Don't forget the music at Sedona Public Library

As published in the Sedona Red Rock News
 
Most patrons who visit the Library come to pick up an item on hold, find a new book or author, conduct research, read a magazine, or use our computers. Did you know that many patrons also come to check out our music? You might be surprised to find that we have so much to choose from for adults and children alike.
 
We all know how important music is for healing, health, and entertainment. Recent research indicates that music has been essential to many Americans during the pandemic. According to a poll published in People magazine in June of last year, 2,000 Americans found that music and virtual concerts helped them feel connected during the pandemic. In fact, “those surveyed are listening to music an extra 38 minutes a day.
 
Sedona Public Library is proud to offer lots of music for your listening pleasure. There are 12,242 music CDs available for circulation through our Yavapai Library Network. Here at Sedona Public Library, you can find quite a selection of music on our shelve from many genres including Arizona musicians, soundtracks, new age, jazz, rock, folk, and Spanish.
 
We have music CDs for children, too, and if you log on to our website, under the Youth Services Tab, not only will you find Tumblebooks with lots of Tumbletunes, but you’ll also find Story Times with our very own Miss Marcia and the “Music Everywhere with Annette.” series.
 
It might seem old fashioned to check out music CDs, but many of our patrons do so quite intentionally. Dale Albright offers his thoughts, “I like the library CD collection because music has always been a hobby. I was a part-time DJ when I served in the Air Force, so I always kept up with the latest releases and music in general. Nowadays, almost everything seems to be on a digital platform. But with some things, I prefer high touch rather than high tech. Getting the music CDs from the Library, for me, is the same as borrowing a print book versus downloading an E-book. I like the ‘old school’ experience."
 
Another patron, Norris Peterson, especially likes the ability to search music in our catalog and then check it out. He said, “The Library’s music collection has been an exceptionally good source to experience all types of artists and genres. From this I have been able to select and peruse the composers, artists, and genres whose styles I enjoy. I listen to music while I work out and when I am traveling. The system in place to search, find, request and pick up the music CDs from the entire library system is a great service.”
 
Marcia Hansen, a children’s librarian, who presents the popular Story Times at Sunset Park, explains how music is important for young children learning how to read. “The rhythm, rhyme, lyrics—all of it—create a key steppingstone to early literacy.” Some of her favorite musicians from our youth music CDs include Raffi, Greg & Steve, Hap Palm, and Jim Gill. All this fun music is bound to get you and your kids dancing, singing, and reading!
 
Finally, Claudia Tulip explains both her love for the Library and for music. "As a universal language, music is direct and requires no translation. It has the power to connect us with ourselves and, as a result, each other. Now, more than ever, visit the music collection at your library and see what jumps off the shelf and into your heart.”
 
We invite you to browse our music collection and check out something to soothe your soul. Remember the words of the late, great singer Aretha Franklin, “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.”
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and we welcome your tax-deductible donations. Consider making a gift online at sedonalibrary.org/donate.
 
Sedona Public Library
Column for October 8, 2021
Written by Cheryl Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Villag