Music, Mercy, Magic, and More at Ruidoso Public Library this December

Sharon, Corey, and the Friends of the Library have organized quite a slate of festivities for December.

Beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, December 10, at noon, ENMU's Choir shares carols.  Then, Wednesday, December 11, at 1:30 pm, Jamie O'Hara presents a magic show for all ages.  Next, on Thursday, December 12, at 4pm, enjoy more music on French horn, when Sharon and three friends fill the library with corno carols.  We wrap up this week on Friday, December 13 (oooooo!) at noon, with Lou Ann Ellison as she sings carols with her piano.

Photo at Jamie's site

The "mercy" in this post's title is very important.  December is Book Amnesty at Ruidoso Public Library.  What is Amnesty?  In our case, it means we are forgiving overdue fines on long lost books *when* you return them in good condition at Ruidoso Public Library this month.  Please tell your friends.  Maybe they have not been to the library in years because they lost a book once and could not pay off the item to clear the library card and account.  Hopefully, the book has turned up, in which case, bring it to the library and and we can probably waive the charges.

Sharon offers prizes to promote the Mango Language learning program.  Log on with your library card, learn a seasonal greeting, then visit the library.  When you greet any librarian by saying that phrase, you may enter your name for a chance at a prize.  You may only enter once per day and you will need your library card number to help us update your phone number, in case you win!

More in store next week, too!  Check the calendar, What's Happening, or this blog next week.

Update on the Friends of the Library: now open first Saturdays

As part of an experiment, the Friends of the Library bookstore will open the first Saturday of each month, from 10 am 'til 1:30 pm, the same hours as the library.  The new hours should see a lot of business in our resort community, especially when you hear that these are SALE DAYS.  The First Saturday of each month,  books in the Friends' store are 2-for-1!  If you have guests, please include our picturesque library and its friendly store in your nickel tour.  Check them out this Saturday, May 4th.

The store is completely volunteer-run and sells donations from the general public and retired library books.  The Friends of Ruidoso Public Library held a very successful month-long book sale in February.  The store's hours during the week are Monday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm.

Friends of a library understand its value and how much one contributes to its community.  A recent article, "There Are No Free Libraries" eloquently explained the confusion in the phrase: It's free at the library.  I often make this mistake myself, as a lazy short-hand, so the article is a timely reminder to keep me honest.

Ruidoso Public Library is very lucky in its Friends group.  Several are very active, many help out in a pinch, and countless more provide financial assistance.  Becky Baker, the new president, has as her priority recruiting a pool of volunteers willing to work either a regular 2 1/2 hour shift or be "on call" on the "sub list".

What is Friends of the Library?  They sponsor the Summer Reading Program, which encourages and rewards reading habits during summer break.  Studies find students who read throughout the summer lose less academic progress between school years and begin learning new material earlier each Fall.  The Friends also support our expanding Children's programming, such as Tiny Tots, with over-sized storytelling picture books, and funding busses to bring Nob Hill students to the library on field trips.

In my hometown, the library had a different sort of booster group.  The leader called it "FOOL"s for Friends Of Our Library.  An annual appreciation event celebrated contributions to the library on April 1st with a Mardi Gras theme.  Whether serious, small, active, or visible, Friends of any library are very important for the programs and atmosphere.  Thank you.

A visit from the past: Toulouse-Lautrec

In case you missed Tuesday's chautauqua, here are some highlights:

Thanks to Sharon Stewart for organizing this event.  And thanks to the Friends of the Library for funding the visit!

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, presented by  Petr Jandacek (of Los Alamos).

The library was packed for this popular presentation.

 Mr Jandacek lives for his art

Jandacek wouldn't travel without Toulouse-Lautrec

The history of Toulouse-Lautrec's life and illnesses 

Jandacek donned artificial orthodontics, wigs, and two canes for part of the talk

Toulouse-Lautrec presented many props to round out the character

Building Common Ground: Engagement: Compassion & Peace Studies, and Adopt-a-Cat Friday

Friday, March 2nd, from 2-4pm, Lincoln County Humane Society will have cats available for adoption.  This event has a special adoption fee of only $10 to cover vaccinations, fixing, microchips, and other costs. 

Saturday, March 3rd, from 11 am to noon, Ruidoso Public Library begins our Building Common Ground, Civility, & Compassion program for all of March.  These programs, films, workshops, and guests are made possible through grants from the American Library Association, the Fetzer Institute, and support from Ruidoso's Friends of the Library.  Les Field, Professor of Anthropology at UNM and Director of the Peace Studies Program, will lead a discussion on social issues with a goal of identifying solutions.

Saturday, March 10th, from 11 am to noon, John Cianciosi, author of The Meditative Path, joins us from the National Headquarters of the Theosophical Society in America.  Explore mindfulness, breathing, and awareness cultivation through a guided meditation followed by discussion.

Coming up Saturday, March 17 at 11 am, join our director, Corey Bard, in a discussion of Karen Armstrong's book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.

We have eleven copies available, so drop in to read one before the discussion.  If reading (or the time for 222 pages) is not your thing, you are still welcome to participate.  Karen Armstrong has a talk at TED.com about her book, a webpage about the Charter for Compassion, and NPR interviewed her (listen to the 30 minute recording here).  The publisher offers a discussion guide with some questions to ponder before, during, after, or instead of reading, too.

Here are the Twelve Steps:

1.    1. Learn about compassion

2.     2. Look at your own world

3.     3. Compassion for yourself

4.     4. Empathy

5.     5. Mindfulness

6.     6. Action

7.    7.  How little we know

8.     8. How we should speak to one another

9.     9. Concern for everybody

10.  10. Knowledge

11.   11. Recognition

12.   12. Love your Enemies

Ruidoso Public Library also offers seven other books by Karen Armstrong (if not on the shelf, request it at the front desk):

The Spiral Staircase  200.92 ARM

Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World  909.07 ARM

A Short History of Myth 398.2 ARM

Islam: A Short History  297.09 ARM

A History of God: The 4000 year Quest of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam  291.211 ARM

The Case for God  211.22 ARM

Chautauqua at Annual Friends of the Library Meeting

Portrait of Mamie Eisenhower, 1971, National Archives

Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann will present a chautauqua program on Mamie Eisenhower, Monday, March 21, at noon, followed immediately by the annual meeting of the Friends of Ruidoso Public Library.

You may remember Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann from prior years, when she was Dale Evans and Bess Truman.  These programs were very popular and filled to standing-room only!  A chautauqua program is adult continuing education through lectures, performances, and other meetings.

The Friends of Ruidoso Public Library support our community through the bookstore at the library, Sponsor-A-Child for the Summer Reading Program, Books for Babies program, and sponsoring chautauquas and other adult programming.  If you are interested in becoming a Friend of the library (either donating finances or time), please visit their information on the library's website at http://www.youseemore.com/ruidosopl/friends.asp. Chat with a librarian, a volunteer at the Friends shop (Monday through Friday, 10 am to 3 pm), email library@ruidoso-nm.gov, or leave a comment here :-)