Remember the days when you did not have to worry about Hanukah, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve until the day AFTER Thanksgiving? Those days are gone.  While the lengthy holiday season can be enjoyable, many people experience stress from the demands of buying gifts and preparing for big gatherings.
 
Fortunately, we can take actions to manage some of the stress we feel during the holiday season or at any other time of the year.  The American Psychological Association (APA) offers these tips for dealing with stress: 
 
Take a break from the stressor.  This sounds easier said than done.  British scientists discovered that reading a book relieves stress. These researchers found that reading a memoir can reduce stress by as much as 65%. If you need recommendations, Google “best memoirs” or ask your librarian.  I recommend “The World’s Strongest Librarian,” “Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time,” “Spoken from the Heart,” and “Three Weeks with My Brother.”
 
Exercise. We know that exercise provides many benefits, but it is challenging to find time to exercise.  I believe that exercise should be fun.  Borrow exercise DVDs from the Library to find out what works for you. Many of these DVDs are geared for seniors.  Since I enjoy dancing, I checked out Zumba DVDs. Maybe I will borrow the DVD “I Hate to Exercise, I Love Tap.”
 
Smile and laugh.  I love books that make me laugh out loud.  The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is hilarious.  I can’t wait to read about Stephanie’s latest adventures in “Turbo-Twenty Three.” If you are not familiar with this series, I suggest you begin with the first book “One for the Money.” I also enjoyed reading “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion.  The main character reminds me of Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory.” This popular TV show is currently airing its 10th season. If you need to catch up on Sheldon and the gang, seasons 1 through 9 are available at the Library.
 
Get social support. Surround yourself with positive people. Volunteering at the Library gives you opportunities to get out of the house, meet new people, and catch up with friends. You can get exercise, too, if you volunteer to shelve books or sort books for the Friends of the Library book sales. 
 
Meditate. Make a quiet moment for yourself.  Marvel at the beauty of the red rocks, take a hike, watch a sunset, walk through a beautiful garden, keep a gratitude journal, write a letter to a loved one, or listen to music.
The staff and volunteers at the Library wish you a most joyous holiday season. We look forward to assisting you with your library needs in the coming year. Thank you for supporting library services in the Village of Oak Creek.
Visit Sedona Public Library in the Village at Suite 51 A in Bell Rock Plaza. Library hours are 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. For more information call the library at 928-284-1603 or visit Sedona Public Library’s website at www.sedonalibrary.org.

​Sedona Public Library
Column for November 25, 2016
Written by Cheryl Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village

As Thanksgiving approaches, we have much be thankful for at Sedona Public Library. As a mission-driven, nonprofit organization, we enhance the lives of our residents and visitors by serving as a community and information center.
 
We have something for everyone, with access to over 1 million items through the Yavapai County Library Network and our collection of over 80,000 books, DVDs, audiobooks, magazines, and newspapers. Many resources are offered in both Spanish and English. We have Wi-Fi access, computers, meeting spaces, and year-round programs for all ages.
 
Founded in 1958, the Library has made a huge impact on Sedona. Annually, 200,000 residents and visitors come through the doors of the main library and SPL in the Village to create, communicate, and collaborate. People come in to read the news, check out a bestseller, or admire an exhibit, and often see someone they know or make a new friend. Even with all the activity, our beautiful facilities offer quiet spaces for reading, computer work, or research.
 
The Library is a shining example of collaboration, and we have a long history of partnerships with numerous community organizations and businesses. We could not succeed as your public library without your involvement and commitment.
 
Your library was built with locally donated funds. It’s the community’s investment of their own time and money that makes this library the unique institution that it is.  
 
Volunteers work 16,000 hours a year to maintain service at both the main library and SPL in the Village. That’s the equivalent of almost eight full-time staff members. Many volunteers work a regular schedule, while others drop in as their schedules allow.
 
Several special volunteer projects helped to improve the facility this year, including a clean-up day and tree-trimming project. On the recent community-wide Mitzvah Day, volunteers cleaned the magazine area. All of these projects were not only productive, they were fun for all.  We are thankful for the time that volunteers gave on those days and every day of the year.
 
The City of Sedona, and Yavapai and Coconino Counties contribute funding for our daily operating costs.  In addition, many individuals make generous donations to the Library. We are very grateful for this support.
 
We also depend on annual support from the Friends of the Sedona Library. Thank you to their board of directors and all who support the Library through membership in the Friends group.
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. We appreciate the service of our board of trustees:  David Simmer, President; Joel DeTar, President-Elect; Pat Jansen, Past President; Abbie Denton Lander, Treasurer; Wendy Edwards, Secretary; and trustees Harvey Bershader, Susan Cammock, John Crawford, Charles Curtis, Gwen Ortmeyer, Paul Schwartz, Roger Shlonsky, and Mike Yarbrough.
 
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we offer our sincere thank you for your support and patronage, and if you haven’t been by for a while, stop in and see what’s new. On behalf of the Sedona Public Library Board of Trustees and staff, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving!

Sedona Public Library
Column for November 18, 2016
Written by Virginia Volkman, Library Director

On Veterans Day, Americans take time to give special recognition to our veterans and to honor their service to our country. Thank you!
 
The Sedona Public Library is an official partner with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which collects and preserves the personal oral histories of our nation’s war veterans. Imagine how fascinating it would be if you could see and hear veterans of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War telling their stories in their own words and voices!  What a wonderful depth of understanding that would add to the historical account of the conflict! 
 
Specially trained volunteers conduct the interviews of US military veterans who served in conflicts from World War II to the present.  We have heard some remarkable stories of personal sacrifice and endurance; humor and sadness; loneliness and adventure; travel and education; friendships made and careers influenced and enhanced.   Some served stateside.  Some served overseas. Some served distinguished careers without ever firing a shot at an adversary.  Some survived the most horrific battles of these wars and have shared stories of how they were able to cope with these experiences.  Some quietly did their duty without much official recognition or appreciation, still knowing that their job was an essential part of the war effort. 
 
For every soldier on the front lines of conflict, there were nine others whose jobs assured that the one could do his job; including civilians who actively supported war efforts as defense industry workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, etc., and the stories of those who served behind the scenes are also an important part of the record.
 
The volunteer members of the local project group have collected the personal stories of more than two hundred sixty area veterans.  We hope to reach all of our veterans so that these memories are preserved as part our national and local history and for the individual veteran’s family.
 
Interviews are conducted privately in the Quiet Study Room of the Sedona Public Library.  Completed interviews are transferred to DVDs, one of which is given to the participating veteran and can become a priceless family legacy.  One copy is sent to the Library of Congress where it will be carefully preserved as part of our nation’s history.  Two copies are retained in the Sedona Public Library.  Although these copies cannot be checked out, copied, or viewed on a personal computer, they are available at the reference desk and may be viewed on the library’s computer.  
 
If you are a veteran, if you know a veteran who should be invited to participate in this project, or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jolene Pierson at 282-7999 or jpierson@commspeed.net to learn more about our local project.  To learn more about the national Veterans History Project, visit the website of the Library of Congress at www.loc.gov/vets.
  
Funding for this project is provided locally through tax-deductible donations by individuals and by the generous support of local businesses and organizations.  Donations may be sent to the Sedona Public Library, specifying that the donation is restricted to the Veterans History Project.
 
We invite everyone to join us for our monthly “Coffee with a Vet” program at the Library. Dates are posted on the library bulletin boards and on the library website at www.sedonalibrary.org. The next “Coffee with a Vet” date is Friday, December 9, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

​Sedona Public Library
Column for November 11, 2016
Written by Jolene Pierson, Veterans History Project Coordinator

Do you like learning about your state, region, and community? Then check out Reading Arizona, an e-book service provided by the Arizona State Library. It offers hundreds of e-books on Arizona topics. Publishers represented include Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press, Poisoned Pen Press, and the University of Arizona Press. Most of the books are about nonfiction subjects, but the collection includes fiction too, including mysteries and children’s books.
 
To access e-books from this collection, visit the Reading Arizona website at www.readingarizona.org. You can also browse the Reading Arizona collection through Sedona Public Library’s catalog by searching for “Reading Arizona” (with quotes) in the catalog search field. Click on a “View This Content on Biblioboard” link to access a title of your choice. 
 
Reading Arizona is available 24/7 to all Arizonans. There are no wait lists and no due dates. The service offers unlimited checkouts, so you can view as many Reading Arizona e-books in your browser as you like at one time. You can also download up to three e-books at a time into an app for your Android, Kindle Fire, or iOS tablet for when you don’t have an Internet connection. (The app is currently unavailable for smartphones, but you can still read in your phone’s browser.)
 
On the Reading Arizona website, the e-books are grouped by helpful themes.  For instance, in the Natural Arizona collection, you can browse books about Arizona flora, fauna, and landscapes. The biography collection offers life histories of Arizona explorers, writers, and statesmen. The Arizona Cities and Towns section contains works about Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, Bisbee, and other locations.
 
History buffs will find much of interest in Reading Arizona, in particular the numerous original historical texts that have been digitized. For example, you can read the autobiographical account of the expedition led by Major John Wesley Powell through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in 1869–70 or the life story of Geronimo, based on interviews he gave while a prisoner of war. This is just a small sample of what’s available on Reading Arizona—it’s a terrific free resource that is both fun and educational to explore. 
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, partially supported by the City of Sedona and Yavapai and Coconino Counties. We also require donations and grants to fund our operations. Your tax-deductible donation may be made online through our website or sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336.

Sedona Public Library
Column for November 4, 2016
Written by Elizabeth Cate, Collection Development Librarian