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Our Favorites in 2006
The Adult Services Department of Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library has compiled a booklet of the books they enjoyed most in 2006. Titles include fiction and non-fiction, young adult, mysteries and more. Pick up a free booklet at the Adult Information Desk. You may discover a new favorite author!

Evening Book Discussions
The evening book discussion group with Amy Garrett meets the fourth Thursday of the month through April 2007 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 daytime book discussion groups with Chris Caccamo meets the second Friday of the month through May 2007 at either 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. Books are available at the Adult Information Desk prior to the discussion date.

• 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

Need to Use a Computer? Call ahead and reserve one!
Computers with Internet Access, located in the Adult Services Department of the library are always in great demand. If you are planning a trip to the library to use the computer, please call ahead and make a reservation. Computer time can be reserved up to one week in advance. Staff at the Adult Information Desk can schedule you for up to two hours of time once per day, Monday through Saturday and up to one hour of time on Sunday. To make an appointment, call the Adult Services Department at 330-688-3295.

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 half-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 9:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 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, February 20. 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 elementary and high school students age 5 and older who are familiar with the basic rules of chess. Snacks are provided. Registration is not required.

Anime Club
The next meeting of the Anime Club for ages 12 to 18 will be Saturday, February 10 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.

Don't Miss Storytime!
Storytimes begin on January 22 and end on March 22. Morning and afternoon Storytimes require preregistration. Evening Storytimes do not. Register by calling the Children's Department.

Storybook Theater
Storybook Theatre resumes on Friday, January 26 at 10 a.m. Children of all ages are welcome to stop by and see a classic movie based on a classic storybook. Registration is not required.

Science Projects/Experiments
Attention Teachers! If you are assigning your students science projects and experiments, the library's own Professor E will be conducting a workshop for students on how to find ideas and write up a science project on Monday, January 15 (Martin Luther King Day) at 10 a.m. Students in grades four through six will do a hands-on experiment where the hypothesis, variables, conclusion and other terms will be defined and used as the experiment is run. Handouts will be provided to participating students. The students will also be introduced to the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library collection of science books on projects and experiments.

Professor E (Paul Eisenzimmer) taught science for many years before becoming a librarian. He currently holds monthly science programs for children between the ages of 4 and 11 at the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library. For more information, contact the Children's Department.

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 nature and travel photography of Stow resident Ken Wertz will be on display in the Corner Gallery throughout January. Travelogue fans might know him from his many programs for libraries, churches and other groups. His photos have also been shown at Wooster Art Center, Wooster Community Center and the Orville Public Library. The photos below are sand dunes in Nambia and an African Elephant, which are part of the exhibit. See these beautiful photos 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, February 13 at 5 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 January quilt was made by Hetty Smith, age 93. Growing up, Hetty learned to make quilts by using scraps of fabrics left over from sewing clothing. This is one of her most beautiful creations. It will be on display over the main circulation desk throughout the month.

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     It's smaller than an iPod and makes cassette and CD audio books seem like ancient technologies. It's the Playaway and its new at Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library! A Playaway is a self-playing digital audio book that comes pre-loaded on a small storage device. There are currently 54 titles available. The selection includes fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, young adult and children's books and more. You may check out two titles for two weeks and they are renewable. You be able to purchase ear-buds for listing to the Playaways at the Main Circulation Desk, the Adult Information Desk or in the Children's Department. You can also use your own headphones or ear-buds. Playaways are simple to operate, can be worn around your neck or stuck in your pocket for cumbersome-free listening. Take one to the gym or with you when you walk or go shopping! Ask about Playaways today!

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January's staff pick is Water For Elephants by Sara Green, recommended by Outreach Librarian Vickie Evans.

The narrator is Jacob Jankowski, a widowed veterinarian in his 90s who joined the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus when he was in his early 20s. The narrative alternates between the adventure-packed, colorful past as it unfolds for the youthful, naive Jacob, and the cantankerous, elderly Jacob, living a boring life as a nursing home resident. The book’s ending will leave a smile on your face!

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 January is for Postcrossing:The Postcard Crossing Project at www.postcrossing.com

The goal of the Postcard Crossing Project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world. If you send a postcard, you'll receive at least one back, from a random postcrosser somewhere in the world. If you are one of many people who like to receive stuff by mail (other than a stack of bills!) this site is for you! It's fun to receive postcards from different places in the world that you probably never heard about and turn your mailbox into a little surprise box.

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