​As published in the Red Rock News

Good day Red Rock News readers and families! January has brought the return of programming to Sedona Public Library. Much like when your favorite restaurant switches culinary styles from Italian to Tex-Mex, this month offers the soft opening of our new in-person “menu” in Youth Services.   
   
For an appetizer, may we recommend our Toddler Play n’ Learn program, Monday mornings from 10 to 10:45 a.m. in Youth Services. This fun program runs now through March 7 and it’s a great time to play and explore music, art, and reading with Miss Marcia. The program is best suited for children ages 1 to 3 years. It pairs well with our new Red Rock Drumming program, led by Harta from Sedona Wellness Drumming, Thursdays from 10 to 11 a.m. in Youth Services. Explore rhythms with music and movement, songs and dance, quizzes and games with drums, shakers, rattles, and more now through March 3! Drumming is great for ages 0-5 years, but all ages are welcome.   
  
If you’re looking for a program with a bit more meat on the bone, our new Teen Dungeons and Dragons Club may be perfect for you. Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, recently made popular again by the Netflix show Stranger Things. Teen patrons, ages 11 to 18, can learn to play working with the Volunteen DM (Dungeon Master) and using their imagination! The club meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Quiet Study Room. This program runs now through March 23. To register go to sedonalibrary.org, click the events tab and go to the second or fourth Wednesday on the monthly calendar. 
  
Still hungry? We’ve got more! Flex your mental appetite with Chess Club, Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. With the help of Dr. David Beyer, aspiring Bobby Fishers can practice their chess strategies. All skill levels are welcome at Youth Services! The club is recommended for ages 10 and up.  
  
For dessert, our second Saturdays Cartooning Class with Mr. Jan(imal) is the perfect way to start your weekend. Join us from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Quiet Study Room. Learn from yours truly—local cartoonist and Sedona Public Library's Program and Marketing Coordinator. All drawing materials will be provide. The cartooning class runs through the end of the year. 

For teens’ enhanced experience, we have added two computer stations and increased seating to the Teen Area of the Library. We have also relocated the Young Adult audiobooks and Playaways to the general collection and spruced up the Teen Area with fun comic book, anime, and pop culture posters. To help give our teens their own defined space to be themselves, we have added signage indicating that this space is reserved for 11 to 18 year olds after 2 p.m. and all day on Saturdays. These changes have been well received by the Tweens and Teens.    

I hope you’ve enjoyed a tour of the new menu for in-person programs in Youth Services at the Library, we’re excited to have you back! Please be sure to visit our Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as our Calendar of Events at sedonalibrary.org, for more information on all the new and upcoming programs and events at the Library.  
 Sedona Public Library is 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 21, 2022   
Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator   

​As published in the Red Rock News
 
A fellow entered the Library the other day, and everything he owned was packed inside a dirty, beige, suitcase that he guarded carefully. He smelled like he would love to take a long, hot shower.
 
A woman strode into the Library, her long, wool coat flapping behind her. Her fragrance suggested that everything she owned was perhaps in a mansion or two located in places faraway and idyllic.
 
Both patrons were gracious when they asked the Reference Librarian the same question. “Could I use a computer, please?”
 
The fellow sought a warm place to stay for the night, maybe a meal, or a shower. He’d been sleeping outdoors during a recent cold spell. The woman had lost her mobile and needed to doublecheck a reservation at Enchantment for the weekend.
 
Both were received with reliable and equal welcome at our Reference Desk, and both hurried to a public computer to accomplish their task. When finished, they took a moment to express gratitude as they left. One with that suitcase in tow, one with that coat now over her arm.
 
This moment, as so many at Sedona Public Library, speaks to the greatest thing we do. We provide people safe, accessible, warm, reliable service, no questions asked, and always determined to get to the ‘yes.’
 
Perhaps it was this determination that led to our recent successful fundraising. Reflecting on these things, and entering this new year with hope, albeit with lingering Covid trepidation, brings me pause. I am humbled, and I am grateful.
 
Of everything I have learned in a career dedicated to non-profit work, my greatest lesson–the one I hold most dear, and the one I need to daily remind myself of—is this:  giving begets giving.
 
Before Christmas, the Plan B Quartet alighted near our large Christmas tree to fill the Library with song. Three children from Thailand sat nearby, dazzled and with “eyes all aglow” as they say, proudly hanging ornaments, enjoying the cookies and cider, and humming along.
 
Also, just before the holidays, a non-English speaking family of three visiting from Mexico stopped in hopeful to learn some English while in the country, although they were a bit shy. Our librarians welcomed them to hang out, use our computers, visit our exhibits, and more. They read books and magazines and listened to Vox Books, all in Spanish and English.
 
Viviane Kraus, Children’s Librarian said, “Once I got them to enjoy a story, I knew we were in!” Their discomfort dissipated, and our librarians created an English workbook for them and gave them a map to our bilingual StoryWalk. When they returned a few days later, we provided even more take-home materials.  
 
Whether parents are here because the Library is the designated location for a “supervised visitation,” or because this is where parents learned how to read themselves and now they want their children to learn here, too, they are all always welcome.
 
Whether a speech pathologist meets a client here because it is safe and offers the necessary privacy, or a long-time patron visits just to enjoy the book displays—“I like this one,” a patron said, pointing to Best of Books of 2021, and then, “The Library is always so fun!”— we are here for you and willing to work with you.
 
“We work to get to the yes,” explained Judy Poe, Library Director. People come here because it is safe, welcoming, they can just “be.” “It’s what we’re all about.”
 
You have supported the simple but necessary opportunities and resources we offer. Whoever you are, whether you are a regular user, or don’t have a library card, it doesn’t matter. We are honored that you trust us, and you know there is simply no place as magical and as vital to a community as the Library.
 
It is often surprising that Sedona Public Library is not a “Qualifying Charitable Organization,” meaning your gift to us isn’t eligible for the Arizona Tax Credit. The reason is simple: We don’t track patrons’ income. Rich or poor, multiple homeowner or homeless, wealthy chef or on a free lunch program, we don’t know and we don’t ask. Our services are for everyone.
 
Likewise, we do not provide what Arizona considers “basic needs.” That is, we are not a place where folks get food, overnight shelter, sustenance, etc. This confuses some as they see us serving everyone, even those whom they might assume lack or seek “basic needs.” We provide tremendous resources for those who ask how to obtain basic needs, but for this, we don’t earn the revered Arizona Tax Credit eligibility.
 
Nonetheless, nearly 200 of you gave the Library more than $78,400 in our recent campaign. You understand that what we give to the community cannot be and is not measured by a person’s wealth or ability to read; their country of origin or level of hunger; whether they are tech savvy or tech fearful. We are here for them and for you.
 
You have made it clear that what we give to the community makes us worthy of your giving back to us. For this we are extremely grateful, and hopeful, without trepidation. Thank you, and Happy New Year!
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for 1/14/22
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director
 

As published in the Red Rock News
 
Happy New Year Red Rock News readers! The holidays – and for that matter the month of December - were a whirlwind. My first meeting - right out the gate - was with the Red Rock Quilters. The Red Rock Quilters, made up of a dedicated group of women, has been in existence since 1986. After 36 years, they haven’t slowed down, not one bit!
 
Whether you are a life-long resident or visiting our area, please join us for one of Sedona Public Library’s most well-attended and loved events, the Annual Quilt Show. Come in out of the cold and see more than 65 amazing hand-crafted quilts on display against the architectural beauty of your Library. Enjoy this amazing 27th annual exhibit from January 10 through March 5, 10am to 6pm, Monday through Thursday and 10am to 5pm, Friday and Saturday.  Sedona Public Library is located at 3250 White Bear Road in West Sedona.
 
Over the past week, I’ve been watching the cavalcade of quilters come into the Library to drop off their quilts. I’ve had a chance to chat with Red Rock Quilters members; and I have learned about how long they’ve been quilting; their other passions and hobbies; the amazing sizes of their pieces, and how they can be simple designs or recreations of photographs in fabric. Above all else, I learned that you never, ever call a quilt a blanket. It’s art!
 
When you visit the library, pick up a printed guide and take a self-directed tour of the quilt show. Marvel at the quilts hanging in the Main Room of the Library from the rafters and walls. The guide provides a photo and description of each quilt and will indicate if a quilt is for sale.
 
This year, the Red Rock Quilters have added something new to the exhibit: Demo Days – on January 28 and 29 - you can learn about quilting history and different quilting techniques. There’s also a Shop Hop Passport that visitors and quilting aficionados can take to seven area businesses for great savings on quilting supplies.
 
As you tour the show, make sure to vote in the “Viewers’ Choice” Awards. Vote for your favorite quilt in each of three categories: 1) large quilts; 2) small/wall quilts; and 3) favorite challenge quilt. This year’s challenge is “Recycling.” Judges will also select one quilt for the Arizona Quilters Hall of Fame Award.
 
Here are a few quilts you do not want to miss:
 
“See What You See Under the Sea” by Magdalena Castillo-Cockrum, is a beautiful underwater themed quilt featuring a Gustave Klimt-inspired sea turtle in the center of the piece. From the artist, “I was intrigued by Laura Heine’s turtle collage pattern. It was an intriguing, fun and challenging project to undertake. I love turtles and this has become my favorite quilt wall hanging.”
 
“Inked Amor” by Patsy Kittridge is a casual snapshot of two lovers captured on fabric. From the artist, “It came from a challenge to use a paint chip color and title. I picked a dark blue chip entitled "Inked."  I love this tough looking guy with such sweet tats saying "amor", "love" and "mom".” 
 
“Celestial Stars” by Tracey Thie, is a swirling group of geometric circles straight out of a Steve Ditko-inspired Doctor Strange comic book. From the artist, “I'm always up for a challenge so I decided to try this. Oh my!! Challenge indeed! I actually used the same fabric line as featured, which is something I usually don't do, but it is so colorful and bright. I agonized forever over how to quilt it. I ended up quilting it with clear thread (a first for me) on the colors and white and black thread on the black bits. It wasn't until after I finished that someone told me about 'smokey' clear thread...so another lesson learned. I didn't quilt parts of it because I wanted them to poof out.”
 
Be sure to tell your family and friends about this opportunity to do something fun, artistic, and free, available for nearly two months at your library! Please remember to observe social distancing, and masks are highly recommended. This won’t inhibit your ability to peruse the amazing local talent on display. Be our guest, we look forward to seeing you!
 
Sedona Public Library is 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 7, 2022
Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator