As published in the Red Rock News
Here it is…the last Library News of 2021. What an interesting year it has been! While it’s common to reflect on all that we have accomplished—what books we’ve read, what events we’ve attended, what improvements we’ve made—instead I’d like to make note of the many, many people it takes to make our library the amazing place—the amazing community—that it is.
 
There would, of course, be no successful library without the staff. At Sedona Public Library and Sedona Public Library in the Village, we are fortunate to have an amazing group of people to make our libraries the welcoming and wonderful places they are. They are here to answer your questions, recommend a movie or book, help you with your technology issues, introduce you to a new idea, have a conversation, or develop a program to educate or entertain you. They keep the new books arriving, the newspapers in order, and the interesting displays stocked. They keep the budget balanced, the technology working, and the events happening. They are the “doers”, and they personify SPL’s values of Excellent Service, Community, Curiosity, Intellectual Freedom, and Accountability.
 
And then there are our Volunteers. What would we do without them? They keep our shelves in order so you (and we!) can find what you’re looking for. Each morning they search the shelves for the holds that have been placed, print the slips, and re-shelve them for you to pick up. They check in your returns, put them on carts, and reshelve everything back into order. They help you with checkouts, always have a kind word, and love to talk about their favorite authors and series! They give their time because they value our community, and we absolutely value them.
 
Our Library Board (volunteers one and all) oversees policy decisions, represents your interests, and makes plans for the Library’s future. They donate their time and money because they love the library and believe in our mission, to “create community by fostering lifelong learning and building connections,” and “open a door to the world through empowering information, inspiring ideas, and engaging experiences.” They put up with me!
 
But these are not all it takes to keep our library open. Where would we be without the Friends of the Sedona Library, another all-volunteer organization that operates the best bookstore in Sedona and supports us with generous yearly funding? Volunteers at the Friends Bookstore accept and sort donations, organize, display, and sell an incredible selection of books, audiobooks, DVDs, and music CDs. They support us with their friendship and their funds, and we love partnering with them on programs and events. We wouldn’t survive without them!
 
Who else does it take to make our library the amazing place it is? It takes you. Some libraries call you their “patrons,” or “customers,” or “users,” but in my mind, you are our “community.” You are the people we see—sometimes daily, sometimes weekly, sometimes every three weeks when your books or library materials are due. We see you when you attend a meeting for your HOA or another community group at the Library. We see you at Library programs. And we see you at the grocery store, at community events, or on the trails. Even if you don’t currently use the library, we see you when we’re out and about. But we want to see you at the Library, and we hope that we see you soon. We hope to design programs and events that bring you in to meet us, meet your neighbors, and make connections that grow your circle of friends and widen the community you know. Because that’s what I believe libraries are about. They’re about building connections.
 
The Library is a place where we connect people to information, neighbors to neighbors, and turn ideas into reality. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child. I believe it takes a community to build a library, and a library to build a community. The librarians, staff, volunteers, library board, and Friends of the Library, are all here, both in the Library and out, looking forward to meeting you. Together we can be inspired to learn, engage, dream, create, be entertained, and work toward solutions to some of the problems that come with living in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
 
So now, at the end of 2021, let’s look forward to a brand-new year of possibilities. Let’s look forward to a 2022 of gathering with old friends, meeting new friends, and joining others in our community for fun, problem-solving, and friendship. Let’s look forward to meeting at the Library!
 
Sedona Public Library 
Column for 12/31/21
Written by Judy Poe, Library Director, Sedona Public Library 
​

As published in the Red Rock News
 
As Ben Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” We couldn’t agree more. That’s why we dedicate every penny you send our way right back into the community—and into making it more connected, informed, and fun! Now that’s wise investing.

Take a look at the dozens of services, programs, and more that we make available to the whole community—all these benefits, all the things that you can do, at two locations, and all for Free! Giving to the Library is really the best deal in town. Read on!
​
1.    Read “The Next Chapter” – the Library’s plan for building a better community at Sedonalibrary.org.
2.    Vote on Sculptures for SR 179 Round-Abouts – The City’s Maquettes are on display through December.
3.    Take Technology Home – Borrow a Wi-Fi Hotspot or Chromebook Laptop.
4.    Bring the Kids to Story Time – Interactive play and music at Sunset Park.
5.    Use our WiFi – Available 126 hours a week.
6.    Go to the Friends Used Book Store – peruse the shelves and sales. Buy a book.
7.    Get Library Take Out – Grab & Go Crafts for youth.
8.    Find A Job – Career Transitions makes it easier, just visit the Reference Desk.
9.    Conduct Academic Research – Academic OneFile? A great database.
10. Borrow a Book from Faraway – Tampa, Honolulu, Bridgeport, and more!
11. Ask a Librarian a Question – Make it a tough one, they love a challenge!
12. Get Centered at the Library – Join Sedona International City of Peace Meditation Monday.
13. Leaf through an Art Book – Our collection is beautiful.
14. Watch a Favorite Film – We’ve got 1000’s of DVDs available.  
15. Go Rogue – Read a book . . . make it a banned one.
16. Take a Selfie – T-REX and Sedona Schnebly are waiting for you.
17. Make a Scan, Send a Fax – We’ve got the technology you need.
18. Relax on a Patio at our Village Library – Enjoy the views of Castle Rock.
19. Plan next year’s garden – Look at the “Phoenix Home & Garden” magazine.
20. Sing! – Music Mornings with Annette at Sunset Park.
21. Expand your Reading Horizons – NoveList Plus suggests authors you might like.
22. Volunteer! – Connect with 110 others who love the Library.
23. Suggest a Book – Maybe we’ll add it to the 60,000 already on our shelves.
24. Check Out A Book – or DVD or music or . . . . 1.2 million items available through Yavapai Library Network.
25. Learn Local Culture and Lore – Wander through our Arizona collection.
26. Study the Rocks – SE corner. Geology Wall. Enjoy the view while you’re there.
27. Play Chess – Youth Chess Club returns soon.
28. Improve your Spanish – The group’s gone virtual.
29. Become a Member – The Friends need you, and we need the Friends.
30. Stay in the Know – Read the Washington Post, New York Times, and more.
31. Get Cultured – Free entry to Arizona museums and more with a Culture Pass.
32. Clean Off Your Bookshelves – Bring your used books to the Book Store.
33. Balance and Center – So many quiet spaces where you can get your calm on.
34. Find a Friend – They don’t call us the ‘Heart of Sedona’ for nothing.
35. Check out a STEAM Kit – Learn about bird watching, anatomy, the Verde River, and more.
36. Access Free Streaming Films – Kanopy.com, all you need is your Library Card.
37. Download the YLN App – Manage your account from your phone.
38. Get Some Exercise – Stroll along StoryWalk and enjoy the wintry weather with family at Sunset Park.
39. Take a Magazine Home – Curl up on your couch to read in your PJs.
40. Join our Monthly Book Club – Maybe an author will join the group as they often do.
41. Check Out A Book in the Village – Visit the new branch Library at 25 W. Saddlehorn Rd.
42. Look Up! – Library quilts are on display.
43. Love Quilts? – Red Rock Quilters’ exhibit coming in January.
44. Play Dungeons and Dragons – Teen fun two times a month.
45. Want More? Visit sedonalibrary.org or give us a call: 928-282-7714.

As you can see, giving to the Library is a wise investment. What better way to support the whole community? And, better still, make your gift by December 31, 2021, and we’ll double your money up to $30,000 thanks to a generous volunteer and donor. Please visit Sedonalibrary.org/donate, and Happy Holidays!
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for 12/24/21
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director

As published in the Red Rock News
 
Misty Copeland, the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, is credited with saying, “Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” Author Jess C. Scott said, “Friends are the family you choose.” At Sedona Public Library, our Friends—the Friends of the Sedona Library--are our family. I, for one, can’t imagine what would we do without them. Literally, the FOL (as we call them) have been a major source of support for the Library since 1964, and we simply wouldn’t be the iconic community hub that we are if wasn’t for them. I invite you to join us in celebrating their 55th anniversary!
 
In 1967, the Friends of the Sedona Library gained their 501(c)(3) tax exempt status as a non-profit organization with one basic mission: to support Sedona Public Library. While their volunteer efforts for the Library had actually begun several years before, they have, for nearly six decades, been the central pillar—the Friends—of the Library.
 
The Friends provide us with financial support, volunteers, book sales, and a vital partnership, and they regularly step up to support special library projects. They have been behind many special programs including our summer theater program for teens and our Arizona Humanities programs, and they’re often behind updates to our technology. According to Donna Hawk, who has been involved in Library and Friends leadership for over 30 years, “The Friends fill the funding gap between basic services and the exceptional. The Friends help make the Library shine!”
 
Equally importantly, the Friends offer advocacy. It’s not many non-profits that are fortunate to have another non-profit to support them. The true gift of our Friends is that they understand the importance of having a great library in our community. Longtime Friends’ volunteer and board member Richard Sauk says, “A community is just not complete without a library.” I couldn’t agree more!
 
Not only is our model unique—a non-profit Library supported by a non-profit Friends—but there are few non-profit organizations that operate solely on volunteer labor. The Friends of the Sedona Library are a stellar example of a 100% volunteer organization. With no overhead for personnel and no facilities expenses (the Library takes care of their building), they can direct nearly 100% of their revenue to the Library. Being the savvy organization that they are, they have evolved to successfully improve their revenue streams over these many years.
 
The Friends Book Store will celebrate its 5th year of business next June. These past years they have been our neighbors and have provided the community with what, I believe, is the best bookstore in the area. Prior to moving next door, the Friends occupied a book sale area within the Library and held large annual book sale events. Now, the revenue from the store (along with their Amazon book sales) provides a dramatically improved funding base for them to meet their mission.
 
The FOL has always been a membership organization, and for as little as $15 you can also become a member. For this upcoming anniversary year, your membership also provides a 15% discount at the bookstore! They (and we) are hoping that 2022 will see lots of new members, and we support them in that effort. If 3,000 community members or Library cardholders become members, they’ll meet their 55th anniversary goal of $55,000!
 
The full mission of the Friends is: “We provide support to the Sedona Public Library in order to encourage literacy, learning, and to enhance public access to information and knowledge.” In the last 20 years alone, the Friends have provided more than $2 million dollars to Sedona Public Library. Their support, along with the support we receive from the City of Sedona, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and you, allows us to be the excellent Sedona institution you rely on. The Friends of Sedona Library are here for us, and that means they’re here for you. It isn’t just rhetoric. Really, what would we do without our Friends?
 
I encourage you to join the Friends, and the Library, in celebrating the power of partnership. If you use the Library or if your support our mission, please become a Friend. Merriam-Webster’s define a friend as “a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another person.” If you like the Library and trust us to provide programs and services that support this community, let’s be Friends! Join for as little as $15 (or $25 for an entire family!). And remember, Friends memberships make great gifts!
 
Let’s build a network that works together to build a community of passionate Friends and neighbors.  And do consider putting a few under the tree—help your friends be a Friend—and join us to reach the goal of 3,000 new Friends of the Sedona Library celebrating 55 years.
 
Visit sedonalibrary.org to become a member of the Friends and to make a direct gift to the Library. Both are welcome and appreciated. Or stop by! Introduce yourself! Let’s be Friends! In West Sedona visit the Library at 3250 White Bear Rd., and the Book Store at 3270 White Bear Rd. In the Village you’ll find our new Library branch at 25 W. Saddlehorn Rd.
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for 12/17/21
Written by Judy Poe, Library Director
​

As published in the Red Rock News

​The year might be coming to an end, but the fun never ends in Youth Services at Sedona Public Library. Celebrate the season with song, crafts, books, and more! Literacy, literature, and creativity always abound in our children’s room!
 
Just in time for Christmas, we’re offering a Grab & Go Craft Kit beginning the week of December 20. Families and children can make creative pinecone snowy owls, perfect for seasonal decorations or gifts. Remember, Grab & Go Crafts are always first come-first served, so come in and pick up your kit.
 
All of our craft kits are available on the Youth Services website where you’ll find instructions and videos for each craft along with a list of the materials you’ll need. Consider making a glass gem magnet, snowman pencil topper, or an Origami bookmark. These fun activities make great gifts! Just visit sedonalibrary.org/craft-kits.
You can also celebrate the season with our programs in Sunset Park. Get ready for 45 minutes of song, story, music, and more at Story Time in the Park with Marcia, Wednesday mornings at 9:30. This interactive play is geared to preschool ages, but all are always welcome. For more magical, musical fun, join Music Morning with Annette, Thursday, December 16 at 10:30 when you can participate in singalong activities perfectly themed for the holiday season.
 
Don’t forget to visit our new StoryWalk at Sunset Park. The butterflies have just arrived, and you can join them on their 3000-mile journey from Canada to Mexico when you read our new book on display: Señorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) and illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero. Follow the numbered pages from the toddler playground, across the bridge to Sunset Drive and back. You’ll love this bilingual book in poem/song format so much that you might walk it twice. Go ahead, it’s free!
 
Back at the Library, we’ve decorated for the season, and we’d love for you to stop by either location. But we need your help! Our new Christmas trees need ornaments, and if you have a new or gently used ornament you’d like to donate to hang on our tree, bring it in. If not, we have a fun, sustainable, upcycling project for decorating ornaments! Pick up a large colorful Christmas ball, take it home to decorate it, and bring it back for the tree! We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!
 
Our holiday trees also include the SedonaKind gratitude tree. Stop by to decorate an ornament with words expressing your gratitude. We also have an “angel tree” from the Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition. Pick a gift request from one of the “neighbors,” buy the gift, wrap it, be sure to put the tag on top, and then return it to the collection box. This is a great activity for families to enjoy.
 
Finally, our librarians have been hard at work, and they’ve curated a lovely exhibit of holiday and seasonal books for families and children to choose from in our children’s room. Learn about the many ways cultures across the globe celebrate this special time of year. If you don’t see a book that you’re looking for, let us know, we’re always glad to help you find it.
 
Our regular programs and offerings continue through the end of the year, including Steam Kits, Kanopy Kids, and more. If you haven’t checked out Kanopy Kids, you should! It’s a free, unlimited streaming service for kids to explore enriching, educational, and entertaining films, and TV series. Visit sedonalibrary.kanopy.com/kids to learn more.
 
Finally, we’ll begin new, fun and exciting programs in 2022, so stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy this holiday season. We look forward to seeing you at the Library or Sunset Park!
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)3 non-profit library, and we have just launched our year-end campaign. If you’d like to support our programs, services, collections, and dreams, please visit sedonalibrary.org/donate. Or stop by either of our locations: 3250 White Bear Rd. in West Sedona and 25 W. Saddlehorn Rd. in the Village of Oak Creek.
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for December 10, 2021
Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director
​

As published in the Red Rock News
 
Greetings Red Rock News readers! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jan Marc Quisumbing, and I am the new Programming and Marketing Coordinator for Sedona Public Library. Having to say my name is a mouthful in and of itself, but when you add my new title into the mix, it makes for quite the word salad. Just call me “Jan.”
 
You may ask yourself–or not, it’s a free country–why does that name “Quisumbing” sound familiar? It sticks out like a life size T-Rex head in the Library. First, why is there a giant T-Rex head in the Library? Second, how did they get that T-Rex head into the Library? Thirdly, where’s Jan Marc going with this? The answer is as clear as the nose on my face. I’m the guy.
 
I’m the guy who’s known as The Janimal, the cartoonist in town. I’m the guy who, along with members of the Northern Arizona Cartoonist Association (NAZCA), held a 24-hour comic book marathon in Clarkdale a few years back. It was a fundraiser for the Clark Memorial Library. And “24” represents not only the number of hours we worked, but the number of completely written and drawn comic book pages we created—not a lot of sleep that day!
 
I’m the guy who helped start the Verde Valley Comic Expo which is held as a Summer Reading Program fundraiser for the Cottonwood Public Library. It will return next year, by the way, on March 26, 2022.
 
I’m the guy who, for the last two years, worked as the Teen Services Librarian at Cottonwood Public Library. I helped increase teen volunteer engagement and brought in some pretty cool programming: American Sign Language classes, and a Comic Book Club for a group of talented and amazing teens.
 
Now I’m the guy whose job it is to help discover, and build upon, engaging programming for our patrons at Sedona Public Library–from adults to families to teens. I’m the guy whose job it is to tell you, and show you, that the Library isn’t just about books; that “shhh” is a four letter word; and that the Library truly wants to be the third place in your life.
 
To learn more about the Library “being the third place in your life,” please stop by for a copy of the latest issue of our bi-annual magazine: Check It Out. (It is also available on our website: sedonalibrary.org). In this issue, the Special Edition: Community Needs Assessment, you will learn about the Library’s new focus and current plans. I’m excited about the role I’ll play as the Library grows and expands, and to be part of its evolving role in Sedona and the Verde Valley.
 
I am YOU. I’ve lived here for more than seven years with my wife and son and our immediate family. I shop in the community and dine locally. I’m the guy sitting next to you eating a slice of pizza or chatting about the weather at the Post Office. So maybe you’ve heard my name? It’s hard to forget. Quisumbing.
 
I’m the guy. Originally from the Garden State, a graduate of Rutgers University, I am proud to now call Sedona and the Verde Valley my home.
 
I look forward to meeting you in person at the Library, and to hearing your ideas about what programs you think would be worthwhile for our community. I look forward to hearing about the accomplishments of your children, just like any proud parent would. I’m the guy.
 
Oh, and the T-Rex at the Library? Come on in, and I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll give you a tour of all the cool things at the Library. Bring your mobile: you’ll want to take selfies!
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)3 non-profit library, and we have just launched our year-end campaign. If you’d like to support our programs, services, collections, and dreams, please visit sedonalibrary.org/donate. Or stop by either of our locations: 3250 White Bear Rd. in West Sedona and 25 W. Saddlehorn Rd. in the Village of Oak Creek.
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for 12/3/21
Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Programming and Marketing Coordinato