisory board today

Today, Thursday, January 3, the teen advisory board meets from 4-5 p.m.  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, January 4 from 2-3:15 p.m. for a free all-ages gaming session where you can enjoy video gaming on Wii and X-box 360 Kinect with your friends and family.

Paws to Read on Saturday

Saturday, January 5 from 11 a.m. – noon, youngsters from K-fifth grades are invited to share their favorite books with Hondo, a therapy dog who loves listening to stories, at a Paws to Read session.  This is a great way for beginning readers to build confidence.

Tween gaming

Free gaming for 4th-8th grades is Monday, January 7 from 4-5 p.m.  Enjoy X-box 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks.

Teen gaming

Free teen gaming happens on Tuesdays from 4–5:30 p.m. for teens in the 7th-12th grades.  Enjoy X-box 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks. 

Adult book club

Our free adult book club meets the second Tuesday of each month from 2-3 p.m. to discuss alternating fiction and nonfiction titles and enjoy refreshments.  On January 8 we will discuss “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan.  If you need a copy, please stop by your library.  No registration required.

Teen role-playing

The free role-playing game for 7th-12th graders takes place Wednesday, January 9 from 4-5:30 p.m.    Use your imagination to go on adventures and battle monsters.  You can join this group any time.

Computer classes

Join us for free sessions from 1-2 p.m. on Thursdays to learn a useful technology skill or application.  Today, Thursday, January 3 is Getting Started when you will learn the basics.  January 17 is Microsoft Word Resumes when you will discover how to create a professional looking resume.  January 31 is Saving and Finding Files when you learn how your computer is organized, including files and folders.  No registration required. 

Adult education

Our free PALS (Pagosa Adult Learning Services) takes place on  Mondays from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., plus Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 – 7 p.m.  Come to your library to get help from Mark with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.   Note: No PALS today, January 3.

Free tech sessions

Drop in with your technology questions on Tuesdays from 10 a.m.-noon and Thursdays from 2-4 p.m.   

Family storytimes

Every Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. and Saturday from 9:30-10 a.m., join us for free great stories, fun songs and plenty of reasons to get up and move.  This is an excellent way for kids of all ages to have fun while building the skills they need to become independent readers.  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.

DVDs

“Life According to Sam” follows one family’s fight to save their son from a rare and fata aging disease.  “Flicka” stars Alison Lohman, Tim McGraw and Maria Bello.  “Nexo Knight” is season one.  “Prep & Landing” and “Naughty and Nice” are two Disney holiday adventures on one DVD.  “The Man Who Invented Christmas” is based on the true story of Charles Dickens’ creation of “A Christmas Carol.”  “10 Bible Stories for the Whole Family” is an animated collection created for kids.  “Sherpa” tells about the Nepalese guides on Mount Everest.

Novels

“Come From Nowhere” by Ellen Greenfield features seven characters experiencing the two-day blackout in New York City in the summer 1977. 

Books on CD

“Target Alex Cross” by James Patterson is a political mystery set in D.C.  “Oath of Office” by Tom Clancy is a Jack Ryan thriller.  “Pandemic” by Robin Cook is a medical thriller.  “The Enemy of My Enemy” by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV is set near the end of the Third Reich.  “Master of Her Fate” by Barbara Taylor Bradford is the first book in a new historical saga.  “Robert B. Parker’s Blood Feud” by Mike Lupica is a Mafia family story.  “Kingdom of the Blind” by Louise Penny is a Chief Inspector Gamache mystery set in Quebec.

Programmed Nooks

We have nine free Nooks and three free tablets programmed for your e-reading pleasure.  The eight adult content e-readers contain either fiction or nonfiction bestsellers.  The four youth e-readers contain books for children, juniors and young adults. 

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 children’s 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 library’s website.  Use “Quick Pick,” the discovery tool that lets you sample movies like you would music.

Thanks to our donors

For books and materials this week, we thank our anonymous donors.  For their generous monetary gift, we are grateful to Carol and Roger Sheets.

Quotable Quote 

“Embrace your age.  In three years I will be 70.  All the cues from the outside world insist that 70 is old.  And not always something to feel good about.  Then I remind myself that we are defined by how we think, feel and act.  Not by what others project on to us.  And I feel great.  Yes, I am older, but all that means is that I have had the good grace to transition from young and fabulous to older and fabulous.” – Suze Orman, personal finance expert, author, motivational speaker and TV host.