November Newsletter

Columbia Public Library Newsletter – November 2017

“Fall” into a good book during the month of November! Here are some new titles releasing this month::

The Midnight Line (a Jack Reacher novel) by Lee Child

Hardcore Twenty-Four (a Stephanie Plum novel) by Janet Evanovich

End Game by David Baldacci

Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark

The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson

Past Perfect by Danielle Steel

The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

Typhoon Fury by Clive Cussler

Tom Clancy’s Power and Empire (Jack Ryan) by Marc Cameron

The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans

In This Moment by Karen Kingsbury

Sleep No More by P. D. James

New DVDs for November include:

 

Cars 3

The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature

The Glass Castle (based on the best-selling book by Jeanette Walls)

Our Community Programs for teens and adults are going on hiatus during the construction project – as are Family Fun Nights. Some of you have already found that there are times we must close altogether.  At other times, only sections of the library will be available.  Safety of our patrons and staff is paramount. I will try to let the community know as soon as possible when closures are necessary.  I know many in the community are excited about our remodeled and expanded library – so are we!  But a necessary evil of remodeling is closures and some inconvenience.  We owe a huge thank you to our patrons with vehicles for parking on the St. John’s side of Sixth Street.  The area in front of the library is for teachers now, because our construction team has their staging area in a section of the teachers’ parking lot.  We also thank Pastor Beth Costlow for her kindness in allowing parking in front of the church for our patrons and also providing parking for our staff and volunteers.

Many Pennies! The students at Park Elementary, Our Lady of the Angels, and Taylor Elementary raised $370.00 in pennies for our construction project! Yes, you read that right – $370.00 in pennies. The CHS student council spent an afternoon wrapping the pennies and celebrating afterward with pizza. Thank you also to Denise Strawser for additional penny wrapping. Thanks to Robin Gamby for setting up this fundraiser. And of course, thanks to all who donated pennies!!

The Columbia Public Library is hosting a new community forum for the cold weather months. “Columbia PA Crime Watch” was developed by Rick Fisher last summer. This forum is to allow Columbia’s citizenry to share concerns of crime in their neighborhoods and to also get involved in a neighborhood crime watch program. Studies have shown neighborhood crime watches can decrease crime by up to 16 percent.   Please come out and get involved in this community endeavor. All are welcome. For more information, contact parapa109@gmail.com.

We have been getting a great group of students for our Young Adult book clubs which meet monthly in the Columbia High School Library.  November’s date is Wednesday, November 29. Middle school students meet at 1:55 PM and high school students at 2:45.  Our books for November are “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio (middle school) and “Note to Self” by Connor Franta (high school).

Many of you have probably heard of the New York Times bestseller Wonder.  It is the story of Auggie Pullman, who was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school.  But in the fifth grade, Auggie decides he wants to attend a regular school with other kids.  Auggie wants to be treated as an ordinary kid, but his classmates can’t get past his extraordinary face.  Auggie’s struggle for acceptance leads him – and his classmates – to discover that God made all of us wonders in our own way.  This story is a bright spot in the bullying epidemic sweeping our nation. It is the foundation for the Choose Kind movement.  Learn more at http://choosekind.tumblr.com/

If you don’t have teens in your household, you probably have never heard of Connor Franta. Connor Franta is known as a “YouTuber” – which means he has his own channel on YouTube. He posts weekly videos (called video logs or vlogs) Note to Self, which Connor describes as a look into his interior life, deals with his struggles with anxiety, depression, and self acceptance.  It includes many of his poems and photography. In today’s stressful world, Connor’s discoveries hold true for many adults as well as teens.

For more information on the Young Adult book clubs, please see Mr. White, high school librarian.

Therapy Pet schedule for November:

Biggie, the Maine Coon cat, will be visiting on Wednesday, November 15, at 1:30 PM.  Biggie visits nursing homes, dementia units, schools, and daycares.  This cat is incredibly relaxed.  Just spending a few minutes with the big guy always makes me feel better!  In addition to listening to you read, Biggie is perfectly happy just to let you pet him and visit for a while.  Biggie and his owner, Steph, are part of the K-Pets program.

Our Reading Education Assistance Dog, Spencer, is back from his time off and is eager for readers! His public visit will be ___________. Please call 717-684-2255 to schedule your appointment.  Spencer will also be doing some READ sessions with individual school classes (these sessions are closed to public).

PreSchool Pals is in full swing now! Susan Kalas continues her story and craft sessions on Mondays at 10:30 AM. Caregivers must stay with their children.  Any newcomers from ages 2 to 5 and their grown-up pals are always welcome.  The Pals will meet every Monday in November with the exception of November 27.

Our Lady of the Angels PreSchool classes are visiting the library on Wednesday, November 8.  The children will hear a story, tour the library, and watch a Tumblebooks story on video.  We are always happy to see our youngest visitors get started on their lifetime love of reading!

Our Family Movie night for November will be Wednesday, the 29th, at 6 PM.  Cars 3 will be shown. Feel free to bring non-messy snacks and drinks with a lid.

Mitzi Sanchez’s crochet class will be held on Saturdays, November 11 and November 25 at 9 AM.  This is the month of preparing for the Mitten Tree, which is put up after Thanksgiving.  The crochet class last year thoroughly decorated our tree with their handcrafted scarves, gloves, mittens, and hats.  Novice, beginner, and advanced crocheters are all welcome.

As mentioned above, once again it is time for our annual Mitten Tree!  This year’s campaign began on Monday, November 20 and continues through Friday, December 22.  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.  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.  Special thanks to Mitzi Sanchez and her dedicated band of crocheters who meet here every other Saturday morning – we appreciate all of their donations for the community.

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 717-686-7096 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.

Royer’s Flowers “Bouquets for Books” is trying something new this year.  Purchases of books can be made at Barnes and Noble during a special Book Fair.  Date of the fair is Tuesday, October 28.  If you can’t make this date in person, you can visit bn.com/bookfairs and make an online purchase any time from October 28 through November 2.  You MUST share the following ID at Checkout:   12191193

A portion of all sales made with this code will benefit Children’s services at the Library System of Lancaster County. Both Royer’s and the Columbia Public Library thank you for your support!

Once again, our library will be participating in the “Extraordinary Give” – Lancaster County’s largest online day of giving. This year is special – every penny donated is going toward our Capital Campaign to finance our building project. On Friday, November 17, for 24 hours only, visit ExtraGive.org to make a donation (min. $25) to our library – along with many other deserving nonprofits! AND this year, come join us at Café Garth from 7 PM to midnight on November 17 for an extraordinary celebration of many of Columbia’s nonprofits.  Thanks to Cle Bernthiezel for his kind invitation and willingness to host this event.  For more information about the Extraordinary Give, visit https://extragive.org/

 Did you know you can also help our library simply by eating out? The Park City Diner has a program called Sharing Our Success. Every time you eat at the Park City Diner, the Columbia Public Library receives 10 percent of your total check. Simply clip the card below and put it in your wallet to begin saving! Forget the card? No worries. Just say “Columbia Public Library” when you pay your bill. The cashier can pull up our account that way.

 

The Columbia Public Library – where New Worlds­­­­­­­­­­­ Await.  We are 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.columbia.lib.pa.us. Find us on Facebook!  Please stop by and visit often!