Monthly Newsletter

December 2024

www.mancoslibrary.org

From the Desk of

the Director,

Jared Boudreaux

As the year wraps up, I want to thank everyone who’s made the library such a special place in 2024. Whether you’ve joined us for an event, borrowed a book, or just stopped by for a quiet moment, your support means the world.

We’re looking forward to another great year ahead, but for now, I hope you’ll take some time to enjoy the season—maybe with a good book or two! I’d also like to extend my gratitude to everyone who has made a contribution to the library this year. Your generosity helps us continue to grow and serve this wonderful community in meaningful ways.

Happy holidays!

DECEMBER LIBRARY HAPPENINGS

Friday, Dec. 6th from 6 to 9 pm

TEEN GAME NIGHT

Saturday, Dec. 14th from 6 to 8 pm

TEEN CAFÉ: TRIVIA AND TREATS

Friday, Dec. 20th from 6 to 9 pm

TEEN GAME NIGHT

Death Café

December 19th – 5:30 pm

DECEMBER COMMUNITY EVENTS

Community Christmas Movie

Thursday, December 5th afterschool (4:30-6 pm)

Community Christmas Gift Making

Friday, December 14th 10-2 pm

Toy Swap

Friday, December 14th 10-2 pm

Adult Programs – From the Desk of Midge Kirk

Sending you a most sincere wish for Happy Holidays, whatever and however you celebrate! May you find peace, joy, and love this holiday season. This year, let’s endeavor to be a little kinder; offer more genuine smiles and, when possible, help those that are less fortunate than we are.

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” — Lewis Carroll

Intergenerational Day of Christmas Crafting and Gift Making

December 14th from 10-2 will be An Intergenerational Day of Christmas Crafting and Gift Making.

Why an intergenerational Crafting Day? Because human existence depends on connecting and building relationships with others and it has physical, emotional and mental benefits. Studies show that increased social interaction can lower the risk Alzheimers’ and dementia, improve heart health, lower the risk of depression, improve immune responses, and decrease stress.

Children benefit from intergenerational relationships because they provide a valuable opportunity to learn about the past, develop empathy and respect for all ages, build social skills, and it fosters a strong sense of community that has a positive effect on growing children as they become well-rounded individuals and possess a better understanding of the world around them. Intergenerational relationships keep tradition alive, help children connect to their background, and provide a safe space for children to be themselves and help them better understand the perspectives of others.

The need for love and belonging transcends generations and should be experienced by all ages.

Community Read – What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce Perry, renowned brain and trauma expert, and Oprah Winfrey

Kudos to this great community for the interest in this Community Read to help all of us better understand trauma and the conditions that lead to healing. We have four books cataloged. They are all available for check out…except they are all out as of 11/22! Thank you for your interest. Don’t forget you can always put a hold on one, so you will be in the queue read.

Let’s keep reading and learning! Mid-January is when we’ll get together for a discussion. We will announce the time and date.

You Can’t Fence the Forest! Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Andrew Gulliford, the many concerned community members, and the Chicken Creek Coalition for a most informative and interesting evening. We hope to stay on top of the situation and perhaps offer another gathering as things progress. Watch the website for further updates.

Death Café is on the third Thursday of each month, December 19th.

Thanks for your comments in the jar on the adult table. We read each one and consider suggestions whenever possible.

The Art Wall for the month of December will showcase Rebecca Syndergarrd

Rebecca is a landscape and wildlife photographer. She sees the beauty in the everyday moments, from sunrises and sunsets to full moons. Rebecca also enjoys capturing the old west such as cattle drives and chuck wagon expeditions.

Young Adult Programs – From the Desk of Jenni kitchen

December is More than Just Giving, It is Caring

Human rights are fundamental rights that all people have, regardless of their: race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, and socio-economic status. The United Nations has established a comprehensive body of human rights laws, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

I invite you to read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, follow this link…. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

or you can just stop by the library and check out the display next to the Teens’ space.

You can also visit the following website to learn more about Human Rights Day.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-rights-day

Exciting News for Teens and Tweens

Ms. Jenni got the library a Crunchyroll account and we will have access to more Anime shows and movies. Naruto, Beyblade, My Hero Academia, and so much more. Expect to be watching great movies at Teen Café and maybe we can set up an Anime Club (if we can find a day and time that works for a group of tweens and teens).

DECEMBER TEEN EVENTS

Teen Game Night

Friday, December 6th 6-9 pm

Teen Café

Saturday, December 14th 6-8 pm

(Celebrating the Holidays with Dinner and Movie)

Teen Game Night

Friday, December 20th 6-9 pm

DECEMBER COMMUNITY EVENTS

Community Christmas Movie

Thursday, December 5th afterschool (4:30-6 pm)

Community Christmas Gift Making

Friday, December 14th 10-2 pm

Children’s Librarian – from the desk of Erin Bohm

Let’s T.A.L.K!

This autumn, we are learning to use the acronym T.A.L.K. to guide us through conversations with the kiddos in our lives, especially those where we talk about and describe experiences that are brand new, tricky, confusing or upsetting. Each week we have added a letter and December brings our final letter: K!

T: THANK them for being willing to listen to your questions, share answers and ask questions.

A: ASSURE help and give reassurance.

L: LISTEN without judgement.

K: KEEP SUPPORTING. Questions and observations may reemerge as a child processes a learning experience. Be prepared to be patient – there is a lot of value in talking about topics or experiences repeatedly over time. Processing, learning, healing and growing in response to a challenge will take time and proceed on varying timelines – we all, children and adults alike, grow and evolve at a pace that is unique to us.

DECEMBER PLANS

Important Holiday Dates!

December 14th:

10:00 – 2:00 pm: CASH-FREE CHRISTMAS GIFTS! Make gifts! Swap your toys! Leave with some presents ready to go right under your tree.

December 20th:

9:00 – 2:00pm: Final Fridays @ the Library program of the semester.

This program will resume on Friday January 10th; registration will open on Monday Jan. 6th.

December 27th & January 3rd:

The Fridays @ the Library program will not be offered on these Fridays.

Circulation – from the desk of Bernadette Tuthill

December is a favorite month for many. The smell of freshly baked cookies. Festive lights and decorations make the atmosphere joyful and merry.

With so much going on, December is an unquestionably busy time of year!

Universal Human Rights Month

DEC 2: Spread kindness for National Build Joy Day

DEC 4: Share a recipe for National Cookie Day

DEC 7: Green Monday, Pearl Harbor Dau

DEC 10: Human Rights Day

DEC 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!

DEC 20: National Ugly Sweater Day

DEC 21: Winter Solstice

DEC 25: Christmas

DEC 25-JAN 2: Hanukkah

DEC 26: Boxing Day

DEC 26-JAN 1: Kwanzaa

DEC 28: National Call a Friend Day

WOW! These are just a few of the many Holidays and Happenings in December. It is important to take time for yourself and relax.

HOW! – Listen to audiobooks and e-books

Benefits of Listening to books:

Time management – Audiobooks can help with time management and multitasking.

Being able to read while driving, doing household chores, or exercising, cooking or

wrapping presents is a great benefit of audiobooks.

Relaxation and sleep – Listening to audiobooks can help your eyes and mind relax,

which can lead to a better night's sleep. Listening to audiobooks can help you relax and fall asleep and improve sleep quality.

Learning – Research suggests that listening to audiobooks while sleeping can

enhance learning ability, especially for new languages and complex ideas.

Reduce negative thinking – Psychology Today notes that for “those of us prone to

anxiety and depression . . . listening to someone else read aloud can help by replacing

negative thoughts with something else.”

Improve your focus – By listening to audiobooks, you train yourself to pay attention for

longer amounts of time. That way, you will have an easier time focusing on other tasks

in the future.

Come into the library and check out some audiobooks or go to your account online and download a book or two to your phone or other listening device.

Happy December

Technology – from the desk of Kira Taylor

Cybersecurity For Everyone

Hello all!

I am currently working on a tech training for library staff that addresses cybersecurity for everyone and anyone who uses the internet. This will cover things like password management, suspicious emails, social media hacking, and public wi-fi networks. If you think this is something that might also be useful to you, or if you are a business or nonprofit employee who thinks this would be useful for your organization, let me know at tech@mancoslibrary.org – I would gladly offer this training again free of charge to the community. Most hackers take advantage of user error instead of exploiting weaknesses in the technology – learn how you can protect your organization by ensuring that everyone is taking the necessary precautions. 

Here’s some password statistics, to illustrate that you are not alone if you have some room for improvement!

• 53% of users around the globe have not changed their password in the last 12 months despite hearing about data breaches in news reports. (LastPass, 2020)

• 42% consider an easy-to-remember password as more important than a very secure password. (LastPass, 2020)

• 42% of people think that their accounts aren’t worth a hacker’s time. (LastPass, 2020)

• The worst password to use is 123456. It has more than two million users, takes less than a second to crack, and has been exposed over 23 million times. (NordPass, 2020)

A Word from Friends of the Library

Come browse Friends’ annual Holiday Book Sale that runs Friday, Dec. 6, Noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is our smaller sale that fills the small meeting room and spills out into the library with a few more tables. Our Book Maven chooses the best of the best for this event and she assures us that the children’s titles are abundant this year. Prices are $1 per pound and, just so you know, we always round up even if it’s just an ounce over a pound.

Our next meeting is before the sale, on Tuesday, December 3 at 4 p.m. in the Community Room of the Library. We’ll be discussing the sale and conducting our regular business, which usually includes reports from the Library Director, Treasurer, Secretary, Membership, and Book Maven.

We typically meet the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. in the library. Join us if you can. We’d love to see new faces.

Friends is a volunteer organization that supports and promotes the Mancos Public Library. To become a member, go to www.mancosfriends.org and download the membership form. The link can be found at the bottom of the page. It’s a mere $10/year and your membership dues go to our amazing Mancos Public Library.

Friends logo hats are at the library and can be purchased for $20.

Questions about Friends can be directed to Anne at southwestanne@yahoo.com.

See You At The Library!