Januarylibrary events & classes

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portage district library300 library lane portage, mi 49002269.329.4544www.portagelibrary.info

PAGE 2Storytime

PAGE 3January 3-14 Library Programs

PAGE 4January 17-25 Library Programs

PAGE 5Jan 26-Feb 4 Library Programs

PAGE 6Overdrive

PAGE 7PDL’s Website

PAGE 8What’s Coming in February

library hoursMonday – Thursday 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Sunday 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

library boardBetty Lee OngleyLibrary Board Chair

Alisha SiebersLibrary Board Vice Chair

Michele BehrLibrary Board Trustee

Stephanie BrownLibrary Board Trustee

Annee DunnLibrary Board Trustee

Martha PachecoLibrary Board Trustee & Liaison to the Friends of PDL

Joe YantisLibrary Board Trustee

what’s insidethis month’s newsletter

MOTHER GOOSE STORYTIMEMonday, January 9, 16, 239:30 AM and 10:30 AMINFANT/TODDLERThis special time is designed for childrenfrom birth to 23 months. Delight andstimulate your baby’s senses with books,rhymes, and music. A developmentallyappropriate playtime will follow.No registration required.

TIME FOR TWOSTuesday, January 10, 17, 249:30 AMPRESCHOOLInteract with your 2 year old to nurturea love of books. We will learn letters,sounds, new words and self expressionthrough books, fingerplays and creativemovement.No registration required.

PRESCHOOL STORYTIMEWednesday, January 11, 18, 25Thursday, January 12, 19, 2610:30 AMPRESCHOOLPreschool age children will enjoy storiestogether and build language skills whilelistening to stories, expressing them-selves creatively. They will be learningletters, new words, and learning newskills to prepare them for a life time ofreading.No registration required.

EVENING STORYTIMEMonday, January 96:30 PMPRESCHOOLWe have a wonderful 30 minutes of sto-ries, movement and creativity preparedfor parents to enjoy with their littleones. We also have a special visitorcoming in to meet everyone! REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

SATURDAY STORIESSaturday, January 2110:00 AMPRESCHOOLShare your love of books and learning.Come on in and listen to books, stories,rhymes and creative movement withyour children. No registration required.

early literacyprograms

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programs & eventsjanuary 3-13

COMBAT VETERANS’ WRITING GROUPTuesday, January 3rd • 6:30 PMADULTSThis series of writing workshops for veterans focuseson short narratives about serving in the military duringwartime. No writing experience is necessary. This seriesis led by Margaret von Steinen, writer and communica-tions officer for WMU’s Haenicke Institute for GlobalEducation, and runs the first and third Tuesday nightsstarting January 3, 2012. Programs run through March20th. For more information, please e-mail Margaret atmvonsteinen@chartermi.net.No registration required.

PORTAGE COMPUTER USERS CLUBThursday, January 5th • 10:00 AMADULTSDrop-in computerquestion and answersession.No registration required.

LEGO BLOCK PARTYThursday, January 5th • 5:30 PMALL AGESLEGOS are awesome! Not only are they great forstrategic thinking, planning ahead, fine motor skills,imagination, architectural art, and problem solving;they are fun. Your children will love being social withother LEGO creators of all ability levels. No registration required.

LEGOS! LEGOS! LEGOS! Friday, January 6th • 10:00 AMALL AGESCome on in and express your creativity. LEGOS of various sizeswill be provided for all ability levels.No registration required.

MEET THE CHEF: INCORPORATINGFRESH FRUITS & VEGETABLES INTOYOUR DAILY FAREWednesday, January 11th2:00 PM & repeated 5:00 PMADULTSA cooking demonstration includingquick and easy vegetable and fruitdips, fried rice with seasonal veggies,and chocolate beet cupcakes. Ourchef is Hether Frayer who specializesin fresh, fun food dishes. Register bycalling 329-4542 Ext. 600 startingWednesday, December 28th at 9:00AM. There is a $5.00 fee at the door. REGISTRATION REQUIRED

PORTAGE COMPUTER USERS CLUBThursday, January 12th • 10:00 AMADULTSDrop-in computer question and answer session.No registration required.

ABC ACTIVITY TIMEFriday, January 13th • 10:00 AM- 11:30 AMPRESCHOOLDrop-in playtime including sensory activities, fineand gross motor skills, pocket charts, manipu-latives and more. This is a time for your child topractice skills that will help them get ready toread! Open to Preschoolers with their fa-vorite adult. The focus is for parents toparticipate in the learning process withtheir child while making it fun!No registration required.

INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR ASTRONOMY: OUR PLACE AMONG THE INFINITIESSaturday, January 14th • 1:00 PM ADULT & TEENThis program is the first in a five part series titled Introduction to Amateur Astronomy. The sessions are lead by Richard Bell, vice president of theKalamazoo Astronomical Society. For our first presenta-

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programs & eventsjanuary 17-25

tion, we’ll travel through our solar system, explore thestar clusters and nebulae of our Milky Way Galaxy, andthe countless other galaxies in this vast, infinite universe.Registration is required by calling 329-4542 Ext. 600.REGISTRATION REQUIRED

COMBAT VETERANS’ WRITING GROUPTuesday, January 17th • 6:30 PMADULTSThis series of writing workshops for veterans focuseson short narratives about serving in the military duringwartime. No writing experience is necessary. This se-ries is led by Margaret von Steinen, writer and com-munications officer for WMU’s Haenicke Institute forGlobal Education, and runs the first and third Tuesdaynights starting January 3, 2012. Programs run throughMarch 20th. For more information, please e-mail Mar-garet at mvonsteinen@chartermi.net.No registration required.

OPEN FOR DISCUSSION: DROP-INBOOK DISCUSSIONTuesday, January 17th10:30 AM & repeated 7:00 PMADULTSThe Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, andLove by Kristin Kimball

Harvard educated journalist KristinKimball chucked life as a Manhattanjournalist to start a cooperative farmin upstate New York, with a self-taught farmer she had interviewedfor a story and later married. In thispoignant, candid chronicle by season,Kimball writes how she and Mark in-fused new life into Essex Farm in up-

state New York, and lost their hearts to it.No registration required.

PORTAGE COMPUTER USERS CLUBThursday, January 19th • 10:00 AMADULTSDrop-in computer question and answer session.No registration required.

EXPLORING INTERNET PRIVACYAND OUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINTThursday, January 19th • 6:30 PMADULTSNo matter who you are, your personal information isvaluable. Our personal online lives connect us with people, information, products and services more easilythan ever, but our online activities can expose us toidentity theft and other targeted online activities bymarketers, potential employers and others. Join Kala-mazoo Valley Community College Librarian Jim Ratliffto explore Internet privacy and our digital footprintsin the era of online public records, Facebook and webdirectories. The session will also provide suggestionson how to understand and manage aspects of your on-line profile. No registration required.

TWEEN WINTER FUNWednesday, January 25th • 6:30 PMTWEENS (3RD-5TH GRADE)Come in from the cold and make fake snow (it feelsreal!), ice cream in a kickable ball, touchable ice bub-bles, and much more at this fun event for 3rd-5thgraders. To register 329-4542 Ext. 603.REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

THE ART OF THE SHORT STORY: A PRE-VALENTINE’S DAYPRIMER WITH GEORGEDILA & ANDY MOZINAWednesday, January 25th • 6:30 PMAge Group: ADULTSCome take the chill off and hear sto-

ries from two hot short fiction writers. The stories inGeorge Dila’s new collection from Mayapple Press,Nothing More to Tell, have been called “sly andcrafty,” “funny, perplexing and heartbreaking,” and“visceral and graceful.” George sees himself as a wit-ness to human courage, compassion, pettiness, andfolly. “I write what I see,” he states. Andy Mozina’s collection of short stories, The Women Were Leavingthe Men, focuses on the intricacies of intimacy. The stories have been described as “humorous and haunting,” “paragons of realistic un-storybook love,”

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portage district library | january 2012 5

programs & eventsjan 25-feb 4

and as “fascinating as quicksilver seen for the firsttime.” His characters climb and scrape their way toward intimacy, sanity, and redemption against theoften-absurd odds of their lives.No registration required.

PORTAGE COMPUTER USERS CLUBThursday, January 26th • 10:00 AMADULTSDrop-in computer question and answer session.No registration required.

ABC ACTIVITY TIMEFriday, January 27th • 10:00 AM-11:30 AMPRESCHOOLDrop-in playtime including sensory activities, fine andgross motor skills, pocket charts, manipulatives andmore. This is a time for your child topractice skills that will help themget ready to read! Open toPreschoolers with their favoriteadult. The focus is for parentsto participate in the learningprocess with their child whilemaking it fun!No registration required.

INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR ASTRONOMY: DISCOVERING THE NIGHT SKY Saturday, January 28th • 1:00 PMADULTS & TEENSIn this program, you will learn how to find any star or con-stellation in the night sky with the use of a simple starmap. We’ll also look at several of the best books gearedtoward the novice stargazer and the many sophisticatedplanetarium programs for your home computer. Registra-tion is required by calling 329-4542 Ext. 600.REGISTRATION REQUIRED

TIME FOR TWOSWednesday, February 1st • 9:30 AMAge Group: PRESCHOOLInteract with your 2 year old to nurture a love of books.We will learn letters, sounds, new words and self expres-sion through books, fingerplays and creative movement.No registration required.

MUFFINS AND THE MARKETThursday, February 2nd • 9:00 AMThis Morning Investment Discussion Group features in-formative market discussions, strong coffee, & yummybaked goods. Free-ranging talks may cover a new investment information source, ways to investigate amarket sector, or a type of investment vehicle.No registration required.

PORTAGE COMPUTER USERS GROUPThursday, February 2nd • 10:00 AMDrop-in computer question and answer session.No registration required.

RESUME HACKS: A QUICK RESUMEMAKEOVERFriday, February 3rd • 11:00 AMWe can help! Bring your resume and we will look itover, especially with regard to proofreading, format-ting, and language. No registration required.

FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALESaturday, February 4th • 9:00 AMThousands of books for sale.

FOOD: ONE FAMILY AT A TIME December 9th - January 29thThis is an exhibit that demonstrates the work done byseveral local and international organizations to teachpeople how to better grow and prepare their ownfood. These organizations are helping people to helpthemselves by using knowledge and understanding oflocal conditions and resources. Where appropriatethey also supply improved seed and animal varietiesand more productive farming methods attuned to localconditions. Participating organizations include FoodsResource Bank; Tillers International; Kalamazoo Loavesand Fishes; and Fair Food Matters.

SOLO GALLERY January 6th – February 24thVJ Kline & Frances Ballay-Wagner. Acrylic, watercolor,and oil painting.

http://pdl.lib.overdrive.com

programsDOWNLOADING TO YOUR E-READER: AN OVERVIEWThursday, January 19th • 2:00 PMADULTSThis workshop will offer an introduction to Overdrive, the difference between ePub and PDF formatsand a demonstration on downloading your books to an eReader. To register call 329-4542 Ext. 600.REGISTRATION REQUIRED

E-READERS USERS GROUPJanuary 24th • 10:00 AM • Long and Gourdneck Lake RoomsThe Portage District Library is forming an E-Readers Users Group. It is our hope that beginners, pros,long time user of E-Reader's will join together to discuss and learn about the E-Reader environment.This will be a place to discuss current issues, errors and how we resolved them or not, and to bring inspeakers about various topics relating to E-Reader’s. For more information, contact Shirley Newberry269.329.4542 Ext. 719 or by email, snewberry@portagelibary.infoNo registration required.

what’s coming in february!

Resume HacksFebruary 3rdA quick resume makeover

Friends of the Library Book SaleFebruary 4thThousands of books for sale

2012 Region 5 Student Art ShowFebruary 5th – 29thMichigan Art Education Association Exhibit

LEGO Block PartyFebruary 9thCome on in and express your creativity

CPR Heartsaver AEDFebruary 9th

Introduction to Amateur AstronomyFebruary 11thBinocular Basics

CPR Babysitting BasicsFebruary 11th

Read All About ItFebruary 12thA discussion of the Great Michigan Read: Arc of Justice

Business Research EssentialsFebruary 13thAn introduction to business resources

X-Men of the WildFebruary 16thExplore the super powers of birds and learn how they survive in the wild

Open for DiscussionFebruary 21stWarmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilderson

ABC Activity TimeFebruary 24thDrop-in Playtime