Join the Summer Library Club!

The "Imagine Your Story" Summer Library Club kicked off earlier this week and runs through August 31. It's free, open to all ages birth to adult, and you don't have be a library member to participate!

To join in the fun, you can pick up a paper packet from the Grab n Go table by the back door of our Ritzville location, download one from our website, or sign up online to track the whole family's reading and activities for the chance to win prizes. 

We’ll also be offering fun online programs all summer long including Cecil the Magician on July 6, conversations with authors Sarah Hulse and Richard Fifield as part of our Fifth Annual Summer AuthorSeries, an ice cream party in August, and more!  Visit our website for more information.

 

~Kylie Fullmer, Director

Cecil the Magician - July 6

Calling All Adults!

If you were to sum up my personality by only the library programming I’ve recently been working on- you’d think I was a zenned out, veggie growing, factoid machine. Unfortunately, only one of those is true (did you know that the hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe?).

So while I may not have achieved enlightenment and planted an award winning vegetable garden, I have been busy bringing some fun new programs to our adult patrons that I’m excited to share with you!

We kicked off Mindfulness Mondays in May- tune into our Facebook page or our YouTube channel each Monday afternoon for a new video touching on tips, tricks, and techniques that will assist you on your mindfulness journey whether you’re a mindfulness novice or well on your way to finding inner peace. Our mental health toolkits can never be too full and we want our patrons to be happy and healthy, both physically and emotionally. Have your own mindfulness tools? We’d love to hear them!

We’re also excited to bring our community the opportunity to get their hands dirty! Have you ever been interested in growing your own vegetables but weren’t quite sure where to start or what seeds to buy? Thanks to a generous donation from our local Ace Hardware, we’re providing free seed packets for patrons wanting to start their own small garden or to try out a new variety. We also have a handy planting and resource guide with some great gardening information from the WSU Extension Office, gardening book recommendations on the Washington Anytime Library, and a list of gardening websites for beginners AND experts.

Seed packets are available every weekday, from 9-5 (weather permitting) at our Grab n’ Go table located by the back entrance of our Ritzville location. We’re hoping this seed project blossoms into a full-time Seed Library in the years to come, with patrons returning their harvested seed to the Seed Library at the end of each growing season. Stay tuned for future plans!

And last but not least, our “From the Couch” Trivia Series has taken off like a rocket!  Each Thursday at 5:30pm, join me on the library’s Facebook page for a virtual trivia game. We’re only on Week 5 and by popular demand, we’ve already extended our game from 5 questions to 10! We may not be playing for prizes but winners are allowed to brag. Join us next week and show off your trivia skills!

~Amy Hille, Library Assistant

Calling All Kids!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I for one am glad to be back at the library!  It’s been great talking to everyone this week as you call to request books and DVDs for curbside delivery, but we sure miss your faces and can’t wait to open back up to the public.

Speaking of faces, you can see mine most days at 3pm on our Facebook page hosting our online kid programs.   Check out our event calendar for our regular programs like crafts, coding activities, Lego building, STEAM challenges, and fun games.  If you’re watching me live, make sure to comment so I know you’re there and if you do the activity later, we’d love if you shared some photos.  That way, it’s almost like we’re doing the activity together!

Some of our programs meet through Zoom so we can all do the activity together.  If you like Page Turners Book Club and Mystery Club, or are a YAC member, just email us, message us on Facebook or Instagram, or sign up for our Remind text messages to get the Zoom meeting info.

Not everything we’re doing is online (because I’m sure you’re all getting as tired of Zoom as me 😆).  So when you stop by the library for curbside delivery next time, swing by the back door to check out our Grab n’ Go table.  Every weekday from 9am-5pm we put out craft bags, bags of books, seed packets for your family garden, and other resources -- and the best part is it’s all free thanks to some generous local donors!

I put a new craft bag out every Thursday so make sure to stop by and see what new craft I put out yesterday.  I don't want to give away the surprise, but it involves LOTS of pipe cleaners 😀

Keep an eye out on Facebook and Instagram for updates about our new craft bags each week.  You can also find this face on our YouTube channel showing you how to do each craft.  See you around the web!

~Millie Hopkins, Youth Services Library Assistant