October News from Curry Public Library

New Equipment in the Meeting Hall

At the end of September, the library finished a long-planned upgrade to our large meeting hall space. If you ever attended a program or meeting in the space, you might have noticed and wondered about a few things. First, why at the top of a beam 20 feet from the floor is there unused electrical conduit and 8 unused electrical outlets? Also, why in such a modern space did we have to run cords across the floor to a video camera to record programs?

The answers to these questions are closely linked. When the library planned and built the space, we knew we would eventually want to add mounted cameras and stage lights to help with live streaming programs and performances. At the time, we did not have the financial resources to install the necessary equipment, and we also were not sure exactly how the space would be utilized. We are happy we waited. Four years later we know the space fairly well, and we have learned that in addition to library hosted programs like author talks, many groups in the community need spaces that they can have large in-person meetings that allow virtual attendance.

Chances are, you have attempted to attend a virtual "hybrid" meeting, and the experience was pretty awful. It is likely that someone at the meeting had a laptop with a webcam and built-in microphone, and they had to move the laptop around to show the speaker, who had to yell across the room, and in the end you probably heard 1/4 of the discussion. With the advice of an audio-visual consultant, we think we have solved this problem with ceiling mounted beam tracking microphones that identify voices and zero in on the conversation to provide a high quality listening experience for virtual attendees. In testing the mics, we found that they were able to pick up whispered conversations on the edges of our meeting room. The microphone system is synchronized with high resolution video cameras which are able to follow conversation and zoom in on the speaker. We are also able to utilize this system to record and live stream any library program we want.

We are pleased to say that this set-up is one-of-a-kind among libraries in Oregon. In fact, most conference facilities do not have this kind of technology. We really hope that the space can be utilized to help our rural community engage with people and resources beyond our region. As these pictures illustrate, the look of the space has fewer simple clean lines, and is a lot more space-age looking, but the functional trade-off is one we were pleased to make. Thank you to AllCare Health and the Friends of the Curry Public Library for the funding to make this project possible.

Why is reading important to you?

During the month of September, we put this question to adults in the community: Why is reading important to you? We also threw in a prize incentive, all eligible participants were entered into a drawing to win the pictured box set of 80 Little Black Classics from Penguin. We are pleased to announce that Lindy-Lou Falcon was the winner drawn for the black box set.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit an entry! We received wonderful, thoughtful responses and asked if we could share them with the public. Here's what some of your fellow community members had to say:

"Reading is everything to me. Having access to information, is the most important thing I have learned as an indigenous woman on this earth. So many stories are passed down solely because someone, somewhere, took the time to write it all down. I am old enough to remember going to the library as a child, and having to figure out how to use the card catalogs to simply be able to find a book. I am old enough to remember when my family first gained in home access to the internet, and I’d fight with my siblings just so I could sit to read about Star Wars and Pokémon. Reading is when I get to bond with my son every night over the stories of our family. Reading has and always will be everything to me." - Lindy-Lou Falcon

"Reading has always been the “great escape” for me. Growing up, books made it possible for me to travel to any country, time period, or mystical land that I could possibly imagine. Books were the great looking-glass that opened my eyes to the wonders of the world. As an adult, they provide a small vacation from the real world to a world beyond. They offer me knowledge in which to teach my children ideas and viewpoints that I would never have gleaned elsewhere. And most of all, as a parent, books provide time to slow down and just read to my children while instilling in them the same magic and love for reading that I have." - Kimberly Hollinger

"Reading is important to me in many ways. First, the more I read, the better I am able to communicate, both verbally and in writing. Over time I have absorbed new words, sentence structures, and cadences that have made me a more effective communicator. Reading has helped me develop new skills like how to install electrical wiring, and how to set up computer networks. Reading has helped me find the information I need to make complicated decisions. Most importantly, I believe that I am a better person when I am working to develop an understanding for people from different cultures, experiences, and time periods. Books help me develop some of these competencies. It is remarkable that I am able to absorb a range of lessons from stories told over campfires in thirteenth century Iceland to accounts of tsunamis on the Oregon coast predating European settlement." - Jeremy Skinner

" Reading as a child helped me escape to different places and times, taught me about people who grew up in different circumstances than me, opened my eyes to more than I had experienced, and let me immerse myself in someone else’s creativity and imagination. Reading as an adult continues the same lessons. Currently I am reading four books: a story about a woman stagecoach driver living as a man, a book translated from German about endangered and extinct birds, a mystery set in Paris, and an autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. We have raised readers, taught literacy to children in our careers, and now have built a Little Free Library for our neighborhood children and adults. I can’t imagine ever being without a book!" - Rhoda Denning

" Reading is all about the three “E’s” for me: Excitement, Education, and Enjoyment. I spend hours a day reading, and with each book, I find satisfaction on very different levels. I love mysteries, and depending on the author, there can be a wide range on the EXCITEMENT SCALE…all the way up to “terrified and hiding under the bedcovers.” I love biographies and twentieth century history, because I always learn something new, and usually come away with the different perspective garnered through hindsight. Most of the books I read are strictly for enjoyment. I often hate these books to end because I am invested in the characters, who have become “friends” during the 300-1,000 page journey. It is probably why I love authors who write multiple books about the same characters…the friendship continues!" - Sandy Grummon

Tiny Art Show is Back!

Display your artistic talents in our 2022 Tiny Art Show! This year the show is open to ALL AGES. Free mini paint kits are currently available at the circulation desk in the library. Participants will have until Saturday, October 29 to return their tiny art pieces for display and judging during the month of November, although they are welcome to return their work early. Kid prizes include tempera paint sticks and canvases, a marbling art kit, a 34-piece mixed media art set, and a 70 colors polymer clay kit. Adult prizes include gift certificates to a local business of the winner's choice. Everyone is encouraged to participate regardless of their perceived artistic ability! This year’s theme is “I’ve fallen for…”

Here are some dates to remember:

September 28: Kit pickup begins at the library (kits are still available!)
October 29: Tiny art pieces are due back to the library
November 1-December 1: Tiny art will be on display at the library and judging to determine prize winners will occur.
November 3: Tiny Art Show Opening Reception, free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.
After December 1, participants are welcome to come pick up their tiny art pieces to bring home

Hands-On October in the Tech Lab

October offers a number of hands-on opportunities from the crew in the tech lab. On October 1st, participants learned how to create roses out of recycles book pages (pictured above). Here are opportunities for the remained of the month:

Intro to SketchUp: Saturday, October 8 at 10am
Explore the concept of 3D modeling with the 3D design software SketchUp. This workshop is great for beginners, or those with just a little familiarity with SketchUp. Register here.

Large Format Printer Demonstration: Saturday, October 15, drop-in 11am-4pm
Drop in between the hours of 11am and 4pm to learn about the library’s Epson 44’’ large format poster printer.

Laser Cutter Tab and Slot Construction: Saturday, October 22 at 10am
Design and create a simple tab and slot box using the library's laser cutter (see sample pictured above). Register here.

Zoom of Doom Interactive Display: Saturday, October 29, drop-in 11am-4pm
Using zoom, a projector, and a mannequin head, you can create a fun and interactive Halloween gag. Come play with our display. Project your face onto the head and make funny faces! The Zoom of Doom display will be available for drop-in use in the lobby from 11am-4pm on Saturday, October 29.

Free Professional Development Workshop From OMSI
SUPPORTING YOUNG SCIENTISTS: NOVEMBER 5, 2022 IN GOLD BEACH

Curry Public Library is thrilled to be working with the Oregon Museum and Science and Industry to bring a free professional development opportunity designed for those teaching and caring for preschoolers! Supporting Young Scientists will take place on Saturday, November 5 from 9am-1pm at Curry Public Library in Gold Beach. The opportunity is free. Light refreshments will be provided.

Nervous about teaching science to preschoolers? Join staff from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to assess your own attitudes and gain resources to identify what it really looks and sounds like when young children are practicing science. We will build new skills and practice using them in fun hands-on activities rich in scientific thinking that you can take to your learning setting.

With over 13 years’ experience in museum-based early education, trainer Annie Douglass deeply values science and play as powerful tools of exploration and social connection.

Participants will receive certificates for 4 hours in Oregon Registry Learning Environments and Curriculum, Set 1.
To register, please fill out the information below. If you have questions, please contact Annie Douglass at adouglass@omsi.edu.

Click here to register, space is limited.

Record Breaking Month-Long Silent Auction at the Library

The Friends of Curry Public Library’s annual "Month-Long Silent Auction" ended with the ringing of a bell at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 30th. A group of close to 30 people hovered around the auction items between 4:30 and 5:00, furtively outbidding one another. The last-minute flurry of activity accelerated bids into record breaking territory. When the final tally was computed, the Friends had raised $1,000.00 more than in any previous auction…$8,274.00!

The highest bid in the auction was $800.00 for the primo library parking space closest to the library entrance, won by newcomer to the community, Joy Wells. The DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone (donated by Denise King) was bid up to $650, and both the Octane Recumbent Elliptical Trainer (donated by Dianne Daniels) and the Champion generator(donated by Lucie LaBonte) each raised $575.00. There was a bidding war for a John Sevey custom-crafted knife (donated by Linda Elfman) that topped out at $425.00, and a Deering Goodtime 5-String Banjo (donated by Paul Renner) brought in a last minute bid of $400.00.

This was the first "Month-Long Silent Auction" the Friends of the Library had hosted since the spring of 2019. They had been collecting and storing donations from generous community members during those two years, and event co-chairs, Bryan and Sandy Grummon, said it was the best selection of auction items ever offered in the eleven year history of the fund-raising event.

If you have something new or “almost-new” that you are not using and don’t plan to use in the future, please consider donating it to the Friends of the Curry Public Library’s 2023 Month-Long Silent Auction. Call the library (541-247-7246) with your donation idea, and they will put you in contact with the Friends organization. Tools, appliances, and sports equipment have traditionally been among the most popular auction items. Please note: after eleven years of experience, the Friends will no longer accept collectibles, artwork, or any hand-knitted, hand crocheted, and hand-quilted items for upcoming auctions.

The Oregon Health Authority will offer free COVID-19 Vaccines in October at Curry Public Library. Anyone eligible to be vaccinated may receive a vaccine including children ages 6 months and up, teens, and adults (those under age 16 require parental consent). The OHA crew will have all approved and available vaccines, including updated bivalent boosters that cover omicron variants. For questions, contact rebecca@cplib.net.

Masks are optional. 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.

Masks are required for all library visitors. Our main library area, lobby, and restrooms are open to patrons and cleaned regularly. 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.