Between the Stacks: 5/17/2023

The Library will be closed on Monday, May 29, in honor of Memorial Day. We will be open regular hours the rest of the week. One question I get asked every summer is: Will the Library be open different hours? Our schedule is set for the year according to when we have the most patrons in and what times are best for different programs. We are open 48 hours a week, which is more than many libraries our size. Current hours for the Library are as follows: Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 AM to 7 PM; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 AM to 7 PM; Fridays from 9 AM to 5 PM; and Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM.

This month the Library Board will be meeting in Whitehall on Thursday, May 18th, at 6:30 PM.

The Board and staff will be learning a new system to stay connected with each other as well as filing electronic reports. It will be an interesting evening for those of us who love techie anything.

Next Monday, May 22, the History Book Club will be meeting at 6 PM and discussing books on Italy. The group voted to read any fiction or non-fiction book dealing with anything taking place in Italy. I have read two books on Venice after I read a Donna Leon book on a Venetian detective, the first in her series. I had never read any of her books and have been delighted to find that they are not only great mysteries but include Italian cultural information and geographical locations. I have also discovered there are over thirty books in the series which are available in print and on Montana2Go. That should keep me in reading material for a while!

I am working on the June calendar so everyone will know what is going on for Summer Reading. It always takes time to pin down presenters, order materials, and line up drivers for the summer feeding program. We will once again be handing out lunches for children at the Library during the months of June and July. Staff is excited about our mystery theme this year and items for the detective kits are arriving every week. It will be a fun time of solving mysteries and finding clues.

The Friends are always looking for volunteers to help weed the front of the Library. We have a large front area that seems to be a haven for every type of weed in Montana. They are arranging times to have group weeding days, so if you would like to come and donate a couple of hours to help keep our front yard looking great please call the Library at 287-3763 and we will put you in touch with the organizers.