Now that we have a brand new community room, we are excited to announce a full lineup of in-person author events.
We kick off the series with bestselling author Miriam Horn — author, journalist, filmmaker and environmental advocate — on Friday, Oct. 2, from 10 to 11:15 a.m.
Horn spent 15 years at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and six years at the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, working on habitat conservation, landowner and community partnerships, and public education. Before joining EDF, she was a senior writer at U.S. News and World Report and freelanced for many years for The New York Times and other publications. Horn divides her time between New York City and Pagosa’s Blanco Basin.
Horn’s newest book, “Homesick for a World Unknown,” published by Penguin Press in April 2026, is the first full biography of legendary wildlife biologist George Schaller.
Schaller, now 93, is celebrated worldwide as a pioneer of modern wildlife biology and conservation, having mentored three generations of scientists. Despite his extraordinary impact, he spent more than half a century avoiding the public spotlight.
During her talk, Horn will share the remarkable lengths she went to in order to earn Schaller’s trust and become the author of his definitive biography.
This event offers a rare chance to hear from a nationally published writer and to gain insight into the private life of one of the most influential conservationists of our time.
For more information about the author and “Homesick for a World Unknown,” go to https://miriamhorn.com.
Next up in our adult education series:
• Oct. 6, 5 to 7 p.m.: Join Walt Dabney — former National Park Service superintendent and Texas State Parks director — for an eye-opening talk on how America’s public lands came to be, why most are in the West, the economic value of these lands and what we all stand to lose if they are transferred out of our common ownership.
• Oct. 15, 12:30 to 2 p.m.: The Chimney Rock Interpretive Association and Chimney Rock National Monument will present “Knowing our Ancient Puebloan Neighbors.”
Board vacancy
We have an unexpected vacancy on our library board.
The library board establishes library policies, oversees library finances, and advocates for the library in the community.
Members serve three-year terms and must be residents of Archuleta County. The time commitment is generally one meeting per month.
If you would like to serve, please send a letter of interest to director@pagosalibrary.org.
New Craft and Hobby database marks
makerspace opening
To celebrate the opening of our new makerspace, we are launching a new database called Craft and Hobby.
Packed with videos for all ages teaching skills like sewing, woodworking, gardening and outdoor photography, Craft and Hobby is available free with your library card online from home or on the go.
We are planning lots of hands-on activities in the new makerspace and will be using Craft and Hobby to provide instruction for participants.
Take a look at the extensive catalog of instructional video at https://www.pagosalibrary.org/how-to.
Radon detectors
available for checkout
The Colorado State library recently partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to provide a limited number of radon detectors to libraries for circulation.
The Ruby Sisson Library has two units available to check out with a library card for a three-week loan. Instructions are included in the kit. Reserve one through the library catalog or ask at the front desk.
New Hoopla e-book
collection replaces CloudLibrary
On Aug. 18, our library consortium adopted Hoopla, an e-book and e-audiobook platform that replaces CloudLibrary. Our entire CloudLibrary collection has migrated to this new Hoopla platform, so if you were on a waitlist for a book in CloudLibrary, try a search for it in Hoopla.
To get started, download the Hoopla app and register as a Ruby Sisson patron with your library card number.
If you are already a Hoopla user with another library, you can add the Ruby Sisson collection by choosing “settings” on the bottom app menu, then “Library Settings.”
If you need a little extra help, stop by and we’ll work with you. For extended help, our Tech Time drop-ins are every Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m.
1,000 Books Before
Kindergarten prepares your little one for success
As a new school year begins, you might be thinking ahead to your toddler’s first day of kindergarten. Will she be prepared?
The library has a free, fun program to give your child the head start she needs.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is an early childhood initiative that helps inspire a love for reading and literature while also helping our youngest readers get exposure to print and phonetics, and earn prizes along the way.
The goal is not to read 1,000 different books before kindergarten, but to simply read 1,000 times before they begin their journey to expand their knowledge. If your little one has a favorite book that they want you to reread to them immediately after finishing it the first time, then that counts as another book read.
Every 100 books is a milestone where our young patrons can receive a small prize or an experience at the library. At the end of their journey, they will receive a grand prize as well as an invite to a celebration at the library with all of those who have finished their 1,000 books before kindergarten.
Sign-up is free and easy. Enroll today by visiting the library.
Colorado Parks Passes for checkout
Fall is here. Have you visited a Colorado state park this year? Colorado state parks require a paid pass to enter, but you can borrow one from the library for a few days at no cost to you.
Passes come with a backpack filled with nature guides, binoculars and fun activities. Reserve yours today.
Note: Colorado State Park passes are not valid for Chimney Rock National Monument.
Activities calendars
Pick up monthly calendars at the library or check the website, www.pagosalibrary.org/events-calendar, so you don’t miss any of the free programs, events and activities available to you and your family.
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.
New books collections brimming with
interesting titles
For a full list of new titles and to reserve your copy, go to www.pagosalibrary.org and choose “Search the Catalog” at the top of the screen.
Don’t forget, if there is a waiting list for the book, it may be available now as an e-book or e-audiobook on Hoopla or Libby.
Need help? Just ask. We love talking about books.
New in large print
• “Those Who Are Gone” by Laurie King. Cold-case detective Raquel Laing investigates a drug dealer’s murder while uncovering disturbing connections between her past and an international cartel.
• “Heart of Glass” by Jennifer Hillier. Twenty-five years ago in Seaside, Wash., three teenage friends met a drifter at an amusement park named Wonderland. Days later, one of them, Lorelei, was found murdered.
• “The Boat House” by Fern Michaels. Running their inherited marina in a quirky, picturesque New Jersey shore town, siblings Madison and Lincoln Wainright discover what could be a map to Captain Kidd’s lost treasure.
New fiction
• “Conspiracy” by Colleen Coble is the latest book in her “Sanctuary” series. Wildlife veterinarian Paradise Alden is hunted by a trained leopard while trying to solve the 15-year-old cold case murder of her parents.
• “People Watching in the Desert” by Cali Adeline stars a “lonely young woman who prefers to observe the world rather than participate in it and the seismic repercussions that follow when she steps out of her own bubble.”
• “Sumblimation” is described as “a mind bending thriller about personhood, homeland nostalgia, global migration, and all forms of alienation.”
New biographies
• Sportswriter Peter Gammons delivers stories of personal encounters and conversations with baseball’s greats in “It’s All about the Players: What I’ve Learned from Baseball’s Best.”
• “Cormac McCarthy: A Legacy Revisited.” Pulitzer prize winning author Terry Daugherty explores McCarthy’s journey from his early days in poverty and obscurity in Tennessee to international literary fame.
• “Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness.” A biography of Tom Brady exploring his obsessive discipline, relentless pursuit of success and the personal costs of his legendary football career.
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