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July at Curry Public Library

Summer Reading is in Full Swing

Our Summer Reading program is in full swing, but it's not too late to sign up! Participants of all ages (birth-adult) can track their reading and earn prizes this summer. So far, 145 people are signed up and we'd love to see even more! Register by clicking here, and start tracking your reading. Children ages 0-18 earn book prizes as they read that can be claimed at the library. All participants, including adults, earn entries into a grand prize drawing as they read. If you have any questions about tracking your reading, or Summer Reading in general, please reach out to us at 541-247-7246 or email janee@cplib.net.

Mark your calendars for our Summer Reading programs coming up in the month of July. (1) Darby, a specially trained canine reading companion, is available to listen to children read on Tuesday mornings. This is a great opportunity for children who are hesitant readers to practice reading! (2) Families will want to join us for our Midway Summer Reading Event on Saturday, July 17, featuring giant bubbles, sidewalk chalk, activities, and a special performance at 10am by Dylan Vila and family! (3) We have an iSpy box in the lobby that will change several times in July, with challenges to go along with them. Drop in during library open hours to see what you can find in the box! And (4), we will be sharing a virtual theater production from Traveling Lantern Theater. Click on the links to read more about these programs.

Read-to-Darby
15 min slots available Tuesday mornings between 10am-11am
Format: In-person, email rebecca@cplib.net, or call 541-247-7246 to set up an appointment
Click here for more information

iSpy Mystery Challenge Box #1: June 27-July 10
iSpy Mytery Challenge Box #2: July 11-July 24
iSpy Mystery Challenge Box #3: July 25-Aug 7
Format: In-person, drop in to the lobby
Click here for more information

Midway Summer Reading Event
Saturday, July 17 drop in 10am-2pm (Vila family performance at 10am)
Format: In-person
Click here for more information

Tale of the Rainbow Lizard (Virtual Program)
Link available Sunday, July 18- Sunday, July 25
Format: Virtual
Click here for more information

Coastline Libraries Recognized by United Way

In April, United Way of Southwestern Oregon reached out to Curry and Coos County communities asking for nominations of community organizations who have gone above and beyond since March 2020. The libraries of Curry and Coos Counties were nominated, as was Curry Public Library specifically, and the United Way responded by issuing the libraries a 2021 Community Celebration Award for "responding to COVID in dynamic, exciting ways and finding new ways to educate and promote literacy." Curry Public Library is honored to receive the award, and, as always, we are looking for ways to serve your learning needs. If you have ideas, please reach out to us at currylibrary@cplib.net

Trouble With Trusses: The Tale of Outdoor Movies at Curry Public Library

This story has been updated from when it was originally posted on Facebook to reflect current events. If you are one of those "let's get to the point" people (no judgement here, some of us are those people too) feel free to skip down to the line in bold that reads "Now that you made it through the dramatic backstory, here's what you need to know."

We dreamed, we planned, we found grant funding, we ordered all the parts in a responsible and timely fashion….

First the FM radio transmitter arrived, followed by the handheld FM radios. Then the posh projector arrived (if you’re wondering, yes, we did test it for quality control purpose- go Blazers!). Next the movie screen arrived from a company in Eugene. Meanwhile, we located an excavator to dig holes into the slope, poured concrete footings, sorted out movie licensing, planned community polling for movie selection, drafted promo, engaged in some heated debate about concessions (are there REALLY people out there who like Milk Duds? This writer is NOT convinced). Everything was going just swimmingly. Outdoor movies at the library all summer? Heck yes. We were a GO for launch…

Except for ONE thing: the truss system- that fancy metal support structure that was purchased to hold up our movie screen. It was ordered and set to arrive sometime around the third week of May. A little tight on timing, we thought, but doable. June rolled around and no truss system. We started to get a little nervous. Library director Jeremy Skinner got on the phone. He spent about a lifetime on hold. He got through to the shipping company only to be told, again and again, that it would be arriving “next week.” First it was the next Tuesday…no, next Friday, wait, now it’s the NEXT Friday… and so on. We hatched a (admittedly rather desperate, but we believed still achievable) plan to pitch the truss system one day and then do our first movie the next day. But we were foiled yet again; the truss system did not arrive the day we thought it would. After another lifetime on hold (good thing that library directors have nine lives), we learned that the truss system had traveled from the LA area to Kettleman City, CA, where it was sitting and waiting. Wondering where Kettleman City, CA, (population 1,439) is located? Yeah, so were we. It’s roughly near Fresno. Wondering were Fresno is located? Less than 4 hours via car from Los Angeles!

If you were in town on Thursday, June 17, and heard a strange sound coming from the hills around 11:30am, that was likely the collective groan emanating from the library when our staff found out that there was no way our truss system was going to arrive in time for our planned movie launch. After a moment of quiet with everyone looking every which way except at each other, Rebecca, our programs librarian murmured something along the lines of “well, it’ll be what it’ll be, right?” our unofficial motto for 2020-2021. This all meant that we did not have our swanky movie screen set up in time for our originally intended launch.

The story could end there… but, thank goodness, it doesn't. Brodey, Tech Lab Coordinator, and Jeremy, aforementioned library director, put their heads together and hatched a plan. First there was sketching, then intent and excited pointing at the outside of the library building. Then they disappeared. They returned a little while later with a bunch of lumber and tools. Then Brodey started to build things! The end result was a beautifully-pieced-together, temporary movie screen that attached to the front of our building; not, perhaps, the ideal location in terms of traffic flow, but definitely a fix! Since then we have successfully screened two movies in this location, and let us say for the record that we sure appreciate all the attendees who enthusiastically showed up and cheerfully looked the other way when it came to any minor snafus.

Still wondering about our MIA trusses? The story continues...We were told that the trusses would arrive on Wednesday, June 22nd. The trusses did not arrive on Wednesday, June 22nd. So, on Thursday, when a freight delivery truck pulled in to the library parking lot, we were ready. Jeremy and Brandon hurried out to direct the driver, Rebecca grabbed the camera, and two very long boxes emerged from the back of the truck.

For a moment everything was PERFECT. Our dream was about to come true!

That moment came to a swift and disappointing end when Jeremy took inventory and realized that there was supposed to be a 500lb pallet in addition to the two very long boxes. The very upbeat response from the delivery driver was: “Oh, give it a few days; I’m sure it’ll show up!” That resulted in another groan from our library staff, followed by another "guess it'll be what it'll be...." But lo and behold, a few days later, the GIANT pallet did in fact arrive. After a dramatic disembarkation of the pallet from the delivery truck (we could write another story about that, but this one's getting pretty long already), assembly of the truss system began immediately.

At this point in the story, we had really hoped to write that all loose ends with our troubled truss system had been neatly tied up. But that certainly would not be in fitting with the rest of the story. We'll try to make this quick: (1) We began assembling the trusses only to discover some pieces damaged and others missing. (2) We persevered against the odds, MacGyvered (or shall we say, MacBrodey'ed) some more fixes, gathered volunteers to put the thing up.... and were yet again foiled by obstacle. (3) Jeremy got on the phone resulting in profuse apologies from the truss company and a speedy overnight shipment of replacement parts. (4) They were the wrong parts. (5) We have now arrived at the present.

Now that you made it through the dramatic backstory, here's what you need to know: We are showing free movies outdoors this summer. We are excited to screen them soon on our beautiful new movie screen, but we might need to screen one or two more on our temporary (and totally still fantastic) screen at the front on the building. You are invited. Bring your mom, your neighbor, your friends. We've missed you and want to see you at the library again. Conditions need to be near dark to view the movies; we will shift start times earlier as we move through the summer. Please bring your lawn chairs, blankets, jackets, and spare change for concessions. And in case you're wondering, this writer is not too proud to admit defeat: there will, in fact, be MilkDuds.

JULY MOVIE SCHEDULE

How to Train Your Dragon
Tuesday, July 6: Start Time aprox 8:45pm

McFarland, USA
Saturday, July 10: Start TIme approx 8:45pm

Moana
Tuesday, July 20: Start Time approx 8:30pm

Title TBA Based on Community Poll Results (VOTE HERE)
Saturday, July 24: Start Time approx 8:30pm

Storytime
Please stay tuned for updates on when storytime will be offered in person again.

Read to Me Stortyime
Posted Mondays at 4pm
Format: Virtual, YouTube, recommended for ages birth-1st grade

Young Readers Storytime
Thursdays at 11am
Format: Virtual, Facebook Live, recommended for grades 2 and up

Italian Conversation Group and Watercolor Group
Meet Again at the Library

Two of our weekly meetup groups are meeting again in-person at the library. If you're curious about either of these groups (both free), we encourage you to drop-in, try a session, and see if it's a good fit for you!

Italian Conversation Group
Thursdays from 1-3: Upstairs Conference Room
Do you speak some Italian already, or have an interest in learning? Practice Italian with other community members.

Watercolor Meetup Group
Thursdays from 3-6: Upstairs Conference Room
Interested in watercolor? Bring your projects and work on them with other painters. New to painting watercolor? Come try it out. While this is not a class, there are experienced painters in the group who can help get you started.

Art by David Rayburn Haynes On Display

Art by David Rayburn Haynes will be on display on the second floor of the library in July, August, and September.

David majored in Art in San Diego and pursued a 33-year career in the semiconductor industry as a CAD engineer, application designer, and website architect. The artist’s work includes paintings, drawings, and photography. He gains inspiration from unusual colors and illusions that occur at dawn and dusk or when objects are lit from oblique angles. His work also draws from scenes with unique perspective, converging lines, and unusual angles, shadows, or textures. Although the artist’s works generally consist of recognizable subject matter, it is presented in ways that invite the viewer to suspend routine perception of reality.

More about the artist: http://www.drhaynes.com/

David Rayburn Haynes will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, August 21, at 2pm at Curry Public Library.

Tour the Tech Lab
Brodey Carptenter, tech lab coordinator, and Janee Lensing, children's librarian, put together this video tour of the library's tech lab. Click the button below to learn more, and if you're participating in our Summer Reading program, watching the video counts as a bonus point for all age groups!

Click Here to Take a Video Tour of the Tech Lab

New Shelving for the Library

Curry Public Library has come into some beautiful new-to-us shelving in our children's room, our large print, and our new sections. Our neighbor to the South, Chetco Public Library in Brookings, is undergoing some major renovations this summer and are removing shelving. They have generously shared some of their old shelving with us. This shelving from Chetco is double sided and allows us significantly more space to spread out and grow our collection, including expanding our Spanish language books for children. We invite you to come examine our new shelves when you are next in the library. Thank you to Chetco Public Library for the shelving, to library staff, especially Brodey, Jordan, and Lydsey and to volunteers Phoebe Skinner, Bryan Grummon, and Craig Shannon who all helped with this project.

Summer Project Programs for Adults

Our hands-on, project-based program series designed for adults is off to a great start! Twenty-seven of you joined us to make hydro-dipped succulent planters; as you can see from the pictures above, a fun time was had by all.

We are offering two programs in the month of July: (1) another parking lot program with Karlie Wright, this one a paint-along, and (2) a tech lab based program with Brodey Carpenter where participants will learn to use our laser cutter and take home their very own drink carrier.

These project-based programs are free, but require pre-registration so we can make sure there are supplies for all participants. These programs are popular, so if you register and your plans change, please take a moment to contact us by phone at 541-247-7246 or email (rebecca@cplib.net) so we can open a space for another participant.

Painting in the Parking Lot
Wednesday, July 14 at 6pm
Format: In-person, outdoors, for adults
Click here to register
rebecca@cplib.net

Intro to Laser Cutting: Drink Carrier Project
Saturday, July 31 11am-2pm
Format: In-person, for adults
Click here to register

LIBRARY & LOBBY HOURS
Monday-Thursday 10am-7pm
Friday-Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm

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COVID-19 UPDATES

Our main library area, lobby, and restrooms are open to patrons and cleaned regularly. As of June 30, masks are optional for library visitors. We maintain a no-contact shelf in the lobby where patrons can easily pick up requested items. All returned library items are cleaned before they are returned to the shelves. Our meeting spaces are closed to use by local (non-library) groups for the summer.

Questions or ideas for how we can serve you at this time?
Please call us at 541-247-7246.