Grand Rapids Library Late December events

What's Happening at the Grand Rapids Area Library

This week at the library:

December 15 Official start of the winter reading program Slide into a good book

Kids can sign up and receive a reading log to complete by January 31. Finishers can pick out a free book to keep! Finishers are also eligible for a Baby Steps Coupon.

Volunteers needed December 15-January 15!

We just completed installation of a new Express Check-Out machine at the circulation desk to allow people to check out their own materials. We need volunteers to encourage people and show how to use the machine for the first time. The training will take approximately 5 minutes! Call Bonnie Henriksen to sign up for a shift.

Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy a bit early!.

Monday, December 22nd 3:30 pm Recreate the Planets.

Kids grades 3-6 can create 2-dimensional scale models of the planets in our solar system under the direction of Dr. Aaron Wenger.

Tuesday, December 30th 6:00 pm Search the Stars - What's out there?

Stargazing, and other hands-on outdoor activities for kids led by Dr. Wenger, plus an indoor discussion about the possibility of UFO's and life on other planets. Warm up with hot cocoa and a snack.

Encourage kids' creativity!

Monday, December 22 1-2:30 "Who Am I" Book it!

Illustrate and write a book that is all about you. Creativity Tank artists will provide art materials and guide families in illustration, collage and writing.

Monday, December 29th 5:30-7:30 "Got Game?"

Make your own game pieces and game bag. Work with fabric, thread and paint to create a game for you and your family to play!

Pre-registration required – call 326-8823 to pre-register

Encouraging Democracy

Tuesday, December 23 at 5:15 Local E-Democracy kick-off meeting

The E- democracy project provides a way for people to discuss local issues online using email. It encourages civil and thoughtful discussion about what is happening at the local level.

Northern Community Internet Project and the Library invite everyone interested in starting a local E-democracy discussion to a kick-off meeting.

More information about E-Democracy is at http://www.e-democracy.org/ More information about the Northern Community Internet Project is at http://www.northerncommunityinternet.org/

Teen Events

Saturday, December 27, 2:00 to 3:30 Anime Movie: InuYasha Season 1

Tuesday, December 30 4:00-5:00 Teen Advisory Board Meeting

Stop in to the Teen Universe before December 30^th to enter this month's contest.

ECFE Book Times resume Mondays 9:30 & 10:30 January 5

Storytimes for Preschoolers and their caregivers with games or crafts afterwards.

Reif Looking for Ideas for Next Season

The Rief Arts Council is looking for suggestions for next year's performances. According to the email to its patrons,

"One thing we ALWAYS want to know is what YOU, our patrons, want to experience at the Reif Center. Why not let us know directly?

This is the time of the year when our Reif committees put together plans and schedules for next season’s performances. We are inviting YOU to be a part of the process this year! There are no guarantees we can make everything work for a particular performance, but we certainly want to hear from you. Is there a particular performance you want to see? There are many variables, including artist fees, schedules, availability, etc., and we won’t know what will work until we ask.

We are soliciting ideas RIGHT NOW for possible future Reif performances. The more information you have, the better, but if we have the name of the band/performer/event, we can look it up on our listings and resource books. Maybe your suggestion is not for a specific band/performance, but rather an idea for a particular genre (e.g., “gospel music” or “broadway musicals”) That’s okay, too. Just let us know, we’ll do the rest.
Send suggestions directly to the Reif Arts Council President, David Marty (dmarty@reifcenter.org) and put the word “Suggestion” in the subject line. Please respond to this invitation by Friday, December 19 in order to be considered for next season. "