Holiday multi-tasking.

If you're going to be on Amazon over the next month (and I suspect you might be), please consider using this link:

It's a nice bit of holiday multi-tasking. Do your gift shopping and support your libraries at the same time. And you don't even need to change out of your pajamas.  Everyone wins!

Mexico Public Library to receive $50,000 for building project

So, it's a great time to be the Mexico Public Library.

Senator Patty Ritchie's office announced last week that as part of the $148,000 in special funding that the senator has secured for libraries in her district, Mexico Public Library will receive $50,000 to help with a building project. 

Mexico Public Library, Mexico, NY.

Dorothy Dineen is the library director at Mexico, and she was kind enough to take the time to tell me a little about this unexpected - but very welcome - news:

Angela: Did you have any idea this was coming?

Dorothy: No! I last spoke with a representative of Senator Ritchie's office over the summer.  She asked about our facility needs and if we had any projects going on. 

We had actually hired an architect in 2012 to do a facilities study for us and help us come up with a renovation plan, which they did.  The first phase of that was exterior masonry work that was a must to do because it was required for safety and structural reasons.  We applied for a construction grant and completed that work last year.  The rest of their plan was renovation of currently unused space on the second floor, which included adding more exits, stairways, etc. and their estimate was $500,000!

In the midst of the facility study, they discovered an issue with our roof that would need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

So anyway, we were at that phase when I talked with Senator Ritchie's office over the summer. I explained about our roof issue and also that we were looking to break up that huge $500,000 renovation into smaller manageable chunks that we could do in phases, the first being a much needed upgrade to our current meeting/program room. 

When I was speaking with her office, I thought it was for one of those $3,000 grants that we were grateful to have received from Senator Ritchie before.  I was completely floored when I read the letter that said we had been granted $50,000!

The current second floor meeting room space during a library program.

Angela: Wow. That's pretty outstanding. So, you'll use the $50,000 for the roof and the second floor upgrade?

Dorothy: Yes, that's the plan.  We will meet with the architect again in January and then begin getting project estimates to submit.  Hopefully we can begin work in the spring.

Angela: That's wonderful. Out of curiosity, how old is the building?

Dorothy: It was built approximately 1868 and was a store, I think.  It was owned by the Brown Family of Grandma Brown's Bean fame in the early 1900's (they made the beans here) and was given to the village in the late 1970's for the library.

Thanks to Dorothy for chatting with The Frozen Librarian, and once again, congratulations!

School Library Journal Best of 2014

So, SLJ released their picks for the best books of 2014, which is very exciting. Even more exciting is being able to link out to those same titles in our e-book catalog. Some titles aren't yet available as e-books (especially picture book titles), but what NCLS can get, we've been getting. Enjoy!

Nonfiction

The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life, by Lois Ehlert.

Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines, by Paul Fleischman.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, by Candace Fleming. (Also available in audio.)

Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat, by Gail Jarrow.
 
All Different Now: Juneteenth, the First Day of Freedom, by Angela Johnson. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis.

A Volcano Beneath the Snow: John Brown's War Against Slavery, by Albert Marrin.

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, by Patricia Hruby Powell. Illustrated by Christian Robinson.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, by Steve Sheinkin. (Also available in audio.)

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold, by Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Rick Allen. (Not available for checkout until November 25. But you can place a hold!)

The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, by Peter Sis.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family's Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh. (Also available in audio.)

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson. (Also available in audio.)

Picture Books 

The Baby Tree, by Sophie Blackall.

Big Bug, by Henry Cole.

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas, by Lynne Cox. Illustrated by Brian Floca.

Once Upon an Alphabet, by Oliver Jeffers.

The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse, by Patricia MacLachlan. Illustrated by Hadley Hooper.

Viva Frida, by Yuyi Morales.

Middle Grade

The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander.
 
The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier.

El Deafo, by Cece Bell.

Nest, by Esther Ehrlich.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee. (Also available in audio.)

My Heart is Laughing, by Rose Lagercrantz. Illustrated by Eva Erikkson.

Rain Reign, by Ann M. Martin.

The Boundless, by Kenneth Oppel.

The Red Pencil, by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans.

West of the Moon, by Margi Preus.

Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, by Katherine Rundell.

Revolution by Deborah Wiles. (Audio only.)

Young Adult

The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Avalon, by Mindee Arnett.

The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone, by Adele Griffin.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, by A.S. King. (Also available in audio.)

Mortal Heart, by Robin LaFevers.

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart.

Egg & Spoon, by Gregory Maguire.

Althea & Oliver, by Cristina Moracho.

I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson.

Gabi: A Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero.

Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith. (Also available in audio.)

Blue Lily, Lily Blue, by Maggie Stiefvater.

The Accidental Highwayman, by Ben Tripp.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, by Leslye Walton.

Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfield.

Belzhar, by Meg Wolitzer.

Lake Effect Reading List

Snowed in? Library closed? No worries! You can always download e-books with your North Country library card! Here's a particularly snowy list of children's titles:

Over and Under the Snow, by Kate Messner. Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.

Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the wonder and activity that lies beneath winter s snowy landscape in this magical book.

Mouse and Mole: A Winter Wonderland, by Wong Herbert Yee. 

Yippee! It is a winter wonderland! What better day for Mouse and Mole to go sledding, whirl around on ice skates, and build snowmen together?

But Mole does not want to go outside. Too cold! Too windy! He prefers to stay as snug as a bug in a rug inside his nice, warm bed.

Mouse is lonely. Ice skating and sledding just aren't as fun for one. Then she gets an idea...a Sno-Mole might do the trick! Mole won't be needing his hat or scarf or mittens...or will he?

Sometimes even best friends want to do different things. But at the end of a cold winter's day, it's nice to know that your best friend will be there waiting for you, with warm mittens and all.

The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder, by Mark Cassino.

How do snow crystals form? What shapes can they take? Are no two snow crystals alike? These questions and more are answered in this visually stunning exploration of the science of snow. Perfect for reading on winter days, the book features photos of real snow crystals in their beautiful diversity. Snowflake-catching instructions are also included.

Whale Snow, by Debbie Dahl Edwardson. Illustrated by Annie Patterson.

Amiqqaq is excited when his family catches a bowhead whale. As his family prepares to celebrate the traditional Iñupiaq whaling feast, Amiqqaq learns about the spirit-of-the-whale.

The Life Cycle of a Penguin, by Colleen Sexton.


Penguins must complete their life cycle in very cold temperatures. To protect their eggs from the cold, penguins use brood patches. Students will watch a penguin chick hatch from an egg and grow into an adult.

Balto and the Great Race, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel.

Balto has a quiet life as a sled dog--until tragedy strikes. Dozens of children in Nome become sick with diphtheria. Without antitoxin serum, they will perish--and the closest supply is 650 miles away! The only way to get the serum to Nome is by sled, but can the dogs deliver it in time? Heading bravely into a brutal blizzard, Balto leads the race for life.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis.

Narnia . . . a land frozen in eternal winter . . . a country waiting to be set free.

Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that has become part of the canon of classic literature, drawing readers of all ages into a magical land with unforgettable characters for over fifty years.

Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6) by Jeff Kinney.

Greg Heffley is in big trouble. School property has been damaged, and Greg is the prime suspect. But the crazy thing is, he's innocent. Or at least sort of.The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts he's going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, by Karen Foxlee. (Available in audio!)

A luminous retelling of the Snow Queen, this is the story of unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard who doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty, the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.

As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.

A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford.

It's wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler's inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo's home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves.

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu. (Also available in audio!) 

The winner of numerous awards and recipient of four starred reviews, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs is a stunning and heartbreaking story of growing up, wrapped in a modern-day fairy tale.

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu tells, in her one-of-a-kind voice, a story that brings together fifty years of children's literature in a tale as modern as it is timeless. Hazel's journey to come to terms with her evolving friendship with Jack will deeply resonate with young readers.

The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman.

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other...

Blizzard!, by Jim Murphy. Audio, narrated by Taylor Mali.

Jim Murphy's careful research puts the listener in the front seat of the Great Blizzard of 1888 - one of the most devastating natural disasters in U.S. history -and provides a clear understanding of why life in the United States was forever changed afterward.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

Lake Effect Reading List: Grown-up Edition

 The Winter People,  by Jennifer McMahon.

West Hall, Vermont, has always been a town of strange disappearances and old legends. The most mysterious is that of Sara Harrison Shea, who, in 1908, was found dead in the field behind her house just months after the tragic death of her daughter, Gertie. 

Now, in present day, nineteen-year-old Ruthie lives in Sara's farmhouse with her mother, Alice, and her younger sister, Fawn. Alice has always insisted that they live off the grid, a decision that suddenly proves perilous when Ruthie wakes up one morning to find that Alice has vanished without a trace. 

Searching for clues, she is startled to find a copy of Sara Harrison Shea's diary hidden beneath the floorboards of her mother's bedroom. As Ruthie gets sucked deeper into the mystery of Sara's fate, she discovers that she's not the only person who's desperately looking for someone that they've lost. But she may be the only one who can stop history from repeating itself.

The Wolves of Midwinter, by Anne Rice.

The novel opens on a cold, gray landscape. It is the beginning of December. Oak fires are burning in the stately flickering hearths of Nideck Point. It is Yuletide. For Reuben Golding, now infused with the Wolf Gift and under the loving tutelage of the Morphenkinder, this promises to be a Christmas like no other . . .

The Yuletide season, sacred to much of the human race, has been equally sacred to the Man Wolves, and Reuben soon becomes aware that they, too, steeped in their own profound rituals, will celebrate the ancient Midwinter festival deep within the verdant richness of Nideck forest.

From out of the shadows of Nideck comes a ghost--tormented, imploring, unable to speak yet able to embrace and desire with desperate affection . . . As Reuben finds himself caught up with--and drawn to--the passions and yearnings of this spectral presence, and as the swirl of preparations reaches a fever pitch for the Nideck town Christmas festival of music and pageantry, astonishing secrets are revealed; secrets that tell of a strange netherworld, of spirits other than the Morphenkinder, centuries old, who inhabit the dense stretches of redwood and oak that surround the magnificent house at Nideck Point, "ageless ones" who possess their own fantastical ancient histories and who taunt with their dark magical powers . . .

The Snow Queen, by Michael Cunningham. (Audio, narrated by Claire Danes.)

Michael Cunningham's luminous novel begins with a vision. It's November 2004. Barrett Meeks, having lost love yet again, is walking through Central Park when he is inspired to look up at the sky; there he sees a pale, translucent light that seems to regard him in a distinctly godlike way. Barrett doesn't believe in visions—or in God—but he can't deny what he's seen.

At the same time, in the not-quite-gentrified Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, Tyler, Barrett's older brother, a struggling musician, is trying—and failing—to write a wedding song for Beth, his wife-to-be, who is seriously ill. Tyler is determined to write a song that will be not merely a sentimental ballad but an enduring expression of love.

Barrett, haunted by the light, turns unexpectedly to religion. Tyler grows increasingly convinced that only drugs can release his creative powers. Beth tries to face mortality with as much courage as she can summon.

Cunningham follows the Meeks brothers as each travels down a different path in his search for transcendence. In subtle, lucid prose, he demonstrates a profound empathy for his conflicted characters and a singular understanding of what lies at the core of the human soul.

The Snow Queen, beautiful and heartbreaking, comic and tragic, proves again that Cunningham is one of the great novelists of his generation.

Bury This, by Andrea Portes.  

If twenty-five years can discover the internet, the cell phone, this thing called the iPod, can twenty-five years discover the secret of a girl murdered, abandoned, by the side of the road?
 
That is the haunting premise of Bury This, an impressionistic literary thriller about the murder of a young girl in small-town Michigan in 1979. Beth Krause was by all intents a good little girl – member of the church choir, beloved daughter of doting parents, friend to the downtrodden. But dig a little deeper into any small town, and conflicts and jealousies begin to appear. And somewhere is that heady mix lies the answer to what really happened to Beth Krause.

Her unsolved murder becomes the stuff of town legend, and twenty-five years later the case is re-ignited when a group of film students start making a documentary on Beth's fateful life. The town has never fully healed over the loss of Beth, and the new investigation calls into light several key characters: her father, a WWII vet; her mother, once the toast of Manhattan; her best friend, abandoned by her mother and left to fend for herself against an abusive father; and the detective, just a rookie when the case broke, haunted by his inability to bring Beth's murderer to justice. All of these passions will collide once the identity of Beth's murderer is revealed, proving once again that some secrets can never stay buried.

The Apartment, by Greg Baxter. 

One snowy December morning in an old European city, an American man leaves his shabby hotel to meet a local woman who has agreed to help him search for an apartment to rent. THE APARTMENT follows the couple across a blurry, illogical, and frozen city into a past the man is hoping to forget, and leaves them at the doorstep of an uncertain future-their cityscape punctuated by the man's lingering memories of time spent in Iraq and the life he abandoned in the United States. Contained within the details of this day is a complex meditation on America's relationship with the rest of the world, an unflinching glimpse at the permanence of guilt and despair, and an exploration into our desire to cure violence with violence.

A novel about how our relationships to others-and most importantly to ourselves-alters how we see the world, THE APARTMENT perfectly captures the peculiarity and excitement of being a stranger in a strange city. Written in an affecting and intimate tone that gradually expands in scope, intensity, poetry, and drama, Greg Baxter's clear-eyed first novel tells the intriguing story of these two people on this single day. Both beguiling and raw in its observations and language, THE APARTMENT is a crisp novel with enormous range that offers profound and unexpected wisdom.  

White Fire, by Preston Child. 

Special Agent Pendergast arrives at an exclusive Colorado ski resort to rescue his protégée, Corrie Swanson, from serious trouble with the law. His sudden appearance coincides with the first attack of a murderous arsonist who-with brutal precision-begins burning down multimillion-dollar mansions with the families locked inside. After springing Corrie from jail, Pendergast learns she made a discovery while examining the bones of several miners who were killed 150 years earlier by a rogue grizzly bear. Her finding is so astonishing that it, even more than the arsonist, threatens the resort's very existence.

Drawn deeper into the investigation, Pendergast uncovers a mysterious connection between the dead miners and a fabled, long-lost Sherlock Holmes story-one that might just offer the key to the modern day killings as well.

Now, with the ski resort snowed in and under savage attack-and Corrie's life suddenly in grave danger-Pendergast must solve the enigma of the past before the town of the present goes up in flames. 

The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration, by Alec Wilkinson.

In this grand and astonishing tale, Alec Wilkinson brings us the story of S. A. Andrée, the visionary Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, during the great age of Arctic endeavor, left to discover the North Pole by flying to it in a hydrogen balloon. Called by a British military officer "the most original and remarkable attempt ever made in Arctic exploration," Andrée's expedition was followed by nearly the entire world, and it made him an international legend.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.) 

Potsdam Public Library in the news

It pretty much makes my day when I see North Country libraries in the news. High fives for Potsdam Public Library, who were recently awarded the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce's Pride in Potsdam Community Award!

Photo by North Country Now.

Field trip to Fayetteville!

There are days at work when I have a chance to get out of the office and visit a library. These are my favorite days.  And when the library is the super-innovative Fayetteville Free Library? Well, it was totally worth what we drove through to get there.

FFL has a makerspace in their building (in fact, the first of its kind) and checking that out was the main reason for our visit. A makerspace is exactly what it sounds like - a space where you can make things - and in the library world, it's become what folks call A Thing. FFL calls theirs the Fab Lab, and you can find sewing machines, electrical wiring equipment, hammers, cardboard tubes, tulle, crayons, and of course, 3D printers.

Sewing machine station.

Tools! In the library!

And of course, 3D printing.

And all of this is super cool, there's no denying it. But what's even better is that the spirit of creativity and innovation behind this space is just everywhere at FFL, from the circulating maker kits just inside the front door...

...to this colorful corner of the children's department, where kids are encouraged to make projects out of whatever craft materials happen to be available that day:

 

And if that weren't enough, they've got an in-house cafe! Circulating tablets and e-readers! A podcast station!

If this all sounds like the kind of thing your library could never do, don't be so sure. According to the staff, the Fab Lab began as a single cart, and a lot of the materials are donated by the community or funded through grants. But it seems to me that it's the attitude at FFL that's the foundation for all this good work - it's like this wall-to-wall sense of possibility. Staff are always looking for new ideas to try. Library space is frequently evaluated to ensure that it's being used to its fullest potential. No matter how small you are, that's something any library can do.

Holiday events at your libraries!

With the holidays upon us, lots of folks are looking for low-cost or no-cost activities for some family fun. Look no further! Here's what's happening at North Country libraries this December:

By Library

Annie P. Ainsworth Memorial Library, Sandy Creek

Dickens' Christmas: Saturday, December 13, 2-5pm.
Sandy Creek Friends of Ainsworth will be holding their Dickens' Christmas with special music, readings from Dickens, wassail bowl and delights. Join us at the library at 1pm for community caroling.

Holiday Storytime: Monday, December 15, 6pm.
Sandy Creek will have a special guest from the North Pole. We will have cookies and cocoa. T'was the Night Before Christmas will be read by Barbarajean Wydner. There will be crafts and lots of treats!


Depauville Free Library

Christmas Card Workshop: Tuesday, December 9, 6-8pm.
Gather for a night of family fun and creativity! If you are interested in making your own cards and tags this Christmas Season, Three Mile Bay resident Joyce Gould will ease you through the process. All ages are welcome and refreshments will be served. Free of charge, all supplies provided.

Kids Christmas Fun Day: Saturday, December 13, 10am-3pm.
Children will be treated to holiday stories, movies, popcorn, drinks, and an array of crafts that might just make perfect gifts for them to give to friends or family. Come for an hour or stay for the day!
Brushstrokes by Melina will be at the library in the afternoon to deck the faces of eager children with holly, or whatever their Christmas fancy. At 1pm, there will be a special showing of the Polar Express and Larry Girard, Depauville’s resident train conductor, will be at the library in uniform to make sure everyone has a ticket. Parents can stay and enjoy the activities or, if their child isn’t too young or unwilling, they can leave to shop for a time.  Parents who choose not to stay at the library will be asked to sign a waiver and provide a phone number where they may be reached. If you have a special Christmas movie or story you want to see or hear, call the library at 686-3299 or message us on Facebook.
 
Flower Memorial Library, Watertown

Elf Workshop: Saturday, December 6, 10-11:30am
Looking for a way for your children to make a homemade gift for the holidays? Stop by Flower Library for the 4th Annual Elf Workshop! Library staff and volunteers will be on hand to help your children craft. All children will leave with two wrapped gifts for their loved ones. Parents must remain in the Story Time Room while children are working. For ages 11 and under; no signups needed.

Family Movie & Craft Day: Sunday, December 7, 2:30-4:15pm
Stop by the Community Room at Flower Library for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) PG. We will be making Grinch Masks. Snacks provided!

Make-your-own Gingerbread House: Tuesday, December 9, 6-7pm
Enjoy some holiday music while being creative together as a family! Visit Flower Library to build a family gingerbread house. All materials will be supplied by the library and will be given out on a first come, first serve basis. Parents, you are encouraged to help your children build. For ages 11 and under; no signups needed.

Fulton Public Library

Christmas Cookie Decorating For Kids: Thursday, December 4, 4pm
Children are invited to stop at the library before the tree lighting to decorate cookies.

Christmas Craft Workshop: Saturday, December 13, 10am-Noon
Children can come and make five different Christmas crafts to take home.

Lego Club Winter Wonderland: Thursday, December 18, 4pm 
Kids can come and build Christmas and winter-themed Legos.

Holiday Pajama and Pancake Story Hour: Monday, December 29, 10am
Children can come in their pajamas and listen to holiday stories, make a craft, and of course, eat pancakes!

Hawn Memorial Library, Clayton

Christmas in Clayton: Saturday, December 6. (Festivities throughout the village.)
Starting at 10am at the library we will be making holiday ornaments with the kids. We will have our Tiny Tim's Emporium which our Friends group runs.  This is a table where children can select gifts for their parents/grandparents/caregivers and wrap them while mom and dad etc. are out of the room so that they have a surprise gift.  There will also be a horse and carriage ride starting outside the library.  We will have a float in the parade in the evening. All ages.

Winter Mixed-Media Arts Project: Thursday, December 11, 4-7pm and Saturday, December 13th, 10am-1pm
Think clay, twigs, glitter, and cereal boxes! All ages.

Gift-wrap Craft: Thursday, December 18, 4-7pm
Gift-wrapping and gift tags using ideas popular on Pinterest. Chalkboard paper, washi tape, Not-your-grandma's-doilies! Ages 12 and up.

Each Saturday in December at noon we will be playing a holiday movie, too.

Lyme Free Library, Chaumont

Holiday Art Sale: Saturday, December 6, 1 to 3pm.
Just in time for the holidays, Lyme Free Library’s Holiday Art Sale is sure to delight! With handmade and original work, guests can shop for last-minute gifts or something special for themselves! We invite you to share an experience beyond shopping – connecting with the arts community, and buying local. Local artists, Nancy White, Christy Yarnall, Deanna Carter, and Tracey Kraft will be on hand to discuss their artwork which include quilts, watercolors, drawings, painting on glass, ornaments, and mixed media pieces.

Holiday Ornaments Class for Kids: Fridays, December 12 & 19, 6:30pm
Make beautiful clay ornaments to decorate your tree or give as special stocking stuffers. Make clay holiday ornaments on December 12th, return to paint them on December 19th. Both Classes begin at 6:30pm.  $10.00 per child. All supplies included. Pre-registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 649-5454, or email artsofthebay@gmail.com to register.

Massena Public Library

Reindeer Puppets: Saturday December 12, 10-11:30am
Our friends from the Nature Center will be coming to the library to make reindeer puppets from paper bags.

Christmas Storytime: Tuesday, December 16 and Thursday, December 18, 10am
All children 5 and under are invited to join us for a Christmas-themed storytime. We will listen to music, read a book, do a Christmas craft, and have Christmas snacks. Each child is asked to bring a snack to share.

Christmas Ornaments Make and Take: Tuesday, December 23, 10-11:30am
All youth are invited to stop into the library and make some ornaments for their Christmas tree. Children under 8 must have an adult helper.

New Years Crafts: Tuesday, December 30, 10-11:30am
All youth are invited to join us in making a hat and noise maker to use on New Year's Eve. Children under 8 must have an adult helper.

Mexico Public Library

Holiday Open House: Saturday, December 6, 9am-2pm.
Come join us for our Christmas in Mexico celebration! Free refreshments, door prizes,  a used book sale, and a raffle for a beautiful American Girl Doll (Caroline from Sackets Harbor, 1812.) From 10am-1pm we have our Annual Gingerbread Workshop for kids, while supplies last. (There is a $3.00 fee for materials.) We are also hosting an art show from the middle school and high school through December during library hours.

Old-fashioned Children's Christmas Party: Tuesday, December 23, 1-2 pm, at the Starr Clark Tin Shop on Main Street, Mexico.
An 1850's era children's Christmas party with stories, games, songs, cookies, photos in a sleigh and more! Sponsored by the Mexico Historical Society and the Mexico Public Library. Reservations required - please call 315-963-3012.

Norwood Public Library

Santa's Workshop: Saturday, December 13, 10am-Noon.
While their parents shop at our Friends' book and bake sale, the kids can make craft projects to give as gift this holiday season.

Oswego School District Public Library

Origami Class: Saturday, December 6, 1-3pm
Elementary-aged kids can make Santa and Christmas trees.

Art With Jen, Saturday, December 13, 1pm
Making holiday cards. Registration required, space limited to 20 participants.

Santa Visit: December 20, 1pm
Come and meet Santa at the library! Refreshment and crafts, too. All ages.

Storytimes: Wednesdays 10:30am and 1:30pm, and Fridays 10:30am.
Holiday-themed story hours include: Shopping (12/10), Baking (12/12), Mail (12/17), Gifts(12/19), Christmas (12/24), Birth of 2015 (12/31).

Parish Public Library

Community Open House: Saturday, December 13, Noon-3pm.
Music will be provided by the Selkirk Band at noon. Santa Claus will visit at 2pm. There will be great refreshments. Come and see our library at work in the community. Call 315-625-7130 for more information.

Pulaski Public Library

Holiday Open House: Sunday, December 7, 1-3pm.
Crafts for kids, music by the Selkirk Band and the PACS Holiday Ensemble, refreshments.  Free admission, all ages.

Book Signing and Sale: Thursday, December 18, 4-7pm.
Pulaski and the Town of Richland, written by Larry Petry and the Pulaski Historical Society, will be introduced to the community at a book signing and sale at library.

Reading Room Association of Gouverneur

Holiday Storytime: Saturday, December 13, 10:30am.
Jackie Roberts, a retired kindergarten teacher, will be sharing some pop-up books.  After the stories, the kids will decorate foamboard Christmas trees, using glitter glue and Trix cereal.  This event is sponsored by Fidelis Care and is open to children 10 and under.

By Date

Thursday, December 4

Christmas Cookie Decorating For Kids: 4pm, Fulton Public Library.
Children are invited to stop at the library before the tree lighting to decorate cookies.

Saturday, December 6

Elf Workshop: 10-11:30am, Flower Memorial Library, Watertown.
Looking for a way for your children to make a homemade gift for the holidays? Stop by Flower Library for the 4th Annual Elf Workshop! Library staff and volunteers will be on hand to help your children craft. All children will leave with two wrapped gifts for their loved ones. Parents must remain in the Story Time Room while children are working. For ages 11 and under; no signups needed.

Christmas in Clayton: (Festivities throughout the village.) Hawn Memorial Library, Clayton.
Starting at 10am at the library we will be making holiday ornaments with the kids. We will have our Tiny Tim's Emporium which our Friends group runs.  This is a table where children can select gifts for their parents/grandparents/caregivers and wrap them while mom and dad etc. are out of the room so that they have a surprise gift.  There will also be a horse and carriage ride starting outside the library.  We will have a float in the parade in the evening.

Holiday Art Sale: 1 to 3pm, Lyme Free Library, Chaumont.
Just in time for the holidays, Lyme Free Library’s Holiday Art Sale is sure to delight! With handmade and original work, guests can shop for last-minute gifts or something special for themselves! We invite you to share an experience beyond shopping – connecting with the arts community, and buying local. Local artists, Nancy White, Christy Yarnall, Deanna Carter, and Tracey Kraft will be on hand to discuss their artwork which include quilts, watercolors, drawings, painting on glass, ornaments, and mixed media pieces.

Holiday Open House: 9am-2pm, Mexico Public Library.
Come join us for our Christmas in Mexico celebration! Free refreshments, door prizes,  a used book sale, and a raffle for a beautiful American Girl Doll (Caroline from Sackets Harbor, 1812.) From 10am-1pm we have our Annual Gingerbread Workshop for kids, while supplies last. (There is a $3.00 fee for materials.) We are also hosting an art show from the middle school and high school through December during library hours.

Origami Class: 1-3pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Elementary-aged kids can make Santa and Christmas trees.

Sunday, December 7

Family Movie & Craft Day: 2:30-4:15pm, Flower Memorial Library, Watertown.
Stop by the Community Room at Flower Library for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) PG. We will be making Grinch Masks. Snacks provided!

Tuesday, December 9

Christmas Card Workshop: 6-8pm, Depauville Free Library.
Gather for a night of family fun and creativity! If you are interested in making your own cards and tags this Christmas Season, Three Mile Bay resident Joyce Gould will ease you through the process. All ages are welcome and refreshments will be served. Free of charge, all supplies provided.

Make-your-own Gingerbread House: 6-7pm, Flower Memorial Library, Watertown.
Enjoy some holiday music while being creative together as a family! Visit Flower Library to build a family gingerbread house. All materials will be supplied by the library and will be given out on a first come, first serve basis. Parents, you are encouraged to help your children build. For ages 11 and under; no signups needed.

Holiday Open House: 1-3pm, Pulaski Public Library.
Crafts for kids, music by the Selkirk Band and the PACS Holiday Ensemble, refreshments.  Free admission, all ages.

Wednesday, December 10

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am, 1:30pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Shopping is the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.

Thursday, December 11

Winter Mixed-Media Arts Project: 4-7pm, Hawn Memorial Library, Clayton.
Think clay, twigs, glitter, and cereal boxes! All ages. 


Friday, December 12

Holiday Ornaments Class for Kids, 6:30pm, Lyme Free Library, Chaumont.
Make beautiful clay ornaments to decorate your tree or give as special stocking stuffers. Make clay holiday ornaments on December 12th, return to paint them on December 19th. Both Classes begin at 6:30pm.  $10.00 per child. All supplies included. Pre-registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 649-5454, or email artsofthebay@gmail.com to register.

Reindeer Puppets: 10-11:30am, Massena Public Library
Our friends from the Nature Center will be coming to the library to make reindeer puppets from paper bags.

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am, Oswego School District Public Library.
Baking is the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.

Saturday, December 13

Dickens' Christmas: 2-5pm, Annie P. Ainsworth Memorial Library, Sandy Creek
Sandy Creek Friends of Ainsworth will be holding their Dickens' Christmas with special music, readings from Dickens, wassail bowl and delights. Join us at the library at 1pm for community caroling.
 
Kids Christmas Fun Day: 10am-3pm, Depauville Free Library.
Children will be treated to holiday stories, movies, popcorn, drinks, and an array of crafts that might just make perfect gifts for them to give to friends or family. Come for an hour or stay for the day!
Brushstrokes by Melina will be at the library in the afternoon to deck the faces of eager children with holly, or whatever their Christmas fancy. At 1pm, there will be a special showing of the Polar Express and Larry Girard, Depauville’s resident train conductor, will be at the library in uniform to make sure everyone has a ticket. Parents can stay and enjoy the activities or, if their child isn’t too young or unwilling, they can leave to shop for a time.  Parents who choose not to stay at the library will be asked to sign a waiver and provide a phone number where they may be reached. If you have a special Christmas movie or story you want to see or hear, call the library at 686-3299 or message us on Facebook.

Christmas Craft Workshop: 10am-Noon, Fulton Public Library.
Children can come and make five different Christmas crafts to take home.

Winter Mixed-Media Arts Project: 10am-1pm, Hawn Memorial Library, Clayton.
Think clay, twigs, glitter, and cereal boxes! All ages.

Art With Jen: 1pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Making holiday cards. Registration required, space limited to 20 participants.

Santa's Workshop: 10am-Noon, Norwood Public Library.
While their parents shop at our Friends' book and bake sale, the kids can make craft projects to give as gift this holiday season.

Community Open House: Noon-3pm, Parish Public Library.
Music will be provided by the Selkirk Band at noon. Santa Claus will visit at 2pm. There will be great refreshments. Come and see our library at work in the community. Call 315-625-7130 for more information.

Holiday Storytime: 10:30am,  Reading Room Association of Gouverneur.
Jackie Roberts, a retired kindergarten teacher, will be sharing some pop-up books.  After the stories, the kids will decorate foamboard Christmas trees, using glitter glue and Trix cereal.  This event is sponsored by Fidelis Care and is open to children 10 and under.

Monday, December 15

Holiday Storytime: 6pm, Annie P. Ainsworth Memorial Library, Sandy Creek.
Sandy Creek will have a special guest from the North Pole. We will have cookies and cocoa. T'was the Night Before Christmas will be read by Barbarajean Wydner. There will be crafts and lots of treats!

Tuesday, December 16

Christmas Storytime: 10am, Massena Public Library
All children 5 and under are invited to join us for a Christmas-themed storytime. We will listen to music, read a book, do a Christmas craft, and have Christmas snacks. Each child is asked to bring a snack to share.

Wednesday, December 17

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am & 1:30pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Mail is the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.

Thursday, December 18

Lego Club Winter Wonderland: 4pm, Fulton Public Library.
Kids can come and build Christmas and winter-themed Legos.

Gift-wrap Craft: 4-7pm, Hawn Memorial Library, Clayton.
Gift-wrapping and gift tags using ideas popular on Pinterest. Chalkboard paper, washi tape, Not-your-grandma's-doilies! Ages 12 and up.

Christmas Storytime: 10am, Massena Public Library
All children 5 and under are invited to join us for a Christmas-themed storytime. We will listen to music, read a book, do a Christmas craft, and have Christmas snacks. Each child is asked to bring a snack to share.

Book Signing and Sale: 4-7pm, Pulaski Public Library
Pulaski and the Town of Richland, written by Larry Petry and the Pulaski Historical Society, will be introduced to the community at a book signing and sale at library.

Friday, December 19

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am, Oswego School District Public Library.
Gifts are the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.

Saturday, December 20

Santa Visit: 1pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Come and meet Santa at the library! Refreshment and crafts, too. All ages.
 
Tuesday, December 23

Christmas Ornaments Make and Take: 10-11:30am, Massena Public Library
All youth are invited to stop into the library and make some ornaments for their Christmas tree. Children under 8 must have an adult helper.

Old-fashioned Children's Christmas Party: 1-2 pm, at the Starr Clark Tin Shop on Main Street, Mexico.
An 1850's era children's Christmas party with stories, games, songs, cookies, photos in a sleigh and more! Sponsored by the Mexico Historical Society and the Mexico Public Library. Reservations required - please call 315-963-3012.

Wednesday, December 24

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am & 1:30pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Christmas is the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.
Monday, December 29

Holiday Pajama and Pancake Story Hour: 10am, Fulton Public Library.
Children can come in their pajamas and listen to holiday stories, make a craft, and of course, eat pancakes!

Tuesday, December 30

New Years Crafts: 10-11:30am, Massena Public Library
All youth are invited to join us in making a hat and noise maker to use on New Year's Eve. Children under 8 must have an adult helper.

Wednesday, December 31

Holiday Storytime, 10:30am & 1:30pm, Oswego School District Public Library.
Birth of 2015 is the theme for this preschool holiday storytime.

Hey, North Country librarians! Don't see your event listed? Contact me with the details, and I'll add it!

Love, holiday-style.

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories, edited by Stephanie Perkins. (Also available in audio.)

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you're going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by the international bestselling Stephanie Perkins.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Stories Include:
· "Midnights," by Rainbow Rowell. (Audio read by Rebecca Lowman.)
· "The Lady and the Fox," by Kelly Link. (Audio read by Fiona Hardingham.)
· "Angels in the Snow," by Matt de la Peña. (Audio read by Henry Leyva.)
· "Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me," by Jenny Han. (Audio read by Kim Mai Guest.)
· "It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown," by Stephanie Perkins. (Audio read by Samantha Quan.)
· "Your Temporary Santa," by David Levithan. (Audio read by Dustin Rubin.)
· "Krampuslauf," by Holly Black. (Audio read by Julia Whelan.)
· "What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?" by Gayle Foreman. (Audio read by Abby Craden.)
· "Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus," by Myra McEntire. (Audio read by Lincoln Hoppe.)
· "Welcome to Christmas, CA," by Kiersten White. (Audio read by Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez.)
· "Star of Bethlehem," by Ally Carter. (Audio read by Shannon McManus.)
· "The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer," by Laini Taylor. (Audio read by Ann Marie Lee.) 

(Description from OverDrive.)

November is Native American Heritage Month!

Check out these latest additions to the NCLS e-book collection:

If I Ever Get Out of Here, by Eric Gansworth. (Also available in audio, narrated by the author.)

Lewis "Shoe" Blake is used to the joys and difficulties of life on the Tuscarora Indian reservation in 1975: the joking, the Fireball games, the snow blowing through his roof. What he's not used to is white people being nice to him — people like George Haddonfield, whose family recently moved to town with the Air Force. As the boys connect through their mutual passion for music, especially the Beatles, Lewis has to lie more and more to hide the reality of his family's poverty from George. He also has to deal with the vicious Evan Reininger, who makes Lewis the special target of his wrath. But when everyone else is on Evan's side, how can he be defeated? And if George finds out the truth about Lewis's home — will he still be his friend?

Acclaimed adult author Eric Gansworth makes his YA debut with this wry and powerful novel about friendship, memory, and the joy of rock 'n' roll.

The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich. (Audio, narrated by Nicolle Littrell.)

Louise Erdrich's BIRCHBARK HOUSE is reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder's LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS. Both provide detailed windows into life in the mid-1800s--Wilder as a white settler of the northern Midwest; Erdrich as an Ojibwa of Lake Superior. In the cycle of one year, the listener becomes familiar with life-sustaining events, such as the maple sugar and wild rice harvests, and is introduced to young Omakayas and her extended family. Nicolle Littrell narrates with a gentle and quiet voice. Her presentation is light and immediate, giving the listener the opportunity to bear witness to each event, whether it be Omakayas talking to her bear brothers and gaining insight into being a healer or Old Tallow telling of the sickness that impacts both Omakayas's and Ojibwa life. Stories from Ojibwa tradition complement the seasonal narrative.

Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear: Tales from Native North America, by Joseph Bruchac. 

In every American Indian culture, there comes a time in each boy's life when he must walk forth on his own, leave his home and the protection of his family to prove to himself and to his people that he can survive and grow. Traditional stories passed down from father to son were often used to offer examples of the positive qualities of manhood. Flying with the Eagle, Racing the Great Bear is a continent-spanning collection of sixteen such thrilling tales in which young men must face great enemies, find the strength and endurance within themselves to succeed, and take their place by the side of their elders.

Joseph Bruchac is a traditional storyteller and writer whose work often reflects his Abenaki Indian ancestry and his lifelong interest in American Indian history and culture. Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas and Storyteller of the Year from the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, he is the author of more than one hundred and twenty books for children and adults.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.) 

North Country libraries making news

Two of our North Country libraries are making news this week!

Fulton Public Library was awarded an I2NY Library as Publisher Innovator Grant, an award funded by the NY 3Rs Association, Inc. The library will receive $5,000 for their project, entitled 'Community Memories.'  

Fulton Public Library. Photo by Oswego County Today.

The following description of the award was shamelessly lifted from the press release I found in my e-mail. (Shamelessly. I have no shame.)

The Fulton Memoir Project will engage the Fulton, NY community in writing memoirs focused around a community theme – for 2015, community service providers such as police and firefighters. The library will offer instruction on writing, hold a public reading of the stories written, and publish a collection of the best stories.

Betty Maute, Library Director at Fulton said their goal is to preserve the stories of Fulton's proud past to inspire those who will create its future. “This project brings together people who lived their lives in Fulton and never met. Some have developed new friendships, building a stronger sense of community. To see the faces of people reading their stories in public, their moment in the limelight … priceless.”

Meanwhile, Macsherry Library in Alexandria Bay was named one of Library Journal's Star Libraries of 2014.

From Library Journal: The LJ Index is a national rating system designed to recognize and promote America’s public libraries, to help improve the pool of nationally collected library statistics, and to encourage library self-evaluation.

To learn more about the LJ Index, check out their FAQ.

Keep up the good work, everyone!