Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! Last year we received the Spring Community Building Grant, provided by the Golden Belt Community Foundation, and the Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities Grant, courtesy of the American Library Association. These grants have allowed us to improve the library’s overall accessibility. Since receiving the grants, we have added curb cutouts in three different places near our entrances and decreased the incline of our east ramp to improve the library’s accessibility. We have also removed the set of stairs near our north entrance in anticipation of our planned wheelchair platform lift, the construction of which has finally begun. Once completed, our patrons will have the option to take advantage of the powered lift, which is near one of the curb cutouts, to access our north entrance. Thank you to the Golden Belt Community Foundation and the American Library Association for making these projects possible!
Now, let’s take a look at our upcoming events, starting with Genealogy Thursday today, Feb. 19, at 11 a.m. Whether you are getting started on ancestry research or are stuck on a current project, bring your questions to the Reference Desk for assistance.
New and seasoned Japanese visual culture fans are invited to join our Teen Manga & Anime Club for grades 6-12. Each month we’ll try out a new series by reading the first volume of the manga before meeting to discuss it and watch the first episode of the corresponding anime. Stick around afterward for a related activity, which could be anything from a craft to a competition. Use the code @gbmanga in the Remind app or visit remind.com/join/gbmanga to receive updates on meetings and other club-related events.
For February’s club meeting this evening from 5:30-7:45 p.m., we’ll be covering “My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!” by Satoru Yamaguchi. “A high school girl is stunned to find herself reincarnated as the conniving villainess from her favorite dating sim game, Fortune Lover. Now, as Katarina Claes, the impossibly rich and spoiled daughter of a duke, her new life seems to perfectly sync up with the world of the game. This means big trouble! No matter how the game turned out, there were only two fates for Catarina: exile or death!” (Amazon) Afterwards, we’ll play I Love You, Colonel Sanders! Copies of March’s title, “Yowamushi Pedal” by Wataru Watanabe, will be available for pickup.
This weekend on Saturday, Feb. 21, we have our next Cozy Craft for tweens, teens, and adults (grades 3 and up). Join us at 1 p.m. to make some Lunar New Year Mementos.
Next Monday, Feb. 23, we have two events starting at 4 p.m. Tweens in grades 3-5 can head down to the Lower Level Meeting Room for this month’s Monday Crafternoon. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to paint a watercolor masterpiece in the style of renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe. At the same time in the Teen Spot, teens in grades 6-12 can grab a bag of popcorn and settle in for Movie Monday. “As an ancient threat endangers both Vikings and dragons alike on the isle of Berk, the friendship between Hiccup, an inventive Viking, and Toothless, a Night Fury dragon, becomes the key to both species forging a new future together.” (IMDb)
On Tuesday, along with our regular lineup of Early Literacy Story Time at 10:30 am and Tech Tuesday at 11 a.m., we have our annual Cupcake Wars event in the afternoon at 4 p.m. Teens who have signed up will compete in cupcake-decorating challenges to see who is the master of frosting! Entries will be on display for a week following the event for patrons of all ages to vote on their favorites.
If you’re a teen with Library Loot to spend, make sure to come in before the end of the month to stock up on goodies from our winter prize store. After Saturday, Feb. 28, the store won’t return until September.
Haylee Huddleston is Teen Services librarian at the Great Bend Public Library. To see what else they are up to at the library, stop by and grab the winter newsletter or check Facebook and Instagram @greatbendpl, email gbcirc@gmail.com, or call 620-792-2409 with any questions about programming or services.
