By Carole Howard | PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff
If you are planning to make a New Year’s resolution, you might want to consider all the resources — print, DVDs, CDs and online — that are available at your library to support you.
Take our many electronic databases, for example. If you want to learn a new language, you could use Transparent Language. If you’d like to take a class on a huge variety of topics as diverse as nutrition, computer software and cake decorating, take a look at Universal Class. Consumer Health Complete covers all areas of health and wellness from mainstream to complementary and holistic medicines. Encyclopedia Britannica and Funk and Wagnells New World Encyclopedia make homework and research projects easier. Environment Complete and GreenFILE provide help with green building, sustainable agriculture, recycling and more. Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center as well as Home Improvement Reference Center have information for so many activities that can be helpful.
All our electronic resources can be found under “Online Resources” on our website.
In addition, of course, we have physical items with useful information about nutritional diets, exercise programs, wellness, languages, computers, business, home and auto repair, parenting, and so much more.
Here’s to a safe, healthy and happy new year for you and your loved ones.
New Year’s closures
Your library will close at noon Dec. 31 and also be closed on Jan. 2 because New Year’s falls on a Sunday this year .
Flu season protocols
The curbside service that we began for COVID safety continues — and it’s also a healthful option in the cold and flu season. To save your energy and lessen germ exposure to other patrons, we recommend you use our curbside service — or add a name to your account authorizing that person to pick up items for you while you recuperate. Library hours:
• Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, your library is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays, your library is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Saturdays, your library is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Activities calendar
To be sure you don’t miss any of the free library activities available to you and your family, we encourage you to pick up a copy of the events calendar each month. Its streamlined format combines all the activities and events for children, teens and adults on one handy, two-sided page.
Gaming tomorrow
Enjoy free all-ages video gaming on the Xbox 360 Kinect tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 30, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Homework help
and tutoring
Free homework assistance and elementary tutoring are available for those in kindergarten through fourth grade on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. There is a registration packet for parents and guardians to fill out to enroll your child that you can get by emailing the library or coming in. This program has been a big hit because it helps build essential skills in core subjects. You still can register your child, but you may be put on a wait list.
Virtual Dungeons
and Dragons
Next Thursday, Jan. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m., join our Dungeons and Dragons game free for teens and young adults on Discord. Registration is required because space is limited. Contact Josie@pagosalibrary.org to join.
Family storytimes
Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. join us for free in-person children’s stories, games and plenty of reasons to get up and move.
ESL classes
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 4 to 5 p.m. reserved for beginners and 5 to 7 p.m. for both intermediate and 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.
PALS/GED adult
education
Mark is available for his free PALS sessions on 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 registration is required.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy will help you with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provide assistance in accessing any of the library’s online resources. You do not need an appointment for these drop-in sessions.
Writing challenge
A new all-ages writing challenge was posted Dec. 12 on the library’s Facebook page. We hope you will challenge your creativity by participating in this free activity.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages, and accessing this free digital collection has never been easier. You just need to 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. You are now ready to browse, borrow and read e-books and audiobooks using cloudLibrary. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Novels
“Lost in the Long March” by Michael X. Wang is set against the backdrop of Mao’s Long March and its aftermath. “The Man Who Lived Under Ground” by Richard Wright is a novel about race and violence in America. “Aesthetica” by Allie Rowbottom follows a woman whose traumatic past surfaces just before surgery. “Meredith, Alone” by Claire Alexander features a woman who has not left her house in 1,214 days. “Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout is about a divorced couple stuck together during a lockdown.
Nonfiction
“A Book of Days” by Patti Smith uses photography to document the author’s world within a calendar year. “Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home” is a guide to organizing your space. “How To Resist Amazon and Why” by Danny Caine lays out a case for avoiding huge companies and instead supporting local, independent businesses. “Personal Horoscope 2023” is a month-by-month forecast for every sign. “J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century” by Beverly Gage is a biography of the former FBI director. “SAT Premium Prep 2023” is a Princeton Review guide. “SAT Prep Plus 2023” is a Kaplan guide. “How We Heal” by Alexandre Elle is a guide to self-healing using journaling, empowering exercises and restorative meditations.
“Believe For It” by Grammy award-winning gospel singer CeCe Winang is a memoir recounting the pivotal experiences in her life that have shaped her faith. “Reading for our Lives” by Maya Payne Smart gives parents a path to ensuring school readiness by nurturing language and literacy development. “Don’t Start a Side Hustle” by Brian Page is a guide to ditching the rat race and enjoying the passive income lifestyle. “Live Love Now” by Rachel Macy Stafford draws on the author’s experience as a special education teacher to offer advice to guide the next generation of resilient, compassionate and capable adults.
Books on CD
“The Devil’s Weapons” by W.E.B. Griffin is a new Men at War novel set in Poland in 1940. “The Devil’s Boneyard” by William W. and J.A. Johnstone is a Ben Savage, Saloon Ranger western. “Brannigan’s Land,” also by the Johnstones, is a western. “Westward of the Law” by Matt Braun also is a western. “So Long, Chester Wheeler” by Catherine Ryan Hyde focuses on a man’s dying wish. “Hard Fire” by J.B. Turner is a Jon Reznick thriller. “Devil’s Delight” by M.C. Beaton is an Agatha Raisin mystery.
Donations
Many thanks to Joanne and Victor Lucariello for their generous monetary donation. We also are grateful to our anonymous donors for their materials donations.
When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk — not through the outside returns slot at the library or the drop box at City Market, please.
The Friends take fiction published in 2012 or newer and nonfiction that is 2017 or newer. Limited workroom space means we can only accept one or two small boxes at a time.
Quotable quote
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” — Edith Lovejoy Pierce (1904-1999), British-born poet, author and pacifist who lived in Evanston, Ill.
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.