Next Tuesday, August 6 from 4-6pm, your Ruby Sisson library will host a Sunnyside Community Solar event to help income-qualified members apply for a special solar subscription program for current residential LPEA members to avoid the hassle and expense of installing home solar panels.
This program allows those with an annual income under 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) to access clean energy from a shared solar array and receive credits on their electric bills.
Information needed to apply includes your LPEA account name and number, address, number of people in the household and documentation of income.
The first 100 qualified applications are guaranteed acceptance. The program opened July 1 and closes August 29. You can apply online with 4CORE at https://fourcore.org/sunnyside/ if you can’t attend the library session.
Summer Reading party next week
Mark your calendar for next Friday, August 9 from 2 – 4pm for the free Summer Reading Program closing party when we’ll award prizes, celebrate Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday and enjoy ice cream, snacks, cold drinks and fun games out in the garden. We are partnering with the National Forest Service and the Fire Prevention Education office to have Smoky at the party for pictures and multiple activities in the afternoon.
Legal clinics will resume
Your library is one of six in our state chosen by the Colorado Access to Justice Commission to restart the free legal clinics. They will happen from 2 – 3:40 p.m. the second Wednesday of every month starting August 14. We will start with five patrons each month, 20 minutes per patron. We will use a Zoom platform that can translate from English to the patron’s primary language. To reduce our no-show rate, we will start with just one waitlisted patron per month. Come to the library to meet privately via Zoom with our volunteer attorney. To schedule an appointment, at the beginning of the month send an email titled “Sign-up for Free Legal Clinic” with your first name and phone number to ruby@pagosalibrary.org, or phone 970-264-2209 or stop by the library.
All-ages gaming
Join us tomorrow, Friday, August 2, from 2 – 3:30 p.m. for a free all-ages gaming session playing X-box.
LEGO Club Saturday
Kids aged six-11 are invited to the free LEGO Club on Saturday, August 3 from 11 a.m. – noon. Bring your own LEGOs or use ours to free build.
Knitting and crochet lessons
Learn to knit or crochet on Monday, August 5 at our free gathering from 2 – 3:15 p.m. for ages eight and up. Supplies provided.
Music fun Monday
Pagosa Unplugged is free from 4-6 p.m. Monday, August 5 amateur musicians who would like a safe, supportive, non-bar setting to play, sing or both with other people.
Spanish conversation
Practice your Spanish in a free group setting on Tuesday, August 6 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. No minimum skill level needed. This group meets twice a month, on the first and third Tuesdays.
Family storytimes
Wednesdays from 10-11 a.m. join a free educational hour of reading, singing and free play to build early literacy skills.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9-11am Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for opportunities, support, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering.
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.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 2-4 p.m. Thursdays. Judy helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed for these drop-in sessions, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
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.
Thrillers, suspense and mysteries
“Wilderness Reform” by Matt and Harrison Query is set in a remote camp in Montana for troubled teens. “Forget Me Never” by Susan Wittig Albert is a China Bayles mystery about a prominent citizen’s secret about to be exposed. “A Death in Cornwall” by Daniel Silva is a Gabriel Allon art mystery involving a looted Picasso. “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Shadow” by Brian Freeman is a Jason Bourne spy adventure. “Storm Child” by Michael Robotham is a Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac psychological thriller.
Other novels
“Crow Mary” by Kathleen Grissom is a historical love story following the Cypress Hills Massacre. “Jackie” by Dawn Tripp is a novelist’s look at the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Nonfiction
“The Great River” by Boyce Upholt is a sweeping natural history of the Mississippi, an epic story of this enormous river and the centuries of efforts to control it.
Thanks to our donors
We want to thank JR Ford for his material donation. When we are open, material donations are gratefully 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 need for 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
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe (1943-1993), American professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. Ashe was the first Black player selected to the U.S. Davis Cup team, and the only Black man ever to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open tennis tournaments, three of four majors in the tennis world.
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.