 As published in the Red Rock News.
Attention grandparents, caregivers, and families: new STEAM to Go! Kits are available at Sedona Public Library in the Village (SPLV) for check out! They're fun, hands-on, interactive learning kits themed and targeted for either PreK-Grade 3 or Grade 4 and up. Kits can be borrowed and returned at the front desk of SPLV for three weeks with your Sedona Public Library card. They're perfect for upcoming school breaks to engage children at home. There are 27 kits to enjoy. Some of the favorite kits available are the educational phonics kits where you can work on reading together with the Little Critters Phonics Kit. This kit features 12 Little Critter phonics books, a Penworthy leveled reader, a wipe-off phonics workbook, and two activities. The first is a fun phonics card game and the second is an interactive phonics activity featuring an interactive talking pen. Another educational favorite is the Paw Patrol Phonics Kit. Kids can work through phonics lessons independently with Ace, the talking, teaching dog pen; a phonics word building game; and work with blends and digraphs dominoes to grow understanding of our most-commonly used consonants and word families. Let Sedona Public Library help make learning how to read fun for everyone! Another favorite kit is the Family Game Night Kit—break away from screen time and engage with this collection of games for kids 10 and up. This kit includes the strategy game, Horrified: The Universal Studios Monster Game. There is also Disney Villainous: Perfectly Wretched Game in which players take on the role of a villain. Lastly, there is the How I Survived Game: a fast-paced, super-silly game. Check out the Family Game Night Kit for laughs and learning. Another highlight is The Police and Fire Fighter Kit. Sophia Zarifis-Russell, SPL Assistant Director said, “I love these STEAM to Go! kits and my grandkids love them. The kits are fun and educational and now my grandkids love coming to my house and playing for hours. Checking out the kits has also helped me buy my 5-year-old grandson his birthday present. It is a great way to try a toy and it doesn’t cost a thing.” Cindy Mahon, the new Youth Services Librarian has been highlighting the kits at the Toy Potluck program at SPLV every Thursday, 11:15 to 12:15 p.m. Come play, have some fun, and enjoy the company of other families. Recommended ages 0-4. Cindy Mahon is available at the SPLV Library all day on Thursdays to help with any questions about youth services. And don’t forget the VOC Storytime on Tuesdays at 11:15 a.m. and Red Rock Drumming with Harta on Fridays at 11:15 a.m. through November. We are excited to make these kits available for checkout and to use them for our programs. We know that children learn through play, and play reduces stress, so stop by SPLV and check one out or put one on hold to be delivered to SPL in West Sedona. The library was lucky enough to receive these kits with a grant through the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Sedona Public Library is an independently run, 501(c)(3), privately owned, debt-free, nonprofit organization providing public services. We receive support from the City of Sedona and the Friends of the Sedona Library, property tax dollars from Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and gifts from businesses, foundations, and individuals like you. Thank you! Visit sedonalibrary.org/donate to make your gift today, and remember, you can direct your gift to Sedona Public Library in the Village. Caption for photo: A young patron takes home the Estimation and Patterns Kit at Sedona Public Library. Sedona Public Library Library News Column for October 14, 2022 Written by Viviane Kraus, Youth Services Manager As published in the Red Rock News
Is it me or did September seem to go on FOREVER? It never used to seem like that when I was younger. September back east in New Jersey marked the start of a new school year, a time to see the seasons change, and the weather finally cool off. In Arizona, September seems to be like August, the sequel. Sure, summer is mostly over…and you’ve had a month to get over the “Well, no more vacations ‘til the turkey arrives,” and “Why is it still so hot?” and “What’s with all the giant bugs, shouldn’t you be gone by now?” But I digress. September has come and gone, and I welcome October and all the hope and promise it brings. The first weekend of October was a whirlwind for Sedona Public Library. We hosted a fun and successful Novel Night for Sedona Public Library in the Village on Saturday, October 1, but more on that from our Development Director, Anne Marie Mackler, in a future column. We also participated in the Rotary of Sedona’s Annual Chili Cook-Off on Sunday, October 2, at the Sedona Performing Arts Center, and we finished with a First Place People's Choice award and a Runner Up Judge's Choice Award for our now famous Library Chili! My son Fernando and I fed a hungry crowd of chili aficionados, and it was a blast. When I was in third grade, I was in a spelling bee. The word I had to spell was “Chile,” the country. But in my hunger to win I heard “chili, a favorite food.” And I was wrong. The loss devastated me as I didn’t get the medal. But when the Library walked away with not one, but two medals, I wished I could tell that cherubic-faced boy of yesterday that it’s going to be all right. We finally got our trophy for “chili.” The Library would like to thank Dr. Jean Barton and the Rotary Club of Sedona for hosting a delicious event; Steve Segner, proprietor of El Portal, for the use of their kitchen for preparing the chili; and Gioia Quisumbing, director of Precious Stones Preschool, for her award-winning white bean and chicken chili recipe. It was a great afternoon, meeting the community and bonding over a shared love of delicious, tasty, and spicy stews. And that feeling of community and togetherness I hope to carry through this autumnal month. Yes, the big holidays are coming up soon and fast but that doesn’t stop the Library from bringing you engaging programs to enrich your mind, body, and soul. Have you perused our Events Calendar lately? Visit SedonaLibrary.org and see what we have going on at both branches. Yes, Monday Movie Nights are still going as well as our monthly book club, Fourth Friday Tech Time, and the return of our Beginner Spanish Class and Advanced Conversational Spanish Class. For those who have asked, yes, Spooktacular is coming back this year, completely in-person. And we’re hoping that the Library’s new courtyard will play a big part in it. Stay tuned! The weather is getting nice and seasonal travel plans may take you to other parts of our fair state a mere drive away. Why not download a new audiobook using the Libby app for that impromptu road trip. Or if you find yourself dusting off those watercolors, grabbing an easel and painting the beauty that is Sedona, why not check out a Playaway book! It’s like a portable audiobook. No car or radio needed! Recently, a patron told me that having access to audiobooks and playaways has meant so much to her husband’s mental well-being after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The simple things that you and I take for granted can truly mean the world to someone who can’t hold a book but can at least listen to their favorite author or relisten to the classics. A good book can change your life and a library that is invested in serving the community can do just the same. The dog days of summer are slowly but a blip in the rearview mirror and I welcome a cool, productive, and exciting Fall in Sedona. Thank you to our patrons for their patience and excitement for the new courtyard and all the positive words of encouragement when they read this column. Those of us who contribute to this Friday conversation appreciate it so much. It fuels us to do more, be more, for you. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit sedonalibrary.org/donate or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library as well. Thank you! Library News Column for Oct 7, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator  As published in the Red Rock News
What’s your Arizona story? Or for that matter, what brought you to Sedona? And when you arrived in Sedona, what eventually brought you to Sedona Public Library? Anne Marie Mackler, the Development Director for Sedona Public Library, says that her Arizona story started in the Midwest, and like the adventurous spirit that she is, her journey led her to the Library. “It is my writing life that brought me to work for non-profits, that and my love of libraries brought me to Sedona Public Library. I have worked or volunteered for more than 30 non-profits over my career and many of them had a literary mission including the Flagstaff Public Library, the Northern Arizona Book Festival, the Border Book Festival, and Mountain School. I have taught writing in several universities, colleges, high schools, grade schools, and community centers. I’ve taught grant writing all over the state.” Like a well-oiled machine, there are many moving parts at the Library that happen beyond the holds shelf or the reference desk. While I spend my library day managing the event calendar, meeting with potential instructors for future library programs, or giving an impromptu tour of our new courtyard, Anne Marie is making sure our Library can be the best library that it can be for our community. “The biggest challenge of fundraising for Sedona Public library is that too often folks don’t realize we’re a non-profit organization. Few libraries are. Most are academic, or they belong to a city or a county. But we are an independent, private, organization that serves the public. Our mission, vision, and purpose are so important that we receive regular support from the City of Sedona and both counties we serve, Coconino and Yavapai, as well as from the 55-year-old Friends of the Library group. But for us to provide the level or programs and events that we do, at two libraries, for free, we still need the community to pitch in, and that’s my job, to convince the community to pitch in, and they do, quite often.” The library is the heart of any community. I’ve said this time and time again and Anne Marie shares my sentiment. “What amazes me most about the Library is that the people who come and go regularly, or even those who stop by only to pick up a book, check out a magazine, or use our computers, really, really love us. I mean really. We might see them for an hour occasionally, or daily for a few days in a row, but they truly love us and believe strongly in the great work that libraries like ours do in the community. They appreciate the meaning we give to the community. Libraries are the glue of the community, and I am glad to be part of supporting and honoring this library with the work that I do. Give me a call, I can tell you more about all the reasons to make a gift.” Though I first met Anne Marie long before we worked together as a fellow Zumba class attendee, I have come to appreciate her dedication and love for the Library. Let’s get to know Anne Marie Mackler, your Sedona Public Library Development Director. Team dog or cat? Both, and I just lost my dog, Romeo, of 14 years, and while I miss him dearly and daily, my cat of 14 years, Chantilly (or Fred), who also misses Romeo, hangs in there, kidney disease be damned, as a great friend and companion. Will I get another dog? Maybe. We’ll see. Have I ever seen a UFO? Yes, and a ghost, a meteor shower, a comet, and 43 turkey vultures yesterday in Cottonwood on Main Street. My first job? Outside of babysitting, which I began doing when I was nine, my first job was washing my Aunt Helen’s floors, which I did until I was 15. Then, my first job for a business was as the all-around helper at Maria’s Pizzeria in Detroit on Grand River where I learned all aspects of the trade and to this day make a fabulous pizza crust. I worked for the Valentes through high school saving money to backpack through Europe which I did for three months when I graduated. Where was I born? I’m a Motor City Girl, born and raised. I have strong memories of the 67' Race Riots as well as the Tigers winning the World Series in ’68. I happily stood around piles of burning leaves we had just raked, and I worked on my best friend’s dad’s strawberry truck in the summer. “Strawberries, three quarts a dollar,” we hollered as we drove through the city streets. I’ve swam in each of the five great lakes and the Detroit River, and I remember when they closed Lake Erie due to pollution. I had tremendous exposure to art, music, and dance, and ironically, my first concert was Chicago! Book that changed my life? I can absolutely not choose one book that influenced my life for I have been an avid reader since early childhood and come from a family of avid readers. But I can say that two of my favorite poets are Anne Sexton and Joni Mitchell, and two of my favorite authors are Louise Erdrich and Emma Donoghue. I do not read enough non-fiction, and I read too many emails. My interests and hobbies? I am a lifelong diarist/journaler. I started keeping a diary when I was five years old, and I still write every single day. I am a poet and you can find my work here and there or at pocketpoet.net. I am also a collage artist, and I’d like to say dancer but right now the only dance I’m doing is Zumba, although I spent many years in a studio and performing. I have a B.A. in Spanish Literature and M.A. in Creative Writing Fiction: I’ve written five novels, dozens of short stories, one memoir, and published barely one. Hopefully because I have not tried. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit sedonalibrary.org/donate, our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library as well. Thank you! Sedona Public Library News Column for September 30, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator  Hello Red Rock News Readers! A library is the heart of any community and your Sedona Public Library is no different. Here at the Library, ideas are exchanged; whether it’s the monthly meeting of Great Decisions, archeologists, birders, or any one of the many family programs, our visitors come here to learn and to connect. And in Youth Services, even the very youngest community members are doing just that.
Have you ever wondered why on Monday mornings there are so many kids and parents waiting for our doors to open? Let me tell you. In September of last year, we launched “Toddler Play ‘n Learn,” a new program for toddlers (ages 0-5 years old) and their parents. This popular morning program is taught by Marcia Hansen, youth librarian, on Mondays from 10 to 10:45 a.m. “Miss Marcia,” as she is affectionately known by kids and parents alike, has been teaching and entertaining children at Sedona Public Library for more than five years. With the increasing numbers of young families in and around the Sedona area, the “Toddler Play ‘n Learn” program has become very popular for children and parents as well. Toddlers are at a crucial time in the development of language skills, and the program gives parents ideas on how to encourage and stimulate their child’s development. Sedona Public Library is so lucky to have Miss Marcia! Not only does she entertain and teach the preschoolers, but she reminds parents and caregivers to foster early literacy skills. One of her favorite lessons is “retelling,” which she emphasizes will improve a child’s comprehension, vocabulary, and oral language skills. “Toddler Play ‘n Learn” starts with a short gathering on the “Rainbow Rug” and a greeting song and story. Then the toddlers and their parents choose from a wide variety of activities: balance beam, tunnels, hopscotch, building blocks, interactive table toys, puzzles, musical instruments, Duplo blocks with people and vehicles, and a different craft activity. The program has been a wonderful opportunity for parents to get acquainted with each other….to make playdates, talk about education, exchange parenting techniques, and build friendships. The program ends back on the rainbow rug with a chat about the day and often a flannel board activity, finger plays, music, and a final song or story. With the success of Toddler Play n’ Learn at our West Sedona Library, parents enthusiastically requested and assisted us in creating a new and already successful toddler program: Toy Potluck at Sedona Public Library in the Village. Every Thursday, you can bring toys to share or donate and join other parents and toddlers in an hour of fun toy time! Cindy Mahon, our newest youth librarian, will read stories and sing songs. Join us Thursdays at the Village Library from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The address is 25 West Saddlehorn Road in the Village. As we bid farewell to a rather rainy and warm September, we open our arms to embrace a cool autumnal October with many other fun activities for our little ones including Tuesday Story Time at Sedona Public Library in the Village at 11:15 a.m.; Wednesday Story Time in the Park at 9 a.m. (Sunset Park in West Sedona); Thursday "Music Morning with Annette" and Red Rock Drumming with Harta at 10:30 a.m. in Youth Services, and Friday Drumming with Harta in the Village at 11:15 a.m. We hope families will join us for Miss Marcia’s upcoming spooky Toddler Play n’ Learn on October 31, Halloween, where you’ll enjoy spooky decorations, activities, crafts, stories, and songs. The kids will parade through the Library entertaining all our visitors. Make sure you’re in the know with what’s going on at Sedona Public Library and sign up for the Library’s monthly Youth Services Newsletter. We’re always happy to see returning and new family faces at the Library. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library. Thank you! Photo caption: Catherine Garland, and her children Abby and Charles are one of many Sedona families who have enjoyed the plethora of Youth Services programs at the Sedona Public Library. Library News Column for September 23, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator As published in the Red Rock News
It’s hard to believe that last year at this time we were happily planning the grand opening of a new library branch. Those were exciting, albeit busy, days! And on that gorgeous, early-November, autumn day in 2021, we opened Sedona Public Library in the Village to rave reviews, and the success continues. The Library is up and running; it is well- loved, well-used, helping hundreds of people and offering dozens of programs. Now, almost a year later, what’s keeping us busy? Well, it’s still the Village Library, but now we’re planning our first inaugural fundraising event. Have you bought your tickets for Novel Night? There’s still time! On Saturday, October 1, you can join other library supporters for a wonderful evening celebrating literature, literacy, libraries, and community. For this innovative event you’ll choose from seven amazing book-themed costume dinner parties hosted in the Village of Oak Creek and then for continued entertainment, fun, and a silent auction, you’ll attend the After Party at the Village Library. Maybe you’ll win a golf twosome at Seven Canyons or the Calvin Toddy originals! In all this planning that keeps us busy in the Library’s business office, a question often comes up: “How will you use the proceeds from Novel Night?” Good question, and thanks for asking. The proceeds from this October 1 fundraising event will support programs and services at Sedona Public Library in the Village. In fact, we now have a full program line-up, many services, and high-quality technology and Wi-Fi, as well as a great collection. Our door counts average 100 visitors every day. We’re especially excited about our new partnership with OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) and to offer OLLI classes in our new Javelina Room. Other programs at the Village Library include Storytime; Beginning Spanish; Notary Public Wednesdays; Tech Tuesdays, Toddler Red Rock Drumming, and soon we hope to introduce an SPLV Movie Night. In July we hosted the Arizona Science Center’s Camp Innovation, which was a summer hit for many families, and later this month we have Sedona Arts for Peace photography exhibit. Many groups have already made use of the large, recently-opened Javelina Room including local HOA’s, the City of Sedona, Yavapai County, and Sedona Sister Cities. This meeting space has great technology, brand new furniture, and is big enough for groups of 50 participants. Additionally, the Village Library has three small meeting rooms, a children’s area, ample seating and study areas, public computers and two beautiful furnished patios. Now that the weather is (hopefully!) going to get cooler, we’re sure to see more use in these outdoor spaces with a fabulous view of Castle Rock. And the great news is that when you buy tickets for Novel Night, you help support all of this! We’ve only been open in this location for ten months but look at all we’ve done. Imagine what we can do with continued support! What better way to show how much you care than to attend the most “novel” fundraiser in town! So, order your tickets soon! They’re $100 each and include the themed dinner you choose as well as the After Party. Your dinner choices can’t be guaranteed, but there is simply no bad choice in the party options! Learn full details at sedonalibrary.org, click on the Novel Night logo, and order your tickets today! Many thanks to our event sponsors including Sedona Village Partnership, Sedona Vista Village, the planning committee, the dinner hosts, the Library Board of Trustees, and the many contributors to our silent auction. And many thanks to our technology and meeting room sponsors. You’ve made it happen! Interested in sponsoring this fun event? For all questions, contact Anne Marie at amackler@sedonalibrary.org. Want to rent a room at the Village Library? Contact Janmarc@sedonalibrary.org. See you on Novel Night! Sedona Public Library Library News Column for September 16, 2022 Written by Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director As published in the Red Rock News
Hello Red Rock News Readers! Just like the dancing concessions say right as the lights dim and the projector starts, “Let’s go out to the movies!” September marks the seventh month since the return of “Monday Night Movies” to the Sedona Public Library. It’s been a busy and fun seven months, let me tell you. We’ve been following the format of first and third Mondays for showing first-run movies that were recently in theaters, and our second Mondays are what I like to call the “VHS Classics.” These can be any movie that was first released on VHS many moons ago, when Blockbuster Videos still roamed the countryside of America. Fun fact: 2006 was the last year a major studio-produced movie was released on VHS. Our fourth Mondays are saved for movies that are based on true stories or interesting documentaries. Every once and a while, there’s a month where a fifth Monday occurs. Those months I try to find a movie that may interest patrons and give them a chance to see what Monday Night Movies at the Library are all about. I’ll even try and sneak in a movie in the middle of the week. Kudos to everyone who came out on “May the Fourth Be With You” and watched the movie where a band of rebels lead by Diego Luna steal the plans for the giant space station. Or to everyone who came out on the Wednesday in July when we watched that classic summer beach movie about a big fish named Bruce. Our Monday movies start at 6 p.m., and we have free popcorn or a tasty cola or lime soda for only a dollar, I try and show movies that run about two hours. Before movies begin, you’ll be greeted by staff, usually me, and it’s our time to say, “thanks for coming out.” Your support helps us keep Monday Night Movies going. At the end of the movie, there’s always a questionnaire you can fill out to tell us what you liked or didn’t like about the movie. Many of our patrons tell me during the week that they look forward to Monday Movie Night. And it’s nice knowing that the Library can provide a free and fun program to the public. Thank you to Lupita Pollock for sponsoring popcorn and Monday Night Movies! If you'd also like to be a movie sponsor, contact Anne Marie, our Development Director at AMackler@sedonalibrary.org for more information. Since we were closed on Monday, September 5, there wasn’t a Monday movie. But we’ll have three more Mondays this month where you can come by, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show. You can always check what’s showing by visiting sedonalibrary.org and clicking our EVENTS calendar. You’ll see a general description of what we show but I always put the movie poster of that Monday’s listing in the calendar. You can even give us a call and we’ll be happy to tell you. September will be a great month for cinephiles. On September 12 we revisit one of the late comedian Robin Williams’ greatest roles: as the caring boarding school teacher John Keating, whose unorthodox teaching style inspires his students. On September 19, join Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock and Hollywood heartthrob Channing Tatum as they traverse the jungle trying to outwit Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, in a fun, action-romance adventure. We wrap up the Monday movie month on September 26 with comedian Kevin Hart, in a dramatic turn as a newly widowed father raising a daughter based on the 2011 memoir by Matthew Logelin. For teens and tweens we have a special second Saturday treat on September 10 when we’ll show an 80’s classic about pirate treasure hunting teens in Oregon. There will be limited seating, and popcorn and pizza are included! Yes, our movie license, though vast in its ever-changing catalog of films, can be tricky in how we promote our Monday Movies but I think half the fun is trying to figure out what the movies are! I’m looking forward to what we’ll be showing for the rest of the year. We’re entering prime movie season with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner. What are your holiday movie traditions? Let me know and maybe that’s what we’ll show! Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library. Thank you! Sedona Public Library Library News Column for September 9, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator  As published in the Red Rock News
Hello Red Rock News Readers! At any point in my work day, I will get up to stretch my legs and walk the library floor. Just like the precocious boy, Billy, in cartoonist Bill Keane’s Family Circus, I zip through the library, checking to see how things are going in our not-so-quiet-library. I’m a creature of habit, first I take a stroll past the circulation desk, the main library station where our helpful volunteers are sorting and checking in books to be reshelved or sent on to its next library destination. I then walk past the reference desk station, located by the library patron computers; where staff dutifully help patrons place holds on books or check out library Chromebook laptops or hotspots, all free with your Sedona Library Card. I zip through the non-fiction section, taking a quick peak at our Teen Area. I’m really proud of what are Teen Area at the Library has become. During the day, our adult patrons are welcome to sit on the comfortable couches to read and study or hold a quick phone conversation but around 2pm we ask them to please use the other areas of the library as it will become a place for teens and tweens, ages 11 to 18. We truly become a not-so-quiet-library when the teens are here. They conversate, laugh, decompress from their school day, and just get to be teens. Some say “children should be seen and not heard” but I disagree. Children and teens matter just as much as any other patron. They, our young patrons, are the future of the library. Eventually they will grow older, go off to college and perhaps even become parents themselves. Why not now, show them a positive place for them to be themselves and leave a positive impression of what the library can be and is. My walk about then takes me past our fireplace, where I take a moment to watch the progress as work crews finish on the Library’s new outdoor courtyard. I really am looking forward to see what that space becomes and how our patrons will use it. I then finish my journey through the library with a pass through our fiction section, saying hello to familiar faces, and picking up books that were read but not checked out, and finally coming back to our Tyransaurous head that I have lovingly called Steve, where I check to make sure the bulletin board showcasing any and all library programs is up to date before I head back to my desk to answer emails and schedule any upcoming programs or events. Why do we believe we must be quiet in a library? Gone are the days of the stern, eagle eyed, cardigan wearing librarian, quick to SHHH you at the mere sound of anything above a whisper. Libraries, in fact, were not historically places of silence and solitude. According to The Christian Science Monitor, they were relatively rowdy places: “The great monastic libraries of medieval Europe, contrary to the popular stereotype, were not silent study halls for cloistered monks. They were noisy places . . . some visitors called them ‘houses of mumblers’ because the monks liked to recite their texts out loud . . . devoted not just to book preservation but to bringing scholars together to work with each other.” In our not-so-quiet library, “SHHH” is a four-letter word. In the Library, you may very well hear background singing when you visit to read your favorite magazines, or you might overhear a conversation as you email paperwork to your lawyer. Yes, moments of commotion are inevitable; it is the modern way. Or, better put, the historical way. While so much is written about how tradition has been forsaken by libraries taking on the role of community centers, offering entertainment, education, conversation, and other civic opportunities, maybe the world is actually just coming full circle. At Sedona Public Library, while there is a lineup of daily activities for children and adults alike, there are also beautiful nooks and niches where a quieter atmosphere is available. If you’re searching for a quiet zone, generally our fireplace area, with ample seating, study nooks, and big tables along with the seating along the windows facing our parking lot are where you can find some quiet respite. The Quiet Study room, located next to the Reference Desk can be used, once a day for up to 2 hours without a reservation. Those needing a longer time to study can make a reservation. Just email me at janmarc@sedonalibrary.org and I’ll be happy to walk you through the process. It’s a nominal hourly charge and one of the ways the library raises funds for our operating budget. We are happy to receive feedback about your experience here, and happy to learn how we can better serve your needs, for quiet or for noise. This is your library, and as we embark on a substantial renovation project, your input is vital to the planning stage. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library. Thank you! Sedona Public Library Library News Column for September 2, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator As published in the Red Rock News
Hello Red Rock News Readers! One of the perks of my job as the Library’s Program and Marketing Coordinator is getting to meet all of our patrons when they come to the Library. Whether it’s a quick hello or hearing about their day, I appreciate what they have to say, any comments they have about what’s going on at the library, and all the compliments about the new courtyard. Progress is a wonderful thing. A part of my job that I relish is giving new patrons their library card. Getting a library card is free and easy at either library branch. Just stop in with your photo ID and proof of residency, and we will issue your card. If you have a card but haven’t used it in a while, we encourage you to drop by the circulation desk and update your e-mail address and contact information so that you can receive our monthly e-newsletter, which will tell you about the programs and free services available each month. Even if it’s not your first library card, it may be your first Yavapai Network Library card. A library card is one of the most valuable cards one can hold. And our cards have personality. You can choose from a card featuring adorable javelinas or the classic Sedona Public Library card, featuring our logo. As a Sedona Public Library cardholder, not only can you access all of the services here in Sedona, but you can also access the items available at all 56 libraries in the Yavapai Library Network. That means over 1.36 million items are easily accessible to you via your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Just search for an item in the catalog on our website—sedonalibrary.org—put the item on hold, and have it delivered to either the main branch or our Village of Oak Creek location. One feature of the catalog that I like is having the ability to freeze an item hold. If I’ll be away on vacation I can put a freeze on a hold and unfreeze it when I return. For me, it’s the little things I appreciate. Today’s library card also gives you access to thousands of free e-books, audiobooks, and online magazines that you can download from the comfort of your own home. Do you enjoy watching movies? My parents owned a video store in Jersey City, New Jersey when I was growing up. You KNOW I enjoy watching movies. The Library offers access to Kanopy, a free streaming video service, to all Sedona Library patrons. With a selection of over 30,000 on-demand videos, the Kanopy collection includes new releases, independent and international cinema, classic movies, documentaries, educational films, and more. It’s like Netflix … but free! Cardholders can access Kanopy on their smart TV, home computer, or with the Kanopy app on mobile devices. To get started using Kanopy, visit sedonalibrary.kanopy.com, enter your name and email, and create a password. Kanopy will then send you an email, and all you need to do is open it, follow the easy directions, and enjoy the show. (Be sure to check your “spam” folder if you don’t see the email!) You can stream up to four movies per month. Your library card can take you to the far reaches of space or 20,000 leagues under the sea. It can let you follow the adventures of a young country starlet or put you in the room where world changing decisions are made. The world is your oyster with your library card. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library. Thank you! Sedona Pubic Library Library News Column for August 26, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator  As published in the Red Rock News Sedona Public Library is dedicated to keeping kids on track during the school year, and we love to help them avoid the summer slide that too many students experience over summer break. Skills were maintained, and news skills were achieved with our exciting summer program line up. Local sponsors, staff and so many families made this summer of learning one of the best ever! The Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading Program had 138 kids and teens registered and almost 50,000 minutes read, that’s over 800 hours of reading! Readers read books for points, participated in events, learned new skills, and earned prizes. We held 194 programs inside and outside the Library and engaged 1,791 kids in all sorts of programs. So many business sponsors provided prizes and programs. A giant shout out to City of Sedona Community Pool and Parks and Rec; Sedona Kids Company; Sedonuts; Arizona State Parks; Famous Pizza; The Chai Spot; NAU School of Forestry; Bearizona; Science Vortex; Out of Africa; Arizona Science Center; and the Friends of the Sedona Library. Thank you! Three programs stood out for kids and families. First, program registration was fun with face painting and henna art design for hands. Second, the Oceans of Possibilities Pool Party with the Jolly Roger Comedy Magician was a hit! We couldn’t have done it without the Parks and Recreation hosting this magical wet event. Finally, another hit was the Entomology for Kids with Forest Entomologist, Dr. Hofstetter and NAU interns. They taught kids about the bark beetle life cycle. The kids got to happily dig into logs to identify bugs. Special guests included the traveling Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches! Besides all the fun programming, we hosted two summer camps. With a generous donation from the Friends of the Sedona Library, kids participated for free in Sedona Youth Theater Camp. Over nine days of intensive theatrical training, Sedona Youth Theater inspired youth to create their own unique show highlighting their amazing talents, performance skills, and imaginations. The kids loved it and shared their thoughts. Addison said, “I learned you can make something out of nothing.” And Willow said, “It was fun! I had a good time and I learned that you do not have to always know your lines.” Sage said, “The teachers were welcoming and gave equal attention to everyone . . . Improv is the best because you have to think on your feet.” Finally, Kinsley noted, “Acting class made me feel welcome. It is really fun and I learned that mistakes make it perfect." Another camp was a free week-long science camp: Arizona Science Center Camp Innovation held in the new Javelina Room at Sedona Public Library in the Village. Kids spent five days, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., learning about science and doing interactive activities. Thank you, Arizona Science Center for coming to Sedona. Here’s what the kids said. Twins Wylann and Westly said, “We enjoyed being with friends and making new friends. We loved making slime, rockets, marble tracks, and paper helicopters . . . there was a yummy lunch every day!” Aiva said, “My favorite activities were making candles and making chalk, rockets and heat shields, and the teachers were very nice, and we got a pizza party at the end with M&Ms. I want to go again.” From parent, Alexis Workman, we heard, “I am blown away by how many hands-on science activities they did each day covering such a wide range of topics like animal adaptations, thermal energy, force and motion, and states of matter. This was absolutely an amazing program and so convenient to not have to worry about packing lunches and snacks. We would do this again without question. Thank you!!!” The camp counselors thought it was a great experience, also. Here’s what Camren Carlson said, “I really enjoyed having the opportunity to take Arizona Science Center’s Camp Innovation up to Sedona. Teaching science at the Sedona public library was an incredible experience. The campers were an amazing group of students who were really passionate about science. I loved watching their amazing reactions to the power of science. Seeing all that the kids learned and experienced made the week of camp extremely rewarding.” And thanks to further support from AZ OnTrack, the Arizona Science Center will be back at the Sedona Public Library for a Back-to-School Family Event. Join us for Family Day on Saturday, August 27, from 12 – 2 p.m. Discover the wonder of science and join us to explore engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) topics, win prizes, and spend quality time with family through hands-on activities—all designed for back-to-school readiness. If you participated in the Summer Reading Program, please come by and help our planning process when you complete a simple survey located in the Youth Services Department. Thanks! Sedona Public Library is an independently run, 501(c)(3), privately owned, debt-free, nonprofit organization providing public services. We receive support from the City of Sedona and the Friends of the Sedona Library, property tax dollars from Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and gifts from businesses, foundations, and individuals like you. Thank you! Visit sedonalibrary.org to learn more. Caption for photo: Happy kids who won prizes for their completion of the Oceans of Possibilities Summer Reading Program. Sedona Public Library Library News Column for August 19, 2022 Written by Viviane Kraus, Youth Services Manager  As published in the Red Rock News.
Hello Red Rock News Readers! Many hands make light the work. From the volunteers who pull the holds and shelve the books, to staff who greet patrons upon their arrival and are ready to help them with whatever they need, everyone who works or volunteers at the Library plays a vital role in keeping it in tip-top shape. The Sedona Public Library’s Facilities Manager, James “Jim” Thomas, is one such person at the Library who I am glad to know and honored to work with. Over the past 8 months, I have come to appreciate Jim and all that he does at the Library. Being in charge of the physical goings on of a 26,000 square-foot building is no easy feat. Somedays yes, it’s routine duties like making sure the lavatory is clean and presentable before the Library opens to fixing a broken leg on the train table in Youth Services. There is never a day where Jim doesn’t perform miracles we didn’t know we needed. The fondest memory I have of my first few weeks of working with Jim was watching him navigate in between the book stacks on a motorized construction lift during the Library’s Quilt Show installation in January. Up and down the aisles he went, humming a Tom Petty tune, navigating the lift down the aisles as expertly as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Disney’s The Jungle Cruise. I am grateful for Jim. While my days start later and end later most days, his doesn’t. He’s at the Library earlier than most, and usually by the time I arrive to let him know about an event scheduled that day, he’s already made the proper preparations. Jim has a great sense of humor, an even-keeled temperament, knowledge and experience gained from managing RV properties and senior care facilities, and the patience of a saint when working with me. I’m still learning as I go, the ins and outs of my job, and Jim is there to point out when I can’t see the forest past the trees. Jim figures out the best way to time-manage an event. As with all staff introductions, let’s take a moment to learn more about the Library’s Facilities Manager and resident McGuyver, James “Jim” Thomas, who, by the way, plays a mean six string guitar for Silent Treatment, a Cottonwood rock band. Where were you born? “I was born and raised in the Central San Joaquin Valley of Central California (the Fruit Basket of the World). In the 1970s, this was a great place to grow up. I lived in a little neighborhood on the East side of Fresno and Clovis amid the fruit orchards and spent a lot of time in the orchards goofing off with friends or swimming in the irrigation canals.” What was your first job? “My first job commitment was mowing lawns in the neighborhood. At ten-years-old, my partner in shenanigans and I started mowing, edging (with a manual edger), and raking yards for $5, front and back. It wasn’t long before we had a regular route that we worked for about four years. My first taxpaying job, ironically, was as a custodian’s helper at the elementary school they built in the neighborhood. At fourteen-years-old, I was working for $4.15 an hour and was feeling pretty good about it.” What was the most influential book you read and why? “I would have to go with “Chariots of the Gods” by Erich Von Daniken. This book presented the idea that the history of man, as we know it, was in question, and it put me on a mission to find out the truth. What I found were more questions than answers and I continue to search to this day.” Are you Team Dog or Team Cat? “I’m team No Pets. Let me explain, after having both dogs and cats my whole life, I came to a point where there were no more pets and my kids had grown up and moved out of the house. The opportunity arose for not having the responsibility of children and pets, and it was a pleasant ten years. No picking up poo, trips to the vet, pet hair EVERYWHERE, or pet sitters. But – heavy sigh – that time is over and we have had two cats this last year. Everything I didn’t have to worry about the last ten years is back, but we love them dearly.” Have you ever seen a ghost or UFO? “I have not seen a ghost, but I have witnessed some very strange things. Yes, I have seen many UFOs. Was it aliens? I do not know, but I do know it wasn’t a weather balloon. I even researched them for quite some time and worked on a National Geographic show called “Chasing UFOs” as a production assistant. Somehow this seems to tie into my book answer, “weird”, and I continue to search for them to this day.” The next time you see Jim, hammer in hand, six feet up on a ladder, take a moment to say “hello”, ask him about his newest grandchild, and thank him for all he does to help keep the lights on at the Library. No really, he replaced the lights by the Silent Waterfall, much better now. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website or send your check to Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, Arizona 86336. Remember you can direct your gift to the Village Library. Thank you! Sedona Public Library Library News Column for August 5, 2022 Written by Jan Marc Quisumbing, Program & Marketing Coordinator |
