By Carole Howard | PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff
We hope you will bring your kids to a free community playdate tomorrow, Friday, June 30, from 10 to 11 a.m. as we take this opportunity to meet new friends while we play in the community garden.
Then, from 2 to 3 p.m., ages 6-11 are invited to a free Kids Create mixed-media art class based on a picture book. The story and projects change monthly.
And the activities on this fun day conclude with a free PG family film and free popcorn from 3 to 5 p.m.
Library closure
Your library will be closed Tuesday, July 4, for Independence Day.
Sign up for Summer Reading Program
It’s not too late to sign up in person or on the library’s website at https://pagosalibrary.org for the free Summer Reading Program. It offers a huge variety of special programs and prizes for all ages, and will conclude with a celebratory party July 28. Pick up monthly events calendars at the library so you don’t miss any of the free activities available to you and your family this summer.
Save the date for
book sale
The Friends of the Library have announced their highly popular annual summer book sale will take place July 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and July 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friends members will have early access to the sale both days, so you may want to take this opportunity to join the Friends before the sale or at the door.
Between now and then, the library is not accepting any more donations of books, DVDs and other materials because the Friends have all they need for the sale.
Summer Reading
Club today
Our free weekly Summer Reading Club for kindergartners through fifth-graders takes place Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. with crafts, guest speakers, stories and more. We’ll explore topics such as kindness, service, teamwork, connection, friendship and community. No registration is required.
Music fun
Pagosa Unplugged is free from 4 to 6 p.m. Mondays, July 3 and 17, for amateur musicians who would like a safe, supportive, non-bar setting to play, sing or both with other people. Anyone under age 18 is welcome with a signed parental permission, available at your library. For program information, contact Susan at (970) 946-3396 (not the library).
Game design workshop
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a board game designer? Join us next Wednesday, July 5, from 4 to 5 p.m. when a professional board designer will be at your library for a free session to share tips.
Wacky Wednesdays
Kids aged 6-11 are invited to get silly and play next Wednesday, July 5, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and every Wednesday in July, when each week will be a different activity.
Change in ESL
class times
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there is a change in the way the time is divided. Effective immediately, 4 to 5 p.m. is reserved for beginners, 5 to 6 p.m. for intermediate and 6 to 7 p.m. for advanced students. Please help us spread the word about these classes to others in our community who would be interested and contact us by phone or email if you have any questions.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provide assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources.
No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but it is important that you bring your device’s charger with you.
PALS/GED adult
education
Join Mark or Sally for free PALS sessions Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m. to help with high school equivalency, GED, college prep, financial aid, tutoring and more.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and four-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Local author
“Stories of the Blanco Basin Road” by Pagosa resident and civil engineer James R. White Jr. traces the origins of the road and tells of the many interesting people who were brought to the Blanco Basin on it. His book includes maps as well as archival photos of the Blanco Basin Road from the U.S. Forest Service.
In his preface, the author writes, “People, in the final analysis, are what this book is all about” — and among those he features is your library’s namesake, Ruby Sisson, a school teacher, community leader and Blanco Basin rancher.
DVDs
“The Quiet Girl” features a young girl sent to live with foster parents in rural Ireland and was an Academy Award nominee for best international feature film. “Creed” is a three-film collection of boxing dramas. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is season five. “Tulsa King” is season one. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is an animated film.
Mysteries, suspense
and thrillers
“The Way of the Bear” by Anne Hillerman is part of the Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito Navajo police series. “Lucky Dogs” by Helen Schulman follows two women who meet and become friends when they are hassled at an ice cream kiosk. “Bad Summer People” by Emma Rosenblum showcases infidelity, backstabbing and intrigue on exclusive Fire Island. “A Good Family” by Matt Goldman focuses on the friendship of a strange-acting husband and his college friend. “The Maze” by Nelson DeMille is part of the NYPD Det. John Corey series.
Other novels
“The Wind Knows My Name” by Isabel Allende traces the effect of war and immigration on two children generations apart, one in Europe and another in the U.S. “The King’s Pleasure” by Alison Weir explores the many sides of Henry VIII’s complex personality. “The Memory of Animals” by Claire Fuller follows a woman involved in a controversial memory study. “Summer Stage” by Meg Mitchell Moore explores the complications of a family involved in a summer theatrical production. “Just a Regular Boy” by Catherine Ryan Hyde centers on a boy after his survivalist father dies. “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng focuses in a young Asian boy whose mother’s books are being removed from libraries for being unpatriotic.
Books on CD
“Tom Clancy Flash Point” by Don Bentley is a Jack Ryan Jr. adventure. “The Singing Trees” by Boo Walker follows an artist who moves to New England to find her voice. “A Little Ray of Sunshine” by Kristan Higgins begins when an adopted teen decides to meet his birth mother.
How-to and self-help nonfiction
“The Power of Saying No” by Professor Vanessa Patrick is a guide to protecting your time and focusing on your priorities. “The Search” by Bruce Feiler uses information from a diverse group of Americans to allow you to do a meaningful audit of your work life in a post-career world. “Allergic” by medical anthropologist Theresa MacPhail explores the power of allergies in a rapidly changing world.
Thanks to our
generous donors
We are very grateful to Patti Howard and Don Logan for their generous donation in memory of Bob Howard.
Important alert
about donations
Please note that the Friends of the Library have announced their annual summer book sale will take place July 21-22. Between now and then, the library is not accepting any more donations of books, DVDs and other materials because the Friends have all they need for the sale.
Quotable quote
“I’ve had sports scientists write to me and say, ‘I’m sorry to tell you, this is humanly impossible.’ And I write back and say to them, ‘You have no idea then. You’re just doing your little studies on what the heart can do and what the lungs can do. But I’m talking to you about what the spirit can do, and that’s not measurable.’” — Diana Nyad, legendary long-distance swimmer, author, journalist and motivational speaker. She first gained national attention by swimming around the island of Manhattan. At age 64, she became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage.
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs — and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home — please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
