April Book Club Pick Available in Ebook

Litchfield Library's adult book club is reading O Pioneers! by Willa Cather for April. It just so happens that the title is available for unlimited checkouts through our Overdrive ebook service! Search for it on Libby or the Overdrive app or find it here: https://pioneerland.overdrive.com/media/784733. 

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14, and we'll try to offer it virtually on that day on Facebook Live, Zoom, or both.

Library Closed, Resources Still Available

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

The Litchfield Public Library is closed indefinitely because of COVID-19, along with all other libraries in Pioneerland Library System.  The book drop is closed, as well.  For now, please keep public library books and movies at home, and once the library reopens you may return them.  Due dates will continue to be extended while the library is closed, so there’s no need to worry about late fees.

All library events and programs that had been scheduled for April and May are canceled or indefinitely postponed.  This includes storytimes, Brickheads Lego building, book clubs, craft and activity programs for adults and kids, and the May book sale.  We are hoping to offer some virtual programs or online content that you can access from home.  For example, I’m hoping to host my April 14^th book club meeting via Zoom or Facebook Live so that we can discuss “O Pioneers!” without the health risk of gathering a group of people. 

Some resources are available while the library is closed.

Pioneerland’s downloadable ebooks and audiobooks are available at pioneerland.overdrive.com or by using the free Libby or Overdrive app on a smartphone, tablet, or Kindle.  To find your local collection, search Overdrive for your local library, and that will lead you to Pioneerland.  If it lists a library system name other than Pioneerland, you may have chosen a Litchfield or Grove City in another state; it’s a common mistake.

Most titles are available to only one person at a time, just like a physical book, but a collection of classics is available for unlimited numbers of users to borrow at one time.  Another option is the current Big Library Read, a book that Overdrive chooses for unlimited checkouts for a limited time.  The current title is Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic: A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary.  This is a teen-oriented memoir that adults can also enjoy.  It’s available for unlimited borrowers through April 13. 

Even though the libraries are closed, our library system is adding more downloadable titles all the time to meet your need for books.  Looking for something you can check out immediately, instead of putting yourself on a waiting list?  Choose “collections,” then “available now,” and you can view your many options for checking out a book right away. 

Don’t have a library card? There’s a new way to sign up for a digital card online.  Go to Overdrive or Libby on a computer, phone, or tablet, and choose the option to sign up for an instant digital card using your cell phone number. You should only use this option if you don’t already have a library card. Ebooks are only available to people who live within the service area of each library system; Meeker County residents can access Pioneerland ebooks, but residents of some of our neighboring counties cannot.

If you have a library card that has expired within the past year or that was about to expire in the coming two months, your card’s expiration date has now been extended to June, and you should be able to use it to check out ebooks.  If you have trouble using your card, you can email me at elizabeth.cronk@pioneerland.lib.mn.us and I will find out if someone from our headquarters can resolve the issue. 

You can also send me an email if you need assistance with research, and I’ll do what I can with online resources from home.  Another option is AskMN, the 24-hour information and research help service from Minnesota libraries.  Visit askmn.org for real-time online chat assistance from a librarian for help finding information on any topic, including college research. 

Prefer to do the searching yourself? The Electronic Library for Minnesota (ELM) is a massive online resource that’s free for Minnesotans.  You can access magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, encyclopedias for all ages, test prep resources, résumé guidance, and federal government documents.  It’s a fantastic resource for students as well as the general public.  One unique collection within ELM is called Minnesota Reflections; it’s made up of images and documents from throughout the history of Minnesota, contributed by museums, archives, colleges, and libraries across the state.  Access ELM at elibrarymn.org.

Free public wifi is available outside the library.  If you park on the street or in the parking lot near the building, you should be able to pick it up, and no password is required.

I hope you are staying home as much as possible as our whole society works together to control this pandemic.  I am hopeful that we can care for each other and each do our part for the greater good.  I wish you health and happiness in the midst of this stressful time.

Book Club Kits: The Latest and Greatest

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Our Friends of the Litchfield Public Library group is always looking for ways to help the library.  Recently they received a donation from Joe and Nancy Paddock of ten copies of Nancy’s Minnesota Book Award-winning memoir.  The Friends purchased a tote to put them in and gifted the set to the library.  Our library system cataloged it as a book club kit, and it’s now available for anyone in the system to borrow for use with their book club or other group.  You can find it by searching “Book Club in a Bag: A Song at Twilight of Alzheimer’s and Love.”

You can find all of the book club kits in Pioneerland Library System by searching “Book Club in a Bag” as a title.  They really aren’t in bags; they come in plastic tubs.

One of the newest book club kits is “Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be” by Rachel Hollis.  This was, and continues to be, one of the most popular books of the past year.  Litchfield Library has owned a print copy of this book since last April, and it has yet to make it to the shelf; it has been checked out to people on the waiting list this entire time.  We also got an audiobook copy in November.  The twelve-copy kit belongs to the Dawson library, but you can request that it be sent here if you’d like to use it for your book club or group of friends.

On Tuesday, March 5, Hutchinson author and historian Mary Krugerud will be giving a presentation at the Litchfield Library about her new book, “The Girl in Building C: The True Story of a Teenage Tuberculosis Patient.”  Join her in the meeting room at 6:30 to learn about the history of tuberculosis, its treatment, and Minnesota sanatoriums.  Minnesota Historical Society Press recently published this collection of Marilyn Barnes’ letters to her family from the Ah-gwah-ching State Sanatorium in Walker, Minnesota in the ‘40s.  Litchfield Library has a copy of this book, but Dawson Library has a ten-copy book club kit available to order.

My adult book club is currently reading “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead, using the twelve-copy book club kit from Montevideo Library.  This book won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.  It’s an imaginative take on the actual history of slaves escaping the South.  If you’d like to join us, you can check out a copy at the library’s front desk and come to the meeting at noon on Tuesday, March 12.

Another new book club in a bag is “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann.  We read this interesting true crime book in the adult book club last year.  This tub contains ten copies of the book, and it’s housed at the Montevideo library.

Benson has an eight-copy book club kit of “Sister Secrets: A Brother’s Reveal” by Matthew Valan.  I wasn’t familiar with this title, which was published by North Dakota University Press in 2018.  The author is a minister who lives on his farm near Moorhead, and he delves into his family history with this story of his two sisters who were diagnosed too late with bipolar disorder. 

If you have a book club that you can trust with copies that are checked out to you, a kit is a great option for getting many copies at once.  There are 71 different book club kits in Pioneerland with more added all the time. 

Adult Book Club - Wonder

Adult Book Club - The Round House

Adult Book Club for May: The Round House

Adult Book Club for December: A Christmas Carol

Kits Available Through the Library

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

In recent months, the library had a suggestion box at the front desk.  A couple of people suggested we get some kits to check out.  Good news: kits are already available to order in our library system!  We don’t have them onsite because we don’t have space to store them, but a variety of kits can be delivered here for no charge for you to borrow.

One suggestion was for kits for preschools and families with young children, including things like activities, music, and books.  Many kits like this are available in our library catalog.  The easiest way to locate many of them is to search for “Learning Kit” as a title.  There are 56 of these!  They range from “Learning Kit: ABC” to “Learning Kit: Winter.”  These kits usually include a collection of books organized around a theme, games, activity sheets, videos, audio recordings, and sometimes toys and crafts.  A number of them are older, with VCR tapes and audiocassettes in the kits, but some are newer, with DVDs and CDs. 

To find another group of similar kits, do an author search for “Once Upon a Reader.”  We have these kits because of a statewide library program a few years ago.  One kit is called “Cow’s Vacation Scrapbook,” and it includes a stuffed animal, a copy of the book Moo by David LaRochelle, and a binder with spots for kids to draw, write stories, and add photos of their vacations.  Another kit called “Milk and Cookies Storytime” contains five different books, a CD, a tactile activity, and reproducible sheets and instructions for the adult preparing the storytime.  Finally, the “Take-Home Play Kit” includes a copy of the book Moo, five toys, and information for parents and caregivers on how to support early literacy with specific practices and skills. 

There are a few other kits that are a bit more challenging to find in the catalog.  One is “Dazzling Dave’s Tips and Tricks for Yo-Yo Play.”  It contains two yo-yos, a pack of replacement strings, a DVD, and an instruction sheet for learning to use a yo-yo.

Another is called “Oral History Kit,” which contains two digital voice recorders, two microphones, two pairs of headphones, and instructions.  The kit is intended for people to use for interviewing family members and other people to record their memories.

There is also a Zumba kit called “Zumba Fitness,” which includes toning sticks along with DVDs and a booklet.

Another suggestion we got in the box at the front desk was for book club kits.  Our library system offers these, too!  To locate them, search “Book club in a bag” as a title, and you’ll find 45 of them, from A Crooked Number by Nathan Jorgenson to Wide Open Spaces by Cadee Brystal.  Some are children’s books and some are for adults, and the kits all have multiple copies for a book club to share.  Some include discussion guides.

For more title options for book club kits, search “book club in a tub” in Plum Creek Library System’s online catalog, and then limit it to item type “book club kit” on the sidebar.  You won’t be able to order these directly through the Plum Creek catalog to be delivered here, but we do have a cooperative agreement with them to share our book club kits.  Talk to a staff member if you’d like to order one.

I hope that you’ll order some of these resources if you can use them.  There’s more available than what you see on the shelf!  Our staff will be glad to assist you.  

Adult book club discussing The Martian

Adult Book Club reading "Christy"

Adult book club - Frog Music

Need to get out of the house?

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

What’s happening at the library this winter?  The adult winter reading program, a craft workshop for adults, teen programs, storytimes, and book clubs are available to get you out of the house this season.

Our adult winter reading program has started and runs through March 31st.  Book Your Winter Getaway is a program for adults to read and review books and earn prizes for it.  When you sign up at the front desk, you’ll get a tote bag, a punch card, and some book review forms.  Read books of your choice and fill out a short review form for each.  Audiobooks and e-books count, too!  When you bring in a review, we’ll mark your punch card.  When you’ve completed three, you can choose a prize.  When you’ve completed three more, we’ll put your name in a drawing for gift certificates to local businesses, sponsored by the Friends of the Litchfield Public Library.  The book reviews will be available at our front desk for anyone to read.

On Saturday, January 23nd, we’re offering a historical craft workshop for adults at 1 p.m.  The Minnesota Historical Society is teaching a class on making historical and modern valentines.  The class is free to attend since it is funded by Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.  You will need to sign up in advance; stop in or call us at 693-2483 to put your name on the list.  Space is limited.

For teens, we offer an activity on the second Saturday of every month from 1:30-3:15.  When there’s a fifth Saturday in a month, like there is in January, we have a teen program that afternoon, as well.  Ages eleven to eighteen are welcome to join us on January 30th for a Minecraft building challenge: replicating the library building, something in the library, or a picture in a library book. 

Weekly storytimes have started up again after the holidays, running through May 14th.  On Wednesdays at 10:15, we have Toddler Time for babies through age two.  On Fridays, we have Preschool Storyhour at 10:00 for children age six and younger.  On the second Saturday of each month, we also have a storyhour at 10:00 - useful for families who can’t come on a weekday.  Older siblings are always welcome at all of the storytimes.

Book clubs happen at the library year-round, and you are welcome to hop in at any time.  The adult book club meets on the second Tuesday of each month at noon.  The book for the February meeting is Frog Music by Emma Donoghue.  Copies are on hand at our library to check out; just ask at the desk.

Mystery Book Club meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.  The book for February is The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny.  These books we order individually for people who regularly attend book club, so talk to Mary or Elisabeth if you’d like to get involved with that.

Book-to-Movie Club is for grades four through eight, although younger kids are welcome to attend if accompanied by an adult or older sibling.  On the second Monday of the month, they meet from 3:15 to 5:00 to talk about a book and watch a movie based on that book.  For February, they are reading A Wrinkle in Time.  Copies are available to check out at the front desk.

Beginners’ Book Club is for kids in grades one through three.  They meet on the third Thursday of the month from 3-4 p.m.  The book for the January 21^st meeting is Charlie Bumpers vs. the Teacher of the Year by Bill Harley.

We also have Brickhead Lego building nights on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., and a book sale every month on the third Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Beat your cabin fever and come out for something that interests you at the library!

Hygge: A way to feel better about winter

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

I keep seeing articles about trying to enjoy the winter instead of dreading it.  I have to admit I hate cold and dark, so finding ways to feel better during this time of year sounds like a great idea.  Many of these writings refer to the ways that Scandinavian countries embrace the season. The Danish word hygge loosely translates as “coziness,” but it’s one of those words that doesn’t really have an English equivalent, because togetherness and well-being are part of it as well.  It is associated with things like candles, fireplaces, hot beverages, blankets, friends, family, and food.  The Norwegians call it “koselig,” and they reportedly embrace the good things that come with winter instead of suffering through it.  I wonder if they have to drive on slippery roads as much as we do?  I should ask the people I know who used to live in Norway…

So what kind of hygge can the library offer you?  Well, the library itself is a pretty cozy place, especially now that the lighted Christmas trees are up.  To really add the social element, you could come to a book club. Talking about books with friendly, interesting people can give you a warm feeling of togetherness.  Our next book for Adult Book Club is A Christmas Blizzard by Garrision Keillor.  The title doesn’t sound warm and cozy, but it’s supposed to be heartwarming in the end.  The next meeting is on January 12th at noon.  Multiple copies are on hand at our front desk to check out.

The Mystery Book Club is reading Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke.  The murder part is not so snug and safe, but Fluke’s novels are considered cozy mysteries, which means the violence is downplayed, and the detective work happens in a small community.  This book club meets on the third Wednesday of the month, which will be December 16.

We normally offer a Fiber Arts Club on the fourth Thursday of the month at 4 p.m., but since that day will fall on Christmas Eve in December, you’ll have to wait until January to attend.  This group is a very informal way to gather with other people who are knitting, crocheting, or doing other handwork. 

If you’re looking for some recipes for comfort food, we have some new cookbooks that fit the bill: Brunch @ Bobby’s by Bobby Flay, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime by Ree Drummond, and Sweets & Treats with Six Sisters’ Stuff.  

To get some ideas for making your home more cozy, we have a couple of new decorating/design books on the way: Country Living American Style and Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere.  Don’t be alarmed by the title of the second book; it’s just a collection of photographs of cabins in beautiful places that inspire fantasies of moving to the woods. 

Of course, just curling up with a book or a movie can make for a cozy evening (or day) anytime, as long as it’s something you enjoy.  Some of our very newest books include House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke, Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason, and Texas Hills by Ralph Compton.  Our latest DVDs include Jerusalem from National Geographic, Dope, and Bears from the Disneynature series. 

This winter, I’m going to look for opportunities for hygge.  I hope the library can help boost your well-being, togetherness, and coziness this season.  

Murder by Magic tonight!

Borrowing for book club

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Book clubs are very popular in our community.  Our library has two book clubs for adults and two for kids.  The Grove City library has a book club for adults, and so does the Dassel library.  All are well-attended.  Besides the library-run book clubs, we see many members of other book clubs from the area in the library ordering and picking up copies of their books.

We sometimes see our customers getting frustrated when their book club chooses a very popular new book.  When everyone is reading something because it’s new and there’s considerable media coverage about it, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get enough copies from the library for a book club within the month you need it.  There’s just too much demand from the general public, even when we have many copies. 

For example, if you tried to do Go Set a Watchman for your book club right now, you’d be unlikely to get copies for everyone soon enough.    Our library system has 29 copies of the print book and six audiobooks, with more on order.  But there are 35 people on the waiting list. 

My advice is to wait until the interest subsides about a new book (or a book that’s been turned into a movie) before you choose it for your book club, unless your members are willing to buy their copies.   I’ve learned from leading a book club that it works best to choose books that are a year or more old but that were popular when they came out so that the library has many copies.  Small book clubs do have more options.

One good option for book clubs is a book club kit.  Our library system offers a rotating selection of these that are shared with Plum Creek library system, plus a few that stay in our catalog all the time.  If you search “book club in a bag” as a title in our catalog, you’ll bring up the list of choices.  Many of these kits include a dozen copies of the book, and often one is in large print or audiobook format.  Many also include a discussion guide. 

With a book club kit, one person from the book club would have to order and check out the kit and then distribute the copies to the members of the club – and get them all back again.  So you’d want a reliable group of book club members to trust with copies checked out on your own card!  But it is a way to get it all done with one order, as long as your book club doesn’t have too many members. An advantage is that you’re only competing with other book clubs to get those kits, not with individual readers.

When ordering individual copies of books for a book club, keep in mind that the person who orders the books is the one who has to check them out.  If one person orders all of the books for your book club, then she is the person who has to come in with her card to check them all out, she has to get them to the members, and she is responsible if the books are late or don’t come back.  We can’t check a book out to someone when it’s on hold on another individual’s library card.  If each person in the book club orders his own copy, then that person can come in and pick it up, and he controls when the book is returned.  It generally works better that way, unless you’re a person who doesn’t mind nagging your book club members to return their books!

The adult book club I lead for the library meets at noon on the second Tuesday of each month.  Everyone is welcome, whether they attend regularly or not. For our September 8^th meeting, we’re reading Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer.  Julie will be visiting our library on Saturday, September 26, at 1 p.m.  It’s another great opportunity to talk about books!

Book-to-movie club today

Book-to-movie club meets today, 4/13, 3:15-5, to discuss Stuart Little and watch the movie.  Anyone in grades 4-8 is welcome.  Younger kids may attend if accompanied by an adult.

The Borrowers

Book to Movie Club schedule

Share your love of reading and knitting at the library

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Winter can be a quiet time for adults.  Because of this, we hold our adult reading program in the winter instead of the summer.  We have also decided this is a good time to re-start our knitting club.

Artwork design:  Andrew Prekker, Luverne MN
©PCLS/PLS “Book Your Winter Getaway” WRP
Funded in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy fund

This year’s theme for the adult winter reading program is Book Your Winter Getaway. Pioneerland and Plum Creek library systems sponsored a contest for the artwork used for the program. This program was funded in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Fund.  The winner was Andrew Prekker, a 15-year-old from Luverne, Minnesota.  His logo appears on our posters, bookmarks, and prizes for the program.

You can sign up now for the winter reading program, which will run until the end of March.  When you sign up, you will get a book bag, a punch card and some book review forms. 

Bring back three completed book reviews, and we will punch your card and give you a choice of small prizes.  While supplies last, these will include coffee mugs, pizza cutters, and book lights.  Bring in three more, and we will put your name in a drawing for small gift certificates to local restaurants, sponsored by the Friends of the Litchfield Public Library.

We will display the book reviews (without names!) so that you can see which books your neighbors have and have not enjoyed.  It can be a fun way to get some reading ideas.

We used to have a knitting club that met at the library, but it kind of faded last year.  This month we started knitting club 2.0, now known as Fiber Arts Club.  We decided to give it a fancy name so that people could bring more than knitting.  If you do counted cross stitch, embroidery, crocheting, or any similar (non-messy) needlework project, you are welcome to bring it. 

People who come to the meetings talk with each other while they work, and they ask each other for help and advice on their crafts.  Some people have told us that they would be willing to teach someone how to knit or crochet.  We never know who will be there, but you are welcome to drop in and see if an expert is on hand. 

Fiber Arts Club meets the fourth Thursday of each month at 4 p.m.  All ages are welcome.  I know there are teen knitters out there!  Any men?

Our gaming nights are on hiatus for a while.  I am planning to use some of those Monday nights to hold some technology-related classes in the months to come.

Adult book club continues to meet at noon on the second Tuesday of each month. We have a good-sized group that has lively discussions.  February’s book is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  I am already hearing that members are enjoying this book.  Regular and large-print copies are available to check out.  You are welcome to join us for one meeting or all of them.  No commitment is required.

Winter is a good time for quiet indoor pursuits.  Beat your cabin fever and join us for a little bit of social sharing of these reading and crafting activities.

The Invention of Wings