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Friends of Liberty Library Newsletter

December 28, 2020

Well, your newsletter has a different look! The program updated so the old template no longer works. Sigh! As I have had to do with most things in 2020 - accept it and move on.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday. As befitting of the crazy year 2020, Maine set a record for the warmest Christmas on record. Some places reached 60°. Snow and ice covered the yard when I went to bed on Christmas Eve, and the ground was bare on Christmas morning. High winds and rain caused some places to lose power. People won’t be ice fishing on New Year’s Day this year because there is no ice! In the 40+ years I have lived here, I can’t remember Lake St. George not being frozen over by January 1st. Weird!

Winter Reads

From January 1st to January 31st, Liberty Library will participate in Beanstack’s Fourth Annual Winter Reading Challenge. We challenge our patrons to read at least 10 books during the month and keep track of their reading on our Beanstack site at liberty.beanstack.org. Register today but you will not be able to start logging books until January 1st. No age limit. You can register each family member separately.

Kids in grades 4-8 can also join the Maine Student Book Award challenge. Keep track of the books you have read from the MSBA list so you are ready to vote in March.

You can track your reading and participate in the reading challenge on your mobile phone or device. Download the Beanstack app for free at the Apple Store or Google Play.

Can we collectively read 100 books in January?

BINGO Fridays

Beginning New Year’s Day - January 1, 2021 at 10:30am
To help alleviate some of the social isolation in the coming winter months, we will be hosting online BINGO games. On the day, go to the library webpage and connect via Zoom. You can use your own bingo cards (limit of 2 per person, please) or you can contact me to print or send you cards. We will host Bingo games for 5 weeks on Fridays in January. Win some fun prizes!

Marine Mammals of Maine

Sat, January 23, 3pm (virtual)
Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME) will do a virtual educational presentation which will include photos, videos, and information about the vital work that they do, and how others can get involved and help marine animals. MMoME is a non-profit organization dedicated to marine mammal and sea turtle response, rescue, care, research and education. They respond to stranded marine animals from Kittery to Rockland, mostly seals (300 this last year), sometimes whales, and sea turtles. They have a triage center in Harpswell where they can bring the animals that need medical attention. One of the biggest issues they come across is human interaction with these animals, and all of this could be remedied by spreading the knowledge on how to properly react to these animals.

Register and the Zoom link will be sent to you on January 22nd.

Book Discussion

Wednesday, January 13, 6:30
Book Discussion via Zoom. Anyone is welcome to participate. We will be discussing Born a Crime : Stories from a South Africa Childhood by Trevor Noah. A New York Times Bestseller. It is the compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

MILS There are also more copies via MaineCat.

Register and the Zoom link will be sent to you on January 12th.

Liberty Men and Great Proprietors

If you missed Alan Taylor’s presentation of Liberty Men and Great Proprietors: The Revolutionary Settlement on the Maine Frontier, 1760-1820 on December 16th, you can view the recording.

In the years leading up to Maine Statehood, the political culture in the District of Maine was fraught with conflict, resentment, political theater, and the pursuit of opportunity. For a local rendition of what occured in Liberty, visit LAND TROUBLES.

The Snowy Day

With 485,583 checkouts, Ezra Jack Keats’ 1962 picture book The Snowy Day is the most-borrowed book in the history of the NYPL. See the list of the Top 10 most-checked-out books in the NYPL’s history.

Here is a list of other books to help you Weather the Winter. (This link is also at the top of the library web[age.)

I have prepared several Bag of Books for kids which includes approximately 6 books - picture books, nonfiction books, and a readaloud - about a particular topic. Stop by and request a bag. Or if you have a topic for which you would like me to create a bag, please contact me.

Songs and Stories with Jennifer Armstrong

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020 AT 2 PM EST - 3 PM EST Online Event

Join Lewiston Public Library for an afternoon of Songs and Stories from Jennifer Armstrong!

Registration Link

Click on the button below to listen to a Maine Christmas story:

Liberty Library Knitters and Friends

This fall we delivered to WaldoCAP Headstart and Family Services, Maine Families of Waldo County, Walker School, Belfast Soup Kitchen, and Liberty AmVets food pantry. Your generosity has been overwhelming! Everything is so appreciated and makes a difference to someone. This year, we collected:

• 1 baby blanket

• 19 nap blankets - knit, crocheted and polar fleece

• 50 pairs of mittens

• 35 scarves, cowls and headbands

• 8 jackets/parkas

• 133 hats

• 4 sweaters/ponchos

• 126 pairs of socks

Although we are finished gathering and distributing for this winter, if you are in need of small projects to keep busy during these winter months, we will be collecting again next fall. Warm hats and mittens are always needed. Thank you for your little acts of kindness!

In Memoriam

Happy New Year!

Thank you to all of our donors for your loyalty and support. We wish everyone a HEALTHY, HOPEFUL, and HAPPIER 2021!

Library Hours: Monday 4:00-7:00 and Thursday 10:00-4:00

CURBSIDE ONLY