This February, Sedona Public Library is celebrating Love Your Library Month. It’s our way of encouraging you to take advantage of the many free services we offer and for you to demonstrate your support for the Library.
           
Show your spirit all month by wearing a “Love Your Library” button.  Get your free button at the main library in West Sedona (3250 White Bear Rd.) or Sedona Public Library in the Village (51A Bell Rock Plaza). Pick up your button today and show your pride.
 
Haven’t been to the Library recently?  Dust off your library card and come see what’s new.  Discover our collection of free e-books to download to your own device.  Check out our extensive collection of DVDs, including blockbuster movies, television series, and foreign films.
 
If you don’t have a library card, now is the perfect time to apply for one.  Stop by either of our locations with your photo ID and proof of local residency. Your library card is free and will give you access to over one million library materials at 42 libraries in the Yavapai Library Network.
 
Lost your card?  During February we are waiving the $5 replacement card fee.  So stop in and get a new card, completely free of charge.
 
Many programs to meet a variety of interests are planned for Love Your Library Month. These are some of the programs and displays offered at the main library in February:
 

• Annual Quilt Show through February 15
• Northern Arizona Watercolor Society display February 2 through 24
• AARP tax help will be offered on a first-come first-served basis every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Free movie on Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Si Birch Community Room: February 5, “Stronger”; February 12, “Marshall”; February 26, “Goodbye, Christopher Robin”
• February 5 at 10:10 a.m.: Great Decisions Group
• February 6 & 20 at 2 p.m.: French Conversation Class
• February 7 from 1 to 3 p.m.: Valentine Craft Activities for all ages
• February 9 at 10 a.m.: Coffee with a Veteran
• February 13 at 2 p.m.: Library Book Club discusses “Lincoln in the Bardo”
• February 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Northern Arizona Healthcare Free Health Screening
• February 15 at 6 p.m.: Northern Arizona Healthcare “Women and Heart Disease” Lecture
• February 21 at 10:30 a.m.: Northern Arizona Healthcare “Proactive Medicine” Lecture
• February 23 at 5 p.m.: Music and Poetry Valentine Celebration
• Story times on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings
• English as a Second Language Classes and Conversational Spanish on Wednesday nights

 
Join us for the following programs in the Village of Oak Creek:
 

• February 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Church of the Nazarene: Arizona Humanities program “African American Art, Fort Huachuca and World War II,” presented by Dr. Betsy Fahlman
• February 27 at 1:30 p.m. at Sedona Winds: Book discussion of  “Flight Behavior” by Barbara Kingsolver

 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donations and grants allow us to continue to offer free and innovative services to residents and visitors. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336.

​Sedona Public Library
Column for February 2, 2018
Written by Virginia Volkman, Director

After celebrating the holidays and ringing in the New Year, the rest of January seems anti-climactic.  If you are looking for something fun to do that won’t strain your budget, check out a Culture Pass from Sedona Public Library to plan an excursion in Arizona.
 
In order to take advantage of the program you’ll need to have a library card.  Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a limit of one pass per cardholder at a time. On our website you’ll find a link to the website for each participating institution.
  
If you want to stay close to home, visit the Sedona Heritage Museum.
 
Sedona Heritage Museum: This museum was once a homestead for the Jordan family and is focused on the lifestyles and works of the people who pioneered this community, from 1876 to the present.
 
Several Culture Passes are available for attractions in the greater Phoenix area:
 
Arcosanti: Located 70 miles north of Phoenix, the Arcosanti community was the brainchild of architect Paolo Soleri. The town has been under construction since 1970 and incorporates principles of ecological urban design. 
 
Cave Creek Museum: This museum is dedicated to preserving the artifacts and culture of the Cave Creek/Carefree foothills area.  Open October through May.
 
Desert Botanical Garden: Located on 140 acres in Papago Park, the gardens offer permanent trailside exhibits, temporary art exhibitions and seasonal experiences about the desert and desert plants.
 
Desert Caballeros Western Museum: This museum houses displays and exhibits focused on the Western heritage of Wickenburg.
 
Halle Heart Children Museum: This cardiovascular learning facility has opportunities for children to learn more about ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
 
Heard Museum: Known for its award-winning exhibits, this museum uses its collections to tell the stories of American Indian cultures and to celebrate the diverse achievements of today’s artists.
 
Phoenix Art Museum: The largest art museum in the Southwest, this museum has provided access to visual arts and educational programs in Arizona for more than 50 years.
 
Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park: Once inhabited by the Hohokam culture, this archaeological site is the largest preserved archaeological site in Phoenix.
 
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art: This museum is Arizona's only permanent museum dedicated solely to modern works of art, design, and architecture.
 
These Culture Passes are available to attractions in Flagstaff:
 
The Arboretum at Flagstaff: This 200-acre arboretum is home to 750 species of mostly drought-tolerant adapted and native plants found on the high-desert Colorado Plateau. Open mid-April through October.
 
Lowell Observatory: Established by Percival Lowell in 1894, Lowell Observatory is among the oldest observatories in the United States. Celebrate the birthday of Pluto, discovered February 18, 1930, by Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.
 
Pioneer Museum: Originally constructed as the Coconino County Hospital for the Indigent in 1908, the Pioneer Museum offers exhibits about the history of Flagstaff and northern Arizona.  
 
If you make a road trip to Kingman, the 3-in-1 Pass will give you admission to three attractions: Route 66 Museum, Mohave Museum, and the historic Bonelli House.
 
To learn more about Culture Passes, call the Reference Desk at Sedona Public Library at 928-282-7714, ext. 114, or visit the Library’s website at www.sedonalibrary.org.
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. We are grateful for the support of the City of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, businesses and foundations, and individuals like you. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336.  

​Sedona Public Library
Column for January 26, 2018
Written by: Cheryl L. Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village

Are you working on your 2018 budget? I sure am. Along with my goals to eat healthier, work out harder, and read more books, I’m planning on ending 2018 in the black. It’s the time of year when we review the numbers, whether in our personal or business budgets, and determine how to deepen our savings and spend with forethought. One expense line item we simply can’t forget is charitable giving.
 
The end of the year always seems to come quickly and catch us by surprise. Before we know it, it’s the holiday season, and along with the myriad of things we do, we scurry to choose which nonprofit organizations we’ll support before the year ends.
 
Sedona Public Library is grateful to the 250 donors who made contributions in 2017. Thank you! Many of you, more than 50 percent, made your contributions between November 1 and December 31, and we’d like you to know, there is a handy option to avoid the possible hassle of year end giving. Recurring gifts are an easy way to support a favorite nonprofit organization like your library.
 
It’s easy, and just as you may use an automatic online option for banking or paying bills, you can add giving to the Library to that list! Hit the DONATE button on our website, and everything you need to give a gift—one time, or recurring—is right there at your fingertips. Or set up automatic bill pay through your bank.
 
If monthly giving isn’t the way you want to budget your philanthropy, we have plenty of opportunities this year for you to choose from as you make your financial plan for 2018. Consider AZ Gives Day on April 3; join us for our 60th Anniversary Celebration on April 28; or perhaps you’ll kick off your 2018 holidays with a gift on Giving Tuesday, November 28, before the season grows too hectic. Whichever time or way you choose to give, your gifts will be put to great use in our service to the larger Sedona and Verde Valley community.
 
Of course, we love it most when you visit—in fact, we’re happy to show you around! There’s always something interesting to see or learn, or any number of quiet nooks where you can get comfy and read or write. At the Library we are happy to meet you and personally accept your contribution; it gives us the chance to say, “Thank you so much.”
 
On a final note, as you prepare your budget for 2018, remember tax laws have changed, including the deductibility of your charitable giving. Be sure to consult with your tax advisor or visit any of the number of websites that are offering advice and insight on the new law.

Here at the Library, we will make tax resources available to you as soon as we have them. And remember that starting in February, AARP Tax-Aide volunteers will offer free tax filing in our Community Room on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 17.
 
Whether you deduct your charitable gifts, or don’t; give online or in person; make a recurring or one-time gift, we’re so glad you’re philanthropic and helping charities like Sedona Public Library take care of the community that you love. Thanks again, and happy budgeting!

Sedona Public Library
Column for January 19, 2018
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director

This is it! This is the year I lose weight and exercise more.  What better place to start than the Library. As I stroll down the aisle where the diet books are located, I see familiar ones. I must confess that I am a professional dieter, always on a diet, but never losing weight.
 
There are so many programs to choose from:  Eat to Live, South Beach, Atkins, the 17 Day Diet, and the Sonoma Diet (one of my favorites; it has the best-tasting food ever, and it even allows a daily glass of wine). But weight (pun intended), I hear your cries of protestation, it is not about dieting but eating a healthy lifestyle forever, right?
 
But which lifestyle is right for you? Paleo, gluten free, plant based, flexitarian, or intermittent fasting—we have heard the benefits of them all.
 
Being Greek, I love my ancestral food and so chose the Mediterranean style of eating. I check out the Library’s copy of “The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook,” from America’s Test Kitchen. It makes sense, especially if I follow Peter D’Adamo’s concepts from his newly revised and updated version of his best-selling book, “Eat Right for Your Type.” Also, I am tempted to take from the shelves all the Mediterranean diet books that I can find. However, I have a guilty conscience; I should leave some books for our patrons. So, begrudgingly, I put them back and take one or two choice books: “The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook,” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, and “The Mediterranean Diet,” by Marissa Cloutier. These seem like a great choice for this week. Armed with my new cookbook and two diet books, I am ready to start cooking and be healthy for the rest of my life.
 
But the reality is, I already know what to eat. My biggest hurdle, like many Americans, is avoiding sugary temptations. If only there were a book to help me with sugar addiction!  That’s no problem for your local library; we have titles such as “Beating Sugar Addiction for Dummies,” or better yet, an ebook entitled, “Beat Sugar Addiction Now,” by Jacob Teitelbaum, for those who need immediate inspiration.
 
For anyone who just wants to detox from the holiday feasting, I highly recommend “The 21-Day Sugar Detox,” by Diane Sanfilippo; there is even a cookbook to accompany it. I have taken this book out multiple times. It is one that I keep by my bedside and hope to gain the benefits of by osmosis.

No wonder I am a diet book junkie, with such exciting, powerful, and hopeful titles like “The Joy of Half a Cookie,” “Turn Off the Fat Genes,” “Bread Is the Devil,” “Lose the Clutter Lose the Weight,” and “Fat to Skinny.”
 
What if we or another Yavapai County library does not have the diet or health book you are looking for? You can submit a purchase request through our web site, or we can try to obtain the book through interlibrary loan. I once used interlibrary loan to borrow “The Carb Sensitivity Program,” by Natasha Turner, and while I have yet to implement the program, it gives me comfort knowing about the availability of the book.
 
So come on into the Library this month and check out the new book display to browse all these wonderful titles and more. Who knows, maybe we can have clandestine weigh-ins and meetings in the stacks. Hmmm, a new library program?

​​Sedona Public Library
Column for January 12, 2018
Written by Sophia Zarifis-Russell, Reference Assistant

​The 2018 Oscar nominees will be announced later this month, and as these films are released on DVD, you’ll be able to check them out from the Library. We’ll also show as many as possible at our Flicker Shack movie program. This month’s schedule includes a film that is almost certain to be nominated for best picture, as well as two other popular new releases. Please join us at 6 p.m. on Monday nights in January to enjoy these critically acclaimed selections. (Note that there will be no movie on January 15, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.)
 
Monday, January 8: Victoria and Abdul. In this historical drama, Queen Victoria, played by Judi Dench, develops an unexpected and deep friendship with young Indian servant Abdul Karim, who journeys to Britain to participate in the celebration of the Queen’s 50th year on the throne. The unusual relationship was only recently brought to light, as Victoria’s children disapproved of it and removed all references to Karim from the Queen’s diaries. You can read more about these fascinating real-life events in the book “Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant,” by Shrabani Basu.
 
Monday, January 22: Battle of the Sexes. In 1973, Billie Jean King took on ex-champion Bobby Riggs in a tennis match hyped as the Battle of the Sexes. Riggs had claimed that women’s tennis was inferior to men’s and that no female player could beat him. This drama, starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell, depicts the historical match and delves into the battles being played out in the characters’ lives beyond the spotlight.
 
Monday, January 29: Dunkirk. This historical thriller chronicles the epic effort to evacuate more than 300,000 Allied soldiers who find themselves trapped on the beaches of Northern France during the 1940 invasion by Nazi forces. The movie is also widely believed to be a frontrunner for best picture, so don’t miss it!
 
Monday night movies at the Library are free and open to the public, but your donations are always appreciated. Audience contributions help cover the costs of the program throughout the year, and they enable us to show a larger selection of films. Thank you for your support of this and other programs at Sedona Public Library.
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are grateful for the support of the City of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, businesses and foundations, and individuals like you. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336 or can be made online at www.sedonalibrary.org.