Today, while you may be relaxing with family and friends, enjoying leftovers or Black Friday shopping, it is a perfect time to think of the many nonprofit organizations that make this community the wonderful place that it is.
 
Sedona Public Library is just one of those nonprofit organizations. We play a key role in this community’s vitality and strength, and we are proud of that role. We are often called the heart of the community because everyone is welcome to all that we offer. And we offer a lot.
 
Here at the Library, nearly 200,000 visitors come through our doors, each year for our numerous services and programs—available to everyone, and for free.
 
If you need computers and WiFi access, we have it at both our facilities on White Bear Road and Bell Rock Plaza. If you need help learning English, we have weekly classes teaching English as a Second Language.
 
We have resources and reference librarians that can lead you where you need to go. To a new trail or an old friend. To a free lunch or temporary housing.  Whether you’re checking on your stocks or a job application, we can get you to the right websites. Need some history, a forecast? We have answers to your questions, and if we don’t have them right away, we will get them as soon as we can.
 
We are here to help you find what you need. The new book by your favorite author? Done. A quiet sunny corner to read the New York Times? Done. Storytelling to calm excited children? Done. A free showing of the movie you missed on the big screen? Done.
 
Help with your taxes? Health screening? Summer crafts? Reading programs? Or maybe you just want to play chess? It’s all here at Sedona Public Library.
 
So, this holiday season, enjoy the food, the festivities, and the fun, most importantly your family and friends, and please consider giving to the heart of your community, Sedona Public Library. Thanks in advance for supporting us. Happy Holidays!
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. 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.
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for November 24, 2017
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director

​The days leading up to Thanksgiving have been busy at Sedona Public Library, and we have much to be thankful for. 
 
Members of the Friends of the Library kicked off the holiday season last week with the Festival of Wreaths Preview Gala.  When the doors opened, people hurried to select and purchase their favorite wreaths.   Those who attended gave generously to purchase raffle tickets and the winners went home with prizes donated by businesses and individuals, and with souvenir champagne flutes in their hands.
 
The Festival continues, and you still have time to select a wreath or tabletop tree.  Hand-stitched items for sale include tree skirts and Christmas stockings and beautiful needlework in non-holiday themed table runners and quilts. Other unique items donated by community members are also available for purchase. The sale continues through early December.
 
The silent auction for the Festival of Wreath’s artist invitational closes at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 17.  Artists who contributed ornaments are Lorraine Fexas, Sue Hahn, Joyce Killibrew, SanDee Kinnen, Pat Priolo, Julie Talbot, and Gayle Taylor.  Artists who contributed sculptures for the silent auction are Art Hiscox, Joanne Hiscox, and Joanie Wolter.  Let’s all thank the artists for their beautiful donations by bidding on the art work right up until the deadline!
 
Other items included in the silent auction are airline tickets with a value of $800 and a foursome of golf at a local resort with a value of $748.  Add your bid for these items by this Friday’s deadline.
 
We would like to extend a special thank you to members of the Friends Board: Mary Snyder, President; Anne Smith, 1st Vice President; Brenda Holland, 2nd Vice President; Ellen White, Secretary; Donna Hawk, Treasurer and Festival of Wreaths Chair; Jawn McKinley, Trustee; and Richard Sauck , Trustee.  In addition, thanks to Michele Foster who serves on the Book Store committee. 
 
Congratulations to the Friends of the Sedona Library for recently receiving the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Philanthropy Day Award from the Northern Arizona Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. 
 
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we offer our sincere gratitude to the Friends and to all of you for your support and patronage, and if you haven’t been by for a while, stop in and see what’s new or ask for a tour.  On behalf of  Sedona Public Library Board of Trustees and staff, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

​Sedona Public Library
Column for November 17, 2017
Written by Virginia Volkman, Library Director

As a Gold Star Mother, my perspective of Veterans Day has changed. Before my son died in Afghanistan, it was just another holiday. Sometimes, I bought a poppy outside the local supermarket. Now, I spend Veterans Day much differently. I make it my duty to visit my son’s grave. To me there is nothing as sad as a neglected grave. This Veterans Day I would like to encourage and inspire each one of you to use this day to solemnly remember the sacrifices made by our valiant service men and women.
 
As a librarian, I would like to mention that the Library will have a display of books, movies, and audiobooks chosen by staff to commemorate this day.  Furthermore, I would like to highlight the Veterans History Project (VHP), organized by the Library of Congress. This is a remarkable project in which veterans tell their personal accounts, to ensure, according to the Library of Congress website, that “future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war” (www.loc.gov/vets/vets-home.html).  Our library has over 200 DVD recordings of veteran interviews available to view. Alternatively, one may visit the Library of Congress website to watch many of them in digital format.
 
Speaking with Jolene Pierson, Sedona’s VHP coordinator, I asked for a few recommendations for interviews, and I chose to listen to Douglas McDaniel’s story.   McDaniel served in the Air Force from 1963 to 1985, retiring with the rank of major. He was employed primarily as a navigator for 17 years on C-141 planes and afterwards as an aide-de-campe. In this day and age, where so much of our information is influenced by the movies we watch, it really hit home the importance of this first-hand account. He recounted many stories, some humorous, some sorrowful, and many with down-to-earth wisdom. In his interview, he described himself as lucky beyond belief, and he summed up his experience saying he was surprised at how much he wanted to tell his story. Describing a humorous account that occurred during his year in Vietnam, when the television series CHiPs (California Highway Patrol) was quite popular, McDaniel described his own time on CHiPs, but this stood for “Cambodian Highway Patrol.”
 
You can meet some of the veterans who have contributed to the VHP at the Library’s Coffee with a Vet program, which takes place in the Si Birch Community Room on the second Friday of the month. This informal gathering is open to all veterans and those who would like to chat with them. Upcoming “Coffee with a Vet” programs are November 10, and December 8; from 10 a.m. to noon each day.
 
I also want to remind you of community events taking place where we can show our gratitude and respect to veterans. The Sedona Heritage Museum and City of Sedona join to present an annual Veterans Day Tribute every November 11, at 11 a.m. The day begins with the flag ceremony, dignitaries, and a veterans’ tribute. After the program, there is food and entertainment. All veterans and active military personnel will be honored and are invited. This event is free and open to the general public.
 
The City of Prescott will have a parade on Veterans Day at 11 a.m. after a brief ceremony at Courthouse Plaza.  The theme this year is “Honoring All Who Have Served: Let Us Never Forget.”  Please note that the Veterans Memorial Plaque located at the Plaza was updated in 2016 with the names of those who have recently sacrificed their lives.
 
Needless to say, on Veterans Day or any day, a visit to the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, on Cave Creek Road, or in Prescott, on 500 North 89A, is a heartfelt gesture that can bring perspective to the number of veterans who have served this country.
 
My aim is to evoke a sense of importance for this day, and these are just a few ideas. While retail sale opportunities abound, perhaps these suggested activities and our recommended books are something you will consider this Veterans Day. I leave you with a quote, attributed to Reverend Randolph Harrison McKim:
 
Not for fame or reward
Not for place or for rank
Not lured by ambition
Or goaded by necessity
But in simple
Obedience to duty
As they understood it
These men suffered all
Sacrificed all
Dared all—and died

​Sedona Public Library
Column for November 10, 2017
Written By:  Sophia Zarifis-Russell, Reference Assistant

With the change in the seasons, you might be trying to spend more time outside before the weather turns cold, and this month, the Library offers an activity that will take you outdoors, as well as indoor events for all ages that are informative and entertaining.
 
Grab your walking shoes and bring the whole family to Sunset Park to view the new StoryWalk book. At this display, readers can peruse a children’s book, page by page, as they stroll through the park. In keeping with the season, the fall selection is “Every Autumn Comes the Bear,” by prolific author and artist Jim Arnosky. Enjoy the striking illustrations and simple nature story as you take advantage of the beautiful weather. 
 
Head indoors for a presentation by Kevin Fedarko, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Emerald Mile,” on Tuesday, November 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the community room. Fedarko will share a slide presentation about the time he recently spent in the Grand Canyon while on assignment for National Geographic.
 
He will talk about threats to our national parks, specifically the Grand Canyon. Many national parks face pressures from developers and budget cuts, and visitors continue to flock to the parks in record numbers, threatening the balance of nature. Fedarko is a champion of the Grand Canyon and often speaks on behalf of the Grand Canyon National Trust.
 
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Fedarko is an excellent speaker, so don’t miss this free program.
 
Next, don your dressy clothes to enjoy a special evening at the Festival of Wreaths Gala on Sunday, November 12, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Library. The event includes champagne, wine, appetizers, raffle prizes, musical entertainment, and your chance to be the first to see and purchase this year’s creations. Wreaths will go on sale to the public starting on Monday, November 13, during regular library hours.
 
Gala tickets are on sale at the West Sedona or Village library locations and at the Friends bookstore, located at 3270 White Bear Road. Tickets are $15 each, and proceeds benefit the Library. 
 
It’s not too late to contribute a wreath, table-top tree, fabric or woven Christmas tree skirt, table runner, or fancy Christmas stocking for the Festival of Wreaths. Delivery of donations will be accepted on Friday, November 10, between 1 and 4 p.m. at Sedona Library and between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at SPL in the Village. 
 
Check our online or printed events calendar for more information about programs happening throughout the month of November, including a health screening on November 7, story time three mornings each week, and chess club on Thursday afternoons. We hope to see you soon at the 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.

Sedona Public Library
Column for November 3, 2017
Written by Elizabeth Cate, Collection Development Librarian