Traverse Area District Library December 2023 Newsletter ** What's new? ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the 188 new cardholders who joined us in November! Can you feel the reading magic in the air? We can! A few key highlights: 1) Holiday hours! Please check individual library websites for the most current information. Woodmere's holiday schedule will be: * CLOSED 12/24, 12/25 * 12/26 - 12/30 Open 9 am - 6 pm (East Bay and Kingsley Branch Libraries will also close at 6 pm these days.) * CLOSED 12/31 and 1/1. 2) Heritage celebration - We're kicking off our heritage celebration this month, details below. Congratulations to our Hall of Fame Ladies' Library Association! 3) Festivities - The December calendar (http://tadl.org/events) is packed with music and cheer, we hope you'll join us! Click to skim what's new at TADL: New Fiction (https://bit.ly/36KpU4N) New Non-Fiction (https://bit.ly/36KQVVH) New Audiobooks (https://bit.ly/2I3Ry2o) New DVDs (https://bit.ly/3nv66bv) New Music (https://bit.ly/34Ai4Iw) Youth (http://tadl.org/youth) Saturday Programs 12/16 - Make a Candy House! We'll supply everything, from frosting, candy for decorating, graham crackers, and cartons to build your candy house. We will have four timeslots for this program and you must register in advance (10 am (https://www.tadl.org/event/candy-houses-11409) , 10:30 am (https://www.tadl.org/event/candy-houses-12031) , 11 am (https://www.tadl.org/event/candy-houses-12032) , 11:30 am (https://www.tadl.org/event/candy-houses-12033) ) 12/23 - A Visit with Santa & Jenny the Storytelling Elf Join us for a morning of storytelling and holiday magic! Jenny the Storytelling Elf (aka local storyteller Jenifer Strauss) leads us through interactive holiday stories that will warm your heart. After the stories, Santa will join us for photos, fun, and a free holiday book for each family. Crafts and holiday music complete this magical event. (No signup required) ** Storytimes 12/1-12/15 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please note: our storytime schedule is changed this month for the holidays. 12/5, 12/12 - Babytime 9:15 am; Toddlertime 10 am 12/6, 12/13 - MakeBelievers 10 am 12/7, 12/14 - Storytime for Bigs, 10 am 12/8, 12/15 - Storytime, 10 am After school 12/5, 12/12 - Tell-A-Tail 4 pm (Read to a therapy dog!) 12/6, 12/13 - Build 'n Create 4 pm School Break Programming 12/18 - Movie: Stranger in the Woods 10 am, then we'll build snowmen outside! 12/19 & 12/21 - Preschool Playgroup 10 - 11 am 12/20 - Polar Express Time! Build a Train Car (9:30 am) for our 10 am showing of The Polar Express 12/22 - The Rudolph Project (https://www.tadl.org/event/rudolph-project-12084) , 10 am presented by The Disability Network Northern Michigan (a DEI story about Rudolph) 12/29 - Happy Noon Year! Celebration, 11 am Teen (http://tadl.org/teen) 12/4 - Anime Club, 5:30 pm 12/7, 12/11 - Beading for Teens, 4:30 pm 12/9 - Teen Chess Club, 11 am 12/18 - Teen Escape Room, 5:30 pm (Must register (https://www.tadl.org/event/teen-escape-room-18) ) The Table: Teen Leadership Group, every Wednesday at 4:30 pm (no mtg 12/27) Adults (http://tadl.org/adults) ** Books to Movies ------------------------------------------------------------ 12/3 - This month's selection will be Little Women. Join us at 1:30 pm in the McGuire Community Room. Health & Wellness 12/15 - Chair Yoga, 11 am 12/19 - Blood Drive with Versiti, 9 am - 4 pm Holiday Music & Plays All programs are in the McGuire Room unless otherwise noted. 12/10 - A Christmas Carol, 2 pm 12/17 - Holiday Concert with Peter Bergin, 1 pm TLC Handbell Choir, 3 pm 12/19 - A Christmas Carol, 5 pm ** Call for Poetry ------------------------------------------------------------ Poets of all ages are invited to enter their original poetry in the Poets’ Night Out contest! Winning poems will be published in the Poets’ Night Out chapbook, and winning poets will be asked to read their poem at the Poets’ Night Out event on Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 7 pm. Poetry must be postmarked or dropped off at the Main Library on Woodmere by January 25, 2024. How to Submit (https://www.poetsnightout.org/how-to-submit/) Talking Book Library We are excited to announce that our TBL will now be called The Larry Gorton Talking Book Library! Thank you to the Biederman Foundation for making a substantial memorial donation to the TBL, in honor of Biederman Foundation board member and TBL patron Larry Gorton. Part of the donation will be used to start a Library of TBL Things - watch for details in future newsletters! Library Heritage Celebration We are looking forward to celebrating our community's library heritage with you! Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 - A Walk Through Library History Exhibit (McGuire Room) ; The main timeline is in the McGuire Room, and we will have supplemental exhibits around the building. Dec. 6 - Ladies’ Library Association Hall of Fame Induction Day (Lansing) Jan. 10, 2024 - Happy Birthday Woodmere! Silver Celebration (McGuire Room) - Opening Ceremony - Noon to 1 pm - Drop-In (Open House) 1 - 6 pm Around the TADL Neighborhood... East Bay Branch Library 12/5 - Adult Coloring Night, 5:30 pm 12/6, 12/13 - Sing & Stomp, 11 am 12/8 - Chair Yoga, 11 am; followed by Tai Chi at Noon 12/9 - Holiday Open House, Noon to 2 pm Kingsley Branch Library * Wigglers Storytimes + Tuesdays 12/5, 12/12, 12/19 at 10:30 am + Wednesdays 12/6, 12/13, 12/20 at 10:30 am 12/7 - Holiday Open House, 3 to 6 pm 12/14, 12/28 - Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 3:30 to 6:30 pm 12/16 - Simply Delicious with Chef Tom, 10 am Happy holidays! From the Director’s Desk with Michele P. Howard As we wrap up 2023, there’s still a lot of excitement in the library. Aside from all the holiday programming, on December 6th, I will join two amazing Traverse City women, Ann Swaney and Anne Magoun to accept the award in honor of the Traverse City Ladies’ Library Association being a 2023 inductee into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as 2024 marks the 155th anniversary of both the founding of the Ladies' Library Association (LLA) and the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Main Library on Woodmere Ave. I have no doubt that in 1869 the ladies of the LLA knew they were creating a community resource that would last the ages. Not only did they start out with books but they also held lectures, fairs, socials and festivals to raise funds. As you will see in our timeline display when you stop in, Susan B. Anthony visited in 1879, and I am sure her speech (well in advance of the actual suffrage vote) was not entirely welcomed by everyone. Libraries were and continue to be places where the community gathers to educate and discuss ideas. We continue to live that legacy today. On Nov. 15 a community group rented the McGuire Community Room to discuss the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This was not a library program, it was a program presented by an outside group who had rented the space for the presentation. As noted in our governing policies: Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. I had many calls to cancel this event. But it's part of TADL’s duty to support the Constitution, the First Amendment, and our policies. Over and over I explained to the multitude of angry emailers and phone callers, that the First Amendment includes speech (and books) from all sides - even those with which you do not agree. Callers warned me of violence that would ensue because of this event, but thankfully, it proved to be a peaceful forum where people listened and shared thoughts on a tough topic. During the course of our strategic planning survey one of the primary messages raised again and again was the hope that the library could be a place to help heal fractures in our community. Libraries are often unique in their communities, providing a free and open space where anyone and everyone can come together to read, talk, discuss, think, and hopefully, heal in some way. A few special thank yous are in order: to the Traverse City Police Department for your presence, support, and commitment to keep everyone safe; to STT (our security company) who serve the library and its patrons every day with caring kindness; to the Meta Peace Team that arrived to help keep the peace; and of course our library board, staff, and leadership team at TADL. Thanks to the efforts of everyone the treasured, deep, and profound ideals in the Constitution and First Amendment are alive and protected at your local library! Wishing you some peaceful reading time for the holidays - Michele