The ever-popular free spring Lifelong Learning Lecture series will take place on Thursday evenings starting April 18 through May 23 from 6-7:15pm with six informative presentations:
April 18 features Robin Young, the CSU Extension Office director, on “Water, Our Most Precious Resource” discussing what we can do as individuals and a community to preserve what we have.
April 25 showcases Amy Nitchman from Archuleta County Public Health talking about air quality in Colorado and ways to keep yourself informed of high pollution days during wildfire season.
May 2 is “Knowing Our Ancient Puebloan Neighbors,” a presentation by Denise Fisk and Joanne Lucariello from the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association.
May 9 features Dallas Weaver, a local shoe and hiking store owner, telling us about his experience hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro from trailhead to the summit.
May 16 showcases Cindi Galabota, library foundation executive director, discussing your library’s building campaign.
May 23 is “North American Monsoon Outlook for Pagosa Springs,” a presentation by Arleen Prochazka of Pagosa Weather.
The lectures are free and no registration required. For more details, pick up the LLL brochure at your library.
Farewell Celebration
We hope you’ll join us to say a fond farewell to departing library director Meg Wempe on Wednesday, April 24 from 2-4 p.m. Snacks, activities and well wishes will be available.
Knowledge Bowl today
Our free Knowledge Bowl for tweens and teens is today, Thursday, April 11 from 4-5 p.m. Test your trivia skills on a wide range of subjects.
Preschool playdough tomorrow
Join us for free playdough exploration and fun tomorrow, Friday, April 12, from 10-11 a.m.
Teen/tween murder mystery tomorrow
Teens and tweens are invited to follow clues to solve the murder as a free session tomorrow, Friday, April 12, from 4-5:30 p.m. Registration required.
Chess Club Saturday
Learn how to play chess with free quick lessons and game time to practice your skills on Saturday, April 13 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Teen/tween art camp
Each month we explore a different style or medium at this free event. In April it’s watercolor art. Join us Mondays, April 15, 22 and 29 from 4-5:30 p.m. Registration required.
Music fun Monday
Pagosa Unplugged is free from 4-6 p.m. Monday, April 15 for amateur musicians who would like a safe, supportive, non-bar setting to play, sing or both with other people. For information contact Susan at 970-946-3396.
Spanish conversation
Practice your Spanish in a free group setting on Tuesday, April 16 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. No minimum skill level needed. This group meets twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays.
Writers guild
Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for opportunities, support, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering. April 18 is a special longer event from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. with blind reviews of submissions for the Writers Guild anthology collection that will be donated to the library. For more information please contact Judy at the library at 970-264-2209.
ESL classes
Free in-person evening classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 4-5 p.m. reserved for beginners, 5-6 p.m. for intermediate and 6-7 p.m. for advanced students. Please help us pass the word about these classes.
Clases de inglés
Clases gratis de inglés cada martes y jueves. Principiantes de 4-5 p.m., intermedios de 5-6 p.m. y advanzados de 6-7 p.m. Ayudenos a informar a todos quienes necesitan aprender inglés.
Downloadable books
CloudLibrary has a wide variety of downloadable e-books and audiobooks for all ages. To access this free digital collection, download the cloudLibrary app, answer a few simple questions, select AspenCat Union Catalog for the name of your library, then enter your library card number and 4-digit PIN. Library staff are happy to help you set up your device if you need assistance.
Spanish-language novel
“En Agosto Now Vemos” by Gabriel Garcia Martquez is the rediscovered novel from the Nobel Prize-winning author that Time magazine called “one of the 15 most anticipated books of 2024.” It’s about a woman who leaves her family for one night each August to travel to an island where she takes a new lover each trip.
DVDs
“The Color Purple” received 11 Academy Award nominations. Disney’s “Wish” is an animated musical comedy.
Large print
“Good Half Gone” by Tarryn Fisher features a woman investigating her twin’s kidnapping. “Every Single Secret” by Christina Dodd is about revenge for the murder of a mother. “Rock Bottom” by Fern Michaels is part of the Sisterhood mystery series. “The Summer Book Club” by Susan Mallery deals with romance books and new beginnings. “The New Couple in 5B” by Lisa Unger begins with a major inheritance.
Mysteries, thrillers and suspense
“Wolf at the Table” by Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp is a saga about a family harboring a serial killer. “Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?” by Nicci French is a psychological suspense story set in a small English village. “Diavola” by Jennifer Thorne is a gothic family vacation story set in a remote villa.
Books on CD
“Expiration Dates” by Rebecca Serle is a romance that begins with a blind date. “Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?” by Nicci French is a psychological suspense story set in a small English village. “After Annie” by Anna Quindlan follows a family and friends after a woman’s death. “The Morningside” by Tea Obreht tells of a woman and her mother after they were expelled from their ancestral home.
Nonfiction
“Shakespeare’s Sisters” by Ramie Targoff explores the lives of four writers creating at a time when women were legally the property of men. “One Way Back” by Christine Blasey Ford is a memoir of the woman who testified about an alleged assault by a Supreme Court nominee. “The Anxious Generation” by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the causes of teen mental illness and what to do to help drop the increasingly high rates.
Donor guidelines
When we are open, material donations are accepted for the Friends of the Library at the front desk – not down the outside returns slot at the library or the dropbox at City Market, please. Guidelines for donations: Yes to popular fiction books published in 2013 or later, nonfiction books published 2018 or later, and children’s and young adult books – all in excellent condition, please. No to CDs, DVDs, Blu Ray, VHS or cassette tapes; textbooks, outdated travel books or reference books because they do not sell. No more than two boxes at a time because of space constraints.
Quotable Quote
“Believe in yourself. Whenever someone tells you ‘no,’ and you know there’s a great reason to say ‘yes,’ listen to yourself.” – Patti Labelle, R&B singer and actress, known as “the godmother of soul.”
Website
For more information on library books, services and programs – and to reserve books, e-books, books on CD and DVDs from the comfort of your home – please visit our website at https://pagosalibrary.org.
The Ruby Sisson Memorial Library has been located at 811 San Juan Street (corner of S. 8th and Hwy 160) since 1989. The library is overseen by the Upper San Juan Library District, a tax-funded special district in Archuleta County.