At the Beach Library
Weekly Activities
nPreschool Story Hour for children on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 10:30 a.m.
nKnitting class Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m.
nWriter’s Group meets on Thursday, Feb. 19, 10:30 a.m.
nFlorida Collection on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 1:30 p.m.
nDog Day on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 4 to 5 p.m.
nIstanbul/Turkey on Friday, Feb. 20, at 10:30 a.m.
nBeginners Internet Searching on Friday, Feb. 20, at 1:30 p.m.
nAll Island Yard Sale on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 8am to Noon
nBeginning Knitting session on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 10:30 a.m.
nWriting Tips Class meets on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1:30 p.m.
Activity Details
Knitters, take note of the time on Feb. 18 to gather for knitting time. If you’re new to this craft or would like some suggestions on a current project or how to figure out some directions, feel free to come. Pre-register, please.
In the same vein, those who want concentrated attention in getting started on knitting, come to the demo, Beginning Knitting on Feb. 24. Pre-register. This session is for those who can’t make it evenings.
The Writer’s Group on Feb. 19 invites aspiring and working writers to compare notes about the world of writing and publishing.
A special grouping of titles in the library is the Florida Collection. The presentation on Feb. 19 guides you through the Florida Collection-what is available, and what you can expect to find.
Dog Day on Feb. 19 is devoted, as usual, to offering a fun time for children to grow in their ability of reading. Pre-registration for a 10 minute slot is necessary.
Larry and Susan Bales will offer an inside look at Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 20. A part of our “Getting to Know Our World” series, this is an opportunity to broaden understanding and appreciation of another part of our increasingly small world.
Those who are new to Internet searching, or seem to hit roadblocks in getting started on locating something useful on the Net can consider the Beginners Internet Searching class, on Feb. 20.
Writing class tips, under the guidance of Corinne Thwing, continues on Feb. 24.
All Island Yard Sale
You won’t want to miss the All Island Yard Sale on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 8 a.m. to noon. You’ll find incredible bargains on lightly used items, wonderful new, hand-made items from local artists and craftspeople, and home-made baked goods from the Friends of the Library.
Furniture, power tools, sports equipment, baby items, linens, clothing, collectibles, home improvement items, lighting, wall hangings, holiday items, appliances, bicycles and kitchen items have been donated to the library to sell. We don’t have room to store unsold items, so everything is priced to sell, and all proceeds go to the library construction fund.
More than 20 artists will be selling their unique creations, including dried floral arrangements, photo greeting cards and framed prints, natural hand-made soap, seashell boxes and ornaments, hand-woven baskets, hand bags, tie-dyed items, hand-made cards, wooden sculptures, paintings, silk gift bags, and jewelry made from a wide range of materials, including sterling silver, semi-precious stones, beads, hemp and even fishing lures.
One of the booths will offer chair massages, See’s Chocolates lollipops and a raffle. And there will be several people selling their own yard sale items. A few spaces are still available at just $20 for a 10′ x 10′ space, with rental fees going to the Library construction fund. Contact the Library at 765-8162 for reservation information.
Upcoming Events
If you need to understand the features and how-to of word processing, particularly Word 2007, consider pre-registering for the Word Processing class on Feb. 25, at 1:30 p.m.
The history of Fort Myers Beach will be shared by two long time residents, A.J. Bassett and Jean Gottlieb, on Feb. 26 at 10:30 a.m. Since we know we will have maximum capacity for this talk, pre-registration is mandatory.
Many have enjoyed the glimpses offered into the people and customs of various countries part of our Getting to Know Our World series. On Feb. 27, Doris Kovach will share her delight of Barbado.
Those who participated in the Beginners Internet Searching class or are familiar with the basics of searching and feel adept in using Search Engines, can consider registering for the Intermediate Level Internet Searching class on Feb. 27. Sign up in person at the front desk. There is a $1 sign-up fee on this one.
Reading on the Rise
Literary reading is on the rise. According to a new study by the National Endowment for the Arts, a definitive boost in the rate that American adults are reading literature, and an increase in the number of American adults reading literature is in evidence.
For the first time in the history of the survey-conducted five times since 1982-the overall rate at which adults read literature rose by 7%. If one takes the more recent survey done in 2002, literary reading by adults has actually risen 3.5% since 2002. Literature is defined as reading novels and short stories, plays or poems. What was also encouraging was that there were 16.6 million more adult readers of literature in 2008.
One part of this increase might be attributed to the fact that more adults can read and the population has grown. On the other hand, there are a variety of reasons that more people are coming to experience the joys of reading. The upsurge comes as no surprise to us as we’ve witnessed locally an increased interest in reading. The past three months (November, December & January) we’ve had 4% more items checked out from the Beach Library than the same period a year ago.
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.
Dr. Leroy Hommerding