Library Happenings by Julie Jarman

Happy New Year and Hello Winter! It looks and feels like the true frigid bone chilling temperatures and occasional snow showers have finally arrived. I hope everyone is able to stay warm and safe in your homes as we wait for spring to arrive. Now that the holidays are over, it is time to get back to the normal routine of daily life and regular activities once more.

During these frigid cold temperatures, there is nothing better than staying inside wrapped in a blanket with a great book and a cup of tea or hot chocolate. The library has been busy purchasing the latest in new popular fictional releases and a few hot nonfiction titles as well. There are all sorts of titles for each age group expected to arrive any day now. The Backup Plan by Jill Shalvis, Murder Book by Thomas Perry, Don’t Open the Door by Allison Brennan are just some of the great new adult publications we ordered for January. New releases from Holly Black, Stolen Heir, the latest Cassandra Clare, Chain of Thorns, and It will End Like This by Kyra Leigh will fit nicely on the young adult shelves. Not to be forgotten, the Children’s Library also has some great books coming out. Greg Pizzoli Mister Kitty is Lost, Oona in the Artic by Kelly Dipucchio and Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow are all wonderful stories from some great authors and illustrators.

We also buy audio books, graphic books, and DVDs monthly, too. House at the End World by Dean Koontz, Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica, and The House of Wolves by James Patterson are sure to be big hits in the audiobook section. Some of our newest nonfiction titles are as follows: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama, And There Was Light/Abraham Lincoln by Jon Meacham, and Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. These titles and many more will be coming our way soon.

Black Adam, Banshees of Inisherin, Honk for Jesus: Save the World, Top Gun, Nope, Bullet Train, and Studio 666 movies were all just recently ordered. We love adding to the movie collection. You can sort through our library catalog at Illshareit.com using your library card to order books and movies at your leisure to see for yourself all that we have to offer here in Staunton. The library even has access to e books if that is your preference.

If there is something you want that you cannot find on the shelf, please stop at the desk and see if we can borrow it from another library. If you live inside city limits, your taxes are paying for library services which means you can get a library card without paying anything at the desk. However, you do need to show your ID and a proof of mail to get a library card first. If you reside in the Staunton school district but live outside city limits, you can purchase a card good for one year for $35.00. It is the price of one brand new hard back book. People are surprised to learn that a library card from their home town library gives them access to over 1 million items of materials since we are a part of the Illinois Heartland Library System. Everyone with a library card can also utilize the other libraries in the system by just showing their Staunton card.

One more thing we have recently introduced inside the library is Reading Kits for the younger people as a way to increase children’s literacy. These kits contain a book and a few items that tie in with the story. For example. The Dr. Seuss box has a story, a Dr. Seuss Bingo Game and a sheet of funny quotes and phrases from Dr. Seuss. There is an Eric Carle Kit, a First Book of Animals kit and a 101 Dalmatians kit on hand. We hope to create a few more soon.

If you would like to see one, please feel free to ask about them when you come in next time. I am really excited to be offering them in our library starting in January 2023.

Check us out on our facebook page, feel free to email us [email protected] or call us at 618-635-3852. See you at the library soon.