DR. SEUSS IS COMING TO THE LIBRARY! The Pinnacle Art Group Presents: “The
Art of Dr. Seuss”
March 2 - 30 GALLERY OPEN DURING ALL LIBRARY HOURS Special Kick-off Event on Thursday, March 2 from 5 PM - 8 PM
“From there to here and here to there, funny things are everywhere!” The wildly imaginative creations included in the Secret Art Collection show a previously unseen dimension of this beloved author's art. Theodor Seuss Geisel created paintings and sculptures for his own pleasure, rarely exhibiting these treasures during his lifetime. Geisel entrusted these exquisite works of art to his wife, Audrey, to fulfill his dream that they be shared with his fans upon his passing. This collection has visited galleries and museums across the world.
“And to think that I saw it on ‘Dix’ Street!” Otsego District Library has been given a wonderful opportunity to showcase this unique art collection of Dr. Seuss' private art work. Help us celebrate National Reading Month by viewing this amazing exhibit in the library’s program room any time the library is open during March.
The library invites you to a Special Kick-off Event on Dr. Seuss' birthday, Thursday, March 2 from 5 PM - 8 PM. Enjoy fun Seussical activities, free popcorn, Dr. Seuss mascots, and much more! The presenter of this private art collection will share a first-hand account of Dr. Seuss’ life and the stories behind his artwork during this special presentation at 7 PM.
Tuesday, December 27 – Saturday, January 21 Open During All Library Hours Plan to bring your family and friends to visit a world of sweets! Your favorite childhood game came to life in the library’s program room in December. Life-Size Candyland will provide an adventure for patrons of all ages! The library is thankful for the many local businesses that have sponsored Candyland. Cost is $1.00 to play or a maximum of $5.00 per family (children 2 and under are FREE). Proceeds from this event will go toward the purchase of a new playhouse and literacybased activities in the Rise & Shine Early Literacy Center.
ADULT PROGRAMS One-On-One Tech Help
Schedule a half-hour session with library staff to get help with computers, devices, Overdrive, Hoopla, etc. Call or visit the library to schedule an appointment on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday afternoons or evenings. Sessions are limited to half an hour, two per month, per patron. Please let the staff know what you would like to work on in advance. Staff will alert you if they are not able to assist with your request.
Canvas Café
Sara Strong Glupker of Sara Strong Studios Saturday, February 18 9 AM – Noon
Create a beautiful painting while receiving step-by-step instruction. Artists will be painting a winter scene during this session. The cost is $20 and preregistration is required (non-refundable). Space is limited to 40 participants. The cost covers the instruction of class, your finished product, door prizes, and a continental breakfast including coffee from Mezzo.
Michigan Back Roads Author Ron Rademacher
Thursday, April 13 at 7 PM Ron Rademacher is the author of five books featuring the backroads of Michigan road trips. Join us for an entertaining and educational slide presentation and discussion about some of Michigan’s most unique destinations! Get ready to take notes of some fun places to visit.
A Thousand Letters Home Author Teresa Irish Presents: “The Journey of the Letters” Thursday, March 23 at 7 PM The program that we were so excited to offer last fall has been rescheduled! Teresa Irish presents the entertaining, inspirational and life-affirming story of The Journey of the Letters. After the 2006 death of her father, Bud, Teresa found the 1,000 letters he wrote home from WWII to his parents and to the sweetheart who would later become his wife. These treasures are the basis for the book: A Thousand Letters Home. The firsthand account through the eyes, heart and words of one soldier mirrors the journeys of many who served in WWII. Teresa’s skillful, engaging storytelling blends humor and history to leave audiences laughing, crying, enriched and inspired. Teresa has been featured at over 240 venues including ABC News and NPR. Visit her website at www.AThousandLettersHome.com. This is a program you won’t want to miss! Hardcover and softcover books will be available for sale & signing.
ADULT PROGRAMS Adult Winter Reading Club
AARP Tax-Aide
January 3 - March 31
Thursday Appointments February 2-April 13
Sign up to be part of our Adult “Read and Dine” Club. Read ten books and you could win a Kindle Fire HD or one of four $25.00 gift cards to local restaurants.
Registration for appointments will begin Monday, January 16, at 9 AM. Call 269-694-9690 or visit the library to register. Space is limited.
Senior Club
Reading logs will be available at the circulation desk starting on January 3, 2017.
First Friday of the month at 1 PM January 6 February 3 March 3 April 7
Monday, March 13 12 PM - 6 PM Stop by the library to make a donation!
New Year, New You! Dietitian Trish McPherson Valentine’s Party Safety Program Otsego Chief of Police Gordon Konkle Blue Star Mothers of America
Sizzlers Book Club
Third Thursday of each month at 7 PM
January 19 February 16 March 16 April 20
Underground Railroad Commonwealth The Mothers The Silent Wife
Colson Whitehead Ann Patchett Brit Bennett A.S.A. Harrison
2nd Monday Book Club
Second Monday of each month at 1 PM
January 9 February 13 March 13 April 10
The Lighthouse Keeper The Last Midwife I Still Dream of You My Sister’s Keeper
James Michael Prat Sandra Dallas Fannie Flagg Jodi Picoult
Non-Fiction Book Club
Second Tuesday of each month at 7 PM January 10 February 14 March 14 April 11
George Washington’s Secret Six Brian Kilmeade The Immortal Irishman Timothy Egan Indestructible John R. Bruning Sgt. Reckless Robin Hutton
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Birth through elementary school
Tiny Tots Tuesdays at 10 AM March 7-21 and April 11-25
Ages 0-2 Stories, Songs, and Simple Rhymes
Storytime Wednesdays at 10 AM Ages 0-5
Promoting Early Literacy Skills through Fun Stories, Songs, Activities and Crafts
FAMILY FUN! January 25-March 22
BUGS GALORE! April 12-May 10
Music and Movement Fridays at 10 AM January 27-March 24 and April 14-May 12 Ages 0-5 Energetic Music and Enticing Activities for Enthusiastic Children!
FULL STEAM AHEAD
Saturday, February 4 10 AM – NOON
Preschool-Elementary School Age Children Children will be able to adopt their very own free puppy. (Don’t worry parents, the puppies are stuffed). Paws with a Cause will give a short presentation on raising and training a future Assistance Dog.
Tuesdays at 4 PM
Elementary Age Children Join us for food, science, construction, games and fun. Hands-on activities coupled with demonstrations teach awesome STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) principles in an engaging way. Winter Session: Science -January 31 Technology - February 7 Engineering – February 14 Art – February 21 Math – February 28 Spring Session: Science - April 11 Technology – April 18 Engineering – April 25 Art - May 2 Math – May 9
Watch “The Secret Life of Pets” while munching on free “pup”corn during the movie. COME…SIT…STAY…PLAY!
Chess Club Wednesday at 4 PM January 25-May 10
Elementary – High School. No meeting on April 5.
Early Literacy Center Themes January Bakery February/March Log Cabin April/May Superhero Headquarters
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS Birth through elementary school
LEGO Animals Monday, April 3 at 2 PM
Elementary Age Children Create your own animal menagerie using the library’s collection of LEGOs!
Canvas Cafe for Kids Tuesday, April 4 10 AM - Noon
Elementary Age Children Come and create a canvas painting of an owl while receiving step-by-step instructions from our library director, Andrea Estelle. This is a free class, but you do need to register. Space is limited to 30 participants.
Animal Workshop Wednesday, April 5 at 10 AM
Preschool-Elementary Age Children Charity Cramer will be at the library with Mojo the Moneky mascot. There will be animal-themed face painting, crafts, snacks, and a chance to win a stuffed animal!
John Ball Traveling Zoo Friday, April 7 at 2 PM
All ages The library is bringing the zoo to you! This will be the grand finalé to our week of amazing animals.
1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN Sign up at the library for this easy, fun, FREE 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers! Developing literacy skills begins at birth and continues through toddler and preschooler years. The best way to ensure a child has the skills necessary to learn to read is having someone read aloud to them. Learn more about this exciting program at the library or on our website at www.otsegolibrary.org.
Teen & Tween PROGRAMS Middle School & High School
FREE Candyland Day
Friday, January 6 at 4 PM - 5 PM Are you ready to visit the world of sweets? Teens and tweens can play our Life-size Candyland Game for FREE your friends!
Valentine Bash! SPRING Break CrafTEENS Teens and tweens can create mindblowing art over spring break. Each event features a fun and new art project!
Friday, February 10 at 4 PM Celebrate Valentine’s Day with us! Love is in the air and Cupid’s arrows are flying everywhere. Join us for food, refreshments, and fun at the Valentine Bash! Couples and singles are welcome to attend.
LEGO Robotics
Canvas Painting Wednesday, April 5 at 4 PM Create an awesome painting and take home your masterpiece. Registration required. Space is limited to 20 participants . Beaded Hemp Bracelets Thursday, April 6 at 4 PM Craft your own bracelet out of beads, thread, and hemp cord. Clothes Pin Picture Frame Friday, April 7 at 4 PM Design a custom picture frame out of clothespins and cardboard!
TAB: Teen Advisory Board Third Thursday of the month Meets at 4 PM
Teen Advisory Board volunteers meet monthly to brainstorm teen program and collection recommendations. TAB members receive service hour credit for meetings and projects. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Saturdays from 9:30 AM – 12 PM January 28, February 11 & 25, March 11 & 25, April 8 & 22, & May 6 Middle school & high school. Registration is required; $10 fee
Chess Club
Wednesdays at 4 PM January 25-May 10
Elementary – High School. No meeting on April 5.
Last Tuesday of the month Meets at 4 PM
Come for the pizza, stay for the fun! Join us each month to discuss what you have just read or are currently reading. Pizza and re freshments will be provided.
Teen Scene
January 27 – May 12 Fridays at 4 PM
Hang out with us each week as we play games, watch movies, and create some lasting memories. We will be featuring XBox Kinect and Nintendo Wii gaming systems and some exciting tabletop games. We do not meet on holiday weeks or the week of other scheduled special teen programming.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Fox Mascot! You may have seen our display in the library this past year or our photos on Facebook about the fox family (a mother and three kits) that was living in the woods behind the library. Because our resident fox family became so popular, we decided that the fox would be our library's new children's mascot! The Friends of the Library purchased a fox mascot costume for the library, and you will now see our fox at many library programs and events! We are going to be holding a children’s mascot-naming contest this winter. One lucky child will get the honor of naming our fox mascot and will win a stuffed fox! Watch for details in the library!
Friends of the Library Book Sale & Meeting
The next Friends of the Library meeting is March 27, 2017, at 6:30 PM. The Friends are always looking for new members! Stop in the library or call to ask for more information The Spring Book Sale is April 20-22; Saturday is $1/Bag day. The Friends would love help loading and unloading boxes of books for their BIG Spring Book Sale. Please leave your name and number for the Friends if you are strong and able to help!
We are very excited to offer a great new service this winter called Hoopla! Hoopla is a digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, audiobooks, ebooks, comics, and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone. There are no holds, and multiple users can use the same title at the same time! With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones and tablets for offline enjoyment later. There are hundreds of thousands of titles to choose from, with more being added daily. Hoopla is like having your public library at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Take a look at what the “Hoopla” is all about this winter!
Inclement Weather Notice
If Otsego Public Schools are canceled due to inclement weather, children and teen programming will be canceled for the day.
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PD OTSEGO, MI PERMIT NO. 3 ********ERCWSSEDDM**** Residential Customer
Notice: New 2017 Prices Black & White Prints & Copies: 15¢ Color Prints & Copies: 50¢ Both Incoming & Outgoing Faxes: $1
CLOSINGS:
New Year’s Day President’s Day/Staff Training Easter Weekend
January 2 February 20 April 15
NOURISHING THE SPIRIT AT OTSEGO DISTRICT LIBRARY Winter is a wonderful time of year to visit the library! What is better than visiting the library to check out a big stack of books to take home, get cozy, and read on a snowy day? Or, sitting in peace at the library by our fireplace and enjoying a good book, newspaper, magazine, or surfing the web? As you can see we also have many fun programs planned this winter. We hope to see you at several of our exciting events! We are all buzzing about Dr. Seuss’ secret art collection visit! Be sure you don’t miss a visit to the library in March to see this awesome secret collection. One question I hear every now and then is: “Why do we do library programs – what is their purpose?” It is a valid and interesting question to think about. Why do we offer programming when we could use those funds instead towards increasing our collection, technology, staffing, or improving the building? At libraries, we have learned to make our dollars stretch! In 2016, only three percent of our budget was spent on programming and we offered 335 total programs to over 9,000 attendees! I see programming as absolutely VITAL to the heart of what our library offers to the community. We recently held a Minecraft program, and if you wanted to see boys get excited about the library and reading, that was the morning to visit! The program also drew kids in to explore our collection afterwards… we had a Minecraft display of books up and every single one was checked out. One senior gentleman happened to be in the library that morning and commented to our staff, “This is wonderful. The children are associating the library with fun. Then as they mature, they’ll continue to see the library as a fun and interesting place.” This is exactly why we offer programs starting at birth, with programs like Tiny Tots, Storytime, and Music and Movement! Our programs draw in new faces to the library and expand horizons, but most of all they offer “nourishment for the spirit.” I love these quotes from the American Library Association and I think they sum up the “WHY” of library programming perfectly: “Libraries are many things to their communities. They offer the practical information people need to improve their quality of life and to increase individual options in a complex society.” “Libraries also give their communities something less tangible, yet just as essential to a satisfying and productive life—nourishment for the spirit.” “Such programs help to illuminate the experiences, beliefs and values that unite us as human beings. They stimulate us to make connections where we noticed none before—between our ancestors and ourselves, between one culture and another, between the community and the individual.” Would you like your spirit nourished this winter? Come hear Theresa Irish Ron Rademacher, paint a winter scene at Canvas Café, or explore the secret art of Dr. Seuss. Bring your children or grandchildren in for an Amazing Animal activity, STEAM program, or any of our regular youth programs. Come see what the library can offer your family! As Dr. Seuss said, “If you never did you should. These things are fun, and fun is good!” Sincerely, Andrea Estelle, Library Director
