By Carole Howard | PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff
We hope you will attend a special fundraiser this Saturday, Sept. 10, at 6 p.m. for your library at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association Clubhouse at 230 Port Ave. that will feature professional storytelling and music. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Ruby Sisson Library Foundation’s campaign to expand and renovate your library.
Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. They can be purchased by credit card at pagosalibrary.org/library-foundation/navigating-the-world-with-stories/. You also may purchase tickets with cash or a check in person at the library.
Featured in this unique program will be two talented performers. Kathy Santopietro is an award-winning adult educator who has shared her storytelling skills with adult audiences for almost 30 years. With the theme of “Navigating the World with Stories,” she will unpack a bundle of stories as she takes us on a journey around the world. Sharing the stage will be Pagosa’s own Sally Neel, a gifted musician well-known to local audiences for her piano, organ and conducting skills at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church and with Curtains Up Pagosa.
The doors open at 6 p.m. with a cash bar. Stories begin at 7 p.m. After the entertainment, the cash bar will reopen, accompanied by light hors d’oeuvres.
This is an adult fundraiser is aimed at ages 16 and up. Earlier in the day on Sept. 10, from 1:30 to 2 p.m., Santopietro will offer a free storytelling program at the library for youngsters in grades four and up and Josie will host a program for younger children.
Library Speakers
Consortium today
There are three events this month in our free online Library Speakers Consortium virtual series featuring New York Times bestselling fiction and nonfiction authors giving live, professionally moderated book discussions you can view on your computer, tablet or smartphone with Internet access. You also have an opportunity to ask questions.
Today, Thursday, Sept. 8, at noon, we will hear from Dr. Michele Borba, author of “Raising Thrivers: Parenting Tips and Tools.” She is an internationally renowned educator, award-winning author and parenting child expert recognized for her solution-based strategies to strengthen children’s empathy, social-emotional intelligence and character, and her efforts to reduce peer cruelty.
Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. features prolific New York Times bestselling British-American author and journalist Simon Winchester. In his career at The Guardian newspaper, Winchester covered numerous significant events, including Bloody Sunday and the Watergate scandal. He also has written or contributed to more than a dozen nonfiction books, written one novel, contributed to multiple travel magazines and taken his readers on amazing adventures around the world.
On Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. we’ll hear from Pulitzer Prize finalist Hernan Diaz. He has written two novels which have been published in more than 20 languages, plus many essays and short stories. He also is the associate director of the Hispanic Institute for Latin American and Iberian Cultures at Columbia University. He is known as a dynamic speaker who captivates audiences with witty conversations about foreignness, his theory of genre, literary history and what it means to do research for a novel.
Legal clinic tomorrow
The free legal clinic this month is happening by appointment tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 9, from 2 to 3 p.m. Come in to the library to meet privately via Zoom with our volunteer attorney, who will answer your questions, show you legal documents and help you fill out the necessary forms. To schedule an appointment, at the beginning of the month, send an email titled “Sign-up for Free Legal Clinic” with your first name and phone number to ruby@pagosalibrary.org, or phone (970) 264-2209 or stop by the library. The volunteer attorney’s time is limited, so it’s first-come, first-served. This clinic takes place on the second Friday of every month.
Children’s Spanish class tomorrow
Join us Friday, Sept. 9, from 2 to 3 p.m. for a Spanish class for kids aged 6 to 11. Miss Josie and Miss Ruby will help you learn and improve your Spanish.
Gaming tomorrow
Enjoy free all-ages video gaming on the Xbox 360 Kinect tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 9, from 3 to 4 p.m.
LEGO Club on Saturday
Kids aged 6 and up are invited to bring your imaginations — LEGOs are provided — on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to noon for the free LEGO Club. LEGO challenges also are posted on Facebook if you can’t make it to the library.
Book club for adults
next Tuesday
Ruby’s Book Club meets in person from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, to discuss “Furious Hours” by Casey Cap. Copies are available at your library. This book club is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles. Anyone is welcome to attend.
Spanish conversation
Next Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., we will gather at the library to practice speaking and listening skills together at this free session. No minimum skill level is required to attend. You also can learn Spanish and many other languages using the Transparent Language Learning database available at https:pagosalibrary.org/online-resources/.
Teen gaming
Free teen gaming happens on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. for teens in the sixth through 12th grades. Enjoy Xbox 360 Kinect, Wii and snacks.
PALS/GED adult
education
In response to popular demand, Mark has doubled the number of his free PALS sessions to 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. This service is in great demand and is used by many people, so we are very happy to make it more available. Note there will be no PALS today, Sept. 8, or Sept. 13, 20 and 22.
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 will be posted Sept. 12 on the library’s Facebook page. We hope you will challenge your creativity by participating in this free activity.
Family storytime
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.
Library hours
Most of our programs happen in person and curbside service continues. Also, our hours are back to pre-COVID levels — and even more on weekdays:
• 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.
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.
Other novels
“Dark Secret, Silent Promise” and “An Honorable Anger” are books two and three in the Woodbridge trilogy.
Donations
We are grateful to Christine Bemish and our anonymous donors for their materials donations. 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) when we are open. 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
“... celebrity book clubs still have the power to move books en masse. In 2021, 10 of the 15 debut novels on The New York Times’s bestseller list were book club selections by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager or Good Morning America.” — “How to Get Published,” an article in The New York Times, Aug. 25, 2022.
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.
