The holidays will soon be over and January is fast approaching. While January is one of the seven months of the year that have 31 days, have you noticed that it seems so much longer? If you tend to have the winter doldrums, be sure to visit the library.January will be a busy month with many ongoing library activities to keep all ages occupied on those long, cold winter days.
Story times will resume on January 8. We offer various types of story times for ages six months through six years. These sessions tend to be very popular and fill up quickly, so phone the Children's Room soon at 663-4455 to reserve a space for your child. Be sure to also ask about the craft program on Saturday, January 13 for grades one and up.
By popular request, the library will offer a beginning knitting workshop. If you've always wanted to try knitting, but don't know how to get started, this is the program for you. Participants will meet four Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. to learn knitting basics. Program dates are January 9, 16, 23, and 30.Phone the Main Circulation Desk at 663-2826 and ask one of our friendly staff for more information.
On Saturday, January 27 join Outreach Librarian Lori Durbin at 10:00 a.m. for a creative Valentine craft for adults. Or if this date doesn't work for you, the Valentine craft will be offered at the Westport Branch on Wednesday, January 31 at 3:30 p.m. The Westport staff would be glad to have you join them.
Our annual Cabin Fever Reading Club will kick off on January 15 and run through February 24. This very popular program is designed for adults with prizes for various levels of participation. There will also be five weekly drawings for a book give-away and a grand prize drawing when the reading club ends.
The featured book for the prize drawings is "You've Got to Read This Book:55 People Tell the Story of the Book That Changed Their Life" by Jack Canfield. Canfield is the popular author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book series and this book is another of his inspirational offerings. He asks the question, "Can a book really change your life?" The answer is "Absolutely!" and 55 people from all walks of life share the story of the books that made a difference to them.
Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of the Oprah Book Club selection "The Deep End of the Ocean", was inspired by Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Mitchard has read Smith's book 11 times and says she has a tradition of reading it before every book that she writes. Of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", Mitchard says, "There is no book that has inspired me more as a writer, as a person, and as a mother."
Maynard Webb, the CEO of eBay cites "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey as his life changing book. Covey classifies activities into four quadrants based on importance and urgency. Webb says the chapter entitled "Beginning with the End in Mind" switched on a mental light and has been the guiding principle in his life. This book encouraged him to consider the all important question of "How do you want to be remembered?" While this book has been adopted by the business world, it can be applied to all aspects of your life.
Steven Covey's book changed the life of Maynard Webb. So, what is Steven Covey's life changing book? He says that "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl gave him "an understanding that you have the power to choose your response to any given set of circumstances." Frankl lived this principle in the Nazi death camps. The power of Frankl's book has inspired the life and teaching of Steven Covey.
I was particularly interested to read Nancy Pearl's choice of life changing book. In the world of librarian's, Nancy is the equivalent of a rock star! She is the former director for the Washington Center for the Book at the Seattle Public Library, a regular commentator on National Public Radio, and was the originator of the idea of community wide reading programs. Her book choice is "Space Cadet" by Robert Heinlein. It is the story of a group of boys from different planets who want the join the Solar Patrol, the galaxy's peacekeeping body. Pearl first read this book at age ten and it taught her that "books can take you to other worlds." She says that her values and character were influenced by reading and that in "Space Cadet" she was introduced to the concept of "honor and doing the honorable thing." She soon branched out into "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" and was hooked on reading. Pearl says that she became a librarian in order to "share the gift of reading and inspire others to open books to begin their own journeys of discovery and enrichment."
And just in case you aren't one of the lucky Cabin Fever Reading Club winners of "You've Got to Read This Book" by Jack Canfield, this doesn't mean you can't still read it!We have copies available for check out.
For the New Year, I hope that you will all open a book and begin your own journey. Season's Readings to All and hope to see you soon at the Greensburg-Decatur County Library!