Let’s get ready for Valentine’s Day with this fun flying cupid experiment. All you need is some tissue paper and a balloon. Static electricity is cool! If you want to learn more about how this experiment works, check out this video.
All posts by Marguerite
Science Friday — Tessellations
This week’s science project is a fun mix of craft and science. This project from Scholastic has kids gluing pasta or glue shapes in a recurring pattern, a chance to learn about geometry and make something beautiful.
Library Reopening!
The library will be reopening to the public on February 1st! We are looking forward to seeing your faces!
Restrictions will still apply:
- Limit of 10 patrons at a time
- Masks required for everyone age 5 and up
- Please maintain six foot distance when possible
- Computer use limited to one hour
For those of you still wanting it, we will add one hour before regular opening just for no-contact pickup. You can order no-contact pickup during open hours as well, but with people coming and going we can’t guarantee you won’t meet someone in the lobby.
HOURS:
_______________NO-CONTACT OPEN
MONDAY 12-1 1-6
TUESDAY 2-3 3-7
WEDNESDAY 12-1 1-5
THURSDAY 12-1 1-5
FRIDAY 12-1 1-6
SATURDAY NONE 10-2
Library update
Hello, friends. We miss seeing you and are doing our best to provide you good and safe service. We’re keeping a close eye on COVID case statistics to determine when we can open to the public for browsing again. The trend is encouraging. As soon as we have an opening date, we will let you know.
Meanwhile, we would like your opinion: Should we have an hour before the library opens specifically for no-contact pickup? We don’t want to deny access to those who prefer not to interact with staff and public.
Don’t forget that you can order books and movies online or by phone and pick them up with no contact. And we keep getting new materials all the time, like these new titles for grownups and young people.
No-Contact Pickup Hours
Monday: 1-6
Tuesday: 3-7
Wednesday: 1-5
Thursday: 1-5
Friday: 1-6
Saturday: 10-2
Science Friday – Milk Art
Today’s experiment is pretty easy to do. All you need is milk, dish soap and food coloring. Follow these instructions. Even younger kids can do this one with a little supervision. Just remember not to drink the milk afterwards!
Year in Review
We are saying goodbye to 2020, a tumultuous year to say the least, and welcome 2021. Let’s take a quick look back.
With the COVID-19 epidemic, we were closed for part of the year and did no-contact pickup for part of the year. Like many in the community, several members of the staff contracted the disease, but we all recovered. We greatly appreciate all of you who use the library; you have been great sports. Thanks for hanging in there with us!
We checked out 14,438 physical items in 2020, which is not bad, all things considered.
For comparison we checked out 21,576 in 2010. Final numbers for e-book checkouts are still pending, but are expected to be much, much higher than past years.
Our most checked out books were a little more diverse than in previous years, including a board book, easy readers, a juvenile non-fiction book, a chapter book, and even a grown-up mystery.
EVENTS
Before COVID hit we squeezed in a Harry Potter-themed escape room, which was conquered by kids and adults alike.
Shortly after that everything changed, and the rest of the year was all about connecting in different ways. Summer reading became a take-and-make affair. We put together packets each week for pre-readers, readers and teens/tweens. In the end, we distributed 650 over six weeks. The staff created videos to introduce the contents of each packet and demonstrate the crafts.
Our annual Halloween party also became a take-and-make affair. We gave out 100 or so packets with fun activities, coloring pages, toys and candy. Luckily, many of our friends showed up in costume to pick them up. We love to see those great costumes and big smiles!
The community also played along with our in-person and online favorite candy bracket. After 250 votes, we determined that Lonsdale’s favorite candy is Twix!
We embraced social media more than ever, producing virtual storytimes for kids and book chats for grownups. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, so you don’t miss anything.
Here’s hoping we get to see a lot more of you next year!
Science Friday
Here’s a fun experiment for grade school and older kids! 
Orange fizz!
All you need is an orange or clementine and some baking soda. Remember to limit the amount of baking soda you use. Younger children will need help cutting/separating the orange.
Holiday Schedule
Hello friends. Just a reminder that we are doing no-contact pickup until you hear otherwise. Meanwhile, here are our holiday hours.
Christmas Eve (December 24): 1-3 pm
Christmas Day (December 25): CLOSED
New Years Eve (December 31): 1-6 pm
New Years Day (January 1): CLOSED
Happy holidays to one and all and here’s hoping for a bright new, pandemic-free 2021!
Virtual Food for Fines
As you may know, this is the time of year when we encourage you to donate to the Lonsdale Area Food Shelf by waiving late fees for donations. Since we are currently not open to the public, we are not collecting food donations this year, but you can still drop off donations at Lonsdale Liquors or you can donate by check or credit card. Check out the LAFS website for more details.
Then just give us a call anytime from December 7 to December 19 to let us know you have donated and we will waive up to $10 per card in late fees. (Yes, we’re trusting you.) Happy holidays!
Library reopening
Hello, friends. We’re sorry that we had to close the library with no notice, but we had a COVID exposure and were required to quarantine.
We are reopening on Monday, November 30th for no-contact pickup only. That means that you will not be able to come into the library for the time being. However, you can return your materials in the book drop anytime. And don’t worry if you have accrued late fees; we will gladly waive them.
How does no-contact pickup work?
You can order materials online through our website or call the library and we will help you select items. When you’re ready to pick up, call the library and we will set up a time that works for you. We will check out your materials to you and leave them in the lobby at your appointment time.
We appreciate your patience and hope to speak to you soon.
Check out this video for more information on how no-contact pickup works.