February is Black History Month. We have pulled together lots of great books on our display cart to celebrate and expand our world of understanding and shared culture. If you are looking for fiction, I would recommend picking up anything by Octavia Butler or Toni Morrison (personal favorites), or the historical fiction novel Homegoing, and we will have lots of non-fiction and children’s literature pulled together for you to borrow as well.  The Afro-Cuban Orisha dance class will continue in February, with a new time. And we will have an afternoon of stories and art-making for kids featuring the art of Romare Bearden and music by John Coltrane.

 

On February 20 (Presidents’ Day) we are having a DEAR day. DEAR stands for Drop Everything and Read. We are challenging ourselves and patrons to spend at least one hour reading a book (or reading to someone). We will have a treat for anyone who comes into the library to read between 11 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

 

As it is a new year, many of us are making resolutions and trying to change unhelpful habits. I’ve decided to put myself on a screen diet. By screen I mean smartphones, computers, TVS, anything with a screen. And by diet, I mean reducing the amount of time my eyeballs are on a screen, and being more mindful of the ways I am using these devices. The pandemic increased our use of technology and applications like Zoom and streaming services. During that time, I watched the docu-drama The Social Dilemma (I do recommend it). It points to the risks of social media and other sites that are designed to hold our attention, and it has stayed with me. I recently started using an alarm clock rather than my phone to wake up, charging my phone in the opposite part of the house from where I sleep. These little changes are allowing me to free up more time for things that nourish me, like face to face visits and phone calls with friends, getting outdoors, and of course reading great books.