It’s been a long, hard year and at long last we are entering into the final weeks of our 12-month construction project.
Through all the phases, all the inconvenience, makeshift spaces, gravel parking lots, limited computers and periodic closures, you have been the most patient, supportive community we could ever have imagined.
So, we’re throwing a party to celebrate you.
Please join us September 12 from 9am to 3pm to tour the finished library. We have a lineup of activities to mark the occasion right plus activities to deliver loads of fun for all ages. Come in the morning to witness a tribal blessing of our new library and stay for Storytime with Smokey the Bear. Make a commemorative bookmark, watch a juggling show, get your face painted and go home with a balloon animal. We’ll launch our new makerspace, try out the new teen room and hear music from local bands.
The whole community is invited. We hope to see you there.
Read Wild!
As the second month of summer reading wraps up, we’re proud to share that readers have already logged more than 237,000 minutes of reading time since June 1. We are well on our way to crushing our 250,000 minute community reading goal by August 28.
This is the library’s first summer using the Beanstack platform, which makes it simple and convenient to log reading and track progress toward rewards. We’ve been giving milestone prizes like putting readers’ names on the Wall of Recognition in the library and offering “community coupon bundles” to local businesses.
Readers are also earning raffle tickets to our grand prizes, which include gift cards, and special experiences in the library — like private time in our makerspace — and around the area — like a fly-fishing trip.
Congrats to all the readers out there on your progress this summer. It’s great to see so many people excited about reading.
It’s not too late to join. Visit pagosalibrary.org/summer to sign up and get started today.
Our next outing is scheduled for August 5 at Wolfwood Refuge, where we will receive a guided tour and learn about and interact with wolfdogs and wolves. Meet at the library at 8:30am and we’ll caravan together. There is no fee to enter. We recommend bringing a lunch.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
The library has a free, fun program to give your child the head start she needs. 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is an early childhood initiative that helps inspire a love for reading and literature while also helping our youngest readers get exposure to print and phonetics, and earn prizes along the way.
The goal is not to read 1,000 different books before kindergarten, but to simply read 1,000 times before they begin their journey to expand their knowledge. If your little one has a favorite book that they want you to reread to them immediately after finishing it the first time, then that counts as another book read.
Every 100 books is a milestone where our young patrons can receive a small prize or an experience at the library. At the end of their journey, they will receive a grand prize as well as an invite to a celebration at the library with all of those who have finished their 1,000 books before kindergarten.
Sign-up is free and easy. Enroll today by visiting the library.
Adopt-a-Tree Program
We have a few trees left to name in our outdoor community garden. Why not dedicate a tree to someone you love in exchange for a $500 donation? Individuals, families, clubs, businesses and organizations are welcome to participate.
Interested? Here’s how to get started: Write a check to Ruby Sisson Library or donate online at www.pagosalibrary.org. Fill out a donation form telling us what you want your garden stake to say in six words or less. Forms are available on our website or in paper form at the library. As part of our opening day celebration, participants will receive a tree stake and choose the tree they wish to name.
Thanks for helping us create a beautiful new outdoor space in our community.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor 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, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
New books collections brimming with interesting titles
For a full list of new titles and to reserve your copy, go to www.pagosalibrary.org and choose “Search the Catalog” at the top of the screen.
Don’t forget, if there is a waiting list for the book, it may be available now as an e-book or e-audiobook on CloudLibrary or Libby.
During our transition period, most books are in storage, but the new books are available to browse, and you can reserve any title in the catalog and have them brought in from other libraries. All the children’s collection is available in our bright, new, shiny children’s room.
Need help? Just ask. We love talking about books.
New in large print
Chicklit author Colleen Hoover returns with a new book, “Regretting You.” A mother and her teenage daughter struggle to cope with family secrets unearthed after a tragic accident.
Lisa Jewell is back with a new psychological thriller, “It Could Have Been Her.” A woman returns a lost dog to a house from her past, uncovering dark secrets connected to a missing teenager.
Father-daughter writing team Douglas and Aletheia Preston collaborate on “Paradox.” Agent Cash and Sheriff Colcord investigate ritualistic murders in Colorado while resurrected Neanderthals lurk in the mountains.
New fiction
“Start at the End” by Emma Gray is described as a “compelling, complex, emotionally charged story about love, loss, grief, what-ifs, theft, fear and survivor’s guilt.”
Durango author Scott Graham continues his National Parks Mystery Series with “Great Sand Dunes Massacre.” Archaeologist Chuck Bender witnesses a mysterious death while conducting a survey at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Father-Daughter duo James and Susan Patterson team up with “The Mother-Daughter Book Club.” Five college friends who’ve spent years discussing books together online get together for an emotional reunion and a night of secrets.
New in nonfiction
“Care of the Soul” author Thom- as Moore returns with a new spiritual manifesto, “Cure at Walden Pond: A Guide to Recovering Our Humanity.” The ingredients? Slow down, find spiritual renewal, and reconnect with nature and community.
Celebrity financial guru Dave Ramsey provides advice based on a long and successful career in “Build a Business You Love: Mastering the 5 Stages of Business.”
Political activist Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers in the 1970s that exposed the military’s decision making during the Vietnam War. “Truth and Consequences: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope” is a posthumous collection of his unpublished writings relevant to our current state of affairs.
Barbara Brattin is honored to lead the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library through this exciting time in its history. When she's not at the library, she's hiking with her Anatolian Shepherd Gigi and Rez dog Vic, traveling the world, visiting her grandchildren, or... you guessed it... reading !