Columbia Public Library Newsletter – December 2018
At this exceptionally busy time of year, be sure to take some time for yourself and enjoy some of our new books coming out in December:
When We Were Young by Karen Kingsbury
A Delicate Touch by Stuart Woods
Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
The Boy by Tami Hoag
Pandemic by Robin Cook
Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston
Watching You by Lisa Jewell
In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin
New DVDs coming in December:
“Mission Impossible: Fallout”
“The House With a Clock In Its Walls”
“Sergeant Stubby: an American Hero”
One of our most exciting events this month is hosting Santa Claus on Saturday, December 8! Santa will begin his fire truck parade at 9:30 AM from the fire station on Union Street – he will come across Fourth Street and up Locust to arrive at the library at about 10:15 AM. Visitors with Santa will enter from our front door and travel to the new wing staying to the left of the computers. Santa will be visiting with families in our new wing by the large bow windows. Exit instructions: Families with Strollers – go out the door in the Children’s room (it will be unlocked) and proceed down back ramp. Families with no strollers – exit through Terrace door. Santa will be our guest from 10:15 until 1 PM. Special thanks goes to Steven Henry, Jr. for his assistance in preparing for and coordinating Santa’s visit and to Chief Doug Kemmerly for setting up the parade of fire trucks.
Public Computers will be shut down during Santa’s visiting hours. Thank you for understanding!
Our Young Adult Book Clubs meet early in December this month: Wednesday, December 5. The middle school club meets at 1:50-2:35 and the high school club meets at 2:45 to 3:30. This month’s titles are “Upside Down In the Middle of Nowhere” (middle school) and “The Well’s End” (high school)
“Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere” is an extremely realistic account of Hurricane Katrina as told through the eyes of 10-year-old Armani, who lives in the ninth ward of New Orleans. I must say that this is a book that adults would find interesting as well. Reading it inspired me to do further research into the events of August 2005 and I was shocked at the true amount of damage, as well as the survival conditions inside the Super Dome. Readers will develop a connection with Armani and her family as they struggle to keep their home – and further, for their own survival.
Many of you remember the news story of Baby Jessica who was rescued from a well. “The Well’s End” is a fictional version of a sixteen-year-old, Mia, who was also rescued from a well as a baby and as a result, has a deathly fear of the dark. Mia’s father is working on a top-secret project at his plant deep in the Colorado mountains. When Mia’s prep school classmates begin rapidly aging – and dying – within hours, Mia realizes a terrible virus has been released and her father may play a role in it. Mia must confront her fears and discover the truth about her father, her new friend Brayden, and the mysterious Blake Sutton who is not at all who he claims to be. Both science fiction, mystery, and thriller this book is author Seth Fishman’s first novel and is followed by a sequel, “The Dark Water”.
We need to thank all of our very generous donors who made the Extra-Ordinary Give such a success once again for the Columbia Public Library! This year we raised over $7,000. We appreciate all of our donors: whether it is money, time, or materials – all of you make our library and community special! Thank you also to those who stopped by Café Garth on Friday evening, November 16, to mingle and support Columbia non-profits.
Webmaster Sam Edmond is still busy even before tax season arrives! Two popular applications he is assisting people with right now: LIHEAP and Pennsylvania Medicaid insurance coverage.
It is best to call 717-681-4401 to set up an appointment with Sam. Please indicate which application you need help with. LIHEAP applicants will need to know the name of their heat supplier and their account number. If you received a card in the mail from LIHEAP, please bring it with you. Pennsylvania Medicaid applicants will need to know their Social Security number; documents required will vary as the application does not list them until it is completed for each individual. Affordable Care Act applicants: If you have had a lifestyle change (marriage or having a child), want to change your coverage, if your plan was discontinued, or if you need to sign up for initial insurance coverage, please call Sam for an individual appointment.
Once again, it is time for our annual Mitten Tree! This year’s campaign began on Monday, November 19 and continues through Friday, December 21. We welcome donations of mittens, scarves, hats, gloves, and socks. Items can be store-bought or, if you’re handy, can be hand knitted or crocheted. Some folks work throughout the year preparing items for this community service activity. One of these people is “Connie” who spent this past year crocheting numerous beautiful gloves, hats, and scarves. Some of her creations are shown on the photo on the right. All donations stay here in Columbia: they are taken to the Columbia Clothing Bank (which, in turn, supplies the winter shelters.) Our community always responds with great kindness to this campaign – each year, our library is near the top of the list for total items donated. And I am sure with our new crochet and knitting classes, we will continue to have many more warm-weather necessities for those in need.
Dates for December’s crochet and knitting classes: Crochet: Tuesday, December 4 and December 18 at 7 PM. Knitting: Thursday, December 6 and 27 also at 7 PM. New crocheters and knitters are always welcome – all you need to bring is yourself! We have donated yarn and there are crochet hooks you can use until you determine which size(s) are right for you.
Even Santa likes to relax with a good book after his busy night! If there are book-lovers of any age on your Christmas list, we have books in next to new condition priced between $1 and $3 in our annual Christmas book sale! Most are by best-selling authors and are duplicates of books we already own. They are available to purchase
at the library every day during our regular hours. Books make great gifts – and these are in great condition for gift-giving!
“Preschool Pals” story and craft time continues on Mondays at 10:30 AM. Preschoolers are welcome to bring their favorite grown-up and enjoy stories with Miss Susan and a simple holiday craft. Pre-registration is not needed. December’s Schedule is:
Monday: December 3
Monday, December 10
Monday: December 17
Also coming in January: Food for Fines is back! Details are coming soon.
Our Community Programs go on hiatus for the winter months of December, January, and February – but they will be returning in March. Stay tuned!
Family Movie Night for December will feature “The Muppets Christmas Carol” – a retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale as portrayed by the Muppets! Date is Wednesday, December 19, at 6 PM in our upstairs conference room.
Coming in January 2019: programming for senior citizens and caregivers! These monthly programs will be coordinated by Mrs. Elaine Glatfelter Cunningham, a Columbia native who works at a senior care center. The January program kicks off with the topic: “Am I Just Forgetful? Or Is It Something More?” Senior program will be held last Wednesday of each month at 1 PM to match the schedules of our local senior living centers and high rises. More details are coming in the January newsletter.
The Columbia Public Library will close at 2 PM on Monday, December 24. We are closed Christmas Day. Regular hours will resume on Wednesday, December 26: 10 AM to 8 PM.
We will close at 2 PM on Monday, December 31. We are closed New Year’s Day. Regular hours resume Wednesday, January 2: 10 AM to 8 PM. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year in 2019!
The Columbia Public Library is located on 24 S. 6th Street, next to Park Elementary School. (Cattycorner to CVS Pharmacy and across the street from St. John’s Lutheran Church) Phone number is 684-2255 and web address is www.columbiapubliclibrary.org. Please visit and discover the new worlds that await for you!