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A Grateful and Festive December at Curry Public Library

ASCEND After School Program Excited to Resume

This fall, the library’s meeting room spaces have been eerily quiet in the afternoons as our ASCEND after school program has been absent from the facility. In August, ASCEND director Karlie Wright announced she was accepting a high school teaching position. This leadership transition, paired with a lack of bussing, resulted in a pause to the ASCEND program. In October, while searching for a new program director and exploring options for student transportation, existing ASCEND staff resumed daily after-school homework support for middle and high school students based at Riley Creek School and Gold Beach High School. In November, the library completed its search for a new program director, and immediately began plans to launch a full weekly schedule of after school programs including transportation, food, homework help, and a range of fun enrichment activities.

Please join us in welcoming Angela Milburn as our new ASCEND director. Angie comes to ASCEND with past experience facilitating parent education, working with Polk County as a resource connector, and providing various forms of public support throughout much of her working life. Angie's educational background is in Psychology and Applied Behavioral Analysis. When asked about her goals for the program, Angie responded that: "I would like to bring interactive opportunities for the kids in the ASCEND program, their families, as well as community members. In the few short months I have lived here, I have met so many community members with vast experience in so many diverse paths. I would like for the youth of our community to have the opportunity to gain from this experience. I would like to let the kids of our community see that there is not only one path in life, and that they are not required to pick a path and stay in that area for the rest of their lives." Angie's hobbies include counting whales, "faux"tography (check our her recent reading list by clicking here), collecting rocks, and punny jokes.

The library looks forward to having kids back in the library after school, hopefully starting in late January. Angie can be reached at angie@cplib.net.

Meet Library Board Chair Sandy Grummon

Each month we've been introducing library board members, starting with our newest board Member, Kelly Margolis, and then introducing Tim Scullen in November, and we promised an introduction of other board members each month following. This month, meet library board chair Sandy Grummon. We asked Sandy some questions about reading and libraries. Below are her responses.

What book are you currently reading?
I just finished the latest Craig Johnson book in the Longmire mystery series, “Daughter of the Morning Star.” It just came out September 21, and is the BEST of all his books. The cast of characters is primarily Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear, so there is lots of funny dialog.

What was the first book you can remember reading on your own?
I know there were earlier books, but the first book I am able to recall the title was “Little House in the Big Woods,” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read it when I was in the second grade. It’s the prequel to “Little House on the Prairie” and takes place in Wisconsin, very close to the town where I was born and raised.

Do you have a favorite book? If so, what is it?
For years, I automatically said “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry was my favorite book, because of all the memorable characters that populated the 843 pages (i.e., Blue Duck, the most evil character ever conceived by an author!). But really, I read that in 1985! In looking over the subsequent 35 years, I think “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett has to be my favorite. Even though there is a significant plot, the book is character driven. I love how she slowly develops the relationships between the captives themselves, and more importantly, the empathy that grows for the terrorists by the captives. A close runner-up is “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah, published this year. It’s about the Dust Bowl and the migration of “Okies” to California. There are so many parallels with today’s socio economic climate…the chasm between haves and have-nots, homelessness, and the absence of safety nets for an entire segment of the population.

Do you prefer hardcovers, paperbacks, or audiobooks? Why?
I prefer hardcover books. I love the feel of a hardcover in my hands, the texture of the pages, and the sound when I close the book. It feels weighty and significant.

As an adult, have you ever read a graphic novel? If you have, what did you like or not like about it?
Sorry. Can’t teach an old dog (or as the Japanese would say of folks 65-75 years old… “pre-old”) new tricks.

What role have libraries played in your life?
The library has been the center of my social life for 17 years. As soon as we moved here, I joined the Friends of the Curry Public Library. As a result, I met lots of new people, many who are still good friends today. Because the group has always welcomed newcomers, I continue to make new friends.

What is something about Curry Public Library that you really like?
I love the variety of programs the library hosts…classes, lectures, musical performances. This fall there was a GREAT author talk that was held outdoors at the library, and 40 people in masks enthusiastically attended.

What is some inside information about the library that not everyone knows, that you would like to share?
I just learned to use the “Cricut” (pronounced “cricket”) machine in the Tech Lab. Brodey Carpenter, who runs the Tech Lab, took me through the process and I was able to make custom, vinyl iron-on logos for 15 volunteer masks, for Rotary’s “Bike the Rogue,” an event. They looked so professional …except for Jeremy’s where I put the logo on upside down! We had requests from riders at the event to purchase the masks.

...stay tuned in January, to find what our Board Member Alaina Peppin has been reading!

Arm Chair Travel Series Returns with a Talk by Jordan Popoff

The month of December brings a return to more indoor in-person programming here at the library. We're kicking it off with a return of our Arm Chair Travel lecture series with the talk "Finding Joy and Peace in 2020: Jordan's travels to New Orleans and the Datkotas." Join library staff member Jordan Popoff on Thursday, December 9 at 5:30pm, as she describes the two trips that bookended that surreal year. View photographs and hear stories about these two very distinct, very iconic American destinations. Experience Mardi Gras, along with the history, the joie de vivre, and the JAZZ of New Orleans. Revel in the majesty and serenity of the Badlands and other national parks. Come and enjoy some positive moments of that infamous year! Please come prepared to wear a mask. Goodie bags will be available at the event, while supplies last.

Pictured from left to right: Leslie Keating-Smith, Jeremy Skinner, Tim Tuttle, and Sandy Grummon.

Curry Public Library Receives Gift from Southwest Oregon Children's Foundation

In 2018 as Curry Public Library neared the end of its building expansion project, our staff met with local philanthropists Tim and Jeri Tuttle to show off the library’s new learning center spaces and to talk about our vision for a vibrant community space. While discussing the funding plan for the space, the Tuttle’s quickly seized on the fact that the library would be incurring a 15-year mortgage as a part of its funding plan. Knowing that these annual debt payments would keep the library from funding a full slate of quality programs and slow the acquisition of equipment for the new spaces, the Tuttle’s came up with a generous plan. Working with the Southwest Oregon Children’s Foundation, they committed to providing $125,000 in funding ($25,000 a year). The goal of this gift was to offset the library’s debt payments during this 5-year developmental period, to ensure quality programs.

In November, Curry Public Library received its fourth installment of this gift from SOCF. The Library and its board of directors is extremely thankful for the this gift. Immediately following the completion of the library expansion project, this gift allowed the library to invest in presentation tools for our meeting hall, equipment for our tech lab, and acoustic paneling for our meeting room. In the second year, the library focused on building partnerships for quality programs, including strong relationships with the Coastline library network, the State Library of Oregon, Southwest Oregon Community College, Central Curry School District, the Wild Rivers Symphony, and many more. In year three, library shored up its employee compensation package to ensure the retention of a high caliber staff. As we move into year four of this developmental gift, we are excited and confident about a financially stable future with the kind of top-teir programs both children and adults have come to expect. Thank you Tim and Jerri Tuttle, and the Southwest Oregon Children’s Foundation!

The Friends of the Library Make a Big In-Person Return

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, the Friends of Curry Public Library have worked behind the scenes to support the library in its efforts to adjust its services and continue to provide access to library materials and programs. They have also been anxiously awaiting a time when they can take a more active role in hosting public fundraisers. This November, the Friends were able to host the first long-awaited in-person fundraiser, a holiday book sale. Working with a stock of new book donations that looked as bright and crisp as they had just come off the printing press, the Friends hosted a two-day book sale in the library lobby. When the doors opened on Friday, a steady stream of excited customers arrived for holiday (and personal) shopping. Over the course of the two days, the Friends raised $1,384, about three times more than they have ever earned during a holiday book sale! Curry Public Library is extremely appreciative of all of the local book donors, volunteers, and shoppers that made this possible. In the wake of this book sale, the Friends of the Library began work on their annual “letters to Santa” program, and are already making plans for a much larger President’s Day weekend book and bake sale. The Friends have also announced support for the acquisition of new furnishings for the library, including a mobile information center for the library lobby that will double as a pick-up location for reserved library materials, and new mobile shelving units for our children’s room. Stay tuned for pictures of these new furnishings over the next two months.

Winners appear across the top, from left to right: tie for first place is Cheerful Chestnut-backed Chickadee by Rhoda Denning and Sweet Peas, Sweet Home, Sweet Life by Shelley Carpenter, second place goes to my joyful heart by J. Pagel. Honorable mentions go to Lindsey Dixon's Grateful for... stormy weather and Darlene Anderson's Cats.

Tiny Art Show Winners Announced!

We let you choose the winners of this year's Tiny Art Show and the results are in! There was a two-way tie for first place between Cheerful Chestnut-backed Chickadee by Rhoda Denning and Sweet Peas, Sweet Home, Sweet Life by Shelley Carpenter. The second place award goes to my joyful heart by J. Pagel. All three winners will be contacted and offered gift cards to a local business of their choice. Honorable mentions go to Lindsey Dixon's Grateful for... stormy weather and Darlene Anderson's Cats; Lyndsey and Darlene are both library staff members and therefore unable to win prizes, but we wanted to mention their pieces as well since they were crowd favorites.

This was our first time ever trying a tiny art show, and we loved it! We have a least a couple of staff members who will be very sad when it's time to take down the show. That said, if you have not yet seen the show, there is still time! The show will remain up in our non-fiction section until December 10. If you are a show participant, thank you for participating; we invite you to come pick up your art work after December 10 at the library.

Fourth Annual Gingerbread House Competition: Take Home & Bring Back!

Our annual gingerbread house competition is back! This year the format is to take home a gingerbread house kit, decorate it, and bring it back for judging and display here at the library. At this point in time, all of the kits are spoken for, but we invite any interested community members who didn't get one to either get your own kit from a local grocery store, or make your own gingerbread house from scratch! For those who did register for a gingerbread house kit, please pick it up from the library circulation desk between Wednesday, December 1 and Friday, December 3. All entries are due back to the library by 7pm on Wednesday, December 8th. You are welcome to add items from home to your gingerbread house, but all items (except a base) must be edible. Prizes will be awarded in family and adult divisions. Gingerbread houses will be on display for public viewing from Saturday, December 11-Saturday, December 18th. We hope you will join us for this fun annual tradition!

Curry Public Library will be closed all Sundays during the month of December to accommodate holiday leave for staff. We will resume regular Sunday open hours in January 2022. Thank you for your understanding.

LIBRARY & LOBBY HOURS
Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm
Friday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sundays: CLOSED IN DECEMBER

DECEMBER CLOSURES
Christmas Eve and Christmas: All day December 24th and 25th
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: All day December 31st and January 1st
Curry Public Library will be closed all Sundays in December

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COVID-19 UPDATES

Masks are required for all library visitors. Our main library area, lobby, and restrooms are open to patrons and cleaned regularly. We maintain a no-contact shelf in the lobby where patrons can easily pick up requested items. All returned library items are cleaned before they are returned to the shelves.

Questions or ideas for how we can serve you at this time?
Please call us at 541-247-7246.