Children Weaving, Landscapes on Glass

Local author Jack Turner will give a presentation and do a book signing of his book Landscapes on Glass at the Mancos Public Library on Wednesday, December 8th at 6:30pm.  This 35-40-minute talk includes approximately 50 projected images highlighting the life and career of Ansel F. Hall and the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley Expedition. A number of hand-tinted lantern slides are shown including images from Monument Valley, the Navajo Nation and Hopi Mesas, and Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion national parks. Turner will welcome audience questions after the talk.

The author, who is Hall’s grandson, inherited the lantern slides without any indication of where they were taken or why. His talk recounts his travels throughout the Four Corners region as he sought to identify individual slides. In the course of that search, Turner learned about his grandfather’s work as the first chief naturalist of the National Park Service as well as his leadership of what has been deemed the last great scientific expedition in the Southwest.

The program showcases the efforts of Hall, his colleagues, expedition members, and patrons in the 1920s and ‘30s to study and protect areas of the desert southwest, including the proposed creation of Navajo National Park. Many decades later, Hall’s work was a major factor that led to President Bill Clinton designating four national monuments in the areas related to 1933-38 expedition: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996, and the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in 2000.

Free!  This talk is sponsored by the Mancos Valley Chamber and the Mancos Pubic Library.  For more information please call the Library at 533-7600.

MPL is sponsoring a wreath making workshop led by Mary Vozar.  In this workshop, you’ll learn how to make a beautiful holiday wreath out of a wide variety of evergreens.  Each participant will make one wreath to take home.

Date:  Tuesday, December 7th

Time:  6:30pm

Place:  MPL Meeting Room

The cost of the class is $5. Participants are encouraged to bring gloves and clippers if they have them as well as any special items they may wish to glue on.  Ribbons and other decorations will be provided.

Preregistration is required. To register, please call the Library at 533-7600.

Photo Credit:  Raftertales

December’s Community Cinema takes a behind-the-scenes look at young Americans — Christian, Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim — preparing to become the nation’s next generation of religious leaders.  The Calling follows their transformation from idealistic students into ordained religious professionals. This film explores the forces that are drawing a new generation of young people to serve their communities and their faith.

When: Thursday, December 2

Where: The Mancos Public Library

Doors open at 6:30pm

Panel introduced at 6:45pm

Movie begins at 7:00pm

Free!

It takes a true calling to make faith a way of life. The Calling is a film that follows a Muslim, Catholic, Evangelical Christian, and a Jew on a dramatic journey as they train to become professional clergy. Embarking on life paths that demand tremendous personal sacrifice and commitment, these seminarians must uphold timeless truths in an era that values quick fixes and hot trends, and face a public that challenges the very relevance of their mission. A new look at an old job, The Calling offers entertaining, often surprising stories on how faith is lived in a modern, largely secular world.

Mancos, CO:  Mancos Public Library announced today that it has been awarded an Early Literacy Collection of 24 picture books by the Colorado State Library.  The collection is based on the Every Child Ready to Read program and contains picture books based on research about what works with young children to inspire learning.

“The use of these books in libraries across Colorado will help support crucial brain and learning development in infants and young children,” said Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones.  “Early literacy skills are the foundation for reading readiness.”

The storytime collection was funded through federal funds designed to promote early literacy. Library sites were selected based on a demonstrated commitment to serving children, success in implementing literacy programs for children, and interest in early literacy development in the community.  All 35 library sites that received the award serve populations under 25,000 and are located across Colorado.

The early literacy collection books provide parents and caregivers with techniques for engaging infants and young children in language, and literacy games that promote learning and school-readiness. In the program, children have exposure to language and literature and arrive at kindergarten ready to learn. Parents, child care providers, and others are encouraged to discover ways to engage very young children in fun and playful interactions that also build healthy brain development. Public library storytimes are an excellent way for parents and children to read together, tell and talk about stories, say nursery rhymes, and sing songs.

Early literacy skills are research-based practices from the Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) program, which is a national initiative from the Public Library Association to promote pre-literacy skills in children from birth through age five in public libraries.  The State Library works with early literacy librarians throughout the state to promote literacy through books, songs, and activities. Parents are also encouraged to go to www.StoryBlocks.org to find other fun literacy activities.  There is also a link to Story Blocks on the library’s website, http://www.MancosLibrary.org/.

Discover new technologies and devices at MPL’s Technology Petting Zoo!

The Mancos Public Library has partnered with Professional Computer Solutions (PCS) of Durango to bring you some of the hottest electronic devices on the market. On November 17, come explore and play with innovative technologies and find out more about their uses in the home, workplace and at school.

Technologies on display at the Zoo include:

• Netbooks,
• Flip Video Camera,
• Wii Gaming System,
• iPad,
• Smart Board,
• and More!

The purpose of this Tech Petting Zoo is to help individuals, families, teachers and small businesses see what kind of technologies are available today, and how to use them effectively. The different tech items on display at the Zoo as well as the experts on hand will help attendees to find the right technology to fit their needs.  The Tech Petting Zoo is an open-house type of event and will have a mixture of scheduled demonstrations and one-on-one conversations.

“We live in such a rural area that often we don’t get a chance to see and play with the ‘newest’ technology,” said Patsy Smith, Director of the Mancos Public Library. “We’re very excited to work with the tech experts at PCS to give individuals, families, teachers and small businesses some hands-on time with gadgets, computers, and software.”

Two special demonstrations will be presented by Professional Computer Solutions of Durango.  Tech experts from PCS will demonstrate the Windows 7 Operating System at 5:45 pm and the Library’s new Smart Board at 6:30pm.

Additionally, devices will be displayed at different stations for a more intimate hands-on experience.  Library staff, local experts, and PCS staff will be on hand to assist attendees and answer questions about the devices.

“The MPL Tech Petting Zoo is a great opportunity for people to think about how some of these devices can benefit their personal or professional lives — and a free and easy way to see what all the buzz is about,” said MPL Technology Manager Victoria Petersen.

The Technology Petting Zoo will be held at the Library on Wednesday, November 17, from 5pm – 7pm, in the MPL Meeting Room.

There is no charge to attend and reservations are not required.

The Mancos Public Library is sponsoring a class on how to make a nest necklace pendent for adults on Saturday, November 20th, at 9:30 at the Library 211 W. First St, Mancos.  Julia Whelihan and Mary Kaylor will be instructing on how to make a sterling necklace embellished with a variety of colors of fresh water pearls for the eggs. The cost is $6.00 for materials. Tools for project provided. There will be sterling chains and tools to purchase the day of class too. Class limit 10. Please call the library at 533-7600 for more information and to sign up.

Photo by Christina Nealson

The potent convergence of the personal and the spiritual has always been the soul’s domain, especially as we age. Now, however, a fresh urgency is thrust upon us. It manifests in unrest and dis-ease from within and is exaggerated by the mirror that is a planet under siege. Or is it the other way around?

Come share an evening of discussion and teachings with Author, Psychotherapist and Photographer Christina Nealson and explore the history of sacred place, the redemptive powers of the wild, and the call to spiritual action.

Date:  November 10

Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Place:  MPL Meeting Room

Free!

The Mancos Public Library and the San Juan Citizens Alliance present a screening and panel discussion of the movie:

Deep Down - a story from the heart of coal country

When: Thursday, November 11^th

Where: The Mancos Public Library

Doors open at 6:30pm

Panel introduced at 6:45pm

Movie begins at 7:00pm

Free!

Film Description: “Beverly May and Terry Ratliff grew up on opposite sides of a mountain ridge in eastern Kentucky, where coal is king.  When a mountaintop removal coal mine encroaches on their community, the two find themselves on opposite sides of a debate that divides their community and the world – who controls, consumes, and benefits from the planet’s dwindling supply of natural resources?  In a small town in dire economic straits and high unemployment, the coal company’s offer to buy land and provide jobs can be hard to resist.  What can a community do when it must choose between its present and its future?”

Kitchen table artist Nancy Mckinney will scoop up another flavorful day with her peg board art!

Come join the fun and make your own! The class is free, but there is a small materials fee of $5. All participants will be given a 16″x16″ piece of peg board as well as a 8″x10″ canvas board to paint and decorate in any way. Participants are encouraged to bring items from home that they would like to incorporate into their art.

Date: Saturday, November 13th
Time: 10:00am
Place: MPL Meeting Room

Please note that the two open Board positions have been filled.

We’d like to welcome Kathy Merrill and Darrell Ellis, the newest Mancos Library District’s Board Members.  We are looking forward to their service to the Library and the District!

The Mancos Library District is now accepting applications for appointment to the Board of Trustees.

We’re looking for talented and conscientious volunteers who have:

• time to prepare for and attend meetings
• communication skills and open-mindedness
• ability to plan for the library’s future
• represent the community to the library
• represent the library to the community
• live within the Mancos Library District boundaries

If you can contribute your time, thoughtfulness, and leadership, please fill out an application and return it to MPL at its’ new location, 211 West First Street.