Santa is Comingto the LibraryA nonprofit organization in Maine, Raising Readers (raisingreaders.org), provides books to young children two months to five years old and recently published statistics demonstrating the value of reading 20 minutes a day. By the end of a school year, a child would read for 3,600 minutes, and by the end of sixth grade, that child would have read for 60 whole days. The Youth Services Department at the library not only agrees with the practice of reading to children, but also provides free books during programs like Love on a Leash. Story Time, which occurs in the Children’s Room at 10:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday, will give youngsters a chance to listen to stories, songs and rhymes, and also give them an opportunity to spend time with a special visitor Santa. Santa will be visiting the library at the end of each story time and all the children present will be able to express their Christmas wishes. There will be no Story Time for two weeks, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 26. Story Time will resume Jan. 9 at its regular times.PROGRAMS ON SATURDAYThe dictionary defines tintinnabulation as “the ringing, jingling or sounding of bells.” The Tintabulations Handbell Ensemble brings that definition to life in a resounding, special concert, “Ringing in the Holidays,” from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday in the library auditorium. This delightful group, which features Youth Services Librarian Amber Sady, will present a joyful interpretation of favorite seasonal music.Children who attend Love on a Leash, scheduled from 1 until 2 p.m. Saturday will be given a free book after they read with the specially trained therapy dogs. The Lego Club will meet from 10 a.m. until noon in the library auditorium. Sign up at the Youth Desk for this free program, which is limited to the first 50 participants.Business at the BRICLocal business, Greenhouse Garden Center sends an informative, well-designed monthly email to many of its customers, in an effort to showcase the many activities and special programs. The BRIC’s Lynda.com Video Tutorial of the Month, Email Marketing Basics, will show other businesses how to get the most out of email marketing. Strategies and topics include building a quality list of subscribers, creating valuable email content, formatting, and analyzing the effectiveness of email campaigns and offering incentives to increase signups. Those interested in viewing this one-hour-long video should check it out on Lynda.com and then call the BRIC at 775-283-7123 or send an email to carsonbric@gmail.com to reserve time on the iMac. A personal subscription to Lynda.com runs about $250 per year, but it is free at the library.Other classes at the BRIC include: • “LinkedIn for Your Job Search” runs from 10:30 a.m. until noon on Tuesday at the BRIC. LinkedIn is a social networking website for people in professional occupations and has more than 175 million users in more than 200 countries.• “Facebook for Business” meets from noon until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.• “How to Create a Website Using Free Online Tools” meets from noon until 1:30 p.m. on Thursday.• • •Most folks view income preparation with dread and trepidation. Enter Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, a program in which volunteers provide free income tax preparation assistance to low-Income, elderly, disabled and limited English speaking people. The VITA returning volunteer training session is slated from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.• • •The library will close early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The special hours ours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library and the BRIC will be closed on Christmas Day and on New Year’s Day.
