With national conversations growing more polarized and communication becoming increasingly difficult, meaningful dialogue has never mattered more. One way to make a difference is by starting right here in our own community.
Last fall, the Ruby Sisson Library was selected as one of only 10 recipients of the Teen Dialogue Accelerator grant, an initiative led by Cortico in partnership with PBS “FRONTLINE” and the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. The program introduces a fresh approach to civic learning, youth leadership and community connection.
We began where it matters most — with our teens, the voices shaping our future. So far, we’ve hosted three youth-led conversations where local teens explore civic issues that directly impact their lives. Topics have included artificial intelligence, the future of careers, stress, democracy and climate change. Their insights will contribute to a national effort helping libraries and media organizations better understand youth perspectives in a rapidly changing world.
The goal of this project is to create a welcoming space where teens can discuss issues that affect them, in small-group settings, guided by a trained youth fellow. Each conversation is recorded, reviewed and shared by the youth fellow and library staff as part of the national initiative.
To date, we’ve met with local teens from Pagosa Springs High School, San Juan Mountain School and local library patrons. We are eager to welcome more youth, so please contact us soon. The project runs through the end of June, so there’s still time to get involved.
Please contact Judy@pagosalibrary.org or (970) 264-2209.
Construction update
At the end of this month, we’ll see the landscaping transformation begin in earnest, although I’m sure you’ve already noticed the exterior site work on the parking lot. After project completion, parking access will return to the 8th Street entry.
With the new outdoor experience you will notice the children’s garden patio, a picnic area for all, and a reading garden with comfortable seating and event space.
June marks a big transition as we switch from the old side to the new side. We’ll transfer service to the new section while the old section gets a facelift. In late August, the two portions will be combined into one big, beautiful building. Our grand opening is tentatively set for Labor Day weekend.
Follow us on Facebook for periodic pictures of progress.
Adopt-a-Tree Program
We have 26 new trees planned for our outdoor community garden, and you could put your name on one of them in exchange for a $500 donation. Individuals, families, clubs, businesses and organizations are welcome to participate.
Interested? Here’s how to get started: Write a check to Ruby Sisson Library or donate online at https://www.pagosalibrary.org. Fill out a donation form telling us what you want your garden stake to say in six words or less. Forms are available on our website or in paper form at the library.
Thanks for helping us create a beautiful new outdoor space in our community.
Friends of the Library book donation opportunity
The Friends of the Library are accepting donations of gently used books in the library parking lot on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Donations will be included Friends annual sale, which will be held July 16-18 at the Community United Methodist Church.
Thank you to our Friends for hosting this opportunity because the library cannot accept book donations during construction.
Register now for Summer Reading Program
Between June 1 and Aug. 30, summer readers can track their reading on the Beanstack app, complete bingo activity challenges, and attend free events at the library and across the community.
With our ongoing construction project and reduced programming space, we’ll be hosting some events at places like Yamaguchi Park, Chimney Rock National Monument and more. These field trips are for all ages and any entry admission will be covered by the library.
We’ll have a whole lineup of “Read Wild!” themed events in addition to our standing offerings for children, teens and adults. You can visit pagosalibrary.org/summer for more details.
Citizenship classes
Join our test prep classes for the U.S. citizenship test on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on South Pagosa Boulevard.
Colorado Parks Passes for checkout
The weather is perfect to get outside. 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.
Meet us out in the community
Now that we have much less space for our operations and no meeting rooms during construction, several of our regular activities and special events are happening in other locations.
Please check the listings in this column and on your library’s website, pagosalibrary.org, for location changes throughout the construction. If no other location is mentioned, the activity will stay at your library.
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.
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.
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 CloudLibrary or Libby.
New in the children’s collection
• From Canadian author Benjamin Flouw, “The Golden Glow” is a colorful picture book that follows a curious fox that embarks on a nature quest to find a rare, undescribed golden plant, and encounters woodland friends and learns about flora along the way.
• “You’re My Little Grogu” by Grace Baranowski is an adorable board book to share with your littlest “Star Wars” fan. With chunky pages for little hands and die-cut shapes of characters from “The Mandalorian,” children will love the cute illustrations of Grogu, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker, Bo-Katan and Din Djarin.
• “I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy” is written by fierce library advocate Mychal Threets, who has risen as a social media influencer sharing compelling short video stories about the power of libraries from his own experience as a librarian. Threets’ debut picture book is a heartwarming reminder that everyone is welcome at the library, a place filled with activities, games and countless stories.
New nonfiction
• In “Kate!: The Courage, Grace, and Power of the Woman Who Will Be Queen,” master biographer Christopher Andersen chronicles Kate Middleton’s life, beginning with her humble roots, her off-again, on-again love story with William that catapulted her to global fame, and the 2011 “Wedding of the Century” that was watched by a global television audience of nearly 2 billion people.
• “Decorative Art of the Southwestern Indians” by Dorothy Sides is the newest addition to our Chimney Rock collection. Sides is a noted artist and collector, and has gathered together and redrawn in black and white nearly 300 examples of the finest authentic Southwestern Indian decoration that she has seen in a lifetime of study.
• “Painting the Secrets of the Forest With Watercolors” by Jennifer Lefevre guides readers into the whimsical world of watercolor painting, revealing how to capture the quiet beauty, mystery and texture of the forest— its plants, flowers, mosses and creatures— through luminous, nature-inspired art.
New fiction books
• Told with Sally Hepworth’s twists, humor, charm and heart, “Mad Mabel” is novel that weaves past and present together — through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.
• “Ruby Falls” by Gin Phillips is equal parts twisting mystery and historical fiction set in 1928 Chattanooga when a man disappears down a hole in the ground and discovers a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain that he later names after his wife: Ruby Falls.
• “The Llano County Mermaid Club” is written by University of New Mexico Press author Kathleen M. Rodgers and is set in the desert town Sandhill, N.M. The community pool and the nearby Santa Rosa Blue Hole are the closest a group of friends can get to their dream of mermaids and seeing the ocean.
New to us: classics worth rereading
• “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London inspired our summer reading theme, “Read Wild!” As the community read title, we’ll have 100 copies of the book for summer reading participants to keep. This classic book symbolizes the westward struggle and pioneering spirit that settled the American West, a suiting read for America 250/Colorado 150.
• “The Seven Dials Mystery” by Agatha Christie is a classic detective story where a practical joke goes chillingly, murderously wrong. This book is now being adapted into a Netflix original series, and the audiobook is read by the star of the series, Mia McKenna-Bruce.
New DVDs
• “Camera” follows a young boy who cannot speak as he moves to a struggling fishing town with his widowed mom. Bullied by his peers, Oscar finds his artistic voice with the help of an eccentric repairman and a film camera.
• “The Ragin’ 13” follows Walter Imahara, a Japanese American internment survivor who co-founded a Cajun weightlifting dynasty, bridging cultures, winning nationally and witnessing the loss of close friend David Berger in the 1972 Munich Olympics.
• In “Murder Before Evensong” empathetic Canon Daniel Clement is pulled into a murder investigation in 1980s England. This movie is based on the novels by the Rev. Richard Coles.
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