Newsletter

Now that the excitement of Christmas is past and the decorations are packed away, long
winter evenings stretch ahead of us. Why not fill them with some good books….either
the “old standard” physical volume or a book downloaded to an e-reader!
E-readers have become quite the rage. If you were lucky enough to have Santa bring you
one for Christmas, we have step-by step instruction cards at the library on how to
download books into it! And, yes, the Library System of Lancaster County has a
collection of e-books! Called “Overdrive”, there is a link directly on the front page of
our website (www.columbia.lib.pa.us). Just look for the “Download audiobooks ebooks”
link at the bottom of the page.
While you can browse and choose the titles to fill your “ecart”, internet connection
limitations prevent you from actually downloading the books into your device at the
library itself. It is recommended that you use a home or office PC with internet access
for the actual download.
Overdrive’s front page includes a quick start guide, frequently asked questions, and a
guided tour of digital media. The guided tour is exceptionally helpful, especially if you
are new to digital media (like myself!)
If you prefer to hold a physical book in your hands (as many of us do!), here are some of
the new releases for January:
Private: # 1 Suspect by James Patterson
Love In a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich
Gun Games: a Decker/Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman
Breakdown: a V.I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky
Deadline by Fern Michaels
Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Gideon’s Corpse by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Look of Love: a Piper Donovan Mystery by Mary Jane Clark
Death Comes To Pemberley by P.D. James (this is a mystery involving the characters of
Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. It is already here!)
Mrs. Coni Haas’ Monday Night Storytimes have “Winter Fun” as their theme:
Monday, January 2: library closed for New Year’s
Monday, January 9: “Animals and Birds In Winter”
Monday, January 16: “Mittens and Snowy Days”
Monday, January 23: “It’s All About Cookies!”
Monday, January 30: “Nursery Rhymes”
Our annual Mitten Tree was another success. 224 items have been donated to help keep
your neighbors warm this winter. Kudos to Shirl Stumpf, who is continuing the
Columbia tradition of creating caps and scarves all year long. Shirl donated a total of 155
hats and scarves….ALL HAND CROCHETED! She is continuing the legacy of our
anonymous donor, who passed away in 2011. Thanks also go to Danielle Peters of St.
Paul’s Episcopal and Jean Phiel of St. John’s Lutheran for distributing the items collected
to families who need them.
Family Film Nights for January (Wednesdays at 6 PM)
Wednesday, January 4: “Alvin and the Chipmunks” (postponed from
an earlier date)
Wednesday, January 11: “The Wizard of Oz”
Wednesday, January 18: “Madagascar”
Wednesday, January 25: “Cars 2”
The Columbia Public Library is following up on a very worthwhile and popular outreach
begun last year. “Food For Fines” involves bringing in nonperishable food items for the
Columbia Food Bank during the weeks of January 16 through January 30. Personal
hygiene items for the traveling winter shelter will also be collected. Each item donated
will allow the donor to have $1.00 removed from their outstanding library fines. Of
course, people who have no fines are certainly welcome to donate as well!
According to Danielle Peters and Sue Ohler of the Columbia Food Bank, most-needed
items are jelly (any flavor), canned meats such as Spam or canned stews, baked beans,
and chunky-style soups Items needed for the winter shelter include personal (travel)
sized soap, shampoos, and toothpaste. Items will be collected between Monday, January
16 and Monday, January 30.
January also means tax materials are arriving. The Columbia Public Library has the most
popular forms you’ll need….and we can print any specialized forms from the IRS or PA
Revenue websites. If you need help preparing your forms, remember to schedule an
appointment with Mr. Samuel Edmond. He will be happy to help you complete and
submit your form electronically. Please call 406-8143 for an appointment.
The Columbia Public Library is offering a Highmark/Blue Shield Medicare Solutions
Seminar on January 30, 2011 from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. Topics of discussion include
Medicare Advantage products such as FreedomBlue PPO, Medigap and Prescription
Drug products (BlueRx PDP). This seminar is especially beneficial to those who are new
to the Medicare process. There is no charge.
The Columbia Public Library is located on 24 S. 6th Street, next to Park Elementary School.
(Cattycorner to CVS Pharmacy and across the street from St. John’s Lutheran Church) Phone
number is 684-2255 and web address is www.columbia.lib.pa.us. Find us on Facebook! Please
stop by and visit often!