With the busy summer season underway, we wanted to remind you that you can freeze, or suspend, your holds on books or other materials if you don’t have time for them now.
The best part is you do not lose your place in line. When your hold is thawed, or released, you go right back in to the same place in your hold line; you do not go to the end of the line.
To freeze your holds online, first log into your account. On the left side of the page, click on “Titles on Hold.” A list of all items you have on hold will appear. If they are not currently in transit, you can freeze the hold until you return from your travels or are ready to receive your hold again.
To freeze your hold, click on the button that says “Freeze Hold.” Choose the date to thaw and resume the hold again, or leave the thaw date open-ended, and then click “Freeze Hold.” The freeze will begin immediately.
New traveling book club
We hope you will join us next Wednesday, Aug. 20, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Park on the San Juan Riverwalk for a new traveling book club that will meet monthly at a different gathering spot in Pagosa. At this inaugural session, we will discuss “Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide” by Peter Anderson.
Activity locations will change
Given that we have much less space for our operations and no meeting rooms during construction, several of our regular activities and special events will happen in other locations.
Please check the listings in this column and on your library’s website, https://pagosalibrary.org, for location changes throughout the construction. If no other location is mentioned, the activity will stay at your library.
No more book donations, please
Regretfully, Director Barb Brattin has made the decision to cease accepting book donations for a year beginning immediately.
The reality of operating in a much smaller space while construction happens on the first phase of your library’s long-awaited expansion has made the action a necessity.
During construction, the circulation desk remains in place with your dedicated, knowledgeable staff there to help you, but you’ll enter the building by a different route. Parking will move to a new lot west of the library, which you’ll enter off U.S. 160.
You have the same copy, fax and print services available, but fewer computers and no meeting rooms during construction. Also, the free book and magazine shelves are gone.
Children’s programs will move temporarily to the Turner Reading Room, and the Hershey and Chimney Rock Collections have gone into storage to make this happen. Inside bathrooms cannot be accessed, so porta-potties will have to do.
“We’re determined to keep disruptions to a minimum as construction proceeds over the next two years,” Brattin said. “We’re excited because we know the end result will make the temporary interruptions more than worthwhile as the new building will provide so many of the facilities our patrons have requested for a very long time.”
Brattin pointed out that the expansion is totally paid for by private donations and grants — not taxpayer money — that has raised $4.2 million. Fundraising continues for the final $800,000 to pay for upgrades to the existing building.
“All of us on staff are already dreaming of the new and improved programs and services we’ll be able to offer when the construction is complete,” she said.
LEGO play Saturday
Kids aged 6-11 are invited to the free LEGO build on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your own LEGOs or use ours.
Conversational Spanish
The Conversational Spanish group will meet Monday, Aug. 18, from 4 to 5 p.m. This is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish in a free group setting. No minimum skill level is needed. This activity is taking place at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 225 S. Pagosa Blvd. during construction.
Music fun Monday
Pagosa Unplugged will be free from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, for amateur musicians of all abilities to play, sing and jam with other people. It will happen outside in the library courtyard as weather allows.
Adult DIY
At the free in-person adult DIY next Tuesday, Aug. 19, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., we will learn the ancient craft of paper rolling. Join us as we explore how to make creative shapes with paper and use these creations to decorate cards, gifts or other items. All supplies will be provided. This event will happen outside in the library courtyard as weather allows.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for support, guidance, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.
During construction the group will meet at the Pagosa Senior Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. Enter through the left side of the building.
Family storytime
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m., join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
English as a second
language
English as a second language (ESL) classes will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church beginning Aug. 12.
ESL classes are free and open to all ages and levels. Call (970) 264-2209 or email for more information.
Pagosa Adult Learning Services (PALS)
Join Mark or Sally for free individualized 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. No appointment is necessary.
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.
Nonfiction
“Ordinary Time” by Annie B. Jones reflects on the pleasant life and lessons learned of a woman who spent her life in a small town. “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins is a guide to reducing anxiety by stopping trying to manage the actions of others and focusing instead on your own thoughts and behaviors. “The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy” by James Patterson and Vicky Ward is a true crime account of the murders of four University of Idaho college students by a grad student in 2022.
Novels
“Blonde Dust” by Tatiana de Rosnay imagines a friendship between Marilyn Monroe and a young maid during the filming of “The Misfits.” “The Lilac People” by Milo Todd tells of a trans man surviving first the Nazis and then the Allies during World War II. “Six Days in Bombay” by Alka Joshi uses the life of “the Frida Kahlo of India” to craft a story about a renowned painter in the 1930s. “The Women on Platform Two” by Laura Anthony highlights the fight for women’s reproductive rights in 1970s Dublin where contraception is illegal. “The Heart in Winter” by Kevin Barry focuses on an illicit love affair in 1890’s Butte, Mont., among a hard-living crowd of Irish immigrant workers.
Books on CD
“An Inside Job” by Daniel Silva is the latest in the Gabriel Allon thriller series. “Killer on the Road” by Stephen Graham Jones is a serial killer story about a runaway 18-year-old and her friends. “The Dream Hotel” by Laila Lalami is a dystopian fantasy about one woman’s fight for freedom set in a near-future world.
Large print
“Do Not Disturb” by Freida McFadden follows a woman running to avoid spending her life in prison. “Don’t Let Them In” by Lisa Jewell features a man who seems to good to be true. “Edge of Honor” by Brad Thor is the latest in the Scot Harvath adventure series featuring America’s top spy. “The Woman in Suite 11” by Ruth Ware takes place at a luxury Swiss hotel. “Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil” by V.E. Schwab follows the lives of three women in Santo Domingo in 1532, London in 1827 and Boston in 2019. “The Red Queen” by Martha Grimes is the latest in the Richard Jury mystery series. “Midnight and Blue” by Ian Rankin is an Inspector Rebus thriller. “Knave of Diamonds” by Laurie King is the latest in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series. “Silent as the Grave” by Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles is the latest in the Molly Murphy mystery series.
Quotable quote
“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.” — Gilda Radner (1946-1989), actress and comedian who died of ovarian cancer. She was one of the seven original cast members of Saturday Night Live from 1975-1980, where she created characters, including Rosannadanna and Baba Wawa.
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.
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