A new year begins . . .

Seasonal appeal

With much gratitude, we thank all our neighbors and friends whose belief in public libraries is evident from the results of the generous donations that were received during this year's annual appeal. More than $30,000 was received. As Ursula Le Guin boldly stated: "A public library is a public trust. And that freedom must not be compromised. It must be available to all who need it, and that’s everyone, when they need it, and that’s always.”

Featuring puzzles

14 new Puzzles have been added to the BookShelf. In a recent interview the head of the US Jigsaw Puzzle Association (yes, it's a thing) noted that fitting the right piece into a puzzle "offers a dopamine hit every time, so assembling a puzzle is just a constant dose of happy chemicals." Others have noted that puzzle-solving occupies the same neural pathways we reserve for anxiety and crowds out the anxious thoughts. What better activity for this time?  
We also have a new search button—Recently Added—so you can see what we have added in the last few weeks. We are continually culling our shelves to make way for new additions.

Thank you all again for making our Online BookShelf a success and for supporting IPL with your purchases.