The library is fortunate to have many people who devote their time and resources to making it a success. We take the time in December to thank all our volunteers who put in so many hours in the stacks, doing recycling, sorting donated books, special projects, packing courier, running programs and serving on the Board. Our annual Volunteer Christmas Appreciation Event is a party not to be missed, with great food, entertainment and door prizes. So, if you want to attend this event next year, sign up to volunteer in the capacity of your choice.
One group of volunteers we could not do without is the Friends of the Library whose task is to raise money for programs like Out Loud and to provide equipment such as our snowshoes and computers. A big chunk of their funding comes from working the casino every 2-3 years. The date for the next casino is June 15 & 16, 2020. If you would like to be one of the team involved with the casino, please call the library and we will get you connected with the Friends.
Once again, we will host Santa at the library to read stories to the kindergarten and Grade 1 students early in December. Please call the library for dates and times. Any pre-school children are welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend the Santa visits, please note that we have an extensive collection of Christmas picture books in our children’s area. We have also reintroduced our themed book bags to the Easy and Juvenile sections. Each bag contains 10 books on the same subject: sports, fairies, penguins, cookbooks etc. They are perfect if you are in a hurry and do not have time to browse the entire selection on the shelf.
As the Christmas/New Year season approaches we remind patrons of our reduced hours. We will be closed December 24 – 26 and December 31 - January 1; open December 27, 28 and 30 from 12-4 pm for all circulation desk services. We will resume regular hours on Thursday, January 2. Please return items in the outside drop box which will be checked regularly on our closed days. Please note that courier items will not resume delivery till January 2.
If you wish to donate to the Salvation Army Toy Drive, the library is a drop off location until December 6, for new, unwrapped toys for children 18 years and under. Please leave your donated items in the box by the circulation desk.
For those of you who have accumulated late fines on your account you can wipe them out by bringing non-perishable items for the food bank to the library. Every donated item equals $1 of fines. We will collect items throughout the month of December. This amnesty applies only to fines, not lost or damaged items.
Our new list of programs for Winter/Spring 2020 will be available at the front desk and online at our website by mid-December. They will also be featured in the centre pages of the High Country News January issue.