 As published in the Red Rock News
It’s tax time! Sedona Public Library is pleased to announce that we will again offer free AARP Tax-Aide assistance in partnership with AARP Foundation. Services will be offered beginning on Tuesday, February 16, through Thursday, April 15, but it’s going to be different this year. There will be no walk-in service. Tax-Aide assistance will be by appointment only through an AARP volunteer. As the Library and AARP Foundation are dedicated to being Covid-safe, this is an important change. Please read the information below to learn how the tax preparation service will work this year. According to Larry Dreyfuss, local organizer, there are three simple steps this year for taxpayers:
Socially-distanced appointments will take place at Sedona Public Library in the Community Room or Quiet Study. Taxpayers should arrive exactly at their scheduled appointment time. Please do not arrive early, as we cannot guarantee that there will be socially-distanced seating available. Please remember that masks must be worn properly and at all times when in the Library. Larry Dreyfuss is a longtime library volunteer. Prior to Covid-19, Dreyfuss worked with our interlibrary loan system, with mailings, and with book filing. He has also volunteered with AARP Tax-Aide for several years. This year, Dreyfuss is spearheading the program, and we are grateful for his help in making this important service available. Dreyfuss asks for your patience, as in all things during Covid-19, as we work through any kinks in providing this service. We are dedicated to having Covid safety precautions in place. Most importantly, there is no walk-in service. In order to meet with an AARP volunteer, you must call (928) 793-3346 to schedule your appointment. Every year, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide provides tax preparation assistance free of charge to anyone, with a special focus on taxpayers who are 50 or older or who have low to moderate income. Tax-Aide volunteers are trained and IRS-certified every year to make sure they know about and understand the latest changes and additions to the tax code. Sedona Public Library has provided a location for this service for more than a decade. Additional information on AARP Foundation can be found here. Finally, Dreyfuss said, “Thanks so much, Sedona Public Library, for doing this! Sedona is grateful!” And we are grateful to you, Larry, and to AARP Foundation. Happy tax season! Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where your tax-deductible gifts are always welcome. Learn more at sedonalibrary.org/donate. Sedona Public Library Column for January 29, 2021 Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director  Hello Sedona! I am excited and honored to be the new Director at Sedona Public Library. This is easily the highlight of my library career, and I feel humbled and privileged to lead such an important institution in such a beautiful city. Along with new Assistant Director Eric Petersen and a gifted and talented staff, I am here to meet and exceed your information, educational, and entertainment needs. More than that, we are all working hard to become an even stronger center of community connection. I hope that piques your curiosity!
As mentioned in last week’s column, we have big plans for the coming year. I’d like to share just a bit of what we’ve been working on, and what this means for our community. As many of you know, we are finishing up a broad and successful Community Needs Assessment project that will drive our work on a new strategic plan. What exactly does that mean? Let me explain. Last year, we applied for a Library Services & Technology Act grant through the Arizona State Library* for funding to hire a library consultant who could guide us through the process known as a “community needs assessment.” Excited to receive this grant, we began our work late last summer. The goal of our assessment is to find out what’s on the minds of folks in our community—specifically, what they see as issues, and what their aspirations for our fair city are. We interviewed nearly 50 individuals: from government officials and staff to the leaders of Sedona’s nonprofits, from neighbors and friends to historians and writers. It was a marvelous experience to touch base with so many members of the community. Thank you for sharing your time! Of course, in Sedona, we couldn’t have these conversations without asking for everyone’s “Sedona story.” Wow! While so many of us were motivated to move here by the landscape and incredible beauty, the variety of paths and journeys that led everyone to this town were fascinating. Oh, the stories you told…what amazing lives you have lived. Most importantly, though, we learned what’s on people’s minds. Yes, Covid-19 is our immediate concern, but we also heard about traffic, tourism, and the problem of affordable housing. We learned about our residents’ deep sense of pride, loyalty, and love for Red Rock Country, and we learned that we are a community that cares deeply about sustainability—our climate, land, and water. While all is not perfect in this beautiful little town—there are many issues to be addressed—we sensed that everyone is passionate about becoming the best that we can be. You might be wondering: how is this a project for the Library? That’s easy. Because the Library’s job is to engage and inform and enrich and inspire its community by addressing its needs and celebrating its dreams. As your new Library Director, my goals are all grounded in connection. Connecting people to people, questions to answers, volunteers to opportunities, organizations to partners—I believe that creating and strengthening these connections is how a community thrives. What we didn’t ask is how the Library can help. Why not? Because that’s our job. We asked you to tell us what’s on your minds, and now we will do the work of addressing your concerns with our services, programs, collection, and more. My first and most crucial task at Sedona Public Library is to work with our staff and Board of Trustees to write our new strategic plan. Once it’s finalized and approved by our Board of Trustees, we’ll present it to you, and I know you’ll be excited to see how your library will broaden and deepen its role as the heart of Sedona. Again, thank you to everyone who participated in our Community Needs Assessment. Please stay tuned as we do the work and unveil a strong, exciting, and aspirational plan for a library that will continue to connect this community. My door is always open. I want to personally connect with as many of you as I can, and I am so looking forward to conversations in a post-Covid world. Please remember that we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and always welcome your support and your gifts. Visit sedonalibrary.org/donate to easily make an online gift, feel free to come by, or drop your check in the mail to 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. *Library Services & Technology Act funding comes through the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records which is a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Sedona Public Library Column for January 22, 2021 Written by Judy Poe, Library Director  Thank you! I don’t know what else to say, so I’ll say it again. Thank you.
Over 210 donors stepped up to support Sedona Public Library in our 2020 end-of-year campaign. With your help, we met the matching gift provided by a long-time donor and volunteer. As your support poured in, the match grew from its original $15,000 to $30,000. We met that final matching gift amount by December 29, and the gifts continued coming in through midnight on New Year’s Eve. Thank you! Joel DeTar, Board of Trustees President, beamed with gratitude at the news of the successful campaign. “This is unprecedented,” he said. “And it’s due to an unprecedented number of generous supporters. Thanks to each and every one.” There has not been a show of support in an end-of-year campaign like this for Sedona Public Library since we first began this fundraising effort several years ago. We are proud to know that you believe in Sedona Public Library’s mission, something that is especially meaningful during these crazy times. Libraries matter, and you embraced the importance of this wise investment. This vote of confidence bolsters us as we move through our days; your generous investment is as good as marching orders for our future. We’ve listened. We are so glad to know the community cares, and that you’re watching. The words “engage, inform, enrich, and inspire”—as our mission promises we will do—were not all that guided us in 2020. We were also led by community needs and our new goal of providing safety and comfort during a pandemic. Technology improvements, air quality upgrades, Covid-19 safety standards, curbside and doorway holds pickup service, and our new online programs are just a few of the things we did last year. Going forward? Judy Poe, our new Library Director, has weighed in. “We are working on big plans for this coming year,” Judy said. “We are finishing up a broad and successful Community Needs Assessment project that will inform our work on a brand new strategic plan for the Library.” While a library might be an assumed part of a community (not unlike a water company, post office, or playground) we want Sedona Public Library to stand out as the center of the community. As reliable as a water company, but as unique as the people who use our services. “We want our library to pique your curiosity,” Judy explains, “as well as satisfy your need for information, engagement, entertainment, connection, and access.” Thank you, again, for your support and trust in Sedona Public Library. Times have changed and continue to change. We will always work hard to stay up to date, and better yet, to stay more than a step ahead. May your New Year be full of hope, health, and hugs. Thanks again. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization where your gifts are always welcome. Learn more at sedonalibrary.org/donate. Sedona Public Library Column for January 15, 2021 Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director  Please join us for the 26th Annual Quilt Show and see more than 50 amazing hand-crafted quilts on display against the architectural beauty of the Library. We again ring in the New Year with a visual feast brought to you by the Red Rock Quilters and Sedona Public Library. Enjoy the exhibit from January 11 through March 6, 2021.
Come on in and take a self-directed tour of the show. Browse the quilts hanging in the Main Room of the Library on the rafters and walls. Printed guides will be available to help you as you wander. The guide provides a photo and description of each quilt and will indicate if a quilt is for sale. Don’t forget to vote for your one favorite quilt in each of three categories for the “Viewers’ Choice” Awards. Viewers’ Choice Awards will be presented for 1) large quilts; 2) small/wall quilts; and 3) favorite challenge quilt. This year’s challenge was “Those Red Rocks Aren’t Really Red.” Judges will also select one quilt for the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Award. This annual tribute to the art form of quilting is one of the Library’s most popular events. Required social distancing and masks will not inhibit your ability to peruse the amazing local talent during the Library’s open hours: Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. This year’s show features many red rock-inspired creations, as well as others, and the entries are . . . well, they’re all gorgeous! Read on for details about just a few of the dozens that you’ll be able to view starting next week. Don’t miss “Sonoran Spring” by Pat Loomis (#3). This colorful quilt reminds Pat of her favorite desert season: spring! She has hidden an assortment of curious critters among the desert blooms, all in the bright batiks and florals she chose from her “stash” of fabrics. While an exercise in patience, Pat explained, she says it was worth it for this creation that she loves. We do, too! Celebrating the sense of dignity she found in a vintage black and white photograph, LeAnn Hileman created “Navajo Boy with Truck” (#30) and transformed the faded image into a brightly colored quilt. LeAnn was inspired by the boy’s comfortable pose and she quilted the truck so that even if you’re not a car buff, you’ll love her historic automotive detail. Another piece inspired by photography is Deb Deaton’s “Day into Night” (#41). Deb felt compelled to capture with fiber the splendor of the desert sky as depicted in a Robert Murray photo. This stunning work includes a hand-painted sky and hand-dyed fabric. It’s a mixed media sensation that might just drop your jaw. And, finally, get ready to be mesmerized by Deborah L. Staats’ “Kaleidoscope Round & Round” (#43) with its connected circles of blue. Deb used English paper piercing as well as beads and sequins to get your eyes' attention on this unique quilt. Enjoy! Please come by to see one of the Library’s most popular and well-loved annual shows. And be sure to tell your family and friends about this opportunity to do something fun, artistic, and free, available for nearly two months! Please remember the Library abides by social distancing and mask wearing requirements. Rest assured, while here, you are breathing the cleanest, safest, and freshest air with our recent installation of a new UV Air Pure Air Scrubber System. The special UV lights and photo catalyst technology protect and purify the air and attack contaminants on all surfaces. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your gifts supplement the funding and support we receive from the City of Sedona, Coconino and Yavapai County property taxes, and Friends of the Sedona Library. Visit sedonalibrary.org/donate to make an online gift. Thank you! Sedona Public Library Column for January 8, 2020 Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director  People often ask me to recommend books. I am an avid reader, and I am always happy to introduce patrons to new titles and authors. For 2021, I’ve made a list of 21 books that I recommend and hope you’ll enjoy reading as much as I did.
It was difficult narrowing my list to 21 titles; however, these books have made a lasting impression on me. When compiling this list, I selected books that are available in various formats from the Yavapai Library Network. Fiction:
Nonfiction:
You can find more information about each title or author by searching the library catalog at sedonalibrary.org. For newer titles, you may have to wait for a copy if the book is on the bestseller list. If you need assistance locating a title, placing a hold, renewing items you have checked out, receiving your PIN, or updating your account information, please contact the library at 928-284-1603 or email voc@sedonalibrary.org. We are here to help and look forward to assisting you in 2021. As the new year begins, we would like to acknowledge our community for continuing to support library services during these challenging times. A special shout out goes to Clark’s Market for designating Sedona Public Library as a recipient of their Non-Profit Monday program. Thanks to Dave Miller, store manager, and the crew at Clark’s for encouraging shoppers to support the library. Thank you Clark’s Market and shoppers for your generous gift of $1,572 to support library services. Sedona Public Library Column for January 1, 2021 Written by Cheryl L. Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village |
