by Jill Forman
Note from Online Bookstore manager Leslie Bellmore
Did you know our Friends Online Bookstore offers you the ease of browsing and ordering online, then quick and easy pick up at the Foster Bookstore? Volunteers with backgrounds in teaching and library administration carefully select these books to be not only engaging, worthwhile reading material but in great condition. We update offerings weekly: newer fiction and non-fiction, audiobooks, children’s picture books, youth fiction and non-fiction, puzzles, and some gardening and language titles. Orders placed Monday through Thursday will be available Saturdays; orders placed Fridays through Sundays will be available Tuesdays. The Foster bookstore is open 11am to 4pm Tuesdays through Saturdays, but the Online store is always open.
Craft Kits at your local branch
Craft kits are available at the branches on varying schedules. There is everything needed for some project, art creation, or who knows what the kids might find! Check with the staff at your local branch to find out when they are available.
Libraries Branching Out
Libraries offer so much. Our beloved Ventura libraries have activities from STEAM projects to ukulele jams, poetry groups, art lessons and so on. As life gets back to normal (we hope) they will once again offer speakers, concerts and other in-person events.
Here is a sampling of what libraries in other areas are offering:
Seed sharing – to teach people about regional flora, expand seed access and help preserve biodiversity (Gardiner, N.Y.)
Tool Lending – garden, carpentry, even kitchen tools (Berkeley.)
Health Visits – schedule, complete pre-visit check-in, even attend a telemedicine appointment (Pottsboro, Texas.)
Memory Kits – for a family member with memory problems, these are based on “reminiscence therapy,” using familiar items to call up deeply-held memories (no location given.)
Sporting Goods – (15 libraries in Southeast Michigan, partnering with local groups like the YMCA.)
DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkits – A great opportunity to learn and get the tools you need to become energy-efficient
A demonstration of kits available from 3C-REN and the Ventura County Library – at the Hill Road Library
Javier Saucedo of Ventura County’s Green Business Program will visit the Hill Road Library at 1pm on Thursday, September 23, to explain and demonstrate the contents of the DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkit.
3C-REN and the Ventura County Library have partnered to create the DIY Home Energy Savings Toolkit. The toolkit includes tools, equipment, and a guide to help you save energy and increase the comfort of your home. There are items for you to keep, like LED light bulbs, outlet gaskets, weather-stripping, and water leak detection dye tablets; and tools to return, like an infrared laser thermometer and a Kill-A-Watt meter. Join this event for a demo of the kit, and to learn about sustainability programs in your area.
This event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Linda Cherry, Librarian, at (805) 677-7180.
The Hill Road Library is located at 1070 S. Hill Road in Ventura, CA.
