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Evening Book Discussions
The evening book discussion group with Amy Garrett meets the fourth Thursday of the month September through April at 7:00 p.m. except in November and December. Due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, these discussions will be the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. Books are available at the Adult Information Desk prior to the discussion date.

• January 25 - Manhunt by James L. Swanson
• February 22 - Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley
• March 22 - Two Minute Rule by Robert Crais
• April 26 - Marley and Me by John Grogan

Daytime Book Discussions
The fall book discussions with Chris Caccamo meets the second Friday of the month October through May at either 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. Books are available at the Adult Information Desk prior to the discussion date.

• January 12 - The Year the Colored Sisters Came to Town by Jacqueline Guidry
• February 9 - In Sunlight in a Beautiful Garden by Kathleen Cambor
• March 9 - All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• April 13 - Lunch at the Piccadilly by Clyde Edgerton
• May 11 - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Computer Training
The library offers classes for beginning computer users and more advanced users. They include Introduction to Computers, Introduction to the Internet, and training in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Classes are offered both day and evening at no charge. The class calendar can be viewed at www.smfpl.org/calendar.htm.

New Computer Class Signup Procedure
You no longer have to sign up for computer classes weeks ahead of time! Instead, we will have numbered tickets for each class at the Adult Information Desk. On the day of the class, starting one hour before class time, the tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Classes will start at 10:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m., or 7:00 p.m. Ticket release times will be 9:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. respectively.

Students should have their Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library cards available when they come for their tickets.

The classroom has eleven seats at computers and an additional three seats without a computer. If all eleven "computer" seats are taken, three "non-computer" tickets will go to the next three students.This change is to prevent students from being closed out of classes on the first day of registrations. We hope that this new system will make it easier for out students to get the classes they want.

Chess Club
Play chess against a variety of opponents and learn new moves on Tuesday, December 19. Peer Instruction is from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m., game play is from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Chess Club is for students age 5 and older who are familiar with the basic rules of chess. Snacks are provided. Registration is not required.

Life-size Monopoly returns
One of last year's favorite teen programs is back in 2006! Life-size Monopoly will take place Thursday, December 28 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. for ages 9 to 11 and from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. for ages 12 to 16. Participants do everything as in regular Monopoly, only Life-size! Sign up with a friend to play on a team or two or three players. Register at the Teen Information desk beginning December 4. Space is limited.

Anime Club
The next meeting of the Anime Club for ages 12 to 18 will be Saturday, January 13 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Join other otaku (anime fans) to talk about your favorite series, characters, villains and anything else anime-related. Snacks provided.Registration is not required.

Please go to the Teen Services web page at www.smfpl.org./TS.htm for information about current Teen activities. To see photos of Teen events go to www.smfpl.org/tsphotos.htm.

Art Classes
Celebrate the works of the masters. Join us to make fun and fabulous art projects in the footsteps of the great artists. Look and learn about famous works of art and the men and women who created them. Make your own masterpiece to take home and enjoy. Children ages 6 to 8 may attend the session on Thursday, December 28 at 10:30 a.m. Children ages 9 to 12 may attend the session on Friday, December 29 at 10:30 a.m. Call to register beginning Monday, December 11. Classes will last approximately one hour. Students are welcome to stay for an extra 30 minutes to finish projects.

Holiday Party
The Holiday Party for children ages 3 to 8 with parents or guardians will be on Saturday, December 16 in the Children's Room. Children will participate in a live Candyland game. Sessions are at either 10:30 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. Come before 10:30 a.m. and pick up a ticket if you wish to attend this session. Come before 2:00 p.m. and pick up a ticket if you wish to attend this session. For more information, contact the Children's Department.

Holiday Craft
Stop in throughout the day on Tuesday, December 26 and make a holiday craft. All materials are provided.Reservations are not required.

Please call 330-688-3295 or go to the Children's Department web page at www.smfpl.org/CS.htm for further information about Children's activities and programs.

Pick 5 Bestsellers Club
How would you like to automatically be placed on the reserve list for five of your favorite popular authors? Join our Bestsellers Club and that's exactly what will happen! Just pick up a form at the Circulation Desk and join over 300 satisfied members. Are you already a member, but would like to change an author or two? Ask for an "add/delete" form at the circulation desk. It's just that easy!

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Corner Gallery
The underwater photography of David Haas will be on display from December 1 through 26. Haas began diving in 1970 and shot his first underwater photos in 1972. He was a SCUBA and PADI instructor and owned a dive store from 1985 to 1989 before retiring from active instruction to concentrate on photography and dive travel. The photo exhibit may be viewed during regular library hours.

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The Stow-Munroe Falls Library Foundation is a nonprofit organization which encourages voluntary financial support for the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. This support is used to help meet both the present and future needs of the patrons of the library. The purposes of the corporation include focusing public attention on library services, facilities, and needs in the Stow-Munroe Falls area; to stimulate and encourage the gifts of funds, books, desirable collections, endowments, and bequests to the library; and to receive, hold, manage, use, and dispose of funds and properties of all kinds, whether given absolutely or in trust, for the benefit of the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. Donors may make an online contribution to the Foundation by credit card or PayPal. Click www.smfpl.org/paypal.htm to donate online.

The next meeting of the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Foundation is Tuesday, January 9 at 7 p.m. at the library. The public is invited to attend.

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The Friends of the Library is a citizen support group for Library services and activities. They sponsor booksales as well as the annual Needlework Show and other activities. Friends meet the third Tuesday of every month (except December and July) at 2:00 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room.

If you are interested in joining Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Friends of the Library you may call the library at 330-688-3295 for further information, or you may go to the Friends page on the library website (www.smfpl.org/friends.htm) for an online application.

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The holiday quilt Mr. and Mrs. Claus is on display over the circulation desk this month. The quilt was pieced and machine quilted by Sue Palumbo. The scenes on the quilt might remind baby-boomers of the Santas they grew up with,as they look like scenes from the storybooks a few decades ago. The center of the quilt is a pre-printed panel. Sue added borders from a coordinating stripe and quilted it on her Gammil longarm quilting machine. Have a wonderful Christmas!

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     The Teaching Company brings engaging professors into your home or car through courses on DVD, audio CD and audiotape. Since 1990, great teachers from the Ivy League, Stanford, Georgetown, and other leading colleges and universities have crafted over 200 courses for lifelong learners like you. It's the adventure of learning without the homework or exams!

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library has many of these courses available. Titles on CD include Philosophy as a guide to Living, Science and Relgion, and Great American Music on Broadway. Courses on audiotape include History of Ancient Egypt, The Early Middle Ages, and The Age of Henry VIII. Courses on DVD include Classical Mythology, From Monet to Van Gogh, and The Life of Abraham Lincoln.

Great Courses are located in the non-fiction CD and DVD sections in the Adult Services Department. Check them out and expand your mind in 2007!

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December's staff pick is Gilbert and Sullivan Set Me Free by Kathleen Karr, recommended by Teen Librarian Christina Getrost.

This Young Adult novel is based on an actual incident that occurred in 1914 at a women's prison involving a performance of The Pirates of Penzance. The tale is told in the first person by prisoner Libby Dodge, whose personal story is slowly revealed in the course of her prison experience. A prison chaplain hears Libby and Ma McCreary, her surrogate mother in prison, singing enthusiastically in the laundry and the entire inmate population becomes drawn into the chaplain's plans for giving the inmates an outlet and a sense of personal pride and accomplishment through music. Along the way, readers learn about the state of prisons, women's rights, impending war and other issues of the early 20th century. Those who listen to this book on CD will get to enjoy the music as well. This is an enjoyable book for both teens and adults.

Place a hold on this book by going to the library's online catalog at http://www.smfpl.org/catalog.htm.

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The website for the month of December is for the Hymns and Carols of Christmas at www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com

Christmas carols and hymns are one aspect of the holiday season that never fail to lift the spirits--and require no baking, tree stands and extension cords! While there is a body of well-known Christmas songs that are perennial favorites and easy to track down, there are more that have slipped into obscurity. If you are looking for a long-lost hymn or carol, this website is for you! It contains hundreds and hundreds of lyrics and sheet music, free of charge. The site also contains a large collection of holiday poetry and prose. The ultimate goal of this website is to contain the largest collection of Christmas lyrics and music published in the English language. Check it out and get into the holiday mood.

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