Holiday Giving Ideas from the Library

Used books – Not only is it affordable, but it's a great way to employ green strategies in your gift-giving. When you “Re-Use” a book, you're doing good for your community, and the revenue raised from used book sales helps support the library. The Friends of the Library book store, BuY the Book (in the lobby of the Downtown Library) has a great selection, great bargains and friendly volunteers who staff the store. Stop by – you just might find the perfect gift. And most items in the store are only $1 each!

Tote bags - Another gift idea from the Friends. These sturdy bags are available at all library locations. You could tuck in a used book you find at the Friends' store or a library card application if (gasp!) the recipient is not a library user.

Donation in someone's honor – Make a donation to the Library Foundation in someone's honor. We'll send them a note letting them know you did so and both you and the recipient will feel great about supporting lifelong learning in our community.

A night out – Thinking ahead, you could buy a special someone a ticket or two to the Library Foundation's blast of a party, "You Can’t Do That in the Library." 2012 marks the sixth year of this rule-breaking fiesta in the library where there's pizza, beer, wine, great music and dancing with 6 Foot Swing. A not-to-be-missed event! Mark your calendar for April 28 and contact Foundation Director, Sandy Kernerman at 444-5318 for tickets.

Remember that you also support your library by shopping locally. When you do, a portion of the sales tax comes back to support the library. You also support the library by coming in and using it. So stop by and say hello, check out some books, music and movies, warm up in our spaces, use our computers and keep the libraries strong.

What To Do on a Day Off From School?

Go to a free movie at the library! South Hill will be showing Gnomeo and Juliet on Tuesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 29 at 10:30 a.m. (both dates). While we don't allow food in the library, this is one time you can bring snacks because the movie is in the meeting room and not the library-proper. Join us for this fun twist on Shakespeare. What's it all about? The neighboring Montague and Capulet families can't stand each other, but two of their garden gnomes--who come alive when no one is watching--fall in love. Rated G so it's a good one for the whole family!

Help Us Over the Holidays—Return Books When We're Open!

We know customers like using our after-hours book returns, and we're glad to provide them. When we're closed for several days, however, they can fill up quickly and overflow, which keeps some customers from taking advantage of them. This Christmas and New Year's (which both fall on a Sunday), some library branches will close for as many as four days in a row. During that time, we strongly encourage you to return books on days when we're open. Obviously, if you can't come when we're open—well, that's why we have the after-hours returns. But if you can wait until an "open" day, we'll surely appreciate it. You'll be helping us serve you, and other customers, better. Thank you!

p.s. You can find our holiday calendar on our website here so you know when and when not to come visit.

Freegal Quadruples Offerings!

Like Freegal? Then we've got good news. Freegal is working on quadrupling its musical offerings with the addition of more than two million tracks from the Independent Online Distribution Alliance (IODA). It takes a bit of time to upload two million tracks, and they've been working on it steadily and hope to have all the content loaded by the end of the year. Now that's a nice holiday present!

What is IODA?The “I” stands for independent, so you'll find music that is not covered by major recording companies. IODA is a digital distributor of 12,000+ independent labels with a diverse range of music from over 50 countries, including rock, electronic, hip-hop, metal, punk, indie, world, Latin, jazz and classical.

Freegal? – If you're not on the Freegal bandwagon yet then definitely check it out; there are now even more songs to choose from! What is it? Go to our website for a full explanation but here's the short answer – download three songs (of your choice) per week for free, for keeps. Easy! You'll need a current library card (resident only) and your PIN to access the service.

Questions? – Stop by the library or give us a call – 444-5336.

Don't Forget Your Library Card—December 21 & 22

We always aim to improve service for our customers, but sometimes that means a day or two of inconvenience. On December 21 and 22, we're receiving an upgrade for Horizon, the computer system we use to manage customer accounts and our catalog. This upgrade will improve the system, but it also means we won't be able to use it for those two days. If you visit the library during that time, remember two things. First, bring your library card! Without our normal system, we can't access your library account using your ID card or driver's license. Second, our catalog won't be available, so you won't be able to search online for books and other items. We regret these temporary inconveniences, but we appreciate your patience.

CLOSURES

All branches will be CLOSED on December 24 - 26 for the Christmas holiday. Since East Side, Hillyard and Indian Trail are normally closed on Mondays they will be closed December 27 as well. Confused? Check our holiday calendar on our website.

Movies!

Join us for Night Moves on December 14 at 5:30 at the Downtown Library. Free, of course!

Job Hunt

Our WorkSource lab is open for those needing assistance with job searches, resume preparation and other employment-related work.

Storytimes

It's time for our annual celebration of that great American icon – the Teddy Bear! Join us for a tribute to Teddy, and bring your favorite bear along for the fun. Check our kids' programs page for dates and times.

Shopping?

Did you know that a portion of Spokane Public Library's funding comes from local, City of Spokane sales tax revenue?! When you shop inside the city limits you are supporting your library!

Friends?

We like you; do you like us?