Sean C. Morgan
Summer’s just about over, and the Sweet Home Public Library is setting up its fall activities.
Starting on Sept. 6, at 10 a.m., Librarian Sandi Leonard will start doing weekly story time on Fridays with preschoolers and toddlers.
On Sept. 21, Corinna Dominy of Lebanon, a former Sweet Home resident, will be available at the library for a book signing and to talk about her new book, “Matters of the Heart.”
Staff members are working out details to bring more authors into the library.
“We are getting a load of new books in,” said Library Director Rose Peda. “We’re trying some new authors, some nonfiction books that we think people will really like.
“We’ve just been sort of expanding the collection and filling in series as they come up.”
As people notice the library is missing books in a series, Peda asks they inform the librarians. The library will do its best to fill in the holes.
Recently, the librarians have been busy labeling each book in a series so patrons can identify them easier, Peda said. “That’s one of the projects Rebecca (Swoboda) has been taking on.”
A lot of new books are coming out soon, from authors such as John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton, who is up to “W” in her alphabet series.
The Friends of the Library continue to raise funds for the stained glass project, which will replace the window in the top of the library’s east wall with a stained glass depiction of Foster Lake.
The Friends have raised more than $4,000 of the $22,000 needed to get the project going, Peda said. The library moved the donation box closer to the entrance, and contributions have been picking up.
The Friends of the Library purchase the library’s large print books and all of the books on CD, Peda said. Recently, the library has added many new books on CD, which are a popular item in the library’s circulation of 4,000 items per month.
“I think we just processed at least 10 of them,” Peda said.
The Friends also supported the Summer Reading Program. Now, they’re gearing up for the Holiday Boutique, which will be held for the first time in their bookstore, which moved last year to the old Curves building at the intersection of Long and 12th streets.
Computer use remains steady at the library, Peda said. “Earlier today, there was a waiting list. We see all sorts of ages sitting in the building and around the building using the Wi-Fi.”
Peda said she is working on a Library Services Technical Assistance grant from the Oregon State Library for a new program, but she was not ready to discuss it yet.
Library staff members are planning to talk to the Boys and Girls Club about Friday activities to help provide something for students to do with the four-day school week still in effect.
“It sounds like they have some really cool things coming up, and we could support their efforts,” Peda said. Meanwhile the library staff members are looking at bringing back Legos on Fridays and the monthly movie night, which is specifically scheduled so as not to compete with the Rio Theater.
The library is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
For more information about the library and its activities, call (541) 367-5007.