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Weekly activities Fort Myers Beach Library

By Staff | Feb 12, 2009

nPreschool Story hour on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 10:30 a.m.

nPoetry Reading on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 1:30 p.m.

nChile on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 10:30 a.m.

nLiterary Highlights Thursday, Feb. 12, at 1:30 p.m.

nPoetry Reading on Friday, Feb. 13, at 10:30 a.m.

nAdvanced Internet Searching on Friday, Feb. 13, at 1:30 p.m.

nClosed on Monday, Feb. 16, Presidents’ Day

nBook Group discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 10:00 a.m.

nIntroduction to Computers, Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m.

Activity Details

The Poetry Reading on Feb. 11 will find David Jaffin discussing and sharing insights using his poems found in “Eye-Sensing”.

The look at the culture and customs of Chile will be facilitated by Wilda Gastelu on Feb. 12 and is part of our “Getting to Know Our World” series.

Literary Highlights on Feb. 12 by Corinne Thwing, will be highlights from last summer’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference in Washington state and from the 27th annual Key West Literary Seminar.

The Poetry Reading on Feb. 13 will revolve around “The Telling of Time,” written and clarified by Dr. David Jaffin.

Advanced Internet Searching on Feb.13 explores the world of newsgroups, mail lists, and locating those parts of the web that are not accessible via search engines and directories. Pre-registration and $1 sign up are necessary.

Book Group discussion looks at “Man of the House” by Ad Hudler and the author, who will be present, will likely get a warm welcome.

Those who need computer basics can participate in the one hour demo of Introduction to Computers on Feb. 17. Pre-registration is necessary.

Upcoming Activities

Knitters gather again Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. Those seeking to begin have a perfect introduction as instructor Charlotte Grey will make it easy. Pre-register.

The Writer’s Group meets Feb. 19, and in a group setting a lot can happen in terms of writing guidance and inspiration.

A special area in the library is “The Florida Collection.” How it is organized, what can you anticipate finding, and how it reveals both the well-known and not so prominent aspects of Florida are covered on Feb. 19.

Dog Day is on Feb. 19 and a perfect time for children to participate in this literacy program that fosters love of reading. Pre-register.

A look at Turkey, part of our “Getting to Know Our World” series, is set for Feb. 20.

Artists of the Month

Featured this month in the Conference Room are long time artists active in the Fort Myers Beach Art Association. The variety of watercolors of five artists brings a refreshing view to local sites.

Michele Buelow focuses on a Mango Street view and palms while Pauline Healey looks at the egret and spoonbill. Gretchen Johnson covers the Beach Boat Parade as well as the Town Birthday Celebration. Lee Ackert focuses on a daisy chair and the Times Square clock. Finally, Fred Bushnell goes global by offering a trio of scenes from Guatemala.

All of these creations will be on display til the end of this month.

On display in the case at the top of the second floor stairs, we are pleased to have a wide variety of collectible Salt & Pepper shakers from the collection of Carol Baldridge. One can be astounded at the different ways and themes that these shakers take.

Place of the Library

“It’s a cruel irony that library use is going up and budget cuts are occurring simultaneously,” said Jim Rettig, president of the American Library Association. “What I think doesn’t get enough recognition is the role libraries play in the economic vitality and development of a community.”

We have long recognized the vital place that the Beach library plays in our community, a fact told us many times by both residents and visitors.

Cultural soothsays once thought libraries would become obsolete in the Internet age but the trend has been the opposite. Libraries have modernized, digitized, virtualized. We are anxious to get our construction project underway with added services and improved access, so important for library users and the growing number of new users, are of central importance.

In recent years when the state budget was experiencing double digit increases, minimal increases were given to public libraries. This year, when the state deemed it necessary to reduce its own budget 10 percent, we were ready to do the same. Instead, the Florida legislature reduced state aid to public libraries by 23.8 percent and allocated no money for public construction, making the reduction in monies benefiting public libraries almost 50 percent less than a few years ago. In that same period, the State Budget decreased by less than 10 percent.

If you find us very busy, we are happy. If you find us working hard to make the budget stretch, know the reality we are facing. In the current year, we are dealing with a 7 percent reduction in operating budget-and as you can guess, nothing (except gas and home values) has gone down in price.

Yard Sale

Recent donations for the All Island Yard Sale on library grounds on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon are on display in the Senior Zone case. We continue to be delighted with the kindness of those bringing quality items for this effort to add funds to the Library Construction Fund. The truck is here every Tuesday and Thursday this week and next from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accept donations. Please come on that day.

It’s also the last call for those who want to rent a space and sell your own items. The remaining spaces available will go on a first come basis. Just drop your reservation form at the front desk with the applicable fee.

Library Hours

Don’t remember library hours? Call for information. When we are closed, a recorder gives the hours of operation, either on 765-8162, or on 765-8163. Except for holidays, which would be mentioned on the recorder, we are open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. We look forward to seeing you.