By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

As May comes to a close, take a moment to embrace the experiences our library offers. Join us for the cardmaking class led by the talented Judi Zimmerline on Thursday, May 21, from 9-11 a.m. For just $5, all supplies and equipment will be provided to help you express your creativity.

The Cookbook Club will gather at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 21. Visit the library to select a delicious recipe from the Pioneer Woman’s cookbooks or magazines, then bring your creation to share with fellow food enthusiasts.

On Tuesday, May 26, the afternoon book club, Reads Well With Others, invites you to dive into “The Blue Sisters” by Coco Mellor at 5 p.m. Books are readily available for checkout, so come and engage in a vibrant discussion.

The Bridge class will meet in the Taylor Meeting Room from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, and Wednesday, May 27, presenting a wonderful opportunity for connection and personal growth.

Join the Youth Creation Corner at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, where the creative spirits of all ages can explore their imaginations in a joyful crafting experience. Every Friday at 10 a.m., the preschool story hour awaits to whisk young hearts away on adventures through stories and crafts.

Please remember that the library will be closed on Monday, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day, resuming regular hours on Tuesday, May 26.

As we anticipate the arrival of June, the library is set to burst with exciting possibilities this summer. ACGC preschool through sixth-grade students will receive an envelope filled with information about the Summer Reading Program, Books for Bikes Program and a calendar of events for June.

A calendar of June events is also available on the Mary J. Barnett website. The month starts with the Summer Reading Program kickoff on Monday, June 1, at 4 p.m. at Riverside Park on School Street, inviting youth of all ages to join in the summer fun.

LEGO Mania will spark creativity on Wednesday, June 3, at 4 p.m. On Thursday, June 4, the Farm Bureau Youth Outreach Event at 1 p.m. will explore “Pollinators around Us.” Don’t miss the preschool Story Hour every Friday at 10 a.m.

An inspiring program for youth, “Science Heroes,” will take place on Monday, June 8, at 1 p.m., followed by “Flower Talk,” hosted by the Guthrie County ISU Extension staff on Tuesday, June 9, at 2 p.m.

Beginning June 1, youth enrolled in the Summer Reading Program and the Books for Bikes Program can start logging their reading minutes and the books they have read for exciting prize drawings.

Our regularly scheduled adult programming will continue all summer. Be sure to check the library website or the bulletin board for all scheduled events.

For those adult readers seeking new literary adventures, our Book Bundle service is ready to help. By completing a brief questionnaire on the Mary J. Barnett website, patrons can discover four or five books by new authors tailored to their preferences, offering an exciting opportunity to explore fresh stories and embrace new challenges.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

The library has many regular adult programs going on. If one of them sounds interesting, just show up and see if you like it. Craft and Connect meets each Monday from 4-6 p.m. for anyone who has a hobby that they would like to pursue while talking with others. If you aren’t working on a project right now but would like to attend, bring an adult coloring page or check out a jigsaw puzzle.

MJB Library has two book clubs. Patrons are invited to attend one or both of them. Between the Covers meets the second Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m., and Reads Well With Others meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. The May book for the afternoon club is “We All Live Here” by Jojo Moyes.

“Blue Sisters” by Coco Mellors, evening book for May, tells the story of three estranged siblings who return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister’s death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity and the complexities of family. As they each navigate grief, addiction and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in. But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize that the greatest secrets they have been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves. “Blue Sisters” is a story of what it takes to keep living after loss –– and, ultimately, to fall in love with life again.

On the third Thursday of each month, cardmaking class takes place at 9 a.m., and Cookbook Club takes place at 6 p.m. Card making class, led by Judy Zimmerline, teaches how to create one-of-a-kind greeting cards. Everyone is welcome to come and learn this skill. All supplies and materials are provided for a $5 fee.

Cookbook Club members are asked to stop by the library and choose a recipe from the cookbook of the month to prepare and bring to the evening meeting. The group will share a meal and taste each other’s dishes while discussing the recipes and the cookbook.

For those who enjoy card games, cribbage meets each Monday from 9-11 a.m. Bridge meets from 9-11 a.m. every Wednesday. Canasta meets at 1 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday. No experience is necessary to be able to join the card clubs.

Our youth programs include weekly preschool story hour for preschoolers and their caregivers on Fridays at 10 a.m. Creation Corner will meet on Wednesday, May 27 at 4 p.m.

Starting June 1, Summer Reading Program will begin with a kickoff party at 4 p.m. at Riverside Park. This come and go event will feature a number of activities to start the Summer Reading Program.

Registration is now open and can be completed at the library website. See the calendar of events for June on the website for events for the Summer Reading Program.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

The MJB Library Staff wishes to extend a huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate National Library Week last week. We are so excited to have so many people stop in to use the library and to see what we offer. The kind words and gestures for our staff last week were so appreciated. Patrons and the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library made us feel so valued. Thank you for the flowers, sweets and snacks that you treated us to. Your generous support of our library is such a valued gift to us.

As the weather is heating up, so are the plans at the MJB Library. Youth Creation Corner will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29. The next LEGO Mania Day will be on Wednesday, May 13, at 2 p.m. Preschool Story Hour will be each Friday at 10 a.m.

Friends of the Guthrie Center Library will meet on May 4 at 6:15 p.m. They will be discussing RAGBRAI and the upcoming golf tournament on June 27.

Card players, remember that each Monday from 9-11 a.m., Cribbage players meet. Bridge Class gathers every Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. to play bridge. On the first and third Tuesdays of the month, Canasta Class meets at 1 p.m., so in May, canasta will be played on May 5 and May 19.

This year’s summer reading program (SRP), “Plant a Seed, Read!” is going to be filled with exciting activities. The SRP Kick Off will be a special start to this summer’s events. We will be gathering at the Riverside Park on School Street by the Storywalk. This come-and-go event will be running from 4-5:30 p.m. Participants will have activities including a scavenger hunt, games and ice cream making.

Registration is now open on the MJB Library website, so get signed up to participate in all the activities. The calendar of events is also listed on the website.

Some of the special programs include “Science Heroes Digging It” on Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m., and “Mesozoic Adventures Funny Farm “at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 18. DNR Naturalist Anne Riordan will have a program on Thursday, June 11, at 1 p.m.

The Guthrie County ISU Extension Office will present some SRP events during June, including Flower Talk (color changing flowers and seed balls) at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9; The Beeman (build a honeycomb and beeswax candle) on Wednesday, June 17 at 2 p.m.; and on Wednesday, June 24 at 2 p.m., Wax to Crayons (watch how crayons are made and crayon melt).

On Friday, June 26, at 10:30 a.m., we will have the end-of-summer reading party. We will do prize drawings and have a mega foam party to celebrate all the great work our summer readers have done.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

National Library Week is this week. Monday, April 20 is Right to Read Day, a day to take action to protect, defend and celebrate the right to read. Tuesday, April 21 is National Library Workers Day, a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. Wednesday, April 22 is National Library Outreach Day, a day to celebrate library outreach and the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are. Thursday, April 23 is Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates in support of libraries.

Find Your Joy at the Library is this year’s theme. MJB Library provides many opportunities for patrons of all backgrounds and ages to find their joy.

Sometimes readers get in a rut and read the same authors all the time. To help patrons find new authors to enjoy, MJB is offering a service called book bundles. Patrons simply need to visit the library website and click the book bundle on the banner at the top of the page. A series of questions about reading preferences will pop up for the patron to complete. Using that information, librarians will select three to five books for the patron to check; book bundles are ready within three business days. Give it a try. You might discover some interesting new authors.

Parents and caretakers are reminded that kids from birth to kindergarten are encouraged to sign up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Completely free and with no obligation, children who are signed up receive a book mailed to them each month from birth until they begin kindergarten. The first book is one of Dolly’s favorite children’s books, “The Little Engine that Could.” Parton started the Imagination Library as a tribute to her father, whom Parton describes as a very intelligent man who was limited by his inability to read. Parton wants children to know the magic of books regardless of their financial situation.

To sign up for the Imagination Library, go to the website imaginationlibrary.com or stop by the library to use the QR code on the Imagination Library fliers. A child who is signed up at birth will receive 60 volumes for his or her personal library. Books are developmentally appropriate and are intended to foster the joy of reading and help with reading readiness.

Our preschool patrons are also encouraged to sign up for 1,000 Books before Kindergarten. This free program rewards kids for every 100 books they read with adults on their literacy journey. Research indicates that children who have read 1,000 books prior to beginning kindergarten will have the vocabulary and literacy skills to be ready to learn to read.

The library also offers a weekly story hour for preschoolers and their caregivers each Friday at 10 a.m. Each story hour focuses on a theme for the stories and the craft project.

Creation Corner, on Wednesday, April 29, at 2 p.m., is also for youth of all ages. Wednesday, May 13, at 2 p.m., is LEGO Mania day for youth of all ages.

The Summer Reading Program will bring joy to young library patrons. Registration is open on the MJB Library page now. Check our library website for dates and times of summer reading program events.

Evening Book Club meets at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. The April book, “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney, is still available for check out for anyone who wishes to read it and join the book club.

Of course, in addition to all the library programs available, a huge room full of books is pure joy for many patrons. Looking for a book that will help you find your joy and fill your soul? Try “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi.

By Karen Kelly | Special to the Times Vedette

“There are so many library kids and library grown-ups who have yet to fully embrace their library joy, and I am so excited for them. When they enter the world of libraries and stories, I am confident they will find not only their library joy but their courage to believe in their own story and maybe even share it with others,” commented Mychal Threets, National Library Week Honorary Chair, author, award-winning librarian and new host of “Reading Rainbow.”

Sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA), National Library Week first sponsored this observance in 1958 to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries — school, public, academic and special libraries.

Concerning research in the mid-1950s indicated that Americans were spending less money on books than on radios, televisions and musical instruments. The ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit organization intended to promote reading and library use. The committee’s thought was that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. Thus, National Library Week was born in 1958 with the theme “Wake up and Read!” This tradition has continued, and this year’s theme is “Find Your Joy at the Library.”

During National Library Week, the staff at MJB Library invites patrons to stop by the library and find their joy at the library. April 19-25 is National Library week, and it is the perfect time for everyone to take a few minutes to stop by the library to see what might spark joy for them.

Most people think of the library as a big building filled with books. That in and of itself quite honestly makes this place seem like an oasis to me, but there is just so much more that the library has to offer to the citizens of this area. In addition to the hundreds of books, magazines, audiobooks and read-along books, patrons can check out board games, DVDs, jigsaw puzzles, cake pans, candy molds and a telescope. If patrons want a book that MJB Library doesn’t own, it can be borrowed from other libraries.

Homeschool families can utilize a textbook or homeschool materials exchange. Homeschool families can donate materials that they no longer need and take materials that they can use.

 Gardeners can take advantage of the seed library which has flower, vegetable, and herb seeds that they may take to plant this spring; this fall, harvest the seeds and donate them back to the library which will add them to the seed library.

Patrons can check out computers and tablets. The library offers free Wi-Fi to patrons. For a small fee, patrons can print, fax and laminate documents.

MJB Library offers educational and recreational programs for youth and adults. Regular programs include preschool story hour for preschoolers of all ages and their caretakers each Friday at 10 a.m. For school-age youth, monthly LEGO Mania Day and Creation Corner provide challenging and creative learning opportunities. In addition, watch the calendar for special programs and events.

The library promotes and helps families enroll their children from birth to 5 years old in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Preschool families are encouraged to enroll their children in 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, a free program the library operates to encourage reading readiness. 

Each summer, the library offers a Summer Reading Program (SRP). Not only does the program provide recreational activities for youth, SRP also provides learning and creative programs as well as a program to help prevent summer reading slide. This year’s theme is “Plant a Seed, Read!” Registration is now open and can be completed on the library’s website.

The youth area of the library is an inviting area with a play area for toddlers which includes age-appropriate toys and activities, a Wii and a Nintendo Switch which can be used in another area of the youth space. Puzzles, puppets and STEM activities can be used in the library. Cozy reading spaces for youth are also available.

The library has a meeting room which is utilized for programs and meetings but is also available to rent for a small fee. Inside the library, a small meeting room is available for use for meetings for eight or fewer people, a private study room, zoom calls or test proctoring.

Several seating areas and tables are available for patrons who want to work here or just enjoy a reading space. A communal puzzle is out and available for anyone to sit and spend a bit of time working on the jigsaw. Take a minute to look at the collection on display in the display case by the front desk or the quilt on display by the fireplace.

For adults, each Monday from 9-11 a.m. cribbage players gather to play. Bridge class is every Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. Canasta Class will be Tuesday, April 21 at 1 p.m. Each Monday, a group of crafters meets in the Taylor Meeting Room from 4-6 p.m. for Craft and Connect; participants bring a project to work on while they socialize with other creative people. Everyone is welcome to participate in these activities.

On the second Tuesday of each month, the afternoon book club, Between the Covers, meets at 3 p.m. to discuss a book. The April meeting will be April 14 to discuss “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders” by Jesse Q. Sutanto. The evening book club Reads Well With Others meets at 5 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. This month’s selection is “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney. For those who wish to participate in the book clubs, the library provides copies for patrons to check out so there is no expense for book club participants.

From 9-11 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month, a card making class is held for people who are interested in making greeting cards. All materials and supplies are provided for a $5 fee. At 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month, Cookbook Club meets to sample and discuss recipes from the featured cookbook.

To help patrons discover their library joy, MJB Library is offering Book Bundles; fill out a form about your preferences and dislikes in stories, and one of our librarians will choose three to five books for you to try. This is a great way to discover a new author or series you might not find on your own. Interested? Type in https://www.guthriecenter.lib.ia.us/find-book-2. Please allow up to three weekdays for your bundle to be selected and ready for pickup. You will be notified by text, email or phone call.

In addition to all these things, patrons 18 and older can use their library cards to access an Iowa Adventure Pass. Funded by the Friends of the Guthrie Center Library, the Iowa Adventure Pass allows patrons to get special admission deals to local destinations once every 365 days. Patrons get two adult and two youth free admissions to the Blank Park Zoo or the Des Moines Science Center. For the Blue Zoo, get two free youth admissions with one paid adult admission. The newest venue to the adventure pass is the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn. This pass allows admission for up to four individuals.  To reserve the Iowa Adventure Pass, go to the MJB Library website.

Also available for library card holders of all ages is the Libby App which can be downloaded to smart phones and tablets. This free app allows card holders to access hundreds of eBooks, audio books and magazines for no cost.

With so much available at the MJB Library, how could one not find their joy at the library. Stop by and check us out!